Ukraine Daily

Thursday, November 3

Russia’s war against Ukraine

An elderly woman waits for distribution of humanitarian aid in the town of Izium, in Kharkiv region on November 2, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia resumes its participation in grain export deal. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said Russia was resuming participation in the deal because it had received guarantees from Ukraine that the grain export corridor would not be used for military purposes.

New York Times: Russian military bloggers criticize Putin for rejoining grain deal. Russia’s war hawks took to social media on Nov. 2 to criticize the Kremlin after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s decision to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal to allow grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the New York Times reports. The paper reported one Yuri Podolyaka as telling his 2.8 million followers on Telegram that “this weakness will have a negative impact on everything: at the front lines, in the rear, in the international arena.“

Zelensky: Russia threatens grain corridors as it demands guarantees. In his daily evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian missile strikes from the Black Sea endanger grain corridor routes, even as Russia demanded security guarantees from Ukraine to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal. “This morning a Russian aircraft launched cruise missiles near Snake Island that flew through grain corridor routes. These launches, which are almost daily, directly threaten food exports,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky, Erdogan discuss grain export deal, prisoner exchange. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Nov. 2 for “his active participation in preserving the grain deal.“ Zelensky also said that they had discussed the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war captured by Russia.

NYT: Russian military leaders reportedly discussed use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russian military leaders have discussed how and when Moscow might use tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous U.S. intelligence officials. “The conversations alarmed the (President Joe) Biden administration because they showed how frustrated Moscow had become over its battlefield setbacks in Ukraine,” the NYT wrote.

Official: Kamikaze drone hits energy infrastructure in Kryvyi Rih. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, said that the damage was “significant.” Several areas of the city were left without electricity and water due to the attack, he added.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 12 kamikaze drones overnight. The Ukrainian military downed 12 out of 13 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones that Russia launched overnight on Nov. 2, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. On Nov. 1, Ukraine’s Air Force said it had already downed over 300 kamikaze drones fired at Ukraine by Russian forces.

Russia bans civilians from crossing Dnieper in Kherson Oblast. Russia attributed the ban to increasing military threats. The Russian occupation government stepped up the deportation of local residents from Kherson Oblast on Nov. 1 amid Ukraine’s continuing counter-offensive.

UK intelligence: Wagner Group advancing up to 200 meters daily, missing Russia’s 30-kilometer goal. Head of Russia’s military Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says his forces are making advances of 100-200 meters per day, which he says is “normal in modern warfare,” while Russia’s military doctrine determines Russian forces plan to advance 30 kilometers or more daily, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 2.

ISW: Financial incentives for Russian soldiers likely to put strain on Russian economy for decades. Russian officials have been promising lucrative salaries to volunteers and mobilized men that are more than twice the average Russian civilian salary, the Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest update. The Kremlin will likely have to tap into the federal budget more heavily in the near future to cover the costs of salaries, the ISW said.

Medvedev wants to reintroduce capital punishment in Russia, kill ‘traitors.’ Dmitry Medvedev, acting deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, claimed on Nov. 2 that “yellow-blue” saboteurs who oppose Russian state policy on the invasion of Ukraine had begun operating in Russia, carrying out terrorist attacks. Medvedev said, during WWII, there was only one sentence “for such wretches – execution on the spot, without trial.”

Propagandist who called for killing Ukrainian kids back on air. RT, a Kremlin-run TV channel, has published a sports documentary authored by propagandist Anton Krasovsky and later deleted it. The release of the documentary followed RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan’s claim that the channel had suspended cooperation with Krasovsky due to his recent statements. Krasovsky, who was in charge of Russian-language content at RT, claimed that he had not been reinstated at the channel despite the release of the film.

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Explainer: What’s up with the ‘grain deal’ and Russia? On Nov. 2, Russia announced it would continue its participation in the deal that allows grain shipments from Ukraine via the Black Sea, ending several days of turmoil when the vital deal was hanging by a thread.

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

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Konrad Muzyka: ‘Russian military in Belarus within range of Ukrainian artillery systems.’ The Kyiv Independent talked with Rochan Consulting Head Konrad Muzyka, a defense analyst focusing on Russia and Belarus, about a potential Russian offensive from Belarus, the capacity of Minsk to join the war directly, and whether Lukashenko’s regime depends on the outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Photo: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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Ukraine war latest: Russia rejoins Black Sea deal, threatens to revoke it again. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Nov. 2 to rejoin the landmark grain deal that created a protected Black Sea corridor for Ukraine to export millions of tons of agricultural products trapped inside the war-torn country.

Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

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The human cost of Russia’s war

Russia’s attacks kill 4 civilians in Donetsk Oblast, injure 7 in Kharkiv Oblast. In the past 24 hours, Russian forces have wounded 10 people in Donetsk Oblast, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the oblast governor. Seven people, including two children – a 4-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl – have been injured in Kharkiv Oblast, said Oleh Synehubov, the oblast governor.

Eight journalists killed in Ukraine since Feb. 24. At least eight journalists have been killed while reporting on Russia’s war in Ukraine since Russian forces started their all-out invasion in February, according to Ukraine’s Journalists’ Union. “Russia should be brought to justice for war crimes, bloodshed, and the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including journalists,” the union’s statement reads.

General Staff: Russia has lost 73,270 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Nov. 2 that Russia had also lost 2,714 tanks, 5,525 armored fighting vehicles, 4,153 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,733 artillery systems, 387 multiple launch rocket systems, 198 air defense systems, 277 airplanes, 258 helicopters, 1,438 drones, and 16 boats.

Ukrainian military: Russia has lost over 1,402 officers in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Senior officers make up 26% of the total number, Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Nov. 2, citing open-source intelligence. The number includes two lieutenant generals, eight major generals, 44 colonels, 98 lieutenant colonels, 193 majors, 279 captains, 471 senior lieutenants, and 235 lieutenants, Ukraine’s military said.

International response

Spanish minister arrives in Kyiv, donates 30 ambulances to Ukraine. Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares arrived in Kyiv on Nov. 2 to deliver 30 ambulances to Ukraine, the ministry’s press office told CNN. During the visit, Albares is also expected to meet with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Spain sends air defense systems to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares during his visit to Kyiv on Nov. 2. Ukraine received four Hawk air defense systems, an Aspide air defense battery, anti-tank missiles, guns, and ammunition.

Ministry: Western allies to allocate over 25 million euros to support Ukraine’s energy sector. The European Union and other western allies, including the U.S, Japan, and Britain, will provide 25.5 million euros to cover Ukraine’s urgent energy needs, the Energy Ministry reported. “Ukraine’s energy sector needs not only financing but also the best world experience, technologies, and solutions that would allow it to withstand Russia’s attacks,” the statement reads.

UK sanctions four Russian steel, petrochemical oligarchs funding war in Ukraine. The U.K. has imposed sanctions against four Russian tycoons “who have enabled (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to mobilize Russian industries to support his military effort,” the British government reported on Nov. 2. The measures targeted Alexander Abramov, Alexander Frolov, Airat Shaimiev, and Albert Shigabutdinov, who are thought to have a total estimated net worth of $8.75 billion.

North Korea accused of hiding ammunition supplies to Russia. U.S. officials said North Korea was trying to hide the shipments by making it appear as if the ammunition is being sent to the Middle East or North Africa, according to newly declassified intelligence quoted by CNN. Two months ago, U.S. intelligence alleged Russia was buying rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for use in Ukraine, CNN reported.

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In other news

Regional development minister resigns. Oleksiy Chernyshov, the minister for the development of communities and territories, is expected to replace Yuriy Vitrenko as the CEO of Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas monopoly Naftogaz, according to sources cited by Ekonomichna Pravda and Forbes Ukraine.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Denys Krasnikov, Thaisa Semenova, Oleg Sukhov, Alexander Query, Lili Bivings, and Anastasiya Gordiychuk.

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