Exclusives
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Editorial: It’s time for Zelenskyy to choose Ukraine over reelection. Every catastrophic decision traces to protecting his political future |
Military
Ukraine hits two major Russian refineries in back-to-back nights: Ilsk and Ryazan (MAP)
Ukraine arms infantry with ammo that splits mid-flight to hit drones. Ukrainian Defense Ministry codifies rounds from multiple producers, clearing path for serial production.
ISW: Ukraine's interdiction cripples Russian vehicle use and troop massing in Pokrovsk (MAP). The 15–20 km "kill zone" in Pokrovsk poses a major threat to movement, complicating logistics. ISW, however, expects Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad to fall.
Ukraine to arm energy companies to shoot down Russian missiles. Energy, transport, and communications companies will be able to form air-defense groups under Air Force command to better protect critical infrastructure sites.
Frontline report: Ukraine deploys ground kamikaze drones in combat for first time near Lyman. The innovation by the Third Army Corps demonstrates how Ukraine is leveraging automated systems to compensate for manpower shortages against Russian infiltration tactics.
Ukrainian drones cut power to 16,000 in Kursk, hit major Ryazan oil refinery in overnight strikes. Ukrainian strike drones targeted Russian energy infrastructure across two oblasts overnight, disabling power substations and igniting fires at the Ryazan oil refinery, which processes 5% of Russia's crude oil.
Russian missile strike on Ternopil: 230 rescuers search for 22 missing as death toll reaches 26. Rescue teams from nine Ukrainian oblasts cleared over 700 square meters of rubble searching for 22 people still missing after a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck a nine-story residential building in Ternopil on 19 Nov., killing 26 people and injuring 93 others.
Overnight Russian attacks injuries 6, damage energy infrastructure in 4 oblasts. Russia injured at least 6 people in overnight and morning attacks across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts, while strikes on energy infrastructure in four oblasts triggered nationwide power restrictions, regional authorities reported.
Ukrainian combat robot equipped with Browning 12.7 mm heavy machine gun held infantry position alone for 1.5 months. Russians couldn't breach defensive line under constant UGS fire.
Intelligence and Technology
Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid follow systematic pattern, analysis shows (MAPS). Texty analysis reveals coordinated strikes on substations, power plants, and gas facilities over three months.
Russian spacecraft stalks German satellites at 88km, close enough to intercept signals. Germany responds with a new €35 billion space warfare program.
International
Trump-backed peace plan lands in Kyiv, testing Ukraine's resolve amid war and corruption scandal. An unpublished 28-point blueprint backed by US President Donald Trump is already reverberating from Kyiv to Brussels and Moscow, even before its details have been formally unveiled.
ISW: Trump's reported peace plan is "fundamentally the same as Russia's 2022 Istanbul demands". The proposed deal would give Russia vital Ukrainian territory and allow it to conserve resources for future aggression, according to ISW.
Trump's peace plan sounds like it came straight from Moscow, Finnish foreign minister says. The Finnish top diplomat warned the proposal risks erasing the UN Charter and undermining international law entirely.
Poland to allocate $100 million for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine. Poland will spend $100 million by year's end on American weapons for Ukraine through the newly established PURL program, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced, while cautioning that Europe's security depends on how the war concludes
Polish ambassador physically attacked by pro-Kremlin mob in St. Petersburg. A group of approximately 10 pro-Russian activists attacked Polish ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski in St. Petersburg on 16 Nov., with security forces preventing what Poland's Foreign Ministry described as the most serious assault on its diplomats in years
Berlin to arm Ukraine with long-range weapons, stays silent on Taurus. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that Ukraine will receive long-range weapons systems from Berlin but refused to answer whether those systems include Taurus cruise missiles, citing the need to keep Moscow guessing about Western military support.
Poland deploys 10,000 troops, closes Russian consulate after rail blast blamed on Moscow. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski accused Russia of "an act of state terrorism" on 20 Nov. and promised a response "more than just diplomatic" after an explosion damaged rail tracks used to deliver aid to Ukraine, with authorities identifying two Ukrainian citizens who allegedly carried out the attack on Russian orders.
US-Russia peace plan, negotiated without Ukraine, lists Kyiv's concessions but reportedly stays silent on security guarantees. Ukraine is told to cede territories, halve forces, recognize the Russian language.
Humanitarian and Social Impact
Russian drone strikes UN warehouse in Dnipro, destroying 10,000 food packages for frontline civilians (PHOTOS). Strike destroys aid for areas where regular supply chains collapsed under Russian attacks.
Kyiv to launch first protected mini heat and power plants as city braces for hardest wartime winter. Protected mini-CHP plants to keep Kyiv's heat and lights on under Russian attacks
"They are just scaring you": How a South African politician allegedly lured 20 men into Russia's military. Duduzile Zuma, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma and current member of parliament, recruited approximately 20 young men from South Africa and Botswana who ended up on the frontlines in Ukraine after being promised bodyguard training jobs
Russia transfers 1,000 bodies to Ukraine in latest repatriation operation. Ukrainian investigators will begin identifying 1,000 bodies returned from Russia on 20 November. This is the third large-scale repatriation in two months
Political and Legal Developments
Ukraine names first Russian commander in Bucha war crimes probe
Kyiv at OSCE: Russia launches 23 Novator nuclear-capable missiles banned under INF Treaty against Ukraine. Russia began firing banned nuclear-capable missiles at Ukraine a week after Trump summit in Alaska.
Ukraine prepares first environmental war damage claim in history against Russia for 237 million tons of CO2 emissions. The country intends to demands $44 billion from Russia.
Read our previous daily review here.
