EU defense commissioner takes shelter in Kyiv amid massive Russian aerial strike

According to Ukraine’s national "Children of War" database, at least 19,546 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and taken to Russia or Russian-controlled areas since February 2022.

"All of this is done exclusively for Western audiences and to raise the stakes in diplomacy," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.

The latest incident occurred on Nov. 30, when Vilnius International Airport suspended operations after unidentified objects — believed to be balloons — appeared in nearby airspace.

Russian forces captured about 505 square kilometers (195 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in November, almost twice the gains recorded in September, DeepState said in an assessment Dec. 1.

"The informational 'victories' that the Russian Defense Ministry announces daily on paper have nothing to do with the real situation on the front lines," Ukraine's 11th Army Corps said.

A Ukrainian deep-strike unit hit a Russian "storage and launch area" for Shahed-type drones near Cape Chauda, Crimea, overnight on Nov. 28, the Special Operations Forces said.

Businessman Timur Mindich, a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky, fled Ukraine before the court considered the motion.

The visit follows talks between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Florida, as Kyiv seeks to negotiate better conditions in the Washington-backed 28-point peace deal.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held another meeting with Ukrainian negotiator and top security official Rustem Umerov in Florida, a White House official told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 1.

"No actions by Ukraine are directed against Kazakhstan or other third parties — all of Ukraine's efforts are focused on repelling full-scale Russian aggression," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) claims that railway infrastructure was damaged in Russia’s Novosibirsk and Bryansk regions on Nov. 20 and Nov. 28, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

On the morning of Monday, December 1, a Russian ballistic missile struck the city of Dnipro, killing four people and injuring 22, according to local authorities.

The Netherlands on Dec. 1 pledged to purchase U.S. arms for Kyiv worth 250 million euros ($290 million) under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).