Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 11-05-2024

4:19 p.m.

The first polling stations to close in the US this evening are in eastern Indiana and Kentucky, closing their doors and working on their tallies at 6 p.m. (Again, all times are Eastern Standard Time.)

3:54 p.m.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that a Michigan man had sent the Bureau a message that he planned to kill Donald Trump or another “conservative” target if he is elected.

3:19 p.m.

CNN correspondents also reported debilitating problems with voting machines in Apache County, Arizona, which incorporates a large part of the Native American Navajo nation, an impoverished district representing a massive Democratic voting bloc that has experienced polling station problems in the past.

2:54 p.m.

CNN is reporting that a problem with the printed ballots in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, has disrupted voting there.

2:27 p.m.

Two of the 177 polling stations in Fulton County, Georgia, reported “non-credible” bomb threats that authorities are saying were Russian in origin.

Trump in Florida: “I feel very confident”

Donald Trump and his wife Melania visited a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida, where they cast their votes in the election.

The RISE project, led by the Ukrainian government and the World Bank, should help small and medium-sized businesses gain access to export markets and focus on green competitiveness.

Ukraine will launch a new $593 million project focused on “green competitiveness” to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), potentially helping them create or preserve 40,000 jobs.

The financing agreement for the “Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprise Program” (RISE) was signed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance reported in its Monday press release. 

Pennsylvania has 19 electoral college votes, more than any of the other swing states which could go for either Harris or Trump, with polls showing them locked in a dead heat.

Protecting and creating new jobs were among the most pressing issues for voters lining up to cast their ballots Tuesday in Erie, a competitive blue-collar Pennsylvania county with a formidable reputation for picking US election winners.

Mason Ken Thompson, 66, voted at Edison Elementary School in Erie, the main city in the Pennsylvania county of the same name whose 270,000 people – voting in a tightly-contested swing state – will have an outsized role in whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins the White House.

Millions of Americans headed to vote Tuesday in a presidential election defined by drama and uncertainty. The bitter rivals spent their final campaign day trying to get supporters out to the polls and courting any last undecided voters in the swing states expected to decide the outcome.

Read here for more.

Voters will either pick the first woman of color or the first convicted felon as their next president.

Millions of Americans headed to vote Tuesday in a presidential election defined by drama and uncertainty, with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump left to await the outcome of a desperately close race after months of intense campaigning.

The result – perhaps coming overnight, or not for several days – will either make Harris the first woman president in the country’s history, or hand Trump a comeback that sends shock waves around the world.

US intelligence agencies stated that Russia is the most active source of fake articles and videos regarding the presidential elections.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released a joint statement on Nov. 4 warning about the growing threat of foreign interference in the ongoing US elections.

US intelligence agencies warned of Russia’s disinformation campaign aimed at fueling fears and eroding trust among voters during the US elections.

US intelligence agencies stated that Russia is the most active source of fake articles and videos regarding the presidential elections.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), released a joint statement on Nov. 4 warning about the growing threat of foreign interference in the ongoing US elections.

Pennsylvania has 19 electoral college votes, more than any of the other swing states which could go for either Harris or Trump, with polls showing them locked in a dead heat. Read here for more.

The Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia reported that ballot marks were visible from the back, allowing others to see voters’ choices and thus violating voting confidentiality.

A Georgian court in the town of Tetri Tskaro canceled results from 30 voting stations in Tetri Tskaro and Tsalka after the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections over concerns that the process violated voter confidentiality.

The Association of Young Lawyers of Georgia, which raised this issue, said that when people marked their choice on the ballot, the mark could be seen from the back, making it clear who they voted for. This meant others nearby could tell how someone voted, according to Radio Liberty’s Georgian Service.

What is the situation in the key battleground states?

History Professor Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted US presidential elections since 1984 based on his 13 Keys to the White House theory.

If Allan Lichtman is correct, without monitoring the myriads of political polls, his 13 Key model predicted a Kamala Harris victory in the US Presidential election back in September, assuming US eligible voters see the current administration foreign policy in Ukraine as being a success. 

US Election Day. Millions of ballots were cast in elections to determine the country’s future under Harris or Trump along with its relationship with partners such as Ukraine. Stay tuned.

Election Day 2024 has come and gone. 

Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has been declared the victor with 276 electoral votes.

History Professor Allan Lichtman has correctly predicted US presidential elections since 1984 based on his 13 Keys to the White House theory. Will Ukraine be a Key to success for Kamala Harris?

If Allan Lichtman is correct, without monitoring the myriads of political polls, his 13 Key model predicted a Kamala Harris victory in the US Presidential election back in September, assuming US eligible voters see the current administration foreign policy in Ukraine as being a success.

Professor of History Allan Lichtman at the American University has correctly predicted US elections based on the performance of the current White House administration based on “true” or “false” answers to specific questions about White House performance in 13 key areas. As such the outcome of today’s election may depend on the Ukrainian situation as a major foreign policy factor.

However, Warsaw might be divided in its stance on the idea with the foreign minister calling it a “constitutional duty” while its deputy prime minister worrying it could drag Poland into the war.

NATO might discuss the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles over Ukrainian airspace during the alliance’s ministerial meeting next week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.

“This is a matter of agreements and discussions within the group of our allies. We have a new NATO Secretary General. The next NATO ministerial meeting will take place next week. Perhaps this issue will be on the agenda of the talks,” Sikorski said on Polish TV channel TVN24 on Monday.

Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban favors Trump in the US presidential election, saying publicly that he will pop open bottles of champagne if his “dear friend” Donald Trump wins.

The illiberal Hungarian leader has spent years cultivating a close relationship with Trump.

It is no secret who Viktor Orban favors in the US presidential election on Tuesday, with Hungary’s nationalist leader saying publicly that he will pop open bottles of champagne if his “dear friend” Donald Trump wins.

It is a political friendship that the Hungarian prime minister – whose illiberal policies and pro-Russian stance has made him a bete noir in the European Union – has spent years cultivating and he could gain a powerful ally if Trump returns to the White House.

The 28-time Grammy winner and producer of Michael Jackson’s bestselling “Thriller” album was also a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s 2014 Euromaidan revolution.

US music producer, composer and 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones passed away on Sunday, Nov. 3, at the age of 91 in Los Angeles. His family did not disclose the cause of death.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’s passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the family said in a statement.

Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump are neck and neck in the polls as millions of Americans cast their ballots today.

It’s finally Election Day 2024.

Over 75 million early votes have already been cast around the country with an equal number of people expected to complete their ballots by the end of today. Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump have been neck and neck at the polls, especially in the seven swing states that are expected to decide who will take residence in the White House next year.

The industrial city, which had an estimated pre-war population of more than 700,000 people, lies around 35 kilometres from the nearest Russian positions.

A Russian strike on an infrastructure facility in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia near the front line has killed six people and wounded nine more, the regional governor said Tuesday.

The industrial city, which had an estimated pre-war population of more than 700,000 people, lies around 35 kilometres from the nearest Russian positions.

With estimates that the number of North Korean troops now supporting Russian efforts has grown to 12,000, the US and its allies have condemned the deployment.

The Financial Times (FT) and other media outlets have reported that Ukrainian forces have fired on North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s western Kursk region, marking the first known combat engagement with foreign soldiers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Andriy Kovalenko, Ukraine’s top counter-disinformation official on the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), confirmed the development on Telegram on Monday, Nov.4, saying, “The first military units of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] have already come under fire in Kursk.”

8:02 a.m.

In Kosovo, local artist Alkent Požegu created mosaic portraits of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump from grains and seeds.

Kyiv Post asked 15 Americans living in Kyiv who they planned to vote for in the upcoming US presidential election and why.

The US presidential election is upon us and there can be no doubt but that whoever is sitting in the Oval Office will have a profound impact on the future of Ukraine.

Kyiv Post asked Americans living in Ukraine who they planned to vote for in the upcoming American presidential election and why.

Kyiv Post surveyed Americans in Ukraine asking them who they planned to vote for and why. Check out the article here.

For the first time Russia sent its so-called fifth generation fighter to a public air show outside the country, but the display of Moscow’s technological prowess backfired spectacularly.

The appearance of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO: Felon) twin-engine stealth multirole fighter outside of Russia for the first time at China’s Zhuhai 2024 international air show evoked the high level of interest that Moscow probably hoped for but not in the way it transpired.

Two of the aircraft were dispatched to the show, the first flew in last Monday and the second was flown in on an An-124 cargo aircraft and reassembled once it arrived. The first Su-57 was to participate in flying demonstrations while the other was set up as part of the static display.

In total, Roscosmos said 51 Russian satellites, one Russian-Chinese device and a Russian-Zimbabwean satellite were put into orbit, as well as the two Iranian satellites.

Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately built Iranian devices, amid deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran.

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East at 02:18 Moscow time (2318 GMT on Monday) carrying the satellites, Russia's Roscosmos space agency said.

6:38 a.m.

Representatives of the US election commissions ensured the security of American voting systems.

Millions of Americans will vote for the next president of the United States today, Nov. 5, the outcome of which Ukrainian Americans will have an important say.

Today millions of Americans will gather at the polls to vote for the next US president. Nearly 80 million Americans have already cast their ballots, and many more will vote on election day.

As Americans gather at the polls, many policy issues will be on their mind. They will vote for the presidential candidates based on their stances on topics such as the economy, abortion rights, education policy, US border security, and immigration.

6 a.m. Voting in the 2024 US presidential election has begun.

The first polling stations opened for in-person voting in the 2024 US presidential election. Polls opened in the states of Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.

A Trump victory could impact the Ukraine-Russia war, empower Putin, challenge Zelensky, and force Europe to rethink its security strategy in a world with diminished US involvement.

If Donald Trump were to win the elections in today’s US presidential election, it would likely introduce a significant shift in US policy toward the war in Ukraine. Trump has consistently voiced skepticism about continued US involvement in Ukraine, arguing that the conflict is not a core US interest and suggesting a focus on negotiating a settlement.

If Trump takes office with this stance, the implications could reshape the war’s trajectory. Here are several possible scenarios:

If we’re no closer to knowing the outcome of today’s election, we know more about what will have brought it about.

IN MY US FOCUS GROUPS over the last month, we have heard from crucial voters in all seven swing states. I would like to say that our conversations in Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania and Georgia and North Carolina point to a clear winner, but they don’t. What they have done is helped to reveal the forces at work.

If we’re no closer to knowing the outcome of today’s election, we know more about what will have brought it about.

Ukrainian parliamentarians suggested a windfall tax on the banks in a recent bill – the IMF warned it may jeopardize the fairness of the tax system.

The International Monetary Fund recommended against imposing a 50% windfall tax on the banks in 2024.

Ukraine imposed a similar tax at the end of 2023.

The move aims to safeguard against potential interference from Moscow and Minsk.

Estonia's coalition government announced plans on Monday, Nov. 4, to amend the constitution to prevent Russian and Belarusian residents from voting in next year’s municipal elections. The move aims to safeguard against potential interference from Moscow and Minsk.

The decision could affect over 80,000 Russian citizens currently holding residence permits in Estonia, a Baltic nation of 1.3 million people that declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and includes a significant Russian-speaking community.

Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv believed 11,000 North Korean troops had reached the Kursk border region in Russia, with the West repeatedly warning they could be sent into combat within days.

Germany's Foreign Minister visited Ukraine on Monday in a symbolic display of support but offered no concrete assurances as the war-battered country sounded the alarm over thousands of North Korean troops building up in Russia and diminishing foreign aid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv believed 11,000 North Korean troops had reached the Kursk border region in Russia, with the West repeatedly warning they could be sent into combat within days.

The nuclear-armed North last week test-fired its most powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in Kim Jong Un's first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to Russia.

North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles early Tuesday, Seoul's military said, Pyongyang's second launch in days and just hours before Americans vote for a new president.

The nuclear-armed North last week test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in Kim Jong Un's first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine.

Germany is now paying 0.1% of its GDP for military aid to Ukraine, but Russian victory in Ukraine could lead to costs of up to 10-20 times more than its current military support levels.

It is cost-effective for Germany to maintain and “even significantly increase” support for Ukraine, because the cost of Russian victory in the war could cost it as much as 20 times its current spending on aid in future years. 

Germany’s average annual military support for Ukraine is estimated to be 0.1% of GDP, but it could increase to as much as 2% of GDP annually, if Russia succeeds in its war in Ukraine, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s new paper estimated. 

A growing number of ad hoc units in the Russian army that have reduced available infantry personnel for assault operations could be why Moscow is throwing drone operators into the grinder.

The Russian military is reassigning experienced UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators from ad hoc drone units to frontline assault squads, as per reports from multiple Russian pro-war Telegram channels.

This move, according to independent media outlet “Important Stories” in Russia, has sparked criticism from Russian military bloggers, often known as Z-bloggers.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian and pro-Kremlin actors launched an information operation on November 4 to discredit incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s victory in the Moldovan presidential elections.
• Georgian civil society and opposition resumed peaceful demonstrations on November 4 against the highly contested October 26 Georgian parliamentary elections, calling for continued resistance and further investigations into large-scale voting irregularities.
• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Sistema project released an investigation on November 4 detailing Russia's initial 2022 demands for Ukraine's total capitulation, further supporting ISW's long-standing assessment that Russia has never been willing to engage in good-faith negotiations with Ukraine on any terms but its own.
• Russian drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in Summer 2024 reportedly significantly impacted Ukrainian electrical generation capacity compared to March 2024, though it is unclear whether Russia had been able to inflict significant further damage on the Ukrainian energy grid since.
• The Kremlin-awarded founder and director of the prominent Rybar Telegram channel and social media project attempted to falsely portray himself as a non-Kremlin actor in the Western media and confirmed the Kremlin’s efforts to establish “media schools” abroad.
• Russian authorities arrested Rosgvardia's Deputy Head of Logistics Major General Mirza Mirzaev for bribery on November 3.
• Russian forces advanced near Novy Put, Kursk Oblast.
• Ukrainian forces advanced in Kharkiv Oblast and Russian forces advanced in the Kupyansk, Kreminna, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vuhledar directions.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) continues attempts to form a cadre of loyal military journalists in an effort to control the pro-war Russian information space and centralize control over Russia’s war coverage.