55 minutes ago
“Confused” infantry battle on the eastern bank of the Dnieper
Britain’s Ministry of Defense described fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the eastern (or left) bank of the Dnieper as “confusing” and taking place in “complex” terrain.
In an intelligence update on X, formerly known as Twitter, the ministry said fighting continued around the village of Krynky, where Ukrainian marines maintain a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Dnieper. Ukraine and Russia confirmed last week that units had crossed the river and set up several bases on the eastern bank, the side of the river occupied by Russian forces.
Ukrainian soldiers ride boats on the Dnipro River on the front line near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, June 11, 2023.
Mstyslav Chernov | AP
Since then, fighting has been concentrated in several villages, including Krynky.
“The ground fighting was characterized by confused, dismounted infantry combat and artillery engagements in complex, wooded terrain,” the British Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.
“In particular, Ukraine has effectively used small unmanned attack aircraft, while the Russian Air Force conducts a significant number of missions in support of front-line troops, predominantly firing munitions from beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defenses.”
The ministry noted that while the fighting for Krynky was smaller in scale than some major battles of the war, it was “perceived by Russian leaders as highly regrettable.”
“Russia withdrew from the western bank of the Dnipro River a year ago, almost certainly with the aim of detaining Ukrainian forces west of the river, keeping the sector quiet and releasing Russian forces elsewhere.”
– Holly Ellyatt
2 hours ago
Putin will soon address the G20 summit
OSAKA, JAPAN – JUNE 28: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a group photo before their trilateral meeting at the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit on June 28, 2019 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address members of the Group of 20 (G20) later on Wednesday.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Putin would outline Russia’s position on global affairs and “the current situation, which is very, very turbulent,” TASS news agency reported.
G20 leaders are also expected to discuss the global economy, finance and climate change during the event chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Russia remains a member of the G20, a group of industrialized countries that includes European countries as well as the USA, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, South Korea and Japan. After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia was excluded from the smaller G8 format.
Putin’s address is due around 12:30 p.m. London time.
– Holly Ellyatt
3 hours ago
The Kremlin declined to comment on the suggestion that Russia might be getting ballistic missiles from Iran
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 19, 2022. With his visit to Iran, Putin probably wants to show that Moscow is still important in the Middle East, said John Drennan from the US Institute of Peace.
Sergei Savostyanov | AFP | Getty Images
The Kremlin declined on Wednesday to comment on a suggestion from White House spokesman John Kirby that Iran might be considering supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.
“We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a regular news conference.
Kirby said the United States would monitor the situation between Iran and Russia and take appropriate action if necessary.
—Portal
3 hours ago
Is Russia reducing attacks on Avdiivka – or is it preparing for a “third wave”?
It remains questionable whether Russia is scaling back attacks on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka or is preparing for a “third wave” of attacks.
The city has come under intense attacks in recent weeks from Russian forces attempting to encircle the strategically important city and its coke oven and chemical plant. Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said on Tuesday that Ukraine had, however, observed fewer attacks by Russian forces and a decline in airstrikes.
In the background, a view of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka can be seen as an airstrike on the Metinvest coking plant on October 30, 2023.
Libkos | Getty Images News | Getty Images
“Russian occupation forces have reduced the number of ground and air strikes, although they are still violating the rules of war by firing on medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” Shtupun told national television in comments reported by Sky News.
Nevertheless, Shtupun noted that “the invaders are not abandoning their plans to encircle Avdiivka. “Eight attacks were repelled today,” he said on Tuesday.
The head of Avdiivka’s military administration, Vitaly Barabash, noted in the Avdiivka Telegram account that Russian forces were waiting for the weather to improve and were regrouping in preparation for the “third wave of attacks.”
– Holly Ellyatt
5 hours ago
The fighting did not subside despite the worsening weather
A Ukrainian tank crew member of the 21st Mechanized Brigade in the hatch of a German-made Leopard 2A5 main battle tank near the front line at an undisclosed location towards Lyman in the Donetsk region, November 21, 2023.
Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted on Tuesday that Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to conduct offensive operations in the east and south of the country despite rainy and snowy weather conditions.
Advisor to the Ukrainian Military Administration for Kherson Oblast, Serhiy Khlan, noted on Monday that Russian shelling of the western bank of the Kherson region had decreased given the poor weather conditions, while Nadiya Zamryha, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian 14th Mechanized Brigade, noted on Tuesday that Russian forces continue to carry out attacks in the Kupyansk region of the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine despite snow and frost.
The ISW also noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the need to strengthen Ukrainian capabilities before winter during a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday.
So-called “milbloggers” also commented on the deteriorating weather conditions. Milbloggers have become a key part of the Russian information space for war advocates, although some have criticized the Defense Ministry and its war strategy.
“Russian mibloggers claimed on November 20 and 21 that both Russian and Ukrainian forces were having difficulty using drones, including to regulate artillery fire, given poor weather conditions across the front,” the ISW noted in an analysis on Tuesday firmly.
“Russian mibloggers also claimed that muddy conditions made vehicle movements difficult, but that both Ukrainian and Russian forces continued to maneuver and operate in all directions,” it said.
“[The] “ISW continues to assess that freezing winter weather conditions will likely prompt the resumption of more active combat operations and that persistent rainy weather is unlikely to stop Ukrainian or Russian attacks,” it added.
– Holly Ellyatt
23 hours ago
Russia claims Ukraine suffered “colossal losses” on the eastern bank of the Dnieper
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine had failed to achieve a breakthrough on the eastern (left) bank of the Dnieper in the Russian-occupied part of the southern Kherson region.
Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed last week that Ukrainian units had managed to cross the Dnieper River – which effectively acted as a front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces on both sides of the wide waterway – and had established several bases in villages on the eastern bank of the river .
Ukrainian Marines move through trees on the front line near the Dnipro River near Kherson, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
Mstyslav Chernov | AP
Russia confirmed the crossing had taken place but vowed to bring “hell” to Ukrainian units that had entered occupied territory, and heavy fighting was reported for several villages as Russian forces counterattacked.
Shoigu said Tuesday that Ukrainian marines and special forces had suffered huge losses trying to gain ground there.
Ukrainian soldiers walk on the banks of the Dnipro River after leaving a boat on the front line near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023.
Mstyslav Chernov | AP
Ukrainian soldiers ride boats on the Dnipro River on the front line near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, June 11, 2023.
Mstyslav Chernov | AP
Shoigu then claimed that Ukraine had lost 13,700 military personnel since the beginning of November. He also said that Ukraine lost 1,800 pieces of military equipment.
CNBC was unable to verify Shoigu’s claims or assessment of the battle.
– Holly Ellyatt
Tue, November 21, 2023, 5:15 a.m. EST
Russia says coexistence with Ukraine’s current “regime” is not possible
Russia cannot coexist with the current Ukrainian “regime” and will resist the might of the NATO military alliance for as long as Moscow needs it to achieve its goals, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry diplomat said on Tuesday.
“The current regime is absolutely toxic, we see no options for coexistence with it at the moment,” Russian special envoy Rodion Miroshnik told reporters in Moscow.
People walk past the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on April 5, 2022. Ties.
Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images
Miroshnik said Ukraine has committed crimes against civilians and NATO has supplied Ukraine with banned weapons, but that the West will eventually lose interest in Ukraine.
“We can offer NATO as much resistance as we need to fulfill the tasks that the president has formulated,” Miroshnik said.
—Portal
Tue, November 21, 2023, 4:52 am EST
The Kremlin describes the 2014 revolution in Ukraine as a foreign-sponsored coup
The Kremlin described the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, which Kiev commemorated on Tuesday, as a foreign-sponsored coup.
November 21 marks the beginning of pro-European mass protests in Ukraine in 2013, which led to the “Maidan” revolution in February 2014 and the overthrow of Ukraine’s then pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Anti-government protesters guard the edge of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on February 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Getty Images
As Ukraine marks the so-called Day of Dignity and Freedom and commemorates the uprising, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Maidan Revolution was the result of foreign interference.
“The fact that it was sponsored from abroad was recognized directly and indirectly by representatives of foreign countries. This is not a secret for anyone,” Peskov said.
“We call it Maidan, but in reality it was a coup, a violent coup sponsored from abroad. We have to call things by their proper name,” Peskov said, according to comments from the Tass news agency.
“The fact that it was sponsored from abroad was recognized directly and indirectly by representatives of foreign states. “It’s not a secret to anyone,” he said. Peskov provided no evidence to support Russia’s repeated claims.
The 2014 Maidan Revolution marked a clearer break with Russia, which soon after invaded and annexed Crimea.
– Holly Ellyatt
Tue, November 21, 2023, 3:13 am EST
“We must be strong,” Ukraine says in commemoration of the uprisings
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Ukrainians they must be stubborn in the fight against Russia, as Kiev recalled the pro-Western uprisings that cemented its split with Russia.
Celebrated as “Day of Dignity and Freedom,” November 21 is a public holiday commemorating the start of two anti-Russian uprisings in Ukraine – the 2004 Revolution and the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, which began with a wave of pro-European forces and anti-Russian protests known as Euromaidan, or Maidan uprising, 10 years ago.
The 2013–2014 protests in Ukraine were a catalyst for Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
“Ten years ago we began a new page in the struggle. Ten years ago, the Ukrainians launched their first counteroffensive. Against lawlessness, against the attempt to rob us of our European future. Against our subjugation,” said Zelensky in his evening speech.
“We fought and we are still fighting. Back then in the center of the capital and now on the outskirts of Bakhmut. Then on Hrushevskoho Street and near Kharkiv, near Kherson, now near Avdiivka… We must be strong. Because “People only believe in the strong, and only the strong create the future. Only the strong can be united.”
– Holly Ellyatt
6 hours ago