Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 11-15-2024

The Ukrainian leader says that he expects the next US president to expedite the end of Russia’s war, as he ’promised’ the American people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Russia's war against his country will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have done once Donald Trump becomes US president next year. 

“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

Crimean Tartars have issued a statement declaring that they will not accept any peace deal that does not include the repatriation of the peninsula, despite questions raised by the recent US election.

A mandatory condition for launching official negotiations on the issue of ending the Russo-Ukrainian war should be the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders – including Crimea.

The declaration comes after the uncertainty brought on by last week’s presidential election in the US, in which President-elect Donald Trump scored a decisive victory. The former president has been a vocal critic of continued aid to Ukraine and claimed he could end the war “in a day.” Since his victory, US lawmakers and foreign allies alike have reportedly been seeking to shore up support for Ukraine and discuss possible alternatives to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan presented to partners last month.

Scholz stressed “Germany’s unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks with Ukraine, in the first call between the leaders in almost two years.

In the call, Scholz “condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and called on President Putin to end it and withdraw troops,” the chancellor’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

The SBU detained an alleged GRU agent who reportedly leaked data on Ukrainian operations to Moscow. He faces life imprisonment for high treason committed during wartime.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported the detention of an agent of the GRU, Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate. The agent had been transmitting information to Moscow about Ukrainian special operations. 

A lieutenant colonel and commander of one of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) units had reportedly been recruited by Russian intelligence even before the start of the full-scale invasion. 

The sources said Musk had joined sensitive calls and meetings, even before his formal role in the administration was announced.

NBC News has reported growing tensions surrounding Elon Musk’s role in Donald Trump’s transition team, with some insiders describing his presence as “overbearing.”

On Tuesday, President-elect Trump announced that Musk, the CEO of Tesla and X, would co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, a multi-millionaire who had run against Trump in the presidential election.

Jake Broe, who is well known to those who follow Ukraine’s war against Russian aggression, for his dynamic, interesting, and accurate analysis of what is transpiring in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Observers attribute the crackdown to a presidential election scheduled for January 26.

Belarusian security forces have detained relatives of political prisoners in a series of nationwide raids, with human rights activists linking the crackdown to pre-election intimidation.

According to human rights organization Viasna, Belarusian authorities launched the raids on November 14.

With Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching the 1,000-day mark, 3.7 million people have already been displaced inside Ukraine and around 6.7 million have fled as refugees, according to UN figures.

The UN warned on Friday that renewed Russian targeting of Ukraine's already devastated energy infrastructure this winter could cause severe hardship and spur new mass movements of people.

"If they were to target the energy sector again, this could be a tipping point," warned Matthias Schmale, the United Nations' resident humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones targeted the Krymsk military airfield in Krasnodar Krai, home to Russia’s 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment and its Su-27 and Su-30 “Flankers.”

In the early hours of Friday, Nov. 15, dozens of drones targeted Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, a region in the North Caucasus bordering the Black and Azov Seas; Multiple explosions were reported in the city of Krymsk in the region.

The attack specifically targeted the Krymsk military airfield, located approximately 220–250 km from the Ukrainian border. The airfield is home to the 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, part of the 1st Composite Aviation Division of the 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army.

What is the logic in appointing a non-experienced, pro-Putin, anti-Ukrainian as chief of America’s intelligence services? The concerns are manifest.

The announcement of Donald Trump’s appointment of Tulsi Gabbard to the post of Director of National Intelligence (NIS) has caused a storm of reaction in Washington and beyond. As an important figure within the US intelligence apparatus, her potential leadership role raises a number of questions about the integrity and direction of the US intelligence community.

To understand the implications of this appointment, we must first clarify the role and importance of the NIS.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

The United Nations' COP climate talks are "no longer fit for purpose" and need an urgent overhaul, key experts including a former UN secretary general and former UN climate chief have said. In a letter to the UN, senior figures say countries should not host the talks if they don’t support the phase out of fossil energy. This week the Azerbaijani president told world leaders gathered in his country for COP29 that natural gas was a “gift from God” and he shouldn’t be blamed for bringing it to market. That came days after the BBC reported that a senior Azerbaijani official appeared to have used his role at COP to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals. "Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity," said its signatories. They include former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson. This year will likely be the warmest on record, with emissions of planet warming gases still rising, while the impacts of warming often outpace the ability of countries to cope - BBC

President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a choice that would add to Trump’s list of provocative picks whose confirmation processes will test the loyalty of Senate Republicans. Kennedy, who accepted the offer Thursday, has been one of the nation’s most prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists for years and has frequently spread false conspiracy theories about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Last week, Kennedy said he would “immediately” begin studying vaccine safety and efficacy but promised to not “take vaccines away from anybody.” He also committed to formally recommending states and municipalities remove fluoride from public water - CNN

The announcement comes as experts warn that sensitive Russian military technology may be finding its way into the hands of the nuclear-armed regime.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for the mass production of attack drones, a move likely to heighten global concerns over Pyongyang’s military collaboration with Russia.

The announcement comes as experts warn that sensitive Russian military technology may be finding its way into the hands of the nuclear-armed regime.

Two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland followed the Russian Bear-F aircraft as it flew over the North Sea on Thursday, the ministry said.

UK jets were scrambled to monitor a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying close to UK airspace, the defence minister in London said on Friday.

Two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland followed the Russian Bear-F aircraft as it flew over the North Sea on Thursday, the ministry said.

Skilled personnel, including medics, have at times been reassigned to infantry roles. One opposition lawmaker has criticized the move as indicative of a failed mobilization policy.

Verkhovna Rada Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko has reported on Telegram a surge in complaints about professional medics being transferred from military hospitals to combat infantry roles.

“What the f**k! Once again: people who save the lives of our military, performing complex surgeries daily, are being reassigned to assault troops,” he wrote.

Russian milbloggers posted photos on Thursday that appeared to show North Korean long-range artillery systems being transported by train in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

The pro-Russian milblogger “Polkovnik GSH” (Colonel of the General Staff), among others, posted images on Telegram on Nov. 14 that appeared to show flatbed rail cars carrying North Korean M-1978 Koksan 170 mm self-propelled artillery systems somewhere in Russia.

Later that afternoon the pro-Ukrainian blogger “Exilenova+” published a post in which the images were geolocated to railway sidings near Krasnoyarsk in Russia (Coord: 56.069386, 92.920244) – about halfway between Pyongyang and Kursk, where North Korean troops are believed to have been deployed.

US President-elect Trump appears to have opted for a policy that will endanger not only Ukraine, but Europe as well.

On the morning of Nov. 9, only 72 hours after Trump’s victory in the presidential election, we heard a scurrilous statement emanating from the winner’s camp. A former Trump advisor and campaign staffer by the name of Bryan Lanza lashed out at Ukraine, suggesting it wants to make American soldiers die for the Crimea.

Ukrainian soldiers have been fighting for almost three years now (and incurring huge losses) for both their country and their freedom. But they are also doing it so that Americans do not have to see combat and possibly die in Europe or the Far East. They don’t need American troops. But they do need American weapons, which the previous administration has doled out sparingly, with excruciating delays, and with absurd restrictions on how they can be used.

During a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday the CEO of Mosfilm, Russia’s largest movie studio, said it had donated 50 Soviet-era military vehicles to the Russian army in 2023.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Russian Mosfilm studios, Karen Shakhnazarov, met with Putin on Nov. 13 to report on the completion of the modernization of the studio which began in 2013. The studio was founded in 1924, as a production unit of the state run film entertainment and propaganda provider.

It was responsible for films directed by such luminaries as Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky who created many Soviet-era cinema classics including “The Battleship Potemkin,” “Alexander Nevsky,” “Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears,” and “Solaris.”

The Thursday night strikes on the port city damaged residential buildings, the heating system, churches and educational institutions.

A massive Russian attack that set apartments alight and knocked out heating to thousands in Ukraine's southern port city Odesa killed one person and wounded 10 others, authorities said Friday.

The Thursday night strikes on the Black Sea city damaged residential buildings, the heating system, churches and educational institutions, according to Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov, who said it had been "a massive combined enemy strike".

Berezhinskaya, a theatre director, had railed against Russia’s actions in Ukraine, saying Moscow’s soldiers were killing civilians and destroying cities in a naked land grab.

A Russian military court on Thursday sentenced a woman to eight years in jail for criticising the Ukraine offensive online and calling for the assassination of President Vladimir Putin, state media reported.

Moscow has opened hundreds of criminal cases against those who oppose the Ukraine campaign under strict censorship laws ushered in at the start of the conflict.

Tusk wants Poland’s eastern border to be “an impassable boundary for possible aggressors or attackers.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for increasing defence spending and maintaining support for Kyiv amid Donald Trump’s return to power when they met in Poland on Wednesday (13 November). 

Rutte came to Warsaw at Tusk's invitation. Last week, Tusk announced he would hold a series of meetings to discuss Europe’s future following Trump’s election victory in the US. 

Preview: According to the report, Russian MLRS systems, along with their crews, were destroyed by strike drones operated by the SBU’s elite “Alpha” unit.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Telegram that its special forces have successfully targeted and damaged 16 Russian BM-21 “Grad” Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) in the past two weeks.

“Thanks to the precision work of the drone operators from the SBU’s Alpha special unit, these MLRS and their crews will no longer be able to destroy Ukrainian cities and villages,” the report said.

Severely injured Russian troops fighting against Ukraine will receive a higher one-time compensation of up to 4 million rubles ($40,202).

Russian troops with severe injuries that led to disabilities will receive a one-time payment of 4 million rubles ($40,202), as per a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. 

The payment goes on top of other compensations for veterans in Russia. The changes apply to troops who took part in the war in Ukraine – what Putin called his “special military operations” – since 2022. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Kremlin's recent economic policies indicate that the Russian economy will likely face significant challenges in 2025 and that Russian President Vladimir Putin is worried about Russia's economic stability in the long term.
• Putin modified compensation promised for Russian servicemen wounded while fighting in Ukraine — a clear indicator that the Kremlin is trying to cut the mounting short- and long-term costs of the war and restore balance to the Russian economy.
• The Kremlin's efforts to combat inflation and high interest rates are also reportedly impacting the expansion of the Russian defense industrial base (DIB) and prospects for mobilizing the economy.
• The Russian DIB is unlikely to match the production rate necessary to replace Russian weapons losses under these monetary policies.
• The Kremlin is also adopting policies aimed at bolstering the domestic population in the long term, signaling mounting concerns over declining demographics and labor shortages that could threaten the sustainable operations of the Russian DIB.
• Russian forces recently advanced into Kupyansk during a likely roughly company-sized mechanized assault, although ISW does not assess that Russian forces control the area.
• A recent Russian state-affiliated poll suggests that most Russian residents feel largely unaffected by the war in Ukraine, supporting reports of growing concerns among Russian officials and elites that many citizens remain indifferent towards the war.
• Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on November 14 that Russian President Vladimir Putin is personally dealing with issues concerning Ukraine and that he requires no special envoys, likely in response to reports that US President-elect Donald Trump will "soon" appoint a "Ukrainian peace envoy to lead negotiations on ending the war."
• Russian forces advanced in the Ukrainian main salient in Kursk Oblast, west of Ukraine's main salient in Kursk Oblast in Glushkovsky Raion, in the Chasiv Yar direction, and in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area.
• Russian sources are speculating that North Korea may have provided North Korean-produced 170mm M1989 "Koksan" self-propelled artillery systems to Russia. Russian milbloggers published images showing a train transporting alleged North Korean 170mm M1989 “Koksan” self-propelled artillery systems in Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai.