9:28 am: Zelenskyy participates in the European summit in Granada
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will participate in the summit of the new European Political Community (EPG) in Spain. Zelenskyy wrote on platform X, formerly Twitter, that he had arrived in Granada.
It is the third meeting of the EPG, which includes the 27 EU states as well as other European countries such as Britain, Ukraine and Turkey. “We will pay special attention to the Black Sea region, as well as our joint efforts to strengthen global food security and freedom of navigation,” Zelensky wrote on X, the former Twitter. As winter approaches, strengthening Ukraine’s air defense is a priority.
8:46 am: More than 60 cities in Russia without power after drone attack
According to official information, there was a power outage in many cities in the Kursk region in western Russia as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks. Kursk Governor Roman Starowoit said on his Telegram channel that infrastructure facilities in Sudzha, Korenovo and Glushkovo districts were attacked. All three districts border Ukraine. According to the “Shot” news channel on Telegram, two substations were hit in Sudzha and Glushkovo, resulting in a power outage in a total of 67 cities. Starowoit confirmed the power cuts without providing specific figures.
8:22 am: Russian Defense Minister inspects military camp near Ukraine
According to official reports, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the training of soldiers for Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in the south of the country. The authority published footage on its Telegram channel on Thursday showing Shoigu watching the training of recruits and volunteers with drones. The publication apparently also served to refute constant complaints about the lack of preparation of soldiers for military operations in the neighboring country.
8:14 am: Hofreiter sees Taurus’ containment as a “devastating sign”
According to Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter, the federal government is sending a “devastating signal” to Moscow with its reluctance to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, which has long been discussed. The lack of resolve and tough discussions over weapons systems have only reinforced Russia’s belief that it can win the war in the long term, Hofreiter said on Deutschlandfunk. “As long as we continue to send this signal out of fear, out of oppression, out of not being able to decide quickly enough, this war will continue,” he warned.
7:06 am: Ukraine says it shoots down Russian drones
Ukraine claims to have shot down several Russian drones overnight. As announced by the General Staff of the country’s Armed Forces, the air defense managed to intercept 24 of the 29 attack drones. However, no further details about the attack were provided.
4:01 am: Former head of the European Commission, Juncker, considers Ukraine “not eligible”
Former head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warned against Ukraine’s hasty accession to the European Union. “Anyone who has anything to do with Ukraine knows that it is a corrupt country at all levels of society,” Juncker said in an interview with “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “Despite efforts, it is not eligible to join; it needs massive internal reform processes.” The EU has had bad experiences with the rule of law with some of the “so-called new members”. This shouldn’t happen again.
2:23 am: US sends confiscated ammunition to Ukraine
The US government claims to have sent ammunition confiscated from Iran to Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. The ammunition was originally seized by the US military from a ship in the Gulf of Oman in December 2022, the responsible US Regional Military Command (Centcom) and the US Department of Justice said. Iran wanted to send about 1.1 million rounds to Houthi rebels in Yemen, he said. This is a violation of a UN Security Council resolution. Consequently, the US declared the ammunition its property.
02:15: Ukrainian forces report advance in the south and maintain gains in the east
Ukraine says it is making more progress in the south. “We achieved partial success west of Robotyne,” the southern group’s spokesman, Oleksandr Stupun, told state television. “In some areas we advanced between 100 and 600 meters.” Ukrainian troops would continue to expand their positions.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that troops repelled Russian attacks near Robotyne and Verbove. The Russian Ministry of Defense spoke of the successes of its armed forces on the Eastern Front. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the area near Andriyivka in the east, which Ukraine recaptured last month. Reports of the fighting could not initially be independently verified.
1:15 am: London warns of attacks on civilian ships
According to the British government, Russia could use sea mines against civilian shipping in the Black Sea. “Russia likely wants to avoid openly sinking civilian ships and instead falsely blame Ukraine for attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea,” a British Foreign Office statement said, citing intelligence information. “By publishing our assessment of this information, the UK seeks to expose Russia’s tactics to prevent such an incident.”
In July, Russia withdrew from a deal that allowed Ukraine to safely transport food through what has traditionally been the country’s most important export corridor.
00:01: Representatives from almost 50 European countries discuss in Granada
Representatives from almost 50 European countries will discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other trouble spots on the continent this Thursday in Granada, southern Spain. It is the third summit of the European Political Community, a platform for informal discussion on topics such as geopolitics, digitalization and climate change.
The heads of state and government of the 27 EU states and 20 other countries are invited. It is unclear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will go to Granada. He participated in the last summit in Moldova in June.