Ukraine is racing to develop its long-range missile capability while navigating complex dynamics on the international stage, including possible shifts in US assistance depending on the outcome of the upcoming elections.
Exclusives
The approximate loss of military equipment and weapons of the Russian Armed Forces since the beginning of the invasion until the present is:
Military Personnel
Ukraine repels Russia’s massive 96 drone assault. Other strikes kill one and injure at minimum 22 civilians. Air defenses intercepted 66 Shaheds. Additional artillery and air strikes by Russia cause civilian casualties as well as infrastructure damage.
ISW: North Korean troops on the frontline in Russia equal a week’s worth of losses. The daily casualty rate in Russia of 1,200 soldiers suggests that North Korean military assistance may only provide temporary relief to manpower crises.
Syrskyi – Ukrainian Forces are currently holding back Russia’s most powerful attack since 2022. The Kurakhove area has become the main hotspot for combat operations. Ukrainian forces have repelled 52 Russian attacks on a single day.
Frontline report: Russia is using North Korean troops to push for the retake of Kursk by Putin’s deadline in February. Video evidence shows that despite North Korea’s reputation as having skilled special forces, young inexperienced conscripts arrive at Russian bases. This raises doubts about their ability to conduct complex offensive operations on unfamiliar territory, and with a language barrier, since they share a translator for every forty soldiers along the Kursk Front.
Expert warns that Russian troops have breached Ukrainian defenses in Donbas and are setting the stage for winter battles. Emil Kastehelmi, a Finnish military expert, reports that a Russian offensive has been sweeping across Donetsk in recent days. He says there have been over 100 battles.
BI: Russia retakes territory in Kursk Oblast but an extended push into Ukraine’s strongholds could stall. Experts predict that while Russian forces are gaining ground in Kursk they will have greater difficulty in capturing and holding Ukraine’s last strongholds.
New Russian forces target Kupiansk as Ukrainian troops hold strong. Russia intensifies their offensive on the Kupiansk Front, deploying new mechanized units while Ukrainian defenders continue blocking their advances.
Intelligence and Technology
Ukraine launches a two-year testing program for 5G in three cities. The Ukrainian government has removed regulatory obstacles for 5G deployment while ensuring military communication security.
Thales, a Belgian company, signs a memorandum on defense cooperation with Ukraine. Thales, a Belgian company, will be transferring technology and components to Ukraine’s missile industry through a new partnership.
Official from the defense sector says that Ukraine is testing long-range missiles at home and will be launching full production in 2025. Oleksii Petrov, the defense export chief at OBOZ.UA, said that flight tests of locally developed cruise and ballistic rockets have yielded positive results.
Intelligence reports that Russia has deployed over 7,000 North Korean troops to areas near Ukraine. Russian forces have equipped North Korean soldiers with thermal imaging and night vision devices, which they call “special Buryats”. They are preparing to deploy them in Ukraine.
International
Reuters: The new German leftist BSW threatens to take a pro-Ukraine stance within eastern state coalitions. The party is using its position in Germany’s three states to pressure mainstream parties to oppose military support for Ukraine.
US citizen claims two years of intelligence activity against Ukraine. Daniel Martindale, a US citizen, spoke at a Moscow Press Conference on 2 November, where he said that he had provided Russian forces with Ukrainian military coordinates from 2022.
Germany has provided 100 generators to Ukraine’s Dnipro Oblast. German generators will be installed in Dnipro Oblast’s educational and medical facilities due to the ongoing infrastructure problems caused by Russian attacks.
Washington Post: Zelenskyy team remains “optimistic,” sees chance to reset. Senior officials in Kyiv, despite Donald Trump’s public criticism of Ukraine assistance, believe that President Zelenskyy could form a productive relationship if he returned to the White House. They also believe that another candidate Kamala Harri could continue the “too cautious decision-making” by the current administration.
UK calls for special UN Security Meeting to mark 1,000 days since the full-scale war in Ukraine. Barbara Woodward, a British diplomat, announced the UN Security Council meeting on 18 November. She also highlighted that many conflicts around the world can be linked with Russia.
Reuters: US warns about “concerning’ Russia-China military activities in Arctic region. US Arctic Ambassador Michael Sfraga expressed concern over the increased joint activities between Russia and China near Alaska in international waters, including coordinated bomber flight and coast guard operations.
Poland proposes to lend Ukraine money for defense amid tensions over MiG fighter planes. Sikorski suggests Ukraine purchase arms on credit after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Poland had not delivered MiG-29s.
Berlin says that it is not the lack of funds but rather a shortage of weapons that prevents timely aid to Ukraine. Germany is constantly evaluating additional military support options, and encourages partner nations to do the same.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russian attack near Dnipro injures 8, including 2 children. A Russian strike on the 2nd of November damaged infrastructure and injured five near Dnipro. This city has been repeatedly targeted by terrorists, including the recent attack on Mechnikov Hospital.
One person is killed and 46 injured in a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv’s police station. The Russian forces fired a S-300 rocket at a police station in central Kharkiv – the second-largest Ukrainian city.
Russian drone strikes across six districts in Kyiv ignite fire in high-rises, damage civilian homes. A police officer inhaled smoke while helping residents escape from a 16-story burning building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynsky District.
Political and Legal Developments
Zelenskyy criticizes US and UK over long-range weapon restrictions as North Korean threats loom. Ukrainian President revealed that Ukraine could launch a preemptive strike against North Korean forces, if Western allies lifted restrictions on long-range attacks inside Russia instead of simply observing the situation.
Pyongyang pledges its loyalty to Russia until victory over Ukraine. Choe Son Hui, the North Korean FM, praised Putin’s “wise management” ahead of talks at Moscow and insisted that Russia would “achieve an incredible victory.”
US congressman calls on NATO to allow Ukrainian strikes into Russia due to North Korean involvement in the war. US Congressman Mike Turner urges NATO, to lift restrictions on Ukrainian attacks into Russian territory and consider direct actions against North Korean forces within Ukraine.
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