Ukrainian military fighting in Russia to receive additional financial rewards
The update applies primarily to those currently involved in combat in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Kateryna Hodunova
Articles
At least 3 Russian oil refineries on verge of closure, Reuters reports
At least three Russian oil refineries have been forced to halt or scale back production due to significant losses and now face the risk of closure, Reuters reported on Nov. 15, citing five undisclosed sources.
Scholz condemns war, urges Russia to negotiate with Ukraine in first call with Putin in nearly 2 years
During the conversation, Scholz condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, calling on Putin to end it and withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. He also urged Russia to negotiate with Ukraine to achieve a “just and lasting peace.”
Tbilisi court rejects 11 lawsuits challenging Georgian election results
A Tbilisi court has dismissed all 11 lawsuits filed by Georgian opposition parties and civil society organizations seeking to invalidate protocols issued by district election commissions, News Georgia reported on Nov. 14.
Ukraine's 'internal resilience plan' to be presented next week, Zelensky says
The government's latest plan will focus on internal solutions and is not an alternative to a victory plan oriented toward Kyiv's partners.
Construction of 2 new power units underway at South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant
Ukraine relies on nuclear power for more than half of its energy production, which is increasingly in demand amid Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
European Commission approves $4.3 billion for Ukraine under Ukraine Facility program
"As we're approaching the 1000th day of Russia's atrocious war, we will help keep the Ukrainian state running while the country fights for survival. We are in it for the long haul," Ursula Von der Leyen said.
Chinese oil refinery buys West African crude instead of Russian, Iranian, Bloomberg reports
Private Chinese oil refinery Landbridge Petrochemical Co. has made a rare purchase of a shipment of West African oil instead of typical import from sanctioned Iran and Russia, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 14.
Defense Ministry pledges to draft bill on demobilization by Dec. 18, official says
It is not yet clear what conditions the Defense Ministry will propose for discharging military personnel from service, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko said.
Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary 'shocks' Pentagon officials, Politico reports
Pentagon officials are "shocked" and "alarmed" by President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Fox News anchor and veteran Pete Hegseth as U.S. defense secretary, Politico reported on Nov. 13.
Notorious Ukrainian judge temporarily suspended from justice administration
The Third Disciplinary Chamber unanimously decided on Pavlo Vovk's future dismissal, according to the Dejure Foundation.
6th German IRIS-T to arrive in Ukraine by end of 2024, Zelensky says
Ukraine will receive the sixth German IRIS-T air defense system by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 13 after a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Putin cuts payments for wounded in war against Ukraine
The current maximum amount of compensation is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), but the severity of the injury is not considered for its allocation. The change approved by Putin classifies injuries into three categories.
Trump to appoint Ukrainian peace envoy 'soon' to lead talks on ending war with Russia, Fox News reports
"You're going to see a very senior special envoy, someone with a lot of credibility, who will be given a task to find a resolution, to get to a peace settlement," one of the sources said.
Nearly 30 Russian airlines may go bankrupt in 2025, media reports
About thirty Russian airlines, accounting for 26% of domestic passenger traffic, may go bankrupt in 2025, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported on Nov. 13.
Slovakia signs pilot contract for purchase of natural gas from Azerbaijan
Slovensky plynarensky priemysel (SPP) may also consider a longer-term agreement, as it is also preparing to cut off Russian gas supplies through Ukraine.
Ukrainian FM meets Blinken in Brussels as new US administration looms
The topic of the discussions was not made public, but the officials meet as the U.S. administration pledges to ramp up support before President Joe Biden leaves the White House on Jan. 20, 2025.
Lavrov to lead Russian delegation to G20 summit instead of Putin in light of his possible arrest in Brazil
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023 issued a warrant for Putin's arrest due to his role in the deportation of Ukrainian children. Brazil is a party to the ICC's Rome Statute and, therefore, is required to detain Putin if he enters the country.
Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project has cut gas production to almost zero, Bloomberg reports
The fields supplying the plant pumped an average of 0.4 million cubic meters of gas per day in the first ten days of November, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with knowledge of industry data.
Russia preparing a 50,000-people-strong offensive in latest attempt to push Ukrainian army out of Kursk Oblast
Over the past week, Russia had been gathering forces in what appears to be preparations for a decisive push in the country's Kursk Oblast. "The situation is changing every day. Not long ago, we were on the offensive, and now we are on the defensive," a 35-year-old artilleryman with the
Moldova protests to Moscow over election interference, downing of Russian drones
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry protested to the Russian ambassador against "Russia's illegal interference in the elections and referendum in Moldova to distort their results, undermine and delegitimize the democratic process in Moldova."
Russia deploys assault groups to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military says
According to Voloshyn, Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive toward the town of Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Ukraine's 2025 budget includes $1.3 billion for weapons production, minister says
Some Hr 54.55 billion ($1.3 billion) will be directly allocated for the development and implementation of new technologies, and the expansion of defense production capacity, according to Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin.
Ukrainian volunteers in Poland sign contracts with Armed Forces
After signing the contracts, the volunteers went to a Polish Armed Forces military training ground to undergo 35-day basic training.
Russia seeks to obliviate Ukrainian heritage by demolishing UNESCO-protected sites
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has destroyed over 1,000 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, including those under the protection of UNESCO, according to the Culture Ministry. Moscow destroys cultural monuments not only with missile or drone strikes. Several historical monuments are under occupation, where Russian occupation
Russia’s Iranian Shahed drone strikes on Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities surge
As Russia launched another swarm of killer drones to attack Kyiv on one day in early November, one of them came dangerously close to Petro, a 55-year-old resident of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Kyiv. “I saw this motherf*cker just maybe 200 meters above my head, very low.
Europe won't be able to finance Ukraine's defense without US support, Orban says
"The Americans are going to get out of this war," Viktor Orban said, adding: "Europe can't finance this war on its own."
Russian army used chemical weapons 323 times in October, Ukraine's General Staff says
The Russian army uses munitions such as K-51 and RG-VO, which are loaded with hazardous chemicals that are used for counter-riot operations and are prohibited as weapons of war, the General Staff's report read.
Estonia to provide Ukraine with air defense missiles for testing
The missiles to be trialed by Ukraine are designed to counter drones, and can shoot down targets at an altitude of up to 2 kilometers.
US will support Zelensky if he decides to negotiate with Putin, State Department says
"It's not something that it is appropriate for us or for any other country to push him into," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 14, injure 88 over past day
Russian forces killed nine people and injured over 40 in a single attack against Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery in Russia's Saratov, HUR source confirms
The city hosts the Saratov Oil Refinery, formerly known as the Cracking Plant, which is part of Rosneft, the state-run oil company
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. For our third birthday this November, we're looking for 1,000 new members to fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring. We’re relying on you.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Editors' Picks
Kremlin finds new enemies to target — Russians without kids
With Scholz's government in shambles, conservative rival touts more decisive Ukraine strategy
Ukraine reacts warily to Trump appointments as Russia’s war rages on