Ukraine Daily

Thursday, December 1

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A child looks through an evacuation train’s window in Pokrovsk, in Donetsk Oblast, on Nov. 30, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian intelligence: Russia stockpiles missiles for next mass missile strike. Vadym Skibitsky, Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate representative, said Russia was looking into new targets and conducting reconnaissance for its next mass missile strike. Skibitsky said that Russia had enough weapons to bombard Ukraine.

White House: Russia will continue missile strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. “Russians are showing no signs that they are going to stop or reduce their attacks on civilian infrastructure (in Ukraine) that they have been conducting over the past few weeks,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said.

Official: Russia forcibly relocates residents from Kinburn Spit on left bank of Dnipro River. Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim said that Ukraine is currently conducting a counteroffensive operation to liberate the spit.

General Staff: Russia prepares new mobilization campaign. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Nov. 30 that Russia planned to release cadets from military academies early to replenish its losses in Ukraine at the beginning of 2023. According to the General Staff, Russia plans to launch a new mobilization campaign in January-February 2023.

Russian forces shell border settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy oblasts nearly 40 times on the morning of Nov. 30. According to Ukraine’s Operational Command North, no casualties were reported in the areas.

Financial Times: Starlink prices nearly double in Ukraine since March. Starlink terminals will cost $700 for new Ukrainian consumers, according to the company’s website, a rise from about $385 earlier this year. The consumer cost of the monthly subscription will now rise from $60 to $75.

Security Service searches properties of banned pro-Russian party leader. The raids also took place at the properties of the relatives and closest associates of Yevhen Murayev, Kremlin-linked ex-lawmaker.

SBU conducts raid at Moscow Patriarchate monastery in Zakarpattia Oblast. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Nov. 30 that it was conducting a search of one of the Moscow-linked monasteries in Mukachevo in the western Zakarpattia Oblast to counter the possible “subversive activities of the Russian special services in Ukraine.“

Zelensky: ‘Let’s hope the war ends in coming months.’ President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hopes that the war would end “in the coming months” during an interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit on Nov. 30. Zelensky stressed that the war would end “when either Ukraine wins, or Russia decides to stop.”

One wounded in explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Spain. One of the embassy employees received minor injuries while inspecting an envelope that exploded after having arrived at the premise, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko.

Investigation

Investigation: International Legion soldiers allege light weapons misappropriation, abuse by commanders This is the second part of the Kyiv Independent’s investigation into the International Legion – a military formation created for foreign fighters dedicated to defending Ukraine. This follow-up article sheds light on previously unknown alleged misconduct by the Legion’s leadership, reveals that it’s of a far-reaching scale and involves both wings of the Legion, subordinated to different agencies. Soldiers who sounded the alarm about problems within the Legion claim to have received threats, gotten denounced, or been kicked out. Illustration: Karolina Gulshani

The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russia’s attack on Kherson kills 1, injures 1 on Nov. 30. Russia’s shelling of Kherson on the morning of Nov. 30, killed a 70-year-old woman and injured a 64-year-old man, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.

Governor: Russian attacks on Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast kill 2, injure 11. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported that two civilians were killed and 11 were injured in Bakhmut as of the morning of Nov. 30. Russian shelling destroyed a kindergarten and at least three private houses in the city, he added.

General Staff: Russia has lost 88,880 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Nov. 30 that Russia had also lost 2,914 tanks, 5,872 armored fighting vehicles, 4,429 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,902 artillery systems, 395 multiple launch rocket systems, 210 air defense systems, 280 airplanes, 261 helicopters, 1,562 drones, and 16 boats.

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Murder and abduction: Chornobaivka haunted by trauma of Russian occupation

While Chornobaivka is known for Russia’s failed attempts to land its military aircraft at the local airport, the Russian troops that entered the village terrorized the civilian population until its liberation in November.

Photo: Ihor Tkachov/AFP via Getty Images

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Ukraine war latest: No Patriot systems for Ukraine as Russia stockpiles missiles for mass attack

Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said Russia had enough reserves to bombard Ukraine but was negotiating increasing supplies with other countries, including Iran.

Photo: Getty Images

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International response

Pentagon awards Raytheon $1.2 billion contract for NASAMS for Ukraine. The U.S. Army on Nov. 30 awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon Technologies for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a statement published online. Ukraine received its first two NASAMS air defense systems in early November, which are already being used on the battlefield.

CNN: US considers significantly expanding training of Ukrainian forces. The expansion in training would include instructing 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers monthly at a U.S. base in Germany, CNN reports, citing multiple U.S. officials.

Von der Leyen: EU seeks tribunal for Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. Together with the International Criminal Court, the EU intends to help set up a specialized court to prosecute war crimes allegedly committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Nov. 30.

Germany recognizes Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people. On Nov. 30, Germany’s Bundestag recognized Holodomor, the man-made famine of Ukrainians ordered by the Soviet authorities, which killed millions in 1932-1933, as genocide of the Ukrainian people. “From today’s point of view, the historical and political classification as genocide is obvious,” the statement reads.

Blinken: NATO may invest in Soviet-era weapon systems to help Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN on Nov. 30 that the alliance was looking into helping Ukraine produce ammunition for the Soviet-era systems the country already possesses.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Query, Oleksiy Sorokin, Toma Istomina, Francis Farrell, Thaisa Semenova, and Lili Bivings.

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