Key developments on Nov.2-3: * Ukraine facing one of Russia's 'most powerful' offensives since start of all-out war, Syrskyi says * North Korean soldiers sent to Ukrainian border equipped with standard infantry weapons, military intelligence says * Locations of Ukrainian weapons systems revealed on Google Maps, official says * Russia launched around 900
Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee, stated on Nov. 2 that in his view it is necessary to mobilize 500,000 citizens, given current battlefield conditions.
Russia is increasingly deploying unidentified gas in its latest chemical warfare tactic against Ukrainian troops, who are losing ground across the hotspots of the eastern front line. Ukraine is currently unable to identify the majority of the gas used on the battlefield, compared to previous months when it could diagnose
Russian troops shelled the village of Bilozerka in Kherson Oblast, wounding a paramedic and an ambulance driver, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Nov. 3.
On Nov. 5, U.S. voters will go to the polls in what could be the most consequential presidential election in living memory. Former U.S. President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, who regularly boasts of his good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has criticized military and financial aid
After "a public reaction," Google representatives contacted the Ukrainian side, and the company is already working on fixing the issue, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in a later update on social media.
Most of these strikes targeted civilian facilities and critical infrastructure, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The largest number of casualties was reported in Kherson Oblast, where Russian attacks killed one person and injured another 10, including three children.
Russia has also reportedly lost 9,182 tanks, 18,523 troop-carrying armored fighting vehicles, 28,160 vehicles and fuel tanks, 20,086 artillery systems, 1,244 multiple launch rocket systems, 994 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 18,187 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
Germany's new leftist populist party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW), is demanding that mainstream parties halt military aid to Ukraine. Germany remains Ukraine's second-largest military supporter.
Russia launched its latest overnight drone strike on Ukraine, targeting the capital in an attack that lasted over five hours, city officials reported on Nov. 3. Several waves of explosions were heard in Kyiv throughout the night.
Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Nov. 3 that Ukraine remains willing to receive its citizens and blamed Russia for slowing down the exchanges.
"This volume of 'Shahed' drones means over 170,000 components that should have been blocked from reaching Russia," Zelensky said in his evening address. "Microchips, microcontrollers, processors, and many other parts are essential for enabling this terror."
Australia is providing Ukraine with Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended-Range (JDAM-ER) glide bombs kits following their withdrawal from service from the Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Defense Magazine reported on Nov. 1.
Beijing was fast at claiming that it had no knowledge of Russia's deepening partnership with North Korea. The U.S. had jumped on the opportunity, hoping to pressure China to dissuade North Korea from taking an active part in Russia's war against Ukraine. Observers, however, are skeptical about China's signals,
A Russian attack damaged the infrastructure near the city of Dnipro on Nov. 2, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
"... We face a hinge in history," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "If Ukraine falls under Putin’s boot, all of Europe will fall under Putin’s shadow."
After the first drone strike against Russia's North Caucasus republic that targeted the Russian Special Forces University of Vladimir Putin in the Chechen city of Gudermes on Oct. 29, Kadyrov said he ordered all of his commanders fighting against Ukraine "not to take prisoners and destroy" Ukrainian soldiers as retribution.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said that Kyiv could buy weapons from Polish factories on credit. The loan could be paid after the country's reconstruction, he added.
"This cooperation will strengthen the Ukrainian defense industry and the protection of critical infrastructure from enemy drones," Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said.
Ukrainian forces downed 39 out of 71 Shahed-type drones and other unidentified drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-one other drones were "lost," and five more flew back towards Russia, it added.
"Active hostilities that continue in certain areas require constant renewal of the resources of Ukrainian units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence, North Korean soldiers received 60-mm mortars, AK-12 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, Feniks anti-tank guided missiles, and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.
This number includes 1,270 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"All drones that threatened the city were neutralized," Kyiv City Military Administration said, without specifying the number of drones shot down over the capital.
Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. consulate in Vladivostok, was detained in 2023 and accused of passing information on Russia’s war in Ukraine to the U.S. He was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison on Nov. 1.
"We regularly discuss the topic with our partners, but the information about the upcoming conclusion of a gas supply contract with the participation of SPP is not true," Slovakian state-run gas importer SPP said.
"And we also assure that until the day of victory we will firmly stand alongside our Russian comrades," North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said during talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Key developments on Nov. 1: * US announces new military aid package worth $425 million * Ukrainian drone targets oil depot in Stavropol Krai, Russian governor claims * Russia seizes more territory over past week than at any point in 2024, Bloomberg reports * Russian drone strikes on Ukraine soared to record monthly levels
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this "cannot but cause surprise," given the Turkish leadership's statements about its readiness to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’s campaign promises to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia would seemingly make her the obvious choice for Ukrainians in the U.S. in the 2024 presidential elections, but the diaspora is anything but united in their choice for president. Despite Republican candidate Donald
The recent military assistance is provided under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) which pulls weapons from U.S. stocks.
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