Key developments on Nov. 6:
- Ukraine hits Russian naval base in Dagestan for first time, source says
- 'I’m going to stop the wars' — Trump says, as he claims victory
- Kursk incursion thwarted Russia's plans for 'buffer zone' in Sumy Oblast, Syrskyi says
- Russia has executed at least 124 Ukrainian POWs on battlefield, Prosecutor General's Office says
Ukraine's military intelligence was behind a drone attack against the city of Kaspiysk in Russia's Dagestan Republic, targeting a Russian naval base, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on Nov. 6.
At least two vessels — missile ships Tatarstan and Dagestan — were damaged in the attack, and possibly also several small Project 21631 ships, sources said.
Dagestan authorities reported intercepting a drone attack over Kaspiysk, a port city at the Caspian Sea around 1,000 kilometers from the front line (600 miles), on the morning of Nov. 6.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation center at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, also said on Telegram that a Russian naval base was hit in the attack.
"Russian Navy ships are stationed in Kaspiysk," he said. The base is home to Russia's Caspian Flotilla, as well as Russian Marines and Coastal Troops.
Sources said that the targeted fleet was involved in strikes against Ukraine, and the 177th Marine Regiment stationed there was deployed in combat in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
While Russian authorities claimed to have intercepted a single drone in the skies, a video shared on social media appears to show another drone hitting its target, resulting in a large explosion.
The incident took place roughly 15 kilometers from a local airport, the Mash news channel claimed, identifying the drone as a Ukrainian A-22 Flying Fox drone.
The nearby Makhachkala airport has suspended operations for an indefinite period due to the incident, local authorities said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Oleg Sukhov
"I’m going to stop the wars" – Trump says, as he claims victory
Donald Trump claimed victory in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 6, shortly before crossing the threshold of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.
"I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president, and your 45th president," Trump said in an address to a cheering crowd in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"I will not rest until I have delivered a strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve," the Republican nominee said, promising a "golden age of America."
His return to the White House could spell uncertain times for Ukraine, as there are fears he might withdraw support for the besieged country and cut a deal with the Kremlin.
Trump made no mention of Russia's war against Ukraine in his speech but said that the U.S. saw "no wars" during his first presidential term.
"We had no wars, for four years, we had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS," Trump proclaimed.
"They said ‘he will start a war.’ I’m not going to start a war, I’m going to stop the wars."
"I think we’ve just witnessed the greatest political comeback in American history," Trump's running mate J.D. Vance said to the crowd of Republican voters.
In his only debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic Party nominee, on Sept. 10, Trump refused to say he wanted a Ukrainian victory.
"I think it's the U.S.'s best interest to get this war finished and just get it done, negotiate a deal," Trump said.
Trump's plan to end the war within "24 hours" and get the U.S. "out" of Ukraine, would benefit Russia by ceding Ukrainian territory and creating autonomous regions in the east, according to reporting in October.
"Trump's view is he wants to do everything he can to help Putin because for whatever reason he likes these strong men, he's fascinated by him in particular," Evelyn Farkas, the executive director of the McCain Institute, said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.
"So, it will take all the will and the fighting of people under him to maintain the existing policy of support for Ukraine and an opposition to Russia's autocratic agenda."
If Trump does slash U.S. aid to Ukraine, the American economy will take a hit. The U.S. defense industrial base has received over $50 billion in investment due to America's support of Ukraine, with billions sent to states that helped Trump secure the White House again like Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida.
Chris York
Kursk incursion thwarted Russia's plans for 'buffer zone' in Sumy Oblast, Syrskyi says
Russian forces have suffered 7,905 soldiers killed, 12,220 injured, and 717 captured during almost three months of the Kursk incursion, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 6.
Over the same period, Moscow's military also lost 1,101 pieces of equipment, including 54 tanks, 276 armored vehicles, 107 artillery pieces and mortars, and five anti-aircraft weapons, according to the commander.
Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion in early August to prevent Russian cross-border strikes and draw Russian forces away from the embattled Donbas region, where Moscow keeps steadily advancing.
According to Syrskyi, Russia has already concentrated 45,000 troops in Kursk Oblast to counter the ongoing Ukrainian incursion.
Moscow has also deployed thousands of North Korean troops in the embattled region, with some reportedly already clashing with Ukraine in small-scale engagements.
The Kursk incursion was also intended to preempt a Russian plan to invade Sumy Oblast to create a "buffer zone" in northern Ukraine, Syrskyi said, citing intelligence reports from May.
Russia has been mounting pressure against the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast while also advancing in Ukraine's east at a pace unseen in 2024, steadily pushing back Ukrainian defenders.
Francis Farrell
Russia has executed at least 124 Ukrainian POWs on battlefield, Prosecutor General's Office says
Kyiv knows of 124 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) who were executed by Russian forces on the battlefield throughout the full-scale war, a senior representative of the Prosecutor General's Office said on Nov. 6.
Reports of murders, torture, and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war are received regularly by Ukrainian authorities and have spiked in recent months. Most cases were recorded in embattled Donetsk Oblast.
Speaking on national television, Denys Lysenko, the head of the department focused on war-related crimes, said that 49 criminal investigations were underway regarding the execution of Ukrainian POWs.
The most recent cases include the killing of six captured Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, prosecutors reported on Nov. 5.
"We are now analyzing all these cases, looking for patterns... We are considering all these cases comprehensively and the involvement of a particular armed unit is, of course, analyzed in each case," Lysenko said.
According to Lysenko, prosecutors are building cases against representatives of the Russian military leadership who may be involved in organizing such executions or in failing to take measures to prevent them.
Kamila Hrabchuk
