11/11-11/13/23 Ukrainian General Update LanguageLearner

11/11-11/13/23 Update, day 615-627 of Russian invasion.


Belarus:

The situation in Belarus remains unchanged, and the UA intel services continue to state there is no threat of an attack despite RU propaganda occasionaly implying so.


Kyiv/ West Ukraine:

The UA government expects to recieve over $30 billion USD from international partners in 2024. The UA government also made a statement that they will seek greater self-sufficiency in terms of ammo and drone production.

The UA MoD is currently launching a recruitment drive with existing job recruitment sites, after previously only Azov had been placing ads in them. Such jobs encompass cooks, soldiers, programmers, and more.

The UA MoD denied rumors about alleged plans to dismiss 3 commanders, as UA media sources claim that the current Medical commander of the ZSU (who has come under controversy for percieved incompetences), as well as the former commander of Kherson's defense in 2022, and the current commander of the Avdiivka AO.

A UA parlimentarian, Olexansdr Dubinsky, has been arrested and charged with treason. He has a string of misdeeds, ranging from recieving some $10 million USD for his group to advance FSB/GRU operations since 2016, smuggling people across the border,real estate fraud, and participation in US election meddling (for which he was sanctioned by the US treasury dept).

Ukranians who use firewood or coal for heating will recieve a higher subsidy of $450 per year, compared to previously $190.

Zhytomyr city had bomb threats in all of its schools today, which are currently being checked. There is an ongoing investigation into the deaths of 3 pilots in August in Zhytomyr, when their training craft collided.

The Lviv recruiting office is in hot water after recent controversy, including apparently forcing a civilian into a van, and forcibly conscripting a school bus driver in the middle of a field trip, stranding the students.

Per The Economist, UA's unemployment rate has dropped from 30% to 18.4%. Per the Economist, approximately 70k UA soldiers have been killed, and 120k more have been wounded.

Per the UA energy minister, RU is waiting for a prolonged drop in temperatures below freezing before attacking the energy grid. He also made statements that UA could retaliate with attacks on RU oil and gas infrastructure.


Sumy/Chernihiv/Kharkiv city:

RU continues to shell across the border with mortars, artillery, and some drones into Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts. Due to damage to electricity supply lines, some 18 villages lost power in Chernihiv.

A former professor from Chernihiv was arrested for guiding RU missile strikes.

There was an RU drone strike into W Kharkiv city, damaging a school. RU also launched 2 S-300 missiles into the city.


E Kharkiv/Kupyansk/Lyman

RU continues efforts to assault towards Kupyansk, aided by air strikes and glide bombs, where UA repelled 11 assaults. Both RU and UA appear to be making limited gains on the Luhansk front in various areas.

UA forces continue efforts to push further E of Kupyansk towards the Luhansk oblast border, with UA FPV strikes progressively further behind RU lines.

RU intensified attacks towards Lyman and SW Kreminna, with airstrikes and artillery in the forest belt.

RU fired approximately 540 shells across the region.


Kramatorsk/Bakhmut:

RU continues attempts to assault to the N of Bakhmut, as UA and RU troops contest the Southern approach to Bakhmut around Kliischivka.

RU forces appear to have gained limited territory to the NW of Bakhmut, as well as to the N of Kliischivka, as they continue reinforcing their positions.

UA forces managed to carry out the first blood transfusion in trenches, since the laws were amended in august.


Avdiivka:

RU has increased the number of airstrikes in Avdiivka over the past few days, with increased numbers of glide bombs and drones. They are reportedly engaging in intermittent strong assults, losing 2 tanks and 14 apc in the last day.

RU strikes on apartment buildings continue via MLRS in Avdiivka, damaging buildings so much that they can not be entered to recover bodies.

RU continues offensives to the NW of Avdiivka with goals to take the coke plant there, as UA units from the UA 110th mechanized launched a complaint about their commanders and lack of equipment in the area.

Over the last month since RU began their offensive, Zaluzhny stated RU has lost over 100 tanks and 250 APCs, 50 artillery guns, 7 SU-25 jets, and 10,000 soldiers.

Due to heavy rain and mud, many roads near Avdiivka are becoming practically impassable for light wheeled vehicles. This will likely affect offensive actions and supply routes. RU has managed to seize more territory NW of the city, across the railroad tracks and further north.


Donetsk/Luhansk occupied regions:

There are additional reports of RU abuses in the occupied territories to the east.


Zaporizhia/Southern Axis:

UA forces appear to be making minor gains to the E of Robotyne, as RU forces continue unsuccesful attempts to push towards Vuhledar. The fighting remains broadly positional, with UA continuing deep strikes towards RU supply lines.

RU forces continue to shell across the river from the Enerhodar NPP and its environs.

UA deep strikes continue  behind the front line, as UA assert they will maintain deep strikes on RU targets throughout the winter.

UA managed to destroy a Svet-KU electronic warfare system in the south, designed to jam satellite communication and GPS/GLONASS navigation.

A Partisan attack on the RU headquarters in Melitopol killed 3 RU officers.


Kherson:

RU shelling onto the N bank of the dnipro, especially with glide bombs, continues to injure and kill civilians. RU fired approximately 280 shells into Kherson oblast, and 36 glide bombs. Due to stormy weather lately, RU forces have reduced their shelling by about half.

There remain approximately 345 children in targeted areas in Kherson oblast as the UA government works to evacuate them and their families.

5 RU UAV were shot down in the Kherson region.

UA forces continue to attempt to expand their landing zone at Krynky, across the Dnipro river, as RU shelling continues. As RU forces continue to complain about the situation on social media, there was an apparent error when TASS news reported that "RU troops are withdrawing to more advantageous positions" before deleting the post and claiming mistake. ISW asserts this could be premature reporting of RU plans, as RU weighs withdrawing to more defended positions in Kherson oblast, or a psyop.

UA resistance fighters in Kherson claim there is no noted withdrawal of RU fighters.


Odessa/Black Sea/Crimea:

RU strikes on Odesa injured an elderly trio.

A UA student who wrote an email to a former UA government official, which was then published, has been detained by FSB forces in Crimea. There is considerable controversy on properly securing personal information of individuals who are in the occupied territory.

Two small landing ships were destroyed in Crimea at harbor by UA naval drones. They allegedly were carrying some crew and APCs.

The 100th ship has transited the Black sea grain corridor.


Russia:

Per UK intelligence and RU media sources, approximately 15% of RU soldiers use drugs, and prolific substance abusers are punished by being sent to Storm-Z assault units. The poor morale and lack of combat rotations contibutes to this malaise.

There has been a noted increase in RU physicians arriving in Kherson and other occupied territories, where they predominantly check children. If the children are healthy, they are then potentially sent to Russia proper, under the RU "adoption" program. This comes as many UA medical staff refuse to cooperate with the occupation forces.

Additionally, there are restrictions on medicines and civilian admittance to hospitals in Crimea, due to increased RU casualities along the southern front overwhelming the occupied hospitals. There are additional rumors of pressure for civilians to donate blood supplies.

UA was succesfully able to secure the return of a Mariupol teenager who launched a public appeal online from Russia, and a family of 3 who were in Crimea.

2 UA drones exploded over an RU design bureau near Moscow.

The increase of annual inflation in Russia has set a new record, reaching 6.99%, and in the first week of October the index of consumer prices has risen by 0.42%. The current key interest rate is 15% per annum, and the bank rate has been adjusted 4 times in the last 3 months.

Partisans blew up train tracks and derailed a train in Ryazan oblast.


General:

UA forces conducted 4 air strikes, and RU forces conducted 32 air strikes + considerable S-300 strikes.

Yesterday Ukrainian forces eliminated:

800x soldiers (Total 312,550 )
6x APC
5x Tank
19x Artillery (4xMLRS)
5x vehicles
2x UAV



Overseas:

The Polish trucker blockade of 3 UA checkpoints continues, as negotiations continue.

Hungary continues to block a 500 million euro EU Military aid package. Hungary had demanded that the OTP bank be removed from a "doing business in RU blacklist", but now wants assurances the removal from the list is permanent.'

Germany announced they will transfer 2 more IRIS-T air defense systems by the end of the year, bringing the total up to 5.

Lithuania delivered 2 NASAMS AA systems.

The USA purchased 60 Gepard short range air defense systems from Jordan, to send to Ukraine. These are designed primarily to aid in drone and cruise missile defense.

The UK has handed over 82k helmets, 10k sets of body armor, and 25k sets of winter clothing to the ZSU.

The F-16 training center for UA pilots formally opened today, in Romania. Training is expected to begin in the near future.

The EU will send a delegation in december to discuss military aid and secrutiy guarantees.

The EU is on track to train 35,000 UA soldiers by end of this year, compared to the 15,000 originally planned for.

The UA Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that the EU will be unable to fulfill the promised 1 million shells by march of 2024, due to issues in the EU defense industry production capabilities.

He also stated that negotiations for UA's entrance to the EU will begin in early 2024.

The US has issued notices to 100 shipping tankers flagged in 30 countries under suspicion of violating sanctions on importing RU oil.