Kyiv Post Morning Memo – Wednesday 23 November

Good morning from Kyiv where it’s one week since Russia launched the biggest missile strike of the war, the effects of which are still being seen in the capital in the form of rolling blackouts – a very difficult situation for residents as temperatures begin to drop below freezing.

“The Kremlin wants to transform the cold this winter into a weapon of mass destruction,” President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

What’s happening today?

Wednesday sees the launch of the Ukraine government’s “Points of Invincibility” initiative which aims to address some of the issues mentioned above.

In his daily address on Tuesday evening, Zelensky announced 4,000 such places have been prepared across Ukraine that will provide “electricity, mobile communications, Internet, heat, water, and a first-aid kit”.

“Absolutely free and 24/7,” he added.

A website has been set up that shows where these can be accessed. Zelensky added: “It’s important to see now where these points are in your city, in your community, and keep an eye on the map for updates in the coming weeks as new points are added.”

Elsewhere, Russian forces have announced they are on “high alert” after an alleged drone attack in Crimea.

The Kremlin-appointed governor of the Sevastopol administrative region in Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said no civilian infrastructure had been damaged and called on residents to “remain calm”.

You can read more on that story here

What else did Zelensky say?

Zelensky’s other big news was financial – another tranche of macro-financial aid from the European Union worth 2.5 billion euros and $4.5 billion in additional funding from the U.S. to directly support Ukraine’s budget.

“The financial frontline for Ukraine is now as important as the frontline on the battlefield,” the president said.

What’s the situation on the front lines?

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) today focuses on Russia’s use of Iranian-made and supplied Kamikaze drones, noting that “Russian commanders likely also wanted… to prioritise medical facilities as targets of opportunity, and strike them with guided munitions if identified”.

The MoD also notes the drone attacks are likely a symptom of Russia’s “severe shortage of cruise missiles”, adding: “No [kamikaze drone] strikes have been publicly reported since around 17 November 2022.

“Russia has likely very nearly exhausted its current stock, but will probably seek resupply.”

The Institute for the Study of War’s daily assessment covers a multitude of topics, most notably:

• The Kremlin may be setting information conditions for a false-flag attack in Belgorod Oblast.
• The Russian military has significantly depleted its arsenal of high-precision missiles but will likely still threaten Ukrainian infrastructure.
• Crimean occupation officials demonstrated heightened unease—likely over Ukrainian strikes on Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) in the peninsula and ongoing military operations on the Kinburn Spit.
• Russian sources continue to tout the forced adoption of Ukrainian children into Russian families.

And that’s it for today’s Morning Memo, Kyiv Post will bring you the latest news throughout the day and we’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.