Every day Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Friday, November 3, 2023, discover the latest news surrounding this conflict.
The US presents Ukraine with $425 million in military aid
The Biden administration announced on Friday that the United States would provide Ukraine with new military aid totaling $425 million (395 million euros). Some of this new aid is part of the USAI funding program, a fund that allows the U.S. government to purchase weapons rather than provide equipment from its stockpiles.
The remainder of the aid will be implemented under the Presidential Drawing Authority (PDA), which allows the President of the United States to draw on the stockpile in an emergency without prior approval from Congress.
The Pentagon said that the equipment taken from American stocks included ammunition for Himars multiple rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons and Claymore anti-personnel mines.
What is the “Siberian Battalion” fighting for Ukraine?
They fought Russia from within with their simple disruption before taking up arms for Volodymyr Zelensky. Volunteer soldiers and above all, steadfast against “Russian imperialism” The “Siberian Battalion” fights on the side of Ukraine against its original homeland.
On October 24, Bloomberg revealed the existence of this entity, information that was quickly picked up by the Kyiv Post and confirmed by France Info.
The battalion would have around fifty members, all of them political opponents of Vladimir Putin: “I think it is necessary to eliminate Putin’s dictatorship. And for that we need a victory for Ukraine,” explains a volunteer at Le Monde.
Major Russian drone strikes on critical infrastructure
Russia reportedly launched a massive drone attack on critical infrastructure in western and southern Ukraine early Friday, sparking a fire in and around Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city.
The Air Force said it shot down 24 of 40 Shahed drones launched by Russia. It was the largest such attack in weeks and targeted Kharkiv in the northeast, Odessa and Kherson in the south and the Lviv region on the border with Poland in the west.
“We are aware that as winter approaches, Russian terrorists will seek to cause even more damage. We will respond to the enemy,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that air defense was active in 10 different regions.
Lviv Governor Maksim Kozitski reported five attacks on critical infrastructure, without providing further details. He did not name any victims.
In the neighboring region of Ivano-Frankivsk, a military facility was hit, said Governor Svitlana Onichtchouk. On the Kharkiv side, Governor Oleh Synehoubov said via Telegram that civilian infrastructure had been attacked. Eight people, including two children, required medical attention due to acute stress, he added.
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko, eight houses, a three-story building, several cars and a garage were damaged in the attack on Kharkiv.