According to Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia. But there is a condition for this.
“Ukraine has never refused to negotiate,” he wrote on Twitter. “Our negotiating position is known and open.” First, Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine. But then there is a crucial question: “Is Putin ready? Obviously not.”
Podoljak’s consequence: “That’s why we are constructive in our assessment: We will talk to the next head of state.” That would then be Putin’s successor.
Russian troops are apparently looting abandoned houses in Cherson. This is reported by Ukrainian sources. In Cherson, Ukraine and Russia are preparing for what may be the decisive battle. In addition, Russian soldiers in civilian clothes are said to occupy houses to strengthen their positions for street fighting.
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Pdoljak tweeted that Russia is forcibly evicting people from their homes and robbing them. Russia itself, on the other hand, speaks of an “evacuation”. In addition, Russian journalists would distribute videos accusing Ukraine of injuring civilians.
Russian businessman and Kremlin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin has admitted “meddling” in US elections. “We got involved, we are doing it and we will continue to do it,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying on Monday in the online network of his company Concord. The statement came a day before the midterm congressional elections in the United States, which have accused Moscow of interfering in elections for years and have therefore imposed sanctions on Prigozhin.
Prigozhin said the interference was done “with care, precision, surgically, in a way that suits us.” The businessman, also known as “Putin’s cook”, is accused of having manipulated elections in several western countries with his “troll factory”.
Ukraine has received the first Nasams anti-aircraft systems. This was announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Monday. The weapon system from Norway is intended to help against rocket and drone attacks. Especially with the increasing number of Russian drone strikes, Nasams can play an important role in defending Ukrainian cities.
The airspace of the US capital Washington D.C. is protected by the missile defense system. It is one of the most widely used medium-range anti-aircraft systems in the world.
In addition to Nasams, the Italian medium-range air and surface-to-air missile Aspide is now also in use in Ukraine, it said.
The satellite Internet service Starlink has shut down around 1,300 Ukrainian army terminals, according to a report by CNN. The reason for this are problems with the financing of the terminals of Tesla founder Elon Musk. A senior Pentagon official confirmed to CNN that negotiations are currently underway with Musk as to who and how will pay: “Negotiations are in full swing. Everyone in our building knows we’re going to pay them.” However, Starlink has already turned off satellites.
The first failures on the Ukrainian front already occurred on October 24, reports “CNN”. The terminals that were switched off are 1,300 devices that were purchased by a British company in March and have been used for military operations since then.
According to British intelligence experts, Russia cannot make up for the loss of aircraft in the war of aggression in Ukraine. “Russian aircraft losses may well exceed their ability to produce new machines,” said the British Defense Ministry’s daily update on the Ukraine war on Monday. The long time it takes to train competent pilots also reduces Moscow’s ability to regenerate its air force capabilities.
According to Ukrainian sources, Russian forces have already lost 278 aircraft since the invasion began – twice as many as in Afghanistan, according to the British. “We cannot verify these numbers, but the continued lack of Russian air superiority is likely compounded by poor training, the loss of experienced crews, and increased risks from close air support in tightly meshed anti-aircraft zones,” the statement said. That will probably not change in the coming months.
The Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj has criticized Tehran’s arms deliveries to Russia as contributing to the prolongation of the war. “Iran supports the terrorist regime of Russia and is helping to prolong the war and therefore prolong the threats to the world created by the Russian war of aggression,” Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Sunday evening. Without Tehran’s support for Moscow, “we would be closer to peace,” said the Ukrainian leader.
Without Tehran’s interference, a solution to the world food crisis or the energy crisis would also be more within reach, he argued. “Whoever helps Russia to prolong this war must also take responsibility for the consequences of this war.” Tehran only admitted on Saturday that it had delivered drones to Russia – but only spoke of a few copies. Selenskyj then accused Tehran of lying.
Heavy fighting also shook the region around the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson on Sunday. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a building occupied by around 200 Russian soldiers was destroyed in the village of Kakhovka. The consequences of this attack would be “carefully concealed” by the Russian side, it said. A column of armored Russian vehicles was destroyed near Radensk. The information could not be independently verified.
According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian occupiers began destroying the civilian population’s boats along the Dnipro River. In addition, the Russian military confiscate engines and equipment from the boats. In doing so, the Russian military is blatantly violating laws and the rules of warfare with regard to the civilian population, it said.
The Russian occupying forces have been trying for days to persuade the civilian population of Cherson to leave the region. The Ukrainian armed forces want to recapture the area, which has been under Russian control since March, as soon as possible.
The Kremlin has been disarming against the use of nuclear weapons since November. Even President Vladimir Putin recently said that using a nuclear bomb would not help. This shift in rhetoric by the Kremlin suggests that senior Russian military commanders and elements of the Kremlin are likely to some degree aware of the massive costs Russia incurs in deploying Nuclear weapons against Ukraine or NATO would have to be used for little operational gain.
However, according to the experts, the existing Russian military doctrine is “probably overwhelmed” by Putin’s illegal annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts on September 30, most of which are not occupied by Russian armed forces Nuclear weapons in response to “aggression against the Russian Federation using conventional weapons when the existence of the state itself is threatened”. That could potentially be applied by hardliners in the Kremlin to Ukrainian forays into claimed “Russian” territory in Ukraine. However, it is possible “that senior Russian military officials are confused about the application of Putin’s annexation order to existing military doctrine,” according to the ISW. It is possible that there is now a split in the Kremlin: in a pro-war and a pro-negotiation faction.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has informed Selenskyj about plans for a new aid package for Ukraine of up to 18 billion euros. The EU Commission explained that she wants to present the package, which is to be divided into monthly tranches of 1.5 billion euros each, in Brussels next week. The advantageous loans should make a “significant contribution” to Kiev’s financial needs for 2023.
Selenskyj only explained on Twitter that he had spoken to von der Leyen about financial support for the current and coming year. Another topic was the importance of grain deliveries from Ukraine via the Black Sea to support global food security.
The grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey was finalized in July. In it, Russia agreed to end the blockade of Ukrainian seaports for grain exports. In return, it demanded facilitation for the export of fertilizers and foodstuffs. The agreement is initially valid until November 19th. Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters.
Also read: The Ukraine update from 7.11. – Secret service: Kremlin wants to distract from its own failure
