Exclusives
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European defense can match Russia by 2030—if Ukraine holds the line. Rich in resources, short on troops: Why Europe needs Ukraine to hold while it builds |
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380M barrels stranded as Ukraine’s oil war hits exports. Three tankers sit empty offshore as a 2.2-mile oil slick spreads into Black Sea. |
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Seoul found a legal path to arm Ukraine. Here’s the blueprint.. Poland's $14 billion tank deal created an indirect pipeline other allies can replicate |
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Ukrainians hoard record cash as Russian grid attacks cut power. The third quarter delivered Ukraine’s fastest cash surge since the war began. |
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Ukrainian commandos rush into Pokrovsk to hold escape corridor open for fleeing garrison. Pokrovsk is about to fall. A recent attack by the 425th Assault Regiment wasn't an effort to save the city. No, it supported a wider retreat. |
Military
Frontline report: Ukrainian drones with loudspeakers broadcast surrender instructions as Pokrovsk counterattack succeeds. General Oleksandr Syrskyi launched a focused Ukrainian counterattack near Dobropillia to divert Russian attention from the brutal push on Pokrovsk. Using drone-mounted loudspeakers to broadcast surrender instructions and exploiting autumn mud, Ukrainian forces cleared encircled Russian pockets and forced mass surrenders, while Russian reinforcements became bogged down trying to respond.
Frontline report: Ukrainian defenders turn Russian offensive into "graveyard for armor and manpower" near Pokrovsk. Ukrainian defenders turn Russian offensive into "graveyard for armor and manpower" near Pokrovsk
Ukrainian drone strike forces shutdown at major Russian oil refinery in Volgograd – Reuters. Lukoil facility in Volga Oblast processing 5% of Russia's refining capacity goes offline after strike damages primary unit and hydrocracker.
Russian partisans destroy dozens of Russian trains carrying weapons to Ukraine front (VIDEO). "Freedom of Russia" partisans torch locomotive control systems in coordinated raids, burning out Russian war supply routes.
Frontline report: Russian commanders extort soldiers, send them to death if they can't pay near Myrnohrad. The battle for Myrnohrad has intensified as 27,000 Russian soldiers push from multiple directions, facing fierce Ukrainian resistance. Zelensky states Ukrainian defenders are outnumbered eight to one. Behind the staggering attrition lies widespread extortion, with Russian commanders forcing soldiers to pay or be sent to certain death.
ISW: Russia floods Pokrovsk front with three armies as its losses soar. With tanks mostly sidelined in Pokrovsk, only near Myrnohrad are Russia's armored vehicles showing up in strength.
Russian drones hit Kamianske, killing one, injuring eight civilians and causing fires, power outages. A four-story building and transport facility were among the affected sites as Russia launched its daily drone assault last night.
Intelligence and Technology
Der Spiegel: Germany's AfD lawmakers suspected of feeding sensitive Bundeswehr data to Russian intelligence. CDU and SPD are demanding answers after the AfD submitted detailed and structured parliamentary requests, which officials say resemble coordinated intelligence-gathering.
International
Ukraine sanctions Russia's Arctic fossil fuel projects funding war, wrecking climate. Zelenskyy calls Arctic extraction 'one of Russia's most profitable ventures' as climate expert urges West to follow.
Bulgaria prepares to nationalize Lukoil refinery as US sanctions hit Russian oil. Draft legislation would give state manager power to sell assets and freeze proceeds as Lukoil scrambles to offload international holdings.
Europe coins "Iranization" as Russia's isolation deepens. Nine European research institutions signal Moscow faces permanent isolation, not temporary war disruption.
EU moves to end multiple-entry Schengen visas for Russians, penalizing Moscow for its war in Ukraine. New EU visa policies amid an "increasingly complex geopolitical landscape."
Czechia may cut Ukraine aid under Babiš-led government, incoming foreign minister says. Prague's incoming foreign minister outlines a pivot from military assistance to humanitarian support, drawing comparisons to pro-Russian Hungary's stance.
81-year-old German music festival founder receives Kremlin medal amid calls to strip his state honors. A German lawmaker is calling for Justus Frantz to lose his Order of Merit after the 81-year-old conductor accepted the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 4 Nov.
Ukraine set to gain access to $8.4 bn EU defence fund by year's end. Ukraine could gain access to a $8.4 bn European defence fund before the end of 2025, following an informal agreement reached between EU lawmakers and Denmark's Council presidency on 5 Nov.
Moldova shuts Moscow's propaganda pipeline in middle of its capital, ending 1998 deal. Foreign Minister Popșoi calls the closure a calculated act of defense.
Humanitarian and Social Impact
Russia sees deported Ukrainian children as political leverage with Washington – ISW. Russia returns 7 Ukrainian children to boost US ties while holding 19,500 more.
Targeting the lifesavers: Russia's repeated assaults killed five Ukrainian rescuers, injured dozens over three months. Emergency personnel have come under sustained, deliberate Russian attacks — a disturbing trend tracked by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
Sumy opens first underground school as Ukraine builds 170 safe education facilities. Hundreds of students in Sumy have returned to in-person classes in the city's first underground school, where they can study protected from shelling that has become routine in the oblast
EIB's second $106 mn tranche unlocks repairs for war-damaged Ukrainian schools and hospitals. Schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and heating systems across Ukrainian communities will receive funding as the government unlocks $106 mn from the European Investment Bank's second tranche under the Ukraine Recovery Programme III
Political and Legal Developments
Ukraine documents 190,000 war crimes — and believes they prove Russia's plan to erase the nation. Ukrainian prosecutors report over 5,100 Russian drone assaults on civilians in early 2025 — twice as many as in all of 2024.
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