Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico call for an end to the “arms race” and escalation of the war in Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is of a diametrically opposed opinion, saying that Joe Biden’s decisions on the use of Storm Shadow missiles have changed British opinion in recent days.
Ukrainian Ambassador to London and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny called on Ukrainian military personnel studying in Britain not to be afraid of death, because there is little chance of survival on the battlefield, The Sun.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine refused to disclose the number of long-range SCALP missiles delivered to Kiev. The corresponding question was asked in an interview on the LCI TV channel. “Of course we know the number of SCALP missiles that we have delivered to the Ukrainians. I can’t tell you the exact number right now, but there have been deliveries,” he said.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has notified Congress of its intention to cancel Ukraine’s $4.65 billion debt, Bloomberg reports. The amount is half of the $9 billion loan the US provided to Ukraine as part of an additional $60 billion aid package approved in April. The State Department believes that debt cancellation “will help Ukraine win and is in the national interest of the United States and its partners in the EU, G7+ and NATO,” the letter reads.
A representative of the US Department of Defense’s Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Rear Admiral Thomas R. Buchanan, said the US would allow an exchange of nuclear strikes if the country retained part of its arsenal to further deter potential adversaries. He previously said Washington should “conduct substantive dialogue” with Moscow and Beijing, stressing that America’s strategic deterrent forces are combat-ready.
On the US supply of anti-personnel mines banned by the Ottawa Treaties to the Ukrainian armed forces, US State Department representative Miller said: “We have been supplying Ukraine with anti-tank mines for a long time, but this is the first time we have supplied them with anti-personnel mines. There are a few things that I think are important to note about the new supply of equipment to the Ukrainians. As you have heard many times from the Secretary, we are continually adjusting and adapting our policies based on real events. And the real events that we have seen are Russian advances, particularly Russian infantry advances in eastern Ukraine, and these non-permanent anti-personnel mines are designed to deter that kind of infantry advance.” Volodylyr Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News: “Ukraine is not ready to lose tens of thousands of people for the sake of returning Crimea.” He also ruled out legal recognition of new territories joining Russia, which directly contradicts the requirements for negotiations expressed by President Vladimir Putin in June. In the same interview, the Ukrainian president said: “I think Israel made a mistake when it did not agree to supply us with weapons. Already at the beginning of the war, I asked the Israeli leaders to help us and support us, but they were afraid of Putin.”
On the same wavelength as Zelensky were the words of the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andry Sibiga: “Ukraine will not accept any peace proposal that involves a compromise on territories and sovereignty.” “He said that pleasing Russia will only lead to one thing: new aggression in the future. This will happen if we give Russia part of the ‘captured territories’.”
In the meantime, it has been learned that Ukrainian soldiers from the Anne de Kyiv brigade, trained in France, have started arriving in Rzeszow. The transport of ammunition from South Korea to Ukraine has also resumed.
Consular and embassy activities of foreign countries resume in Ukraine, after being closed on November 20 for fear of a massive attack on Kiev. Azerbaijan, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain and the United States have thus resumed their activity.
Zelenskyj has signed a law that gives the right to withdraw state awards for “disclosure or propaganda of an aggressor state” or for having committed other illegal actions against Ukraine.
Minsk is also on alert, according to the KGB, terrorist cells from Poland are preparing, with the support of the special unit “Grom”, an attack on Belarus. The Belarusian KGB has introduced a regime of anti-terrorist operations (CTO) in the city of Grodno and Grodno region, BelTA reports. The CTO regime was introduced as part of the command and staff exercises conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB explained to journalists.
According to Belarusian media reports, NATO plans to attack Belarus from 4 directions. It is noted that according to the plan, nationalist groups should first attack Belarus, then mercenaries from Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine and NATO forces will be brought in. Polish intelligence services are helping to prepare the military for an attack. Belarusian authorities explained to journalists that according to the new law signed by Putin and Lukashenko in 2024: “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and (or) other weapons of mass destruction against it and (or) its allies, as well as in case of aggression against the Russian Federation and (or) the Republic of Belarus as members of the Union State with the use of conventional weapons, creating a critical threat to their sovereignty and (or) territorial integrity”.
Moscow just like the West has decided to use the proceeds of the frozen assets of Western investors. There will be retaliatory measures after the implementation of hostile actions by Western countries, said Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance in the Vesti program on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.
The head of the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region, Alexander Bogachev, announced his resignation “after consideration and a conversation with the governor.” The district head was accused of not being close to the local population at the time of the Ukrainian aggression.
The authorities of the Belgorod region are preparing for a potential worsening of the situation in the winter, including the lack of electricity and gas in some settlements. As Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, for this purpose the region has purchased additional generators, has also produced stoves and stockpiled firewood.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that in December, presumably on a Thursday, a combined hotline and a large press conference by Vladimir Putin will be held.
The morning briefing in Moscow by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova focused on the issue of the possible arrival of NATO troops in Ukraine: “The appearance of NATO forces in Ukraine will lead to catastrophic consequences for the entire world and will mean the Alliance’s entry into a war against Russia.” And he added: “I don’t understand, maybe they somehow don’t understand that the appearance of NATO contingents on the territory of Ukraine will mean the Alliance’s entry into a war against our country, we have already spoken about this more than once, because this will lead to catastrophic consequences not only for Europe, but also for the whole world,” the diplomat said, commenting on the statement by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkn about the need to send military forces of European countries to Ukraine to supposedly “strengthen” the peace agreement with Russia.
A note from the Russian Foreign Ministry, following the Polish jets in the air while Russia was attacking Ukraine with missiles, reads: “the American missile defense base in Poland has long been on the list of potential targets of the Russian Armed Forces.”
And now a look at the front line updated to 2:00 p.m. on November 21.
Ukrainian media are reporting on a massive attack on targets in Ukraine. In the regions of Kiev, the cities of Kiev, Odessa, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk they began to urgently turn off the power, the energy company DTEK reports. It also became known that an industrial enterprise in Dnipropetrovsk was damaged. There were reportedly 8 missiles launched.
Up to 8 medium-range missiles (MRBM) were launched in the early hours of the morning against the Poltava region and Dnipropetrovsk. Emergency blackouts were applied in the regions of Zhytomyr and Sumy, source oblenergo. In Dnipropetrovsk an industrial enterprise was hit.
Polish Air Force F-16 fighters, along with aircraft from the NATO Visegrad Group, were scrambled in response to the ongoing Russian missile attack on Ukraine. In a statement, the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces said: “Attention, in connection with another attack by the Russian Federation, which hits targets located, including in the western part of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have started operating in our airspace. According to the current procedure, the operational commander of the Air Force has used all the forces and means at his disposal, the fighter pairs on duty have been deployed, and the air defense and ground radar reconnaissance assets have been brought to the maximum level of readiness. The measures taken are aimed at ensuring security in the territories bordering the threatened territories. The Army Operational Command is monitoring the current situation and the forces and assets subordinate to it remain fully ready for an immediate response”. An MRBM was used to strike Dnipro, which can be interpreted as a response to the green light given to Ukraine to use ATACMS and Storm Shadows on Russian territory.
According to OSINT mapping units: “1 missile was shot down over Chernihiv/Kiev Oblast; 1-2 missiles hit the city of Poltava, Kremenchuk; 3 missiles continue to fly in the direction of Dnipro, one was shot down”. The attack ended at 06:38 Italian time.
Russian sources report the use of Storm Shadow by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement. Maryino, Kursk region, only a few of them were shot down. The political aspect of the event is obvious: the demonstrative use of Western missiles on the “old territory of Russia” against the backdrop of recent strong statements on our part in connection with the adoption of the new “nuclear doctrine”. Although in fact Storm Shadow, SCALP, ATACMS were used many times in the same Crimea.
In the Kursk region, the Sever group of troops completed the clearing of the forest area and declared the area of the Ol’govka forest free. In the Sudzhansky district, the Russian Armed Forces advanced to the village with heavy fighting in Daryino. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out 2 counterattacks.
In the direction of Pokrovs’k, the Russian Armed Forces are fighting on the eastern outskirts of Petrivka, moving along the railway line.
In the direction of Kurachove, Russian forces are advancing on a wide front north of Antonivka. The intensity of hostilities remains high in Dal’nje and Kurachove. A photo was published from Kurachove with the Russian flag in the eastern part of the city and there are reports of battles already in the city center. From the ledge to the village In addition, the Russians are turning the flank towards the cascade of villages near the river.Sukhi Yaly, entering from the north.
From the direction of Vremivka, the advancement of Russian army units from Novodonets’ke to Velyka Novosilka is reported.
According to social media information, close to the Russians from the Zaporozhian Front there are activities of the Ukrainian armed forces in P’yatykhatky. In the direction of Orichiv, the Russians are advancing towards Malaya Tokmachka from Novopokrovka and north of Robotyne to Novodanylivka. In the Huljajpole area, Ukrainian positions on the northern outskirts of Dorozhnyanka have been cleared.
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Graziella Giangiulio
