Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 11-20-2024

The call for monitoring comes after Russia launched more massive attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure over the last week.

Ukraine's power network is at “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” after Russia's missile and drone attack on Sunday, raising fears about the safety of the country's three operational nuclear power stations.

This is according to a Greenpeace briefing note prepared for The Guardian, Ukrinform reports.

Moldova has been looking eastwards with unease since Russia launched its surprise full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Britain and Moldova launched a new defense and security partnership on Wednesday in the face of threats from Russia, the UK government announced.

The initiative was disclosed as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited the Moldovan capital Chisinau.

Russia’s terms for a ceasefire with Trump: no NATO for Ukraine, territorial concessions, and security guarantees, sources say.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims he is open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire with US President-elect Donald Trump but wants to keep Ukrainian land and demands Kyiv abandon its NATO ambitions, five Kremlin insiders told Reuters.

Trump, who has promised to swiftly end the war, takes office as Russia controls a Ukraine-sized territory comparable to Virginia and advances at its fastest pace since 2022 - although it comes at great cost to the Russian army.

Gen. Ben Hodges explains to Kyiv Post’s Jason Smart that the Russian-Iranian-North Korean-Chinese alliance is a threat to the West and one that we must wake up and defeat before it is too late.

Photos purportedly showing fragments from the missiles began circulating on social media amidst speculations that London also greenlit Kyiv’s long-range strikes after the US’s similar approval.

Ukraine reportedly fired British Storm Shadow cruiser missiles into Russia’s Kursk region Wednesday afternoon. 

According to a Russian milblogger, Ukraine fired the missiles into the Kursk village of Marino, where locals began sharing photos depicting purported fragments from the missiles. 

President Biden’s top national security advisor Jake Sullivan played fast and loose with the facts on Ukraine. At some points he claimed things Ukrainian frontline soldiers would laugh at.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a recent interview with the major broadcaster PBS argued the Biden administration’s legacy on Ukraine will be one of smart geopolitics and vigorous and effective American support of Ukrainian independence and democracy.

Kyiv Post fact checks of Sullivan’s comments made in the interview aired on Nov. 18 found that President Biden’s top security advisor made assertions about the US-Ukraine relationship that are factually not the case.

President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his “Internal Sustainability Plan,” an addition to the “Victory Plan,” but this time addressed not to international partners, but to Ukrainian citizens.

President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with his plans for the country’s future on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

The “Internal Sustainability Plan” lays out Ukraine’s internal policy strategy during the ongoing war and for the post-war period.

Ukraine’s intelligence reports Russia’s conducting a massive PSYOPS against Ukraine with social media posts warning of a particularly massive missile and bomb strike on Nov. 20.

Reports were circulating Wednesday, Nov. 20 on Ukrainian social media that Russia has been planning a large-scale missile strike for the same day. The strike reportedly is expected to involve a new ballistic missile with a range of up to 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles). However, at least some of the reports are Russian disinformation, Ukraine’s military intelligence “HUR” said.

The US Embassy in Kyiv warned American citizens on Nov. 20 about a potential missile strike, expected to take place on the same day.

Not yet. At least, not officially

There is no confirmation that Washington approved the use of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles inside Russia as of noon (Kyiv time) Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Ukrainian news outlet RBC Ukraine, citing British news outlet The Times, reported Wednesday that “the US gave Ukraine the ‘green light’ to use British Storm Shadow missiles to strike deep into the Russian Federation” before adding that the UK has not officially confirmed the decision.

The new “KUB-M” shelters can supposedly withstand shockwaves and provide some level of radiation protection, according to Russia’s emergency ministry’s research institute.

Russia said it has started serial production for its “KUB-M” mobile bomb shelters that could reportedly withstand explosions from conventional weapons and radiation from nuclear strikes. 

The country’s emergency ministry's research institute said the shelter could offer protection for 48 hours against damages from explosions and shrapnel from conventional weapons, falling debris from buildings, dangerous chemicals and fires, as well as radiation from nuclear strikes, as per a Tuesday Reuters report.  

The move to let Kyiv use ATACMS missiles sparked a furious response from Moscow, which broadened the scope of when it can use nuclear weapons in a warning to Ukraine and the West.

Washington's approval for Ukraine to use American missiles against military targets inside Russia is a "big mistake" which could drag the world to the brink of a "major war", Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks published on Wednesday.

The move to let Kyiv use powerful long-range ATACMS missiles represents a major US policy shift, sparking a furious response from Moscow, which on Tuesday broadened the scope of when it can use nuclear weapons in a clear warning to Ukraine and the West.

The provision of antipersonnel landmines could help Kyiv deter Russia’s invasion, but the weapon’s controversial nature has led to some concerns.

US President Joe Biden has reportedly approved the provision of anti-personnel landmines (APL) to Ukraine to help deter Russia’s ongoing invasion, a reversal of his earlier stance against their provision.

The Washington Post, citing two unnamed US officials, said Tuesday that the decision was prompted by Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine that saw Moscow grabbing 1,200 sq. km (463 sq. miles) of Ukrainian territory since August, its largest gain since October 2022.

What motivated the decision, and what effect will it have?

According to reports in the media, US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use US missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometres to attack military targets in Russia's Kursk region, in a move that breaks with Washington's policy so far. What motivated the decision, and what effect will it have?

A final boost for the alliance

Thermobaric “aerosol or vacuum bomb” warheads are capable of breaching bunkers, destroying fortified walls and inducing burst lungs and ruptured eyeballs in its victims.

An  Associated Press investigation on Sunday, Nov. 16 confirmed that Russia has begun to deploy modified attack drones carrying thermobaric warheads against Ukraine. The report indicates that a production plant located in Alabuga, in the Tatarstan region has been equipping the Iranian / Russian Shahed drones with these devastating payloads since at least the summer.

Thermobaric munitions, also known as aerosol or vacuum bombs, work by explosively dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive which mixes with the surrounding air to create a massive fireball that produces blast overpressure with temperatures of up to 3,000°C that lasts for hundreds of milliseconds. The overpressure and heat causes damage to fortified structures like bunkers and buildings and cause severe injuries to soft targets including personnel and lightly armored vehicles

Ukrainians have paid a heavy price in this war. Beyond frontline casualties, civilians have suffered countless war crimes, including the kidnapping and killing of children.

Ukraine has fired long-range US-supplied ATACMS missiles at Russian territory for the first time since the White House authorised such strikes, drawing scorn and promises of retribution in Moscow

Russia on Wednesday accused the US of prolonging the "war in Ukraine" by stepping up weapons deliveries to Kyiv ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Both Moscow and Kyiv are jockeying to secure an upper hand on the battlefield ahead of Trump assuming office in January 2025.

Ukrainian intelligence reported a successful strike on the Sever military command post in Gubkin, causing explosions and thick black smoke in the city.

In the city of Gubkin, Belgorod Oblast, Russia, the command post of the Sever military grouping was successfully struck, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Wednesday, Nov 20. Residents of Gubkin observed thick black smoke, noted its odor, and heard loud explosions.

Videos circulating online show dense black smoke, likely after the strike. However, HUR did not specify the exact timing of the attack. The intelligence service also did not disclose details about the method of the strike or its potential consequences.

These events follow a Nov.19 strike in the Bryansk region, where Ukraine reportedly used long-range ATACMS missiles.

Early in the morning on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine targeted the 13th Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry in Kotovo, Novgorod region, according to reports from the Astra and CHEKA-OGPU Telegram channels.

Videos shared on these platforms show explosions and gunfire, with one local resident suggesting the attack involved drones. Residents in the area claim a military unit was the primary target.

The warning comes amid tensions following Ukraine’s alleged use of US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles against a military facility in Russia.

[UPDATES] As of 2 p.m. Nov. 20, the embassies of Spain, Italy, and Greece in Kyiv later also suspended operations for the rest of the day due to a potential "security threat."

The Kazakh embassy in Ukraine has urged its citizens to leave the country.

Ukraine used the missiles to target a military facility in the Bryansk region days after Washington gave the green light for Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russian targets.

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles against its territory marked a "new phase of the Western war" against Moscow, and vowed to react "accordingly."

Ukraine used the missiles to target a military facility in Russia's Bryansk border region overnight, Moscow said, just days after Washington gave the green light for Kyiv to use the long-range weapons against Russian targets.

Video: Age-old battlefield tricks adapted for the Game of Drones: Ukrainian Leopard tanks in Kurakhove strike Russian forces, retreat under smoke to avoid drone attacks, supported by a second Leopard.

Circulating online is a video showing a Ukrainian tank firing at buildings where Russians were hiding, then deploying a smoke screen and retreating, while a second tank, providing cover, comes under attack from an enemy FPV drone.

According to reports, the events took place in Kurakhove, a frontline town in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The tanks of the 46th Airborne Brigade struck Russian forces in the ruins of a shell-hit area from close range.

Pantsir-S1 missile system is not only guarding an oil depot and ammo warehouses but also a tank training range, an airfield, and a combat dolphin training facility in Russian-occupied Sevastopol.

The Atesh guerrilla movement has uncovered the deployment of a multimillion-dollar Pantsir-S1 missile system protecting key facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea, which is under Russian occupation. The group released photographs confirming the discovery.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukrainian forces have defended against Russia's full-scale invasion for 1,000 days and continue to demonstrate incredible resilience against Russian aggression.
• Ukraine continues to improve its warfighting capabilities and prepare itself to be self-sustainable in the long term.
• Ukrainian forces conducted the first ATAMCS strike on Russian territory overnight on November 18 to 19, hitting a Russian ammunition depot in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast — days after obtaining permission to conduct such strikes.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Russia's updated nuclear doctrine on November 19 in a clear response to the Biden Administration's decision to greenlight long-range strikes into Russia and as part of Putin's ongoing efforts to influence Western decision-makers into shying away from providing additional support to Ukraine.
• Russia’s adoption of an amended nuclear doctrine is the latest iteration of now-frequent Russian nuclear saber-rattling and does not represent a substantial change in Russia’s nuclear posture, doctrine, or the threat of the employment of nuclear weapons.
• The Kremlin has continuously attempted to use nuclear saber-rattling to deter Western military support for Ukraine, and the Kremlin's ongoing efforts to inject nuclear threats into the information space indicates that the Kremlin is concerned about the battlefield impacts of Ukrainian strikes into Russia with Western-provided weapons.
• Ukraine only recently has started receiving the weapons systems and military capabilities necessary to wage modern large-scale combat operations, and Ukraine may be able to conduct operationally significant counteroffensives in the future, provided the West reinforces building Ukrainian capabilities at scale.
• Russian forces recently advanced in the main Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, and Ukrainian forces recently advanced north of Kharkiv City.