Sunday, November 5

Russia’s war against Ukraine

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Kyiv on Nov. 4, 2023. (President’s Office)

Zelensky, von der Leyen meet in Kyiv, discuss Ukraine’s EU accession, aid to Kyiv. After the meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine “does not ask for special conditions” on its way to joining the EU and has fulfilled all the steps recommended by the European Commission to launch the accession talks.

Update: Ukrainian forces damage ship in occupied Crimea. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that Ukrainian cruise missiles damaged a ship located in a shipyard in Kerch, a city in Russian-occupied Crimea, Russian state-controlled media reported on Nov. 4

Media: Russian forces could have killed more than 20 Ukrainian troops at award ceremony. Russian forces could have killed more than 20 Ukrainian soldiers who were gathered in a front-line village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast for an award ceremony, according to preliminary information, online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing a source in the Interior Ministry.

Zelensky replaces top commander at defense minister’s request. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Nov. 4 that he had requested the replacement of Special Operations Forces commander Viktor Khorenko, which caused some confusion between the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces.

Military intelligence: Russia fails nuclear-capable ballistic missile tests. Russia recently carried out unsuccessful tests of its Yars and Bulava nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, pointing to serious issues with Moscow’s nuclear weapons delivery capabilities, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) said on Nov. 4.

Governor: Russian forces hit infrastructure facility in Dnipro. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported explosions in Dnipro on Nov. 4, adding that Russian forces had targeted an infrastructure facility.

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Defense Ministry to investigate award ceremony incident. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called on the Ministry of Defense to conduct a full investigation into an award ceremony held at the front lines, Minister Umerov announced on Facebook.

Air Force: 3 Russian missiles intercepted by air defense. Three Iskander-K cruise missiles were destroyed by air defense on Nov. 4, Ukraine’s Air Force reported.

UPDATE: EU Commission chief von der Leyen arrives in Kyiv. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Ukraine’s capital, the head of the EU’s executive arm confirmed on the social media platform X on Nov. 4.

SBU charges Russian Orthodox Church’s head over promoting Kremlin’s aggression. The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church is a “member of the inner circle of Russia’s top military and political leadership and was one of the first to publicly support a full-scale war against Ukraine,” the SBU said.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 32 – How Russia is losing superiority in the Black Sea

Human cost of war

Governor: 1 dead, 2 injured after Russian forces launch missile at Poltava Oblast. One woman was killed, and at least two people were injured after Russian forces launched a missile attack at Poltava Oblast, Governor Philip Pronin reported on Nov. 4.

Governor: Russian forces target Kherson’s center, killing 1. One man was killed, and a woman was injured after Russian forces targeted a grocery store in the center of Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Nov 4.

Russian attack on Beryslav in Kherson Oblast injures 1. Russian troops shelled the town of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast in the afternoon of Nov. 4, wounding a 47-year-old man, the regional administration reported.

Russian strike on Kherson injures 3. A Russian strike against the city of Kherson on Nov. 4 injured an 82-year-old woman, an 84-year-old man, and another resident, local officials reported.

Russian attacks injure 15 over past day. Russian forces carried out attacks on at least eight of Ukraine’s oblasts over the past day, injuring at least 15 people, local officials reported early on Nov. 4.

General Staff: Russia has lost 304,100 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Nov. 4 that Russia had lost 304,100 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 830 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Update: Russian strike in Kherson kills woman. A Russian strike in the Korabel district of Kherson killed an 82-year-old woman, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Nov. 4

Von der Leyen: Ukraine exports 100 million tons of goods through EU ‘solidarity lanes’. Ukraine has been able to export 100 million tons of goods through EU “solidarity lanes,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Nov. 4.

Italian defense minister: ‘Time not yet ripe’ for Ukraine-Russia ceasefire talks.

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told Quotidiano Nazionale on Nov. 4 that the time has not yet come for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations on a political level.

Sweden says 8 Archer artillery systems already in Ukraine. Eight Swedish Archer artillery systems have already been delivered to Ukraine, the national broadcaster SVT reported on Nov. 3, citing Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Olga Rudenko,

Teah Pelechaty, Dinara Khalilova, Oleg Sukhov, Kate Tsurkan, and Rachel Amran.

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