Ukraine Daily

Sunday, November 13

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A new graffiti in Banksy style at the wall of a destroyed residential building in the town of Borodianka, which was heavily damaged by fighting at the beginning of the Russian invasion is seen on Nov. 12, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Intelligence: Russia, Iran prepare deal for ballistic missile supplies. Russian shortage of modern weapons due to the Western sanctions is pushing Moscow to purchase weapons from world pariahs, according to Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of the Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate.

Air Force: Russia might launch mass missile attack on Ukraine during G20 summit. Colonel Yurii Ihnat said Russia prefers to “carry out some kind of provocations around such days.” Russia launched its latest mass attack on Ukraine on Oct. 31, hitting energy facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and other Ukrainian cities.

Unexploded cluster munitions from Russian missile land in residential area in Zaporizhzhia. A Russian Iskander-K ballistic missile containing 54 cluster submunitions landed among residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia’s Shevchenkivsky District on Nov. 12, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy head of the President’s Office. The cluster munitions failed to explode, presenting a serious danger to civilians nearby. They will be temporarily evacuated while explosives specialists clear the area, Tymoshenko said.

Top Zelensky ally: Opportunity for peace talks could arise in second half of 2023. Election campaign cycles beginning in both the United States and Russia, where presidential elections are both due to be held in 2024, could be a trigger for peace talks, Davyd Arakhamia, leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People faction in parliament, said on Nov. 12.

Zelensky: Crimea will greet our soldiers with Ukrainian flags just like in Kherson. President Volodymyr Zelensky made the comment in his regular address to the nation on Nov. 12. “We will certainly see how our forces in Crimea will be met with Ukrainian flags, which they are keeping there, and there will be hundreds of them on the streets on the day of liberation.”

Kuleba calls on ASEAN summit members to stop Russia’s ’hunger games with the world.’ On the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia’s participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative was insufficient and that steps must be taken to ensure Russia does not intentionally delay shipments, forcing global prices to rise, Reuters reports.

Kherson liberation

ISW: Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson ignites ideological fracture between pro-war figures and Putin. Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson is eroding confidence in Vladimir Putin’s commitment and ability to deliver his war promises, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. On Nov. 12, a pro-war Russian ideologist Alexander Dugin openly criticized Putin—whom he referred to as the autocrat—for failing to uphold Russian ideology by surrendering Kherson.

UK intelligence: Russian withdrawal from Kherson is ‘public recognition of its difficulties’ on Dnipro River’s west bank. Russia is still attempting to evacuate its troops from other areas of Kherson Oblast “across the river to defensible positions on the east bank,” the U.K. Defense Ministry said on Nov. 12. “Kherson was the only regional capital city captured since February by Russian forces, so the withdrawal brings significant reputational damage,” the ministry said.

Ukrainian local authorities resume work in Kherson after liberation. Both the Kherson Oblast and city governments returned to the city on Nov. 12, one day after Ukrainian troops liberated Kherson after over eight months of Russian occupation.

National Resistance Center: Russia stole 15,000 artworks from Kherson Oblast. The Ukrainian military’s National Resistance Center said that Russian soldiers had robbed the Oleksiy Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum among others.

International response

Telegraph: UK, EU to stage walkouts when Russian delegates speak at G20. The U.K. and the EU also plan to confront Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the delegation at the upcoming G20 summit over Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Telegraph reported citing unnamed officials.

Scholz pledges new Iran sanctions for drone supplies to Russia, crackdown on protests. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the European Union foreign ministers are expected to agree on the sanctions against Iran for its crackdown on protests and supplies of kamikaze drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, the Guardian reported.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Daria Shulzhenko, Toma Istomina, Alexander Khrebet, Oleg Sukhov, Francis Farrell, Brad LaFoy, and Olena Goncharova.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.