05.11.2023

BBC News: Ukraine's military chiefs are facing growing criticism over a recent Russian missile strike that is believed to have caused heavy Ukrainian casualties.

Reuters: In Ukraine's war-ravaged Donetsk region, soldiers dug in near the front line described how Russian artillery had intensified significantly in recent weeks, but said it remains below peaks seen a year ago as both sides struggle to advance.

AFP: The Senate is expected to take up its own version of a bill providing aid to Israel and Ukraine days after the House passed a stand-alone bill for Israel aid with some conditions.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine’s military is considering different options to "move forward faster" and strike Russia "unexpectedly," President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News on Nov. 5.

Reuters: Zelensky called on the U.S. to provide more funding to help his forces counter Russia, and invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to fly in to see the scale of the conflict for himself.

AFP: Zelensky said Sunday he was "not ready" for talks with Russia unless its troops withdraw from his country, denying Western officials had suggested holding peace negotiations.

NBC News: Zelensky rejected claims that the war with Russia has reached a stalemate, as his military’s struggling counteroffensive and the war in the Middle East threaten to sap Western support.

Reuters: Russia's new strategic nuclear submarine, the Imperator Alexander III, has successfully tested a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.

AP News: Moldovans are casting ballots in nationwide local elections on Sunday as authorities say that Russia has been conducting “hybrid warfare” to undermine the vote in the European Union candidate country.

Meduza: The Russian authorities are in talks to establish military bases in Libya, reports Bloomberg. The outlet’s sources reported that the deal is being negotiated following a meeting between Putin and Khalifa Haftar, Libya’s eastern military commander, in Moscow in late September 2023.

Reuters: Ukraine rained 15 cruise missiles on Russia's shipyard in the Crimean port city of Kerch on Saturday, damaging one ship, Russian defence ministry said, in an attack that could further undermine Moscow's striking capabilities.

04.11.2023

AP News: Ukraine’s newly appointed head of defense industry says he is working tirelessly to ramp up local arms production and wants to turn the country into a weapons production hub for the West.

Romania Insider: The Romanian government will contribute up to EUR 50 million to subsidize the interest owed by Ukraine for the repayment of the EUR 18 billion loan from the EU approved for Kyiv by the Council and the European Parliament in December of last year.

AP News: Russian attacks in Ukraine wounded at least 14 civilians over the past day, officials said Saturday, as the president of the European Union’s executive arm returned to the Ukrainian capital to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainska Pravda: Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russia conducted unsuccessful tests of nuclear weapons carriers, Yars and Bulava missiles, in late October and early November.

AFP: Ukraine said Saturday it had filed criminal charges against Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, in absentia for "justifying" Russia's invasion.

The Kyiv Independent: Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told the Quotidiano Nazionale newspaper on Nov. 4 that the time has not yet come for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations on a political level.

The Guardian: Russia's Dagestan riot and changing policy at Kremlin stir traumatic memories and prompt deep unease.

Reuters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday appointed a new commander of its special forces, a unit known for conducting military operations in Moscow-held territories, but the officer replaced in the shuffle said he had not been told why.

03.11.2023

The Kyiv Independent: Eight Swedish Archer artillery systems have already been delivered to Ukraine, the national broadcaster SVT reported on Nov. 3, citing Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson.

POLITICO: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday said her diplomatic adviser Francesco Maria Talò resigned over a prank call on Wednesday in which Meloni told two Russian comedians that European leaders are ‘tired’ of the war in Ukraine, thinking she was speaking with African Union officials.

Nikkei Asia: Turkey and France are ramping up their charm offensives in Central Asia, traditionally under Russian influence, as Moscow's declining presence opens the door to a diplomatic tug of war.

AP News: Serbia’s intelligence chief, who has fostered closer ties with Russia and is under sanctions by the United States, resigned Friday after less than a year in the post, saying he wanted to avoid possible further embargos against the Balkan nation.

Reuters: The United States sanctioned a Russian national on Friday for helping Russian elites to launder and transfer hundreds of millions of dollars using virtual currency in contravention of existing sanctions imposed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Armin Papperger, CEO of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, in Berlin on Nov. 3, discussing ways to strengthen the alliance of German and Ukrainian defense industries.

Reuters: The United States has begun sending smaller military aid packages to Ukraine in order to stretch out support given a stalemate in Congress over providing funding for Ukraine, the White House said on Friday.

POLITICO: Russia is breaking UN rules by accepting arms from North Korea to use in its "illegal, unprovoked and unjustified" war on Ukraine, the EU's External Action Service said Friday.

The Guardian: A handful of Ukrainian troops who have reached the occupied side of the Dnipro River are clinging to a foothold in Russian-controlled territory in the south of the country despite a fierce bombardment.

Reuters: Raiffeisen Bank International said that a spin-off of its extensive operations in Russia was unlikely by the end of the year, backing away from earlier forecasts.

Euronews: Austria is reportedly considering bypassing Ukraine's scheduled end to Russian gas transits to secure future supplies. The plan would see Austria ordering Russian gas itself and transporting it via the Ukrainian pipeline.

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