Tuesday, November 28

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers patrol the area near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on Nov. 21, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Media: Ukraine hits aircraft factory in Russia’s Smolensk. Ukrainian forces struck an aircraft plant in the Russian city of Smolensk overnight, Hromadske reported on Nov. 27, citing its source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR).

Zelensky’s office sends delegation to meet with Republican leaders. President Zelensky’s office dispatched a delegation to the United States to meet and build relationships with Republican Party leaders, New Voice reported on Nov. 27.

Media: Lawmakers from Zelensky’s party demand to expel MP who called for Zaluzhnyi’s dismissal. Some lawmakers from the Servant of the People party demanded to expel MP Mariana Bezuhla from the parliamentary faction after she called for the dismissal of Ukraine’s chief commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Suspilne reported on Nov. 27, citing its sources.

Russian media: Russian company imports aircraft, helicopter parts from Ukrainian factories. Spare parts used to repair Russian military airplanes and helicopters appear to have been imported from several Ukrainian factories, according to an investigation published by the independent Russian news outlet Important Stories on Nov. 27.

SBU: Kherson regional council member supplies Russia with fuel, food. A Ukrainian regional council member in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast is suspected of treason for supplying Russian occupying forces with fuel and food through multiple companies under his control, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Nov. 27.

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Survey: Polish border blockade may ramp up prices on imported goods. Even though some retail chains say they prioritize Ukrainian-made products, certain foodstuffs like cocoa, coffee, oranges, and salt are primarily imported, according to the Director General of the Ukrainian KOLO retail chain, Marina Serhienko.

DTEK: Russian attack on power plant in front-line Ukrainian region causes blackout. Russia’s overnight attack on a front-line Ukrainian region damaged a thermal power plant operated by the country’s energy giant DTEK, the company reported on Nov. 27.

Exiled mayor: Ukrainian resistance blows up car with pro-Russian Chechen fighters near Melitopol. The Ukrainian resistance allegedly blew up a car with Chechen fighters fighting on Russia’s side near occupied Melitopol, said the city’s exiled mayor, Ivan Fedorov, on Nov. 27.

UK Defense Ministry: Russian casualty rates ‘some of highest’ over last 6 weeks. Russian forces in Ukraine have likely suffered “some of the highest“ casualty rates in the past six weeks, mainly caused by Russia’s offensive against Avdiivka, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 27.

Military officials charged over illegally selling army food supplies. In collusion with private entrepreneurs, the officials allegedly stole at least 30% of the military food supplies stored in one warehouse, which were then sold in shops, restaurants, and markets, the bureau said.

Economy Ministry launches accelerator for demining startups. Ukraine has launched an accelerator program in cooperation with the Kyiv School of Economics for startup companies that focus on humanitarian demining, the Economy Ministry announced on Nov. 27.

Read our exclusives

Judicial reform in limbo as only few tainted judges are fired or convicted

On the tenth anniversary of the pro-Western EuroMaidan Revolution, the Ukrainian parliament approved the first reading of a bill that effectively destroys one of the key tools of the ongoing judicial reform, the Public Integrity Council.

Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russia reportedly suffers ‘some of highest’ casualty rates over past 6 weeks

Over the past six weeks, Russian troops have likely suffered “some of the highest” casualty rates in Ukraine, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry. The heavy losses “have largely been caused” by Russia’s offensive against Avdiivka

Photo: Anatolii Stepanov /AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian shelling of Nikopol injures woman. Russian forces struck the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast six times on Nov. 27, wounding a 51-year-old woman, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

International response

Germany provides $328 million for Ukraine’s energy grid. Germany has provided Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo with 300 million euros ($328.4 million) for the repair and modernization of the energy grid, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger said on Nov. 27.

US Speaker Johnson says he’s confident Ukraine, Israel aid will pass House. U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence and optimism in Congress’ ability to secure additional funding for both Israel and Ukraine, he said in Florida on Nov. 27.

Poland proposes solution to Ukraine border crisis. Poland’s Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk sent a proposal that Ukraine exempt trucks returning to the EU without cargo from being registered in its electronic queue system, the Polish government said on Nov. 27.

Duda appoints new Polish government, Morawiecki stays as PM. Polish President Andrzej Duda has officially appointed Mateusz Morawiecki, who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2017, as the head of a proposed new government, Duda’s office reported on Nov. 27.

Opinions and insights

Francis Farrell: Ukraine could still lose the war. Let’s get some things straight

“It has been obvious for months for anyone watching the war with a strong handle on reality. From Bakhmut, to Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, to the fierce Russian assault on Avdiivka, both sides’ operations across 2023 show that the age of successful maneuver warfare in Ukraine is likely over, and will be for a long time until some big changes,” writes Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell in his latest op-ed.

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

Ukraine’s victory will send a message to all dictatorships – Umerov’s speech

“…Thousands of our families had to transform in order to survive. And — to win. We are building a strong partnership to strengthen the Ukrainian Army. Together with you, we are developing a powerful defense industry. To give this child a future. Because Russia leaves us no choice,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in his speech at the 17th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein format). 

Photo: AFP via Getty Images

In other news

3 reportedly dead in Odesa, 1 in Crimea due to bad weather. Three people in Odesa and one in Russian-occupied Crimea have reportedly died due to inclement weather, the Odesa Oblast Police and occupation authorities in Crimea said on Nov. 27.

Scythian artifacts from occupied Crimea returned to Ukraine from Netherlands. Ancient Scythian artifacts from Crimea were returned to Ukraine after being kept for almost 10 years in the Netherlands, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine announced on Nov. 27.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Martin Fornusek, Dinara Khalilova, Oleg Sukhov, Elsa Court, Brad LaFoy, Olena Goncharova, Rachel Amran, and Dmytro Basmat.

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