Weekend Briefing

Here's what you need to know to start your week

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Morning Headlines

The Kyiv Independent: Three drones were spotted flying over the Doel Nuclear Power Plant in northern Belgium on the evening of Nov. 9, according to Deutsche Welle.

Reuters: Russian Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Cairo on Sunday leading a large delegation of senior arms and nuclear officials for military talks with Egypt's leadership, RIA news agency reported.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine would like to order 27 Patriot air defense systems from U.S. companies and is looking to borrow the crucial system from its European allies in the meantime, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Guardian published on Nov. 9.

ISW: Russian forces are successfully interdicting Ukrainian logistics into Myrnohrad (east of Pokrovsk) as part of efforts to collapse Ukrainian defenses in the town.

09.11.2025

The Kyiv Independent: The European Union's 20th sanctions package against Russia is in development and will be ready "within a month," President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Nov. 9.

Reuters: Trump on Sunday said John Coale, who helped negotiate the release of prisoners from Belarus, was his choice for special envoy to Minsk and would press for the release of more detainees.

Axios: More than $5 billion worth of U.S. weapon exports to support NATO allies and Ukraine have been delayed by the government shutdown, according to a State Department estimate shared with Axios.

CNN: Germany and the United Kingdom have warned of the growing threat posed by Russian and Chinese space satellites, which have been regularly spotted spying on satellites used by Western powers. The countries have in recent weeks highlighted frequent instances of Russia stalking, jamming and interfering with their satellites in space.

BBC: Britain is providing military support to Belgium after a series of suspected Russian drone incursions into its airspace, the new chief of the defence staff has said.

Bloomberg: A month after the full-scale invasion, a survey by Warsaw-based pollster CBOS found that 94% of Poles wanted to accept Ukrainian refugees. A CBOS survey last month put that support at 48%, with half of Poles now believing that state benefits offered to Ukrainian arrivals are too generous (archive).

ISW: The rate of Russian advances in the Pokrovsk direction has temporarily slowed but will likely increase again in the coming days as Russian forces extend logistics and bring reinforcements in the area.

Reuters: Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles in overnight attacks on Ukraine, targeting substations that supply two nuclear power plants and killing seven people, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday.

08.11.2025

Politico: Slovakia's PM Fico warned that his country will oppose using Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine's defense spending, speaking with Slovakian public broadcaster STVR on Saturday.

Reuters: Hungary said on Saturday it had obtained an indefinite waiver from U.S. sanctions to use Russian oil and gas, but a White House official reaffirmed that the exemption was for one year only.

CNN: Russian forces appear to be on the brink of finally seizing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a symbolic victory that Putin has been pursuing for 21 months at an increasingly heavy cost.

Militarnyi: Two Ukrainian companies have set up a full cycle of production of engines for their long-range drones, but they do not yet fully cover the demand.

ISW: Russian forces continue to advance in the Pokrovsk direction and are reportedly extending logistics to southern Pokrovsk.

Reuters: Three Ukrainian drones hit an electricity substation in the northern Russian region of Vologda overnight, regional governor Georgy Filimonov said on Saturday.

BBC: At least six people have died after Russia launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure and residential targets in Ukraine overnight.

The Kyiv Independent: All thermal power plants operated by Ukraine's state-owned energy company Centrenergo are down following "the largest Russian attack" which targeted all of them, the company announced on Nov. 8.

07.11.2025

Politico: Romania and Bulgaria are racing against time to stop their critical oil refineries from shutdowns before U.S. sanctions on their Russian owners kick in later this month.

Reuters: The United States fully backs the European Union using frozen Russian assets as a tool to support Ukraine and end the war with Russia

The Guardian: The EU executive plans to create a Centre for Democratic Resilience to counter disinformation from Russia and other authoritarian regimes, according to a leaked paper.

BBC: The Belgian government has told the BBC it is urgently trying to acquire drone defences after a sighting forced its main airport near Brussels to close temporarily.

Reuters: Greece agreed on Friday to import 700 million cubic metres of U.S. liquefied natural gas per year starting in 2030 in its first long-term deal with Washington, which seeks to replace Russian supplies to Europe.

Euractiv: The European Union on Friday said it would deny Russians multi-entry visas as security fears rise nearly four years into the war on Ukraine.

Reuters: More than 1,400 citizens from three dozen African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, Kyiv's foreign minister said on Friday.

EIB: The European Investment Bank has disbursed a total of €100 million to support economic resilience and critical municipal heating infrastructure in Ukraine. The financing is part of the €50 billion Ukraine Facility.

Reuters: German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius suggested a link on Friday between recent drone incidents in Belgium and discussions over the use of frozen Russian assets, held by Belgian financial institution Euroclear, to fund a giant loan to Ukraine.

Reuters: Giant Russian tank and freight railcar manufacturer Uralvagonzavod said on Friday it was restructuring its operations to reduce costs after a local media report said it planned to cut the number of its employees by up to 10%.

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