Tuesday, November 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

People walk along an alley of graves of Ukrainian soldiers at Lukianivskyi cemetery in Kyiv, Ukraine on Oct. 28, 2023. (Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Danilov: Russia may begin full mobilization after 2024 presidential election. Russia may begin full mobilization after the 2024 Russian presidential election on March 17, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov warned in a speech to the International Security Forum in Halifax, Canada, on Nov. 20.

MP: Parliament considering changes to mobilization eligibility. Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is considering making changes to the law on mobilization to expand the list of persons who must register for military service, lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla said on Facebook on Nov. 20.

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 94 fallen soldiers. Ukraine retrieved the bodies of 94 fallen Ukrainian soldiers from Russian-occupied territories on Nov. 20, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of the Prisoners of War reported.

Ukraine’s Special Communications Service leaders dismissed, charged with embezzlement. The head of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection and one of his deputies were charged with embezzling over Hr 62 million ($1.7 million) of state funds, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau reported on Nov. 20.

Zelensky meets with Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of the broadcasting giants Fox Corporation and News Corp., as well as journalists from Fox News and News Corp-owned tabloid The Sun during their visit to Kyiv, the President’s Office reported on Nov. 20.

US Defense Secretary Austin meets with Zelensky in Kyiv. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Nov. 20, Austin said on X.

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Ombudsman: Qatar ready to help Ukraine bring civilian captives back from Russia. Qatar is ready to join Ukraine’s efforts to bring home civilian captives from Russia in addition to mediating the rescue of deported Ukrainian children, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on national television.

Media: Russian army boot manufacturers imported over $4 million worth of EU materials. Companies that make boots for the Russian army have spent $4.1 million on materials from EU countries in 2023, according to a report by the Ukrainian investigative journalism project Trap Aggressor on Nov. 20.

Media: 2 more yachts allegedly belonging to Putin discovered. Two yachts allegedly belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin have been discovered, bringing the total number of known yachts supposedly belong to Putin to nine, the independent Russian anti-corruption project Dossier Center reported on Nov. 20, citing the findings of its investigation.

Russia puts Ukrainian singer Jamala on wanted list. The Russian Internal Affairs Ministry put Ukrainian singer Jamala, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, on a federal wanted list, Russian media outlets reported on Nov. 20.

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Ukraine war latest: Austin visits Kyiv, US announces new $100 million military aid package

The U.S. Department of Defense said the new package includes Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and additional ammunition.

Photo: President’s Office

Historian Serhii Plokhy: ‘The better we prepare for the long war, the sooner it will end’

As a Harvard historian, Serhii Plokhy comfortably analyzes timelines that span centuries. But in his work on the war in Ukraine, keeping up with monthly developments has been a challenge.

Photo: Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian shelling in Nikopol kills 83-year-old woman. Russian forces attacked Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with artillery on Nov. 20, killing an 83-year-old woman and injuring a 53-year-old man, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

International response

US announces $100 million military aid package for Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden has approved a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $100 million, the U.S. Defense Department announced on Nov. 20.

Japanese delegation visits Kyiv, pledges $175 million for reconstruction. A delegation of Japanese officials and business representatives, including Foreign Minister Kiyoto Tsuji, Industry Minister Kazuchika Iwata, and members of Keidanren —Japan’s largest business lobby— arrived in Kyiv on Nov. 20 to meet with Ukrainian officials ahead of a reconstruction conference Japan will host.

Finland preparing to completely close its border with Russia. Finland is making preparations for a total closure of its border with Russia, with the Finnish government posed to potentially make a decision on the matter on Nov. 20, the Finnish media outlet Iltalehti reported.

NATO members nearing deal on joint Black Sea mine-clearing force. NATO members Bulgaria, Turkey, and Romania are close to reaching an agreement on the creation of a joint mine-clearing force to address the issue of mines drifting into their respective territorial waters, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20, citing unnamed officials familiar with the plan.

Stoltenberg: Concerning rise in Russian malign influence in Bosnia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his concern about Russian malign influence and support for separatism in Bosnia and Herzegovina during a trip to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on Nov. 20.

In other news

Media: Polish farmers plan to join border protest. A group of around 100 farmers plan to join the Polish truckers protest at a border crossing with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20.

Lawmakers propose that Ukraine officially recognize International Men’s Day. A group of lawmakers have proposed that Ukraine should recognize International Men’s Day as an official holiday, according to a bill they submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, on Nov. 20.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Dinara Khalilova, Nate Ostiller, Teah Pelechaty, Elsa Court, Abbey Fenbert, and Olena Goncharova.

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