On day 1001 of war, the United States temporarily closes its embassy in Kiev after receiving information about a potential significant aerial attack on the Ukrainian capital. Additionally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the Romanian embassy in Kiev has reduced its activities to emergency actions.
Multiple explosions were heard this morning in the capital of Ukraine after the air defense system went into action.
Across the border, Ukrainian military intelligence announced a successful strike on a command post in the Belgorod region of Russia, without specifying the type of weapon used. Furthermore, Ukrainian forces attacked a factory producing transport drones for the Russian army, as well as an arms depot in the Novgorod region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this morning that Ukraine launched attacks on Tuesday evening and throughout the night, with 44 drones being shot down by the air defense system.
Amid escalating nuclear risks due to the highest tensions between Russia and the West in decades, the Kremlin announces that the hotline with the White House, specifically established to defuse crises, is currently not in use.
Despite the frosty relations between the US and Russia, Putin is open to discussions for a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine with Donald Trump. However, the Kremlin leader excludes any significant territorial concessions and insists that Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
Until peace talks take place, Moscow maintains its aggressive rhetoric. The head of Russian intelligence threatened that Russia will retaliate against NATO countries that contribute to the long-range missile attacks launched by Ukraine.
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Authorities in Chișinău are preparing for the scenario in which the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria will no longer be supplied with gas from Gazprom. The contract will expire on January 1st and is unlikely to be renewed.
North Korea has sent new shipments of artillery systems and missile launchers to Russia to support its war effort against Ukraine. In exchange, Vladimir Putin is sending 70 animals to the zoo in Pyongyang, including parrots, yaks, and mandarin ducks.
On the other hand, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine will lose the war if the United States cuts off funding. And if that is America's decision, then "we will decide what needs to be done," he added.
Frontline Situation
- US Embassy Closure - The United States is temporarily closing its embassy in Kiev after receiving "specific information about a potential significant aerial attack on November 20," reports Sky News. "As a precaution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy staff are instructed to take shelter on-site," announced the US Department of State for Consular Affairs in a post on X. "The US Embassy recommends that American citizens be prepared to take immediate shelter in case an aerial alert is issued," US authorities added.
- Romanian Embassy Reduces Activity - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the Romanian embassy in Kiev has reduced its activities on Wednesday due to the security situation. "Considering the security developments in Ukraine, in coordination with the diplomatic missions of other allied and EU member states, the Romanian Embassy in Kiev has taken additional measures to ensure the protection of personnel, with activities limited to emergency actions," a press release stated. According to the cited document, "the situation is continuously monitored, and measures will be adapted based on developments in consultation with Ukrainian authorities."
- Explosions in Kiev - Multiple explosions were heard this morning around 7:55 local time in the capital of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. Authorities announced that at 06:00, the air defense system went into action in the Kiev region. Residents were instructed to remain in shelters until the end of the air raid alert. Remnants of a drone fell in the Dniprovskîi area, on the outskirts of Kiev, causing a fire.
- Russians Occupy a Village - The Ukrainian military analysis group DeepState announced last night that Russian troops have taken over the village of Nova Illinka and are advancing towards the town of Kurahove in the Donetsk region. According to analysts, the Russians have also advanced near the localities of Dalne, Antonivka, Pustînka, and Torețk in the same region.
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Current Events in Russia
- Strike in Belgorod - The Ukrainian military intelligence agency announced a successful strike on a command post in the Belgorod region of Russia, as reported by Sky News. The command post is located in the city of Gubkin, approximately 168 km from the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian agency did not mention the type of weapon used, but the announcement comes a day after Ukraine fired, for the first time, ATACMS missiles made in the USA to target Russian territory. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this morning that Ukraine launched attacks on Tuesday evening and throughout the night, with the air defense system shooting down 44 drones.
- Armament Factory Destroyed - Ukrainian forces also attacked a factory in the Belgorod region producing transport drones for the Russian army, as well as an arms depot in the Novgorod region, announced Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council. He posted a video recording showing the factory in Belgorod engulfed in flames.
- Head of Russian Intelligence Threatens NATO - Russia will retaliate against NATO countries that facilitate the long-range missile attacks launched by Ukraine against Russian territory, stated the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, in an interview cited by Reuters. He claimed that the changes announced by Vladimir Putin to the nuclear doctrine mean that it is impossible for Russia to be defeated on the battlefield. "The political-military elites in the West are becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of Russia's intentions and the need for greater restraint in their actions to avoid involvement in a direct military conflict with our country, which could have catastrophic consequences for them," Naryshkin added.
- Putin Gives Animals as Gifts - Vladimir Putin has gifted over 70 animals, including a lion and two bears, to the Central Zoo in Pyongyang, as announced by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology on Wednesday. Minister Alexander Kozlov emphasized that "historically, animals have played an important role in interstate relations; they are given as a sign of support, kindness, and care." Putin's gift includes two domestic yaks, five white cockatoo parrots, 25 pheasants, and 40 mandarin ducks.
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Other Relevant Information
- What concessions would Putin make for peace - Vladimir Putin is open to discussing a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine with Donald Trump, but rules out any major territorial concessions and insists that Kiev give up its ambitions to join NATO, said five sources close to the Kremlin to Reuters. Putin could agree to freeze the conflict along the front lines. According to a draft agreement that was almost approved in April 2022, after negotiations in Istanbul, and which Putin publicly referred to as a possible basis for an agreement, Ukraine should accept permanent neutrality, in exchange for security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the USA. There could be room for negotiation regarding the exact division of the four eastern regions Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson. Russia may be willing to withdraw from the relatively small portions of territory it holds in the Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions, in the north and south of Ukraine.
- The red line Russia-USA is not being used - A direct line between the Kremlin and the White House, specifically set up to defuse crises, is not currently being used, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, as nuclear risks rise amid the highest tensions between Russia and the West in decades. "We have a special secure line for communication between the two presidents, between Russia and the United States. Moreover, even for video communication," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS. But when asked if this channel is currently being used, he said, "No." The so-called "red line" between Moscow and Washington was established in 1963 to reduce misunderstandings that fueled the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, allowing direct communication between American and Russian leaders.
- Erdogan criticizes the USA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opposes the US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to target Russia, stating that this will further inflame the conflict. "Biden's move would be interpreted as a move to ignite the war and ensure that it never ends, but rather expands. This step will not only escalate the conflict but will also lead to a stronger response from Russia," he said, urging both Moscow and Kiev to show restraint. While in Brazil, the Turkish leader said on Tuesday that Russia must take steps to protect itself when asked about Russia's newly revised doctrine. NATO should carefully analyze the Russian statement, he added.
- Pro-Ukraine message on cars in France - Residents in several French cities found their cars vandalized. They had the same mysterious slogan spray-painted on them in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, apparently pro-Ukrainian, in English: "Ukraine needs your car!" Details HERE.
- Transnistria risks running out of Russian gas - Authorities in Chisinau are preparing for the prospect that the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria may no longer be supplied with gas from Gazprom, as the contract for transit deliveries through Ukraine is set to expire on January 1 and is very likely not to be renewed. The Ministry of Energy in Chisinau has prepared a winter plan with 44 measures, which includes two major scenarios, one being Gazprom's refusal to deliver gas to Transnistria via alternative routes after the expiration of the transit contract through Ukraine.
- Russia receives new weapons from North Korea - Pyongyang has sent new shipments of artillery systems and long-range rocket launchers to Russia to support its war effort against Ukraine, said a South Korean lawmaker on Wednesday. South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) "confirmed that the North sent 177mm self-propelled artillery pieces and 240mm long-range rocket launchers," said Lee Seong-kweun, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, after an NIS press conference. North Korea has deployed personnel to maintain these weapons, which are not part of the conventional Russian arsenal. According to the official, South Korean intelligence estimates that 11,000 North Koreans have been sent to Russia for the war effort and believes that these troops "are suffering losses."
- If the US cuts funding, it's over - If the United States cuts funding, Ukraine will be defeated by Russia, warned Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News. "If they cut (American funding), I think we will lose. Of course, whatever happens, we will stay and fight. We have production, but it's not enough to win. And I think it's not enough to survive. But if this is the American choice, then we will decide what to do."
- Zelensky on peace and Putin - In the Fox interview, the Ukrainian president reiterated that diplomacy is the way to end the war, despite doubts about Vladimir Putin participating in peace talks. When asked if it depends on Putin to end the war, Zelensky said, "Today, it depends a lot on Putin. He can do it. He can be willing to end this war." However, Zelensky added that "it depends much more on the United States. Putin is weaker than the USA. The US President has the power, authority, and weapons and can lower the price of energy resources."
- Anti-personnel mines for Ukraine - President Joe Biden has approved the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, a step that could help slow the Russian advance in the country's east. The United States expects Ukraine to use the mines on its own territory and has committed not to use them in civilian-populated areas, said a US official to Reuters. Details HERE.