According to a CNN report: The Pentagon has given the White House the green light to supply Ukraine with BGM-109 Tomahawk ground-launched cruise missiles (TLAMs), with a range of over 1,600 kilometers, after determining they would not negatively impact US munitions stockpiles. The final decision on the transfer rests with President Donald J. Trump, according to three US and European officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.
Trump expressed hope that the war in Ukraine could be resolved within a few months, after which Moscow and Washington could improve relations and resume trade. The US president has claimed to have ended eight wars. In 60% of these cases, he said, he achieved the end of hostilities by threatening the countries with tariffs. “I’ve treated Putin a little differently because, truth be told, we don’t do much business with Russia. You know, he’s not one to buy much from us, basically out of stupidity. And I think he’d like to change that. I think he wants to improve relations, he wants to trade with us, he wants to make a lot of money for Russia, and I think that’s great,” Trump said.
US Forces Europe and NATO Commander Christopher T. Donahue presented a comprehensive defense concept for NATO countries against Russia, titled “Eastern Flank Deterrence Concept.” This concept emphasizes drones and autonomous weapons. It also calls for the deployment of more and heavier weapons on NATO’s eastern flank.
NATO units could take weeks to reach Ukraine in the event of “a new Russian attack,” Euractiv writes. If countries were willing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, the transfer of troops across Europe would take significant time due to bureaucratic procedures and restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles. It should be noted that troops require separate diplomatic permission from each country to cross borders. In some cases, the transit notification must be submitted 45 days in advance.
Berlin Airport temporarily suspended operations on November 1 due to reports of suspicious drones in the area. On November 2, Estonian border guards spotted a Russian Border Service vessel in the Narva River with a Wagner PMC flag flying. Estonia requested an “explanation” from Russia. Also on November 2, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken announced the launch of a second investigation less than a week after suspicious drones appeared near a military base in the northeast of the country. He claimed that a helicopter and police cars attempted to pursue them, but were unsuccessful, and that a special drone jammer failed to shoot them down. “This was not a harmless flight, but a clear order directed to the Klein Brogel base,” Francken wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated: “Russia plans to significantly increase the production of artillery ammunition. The figure is 8 million shells per year.” “They want to increase the production of artillery and mortars to 8 million shells per year. It’s a significant figure, but it doesn’t scare us,” he added.
And the Ukrainian president also reported: “Ukraine has received new Patriot air defense systems.” According to Russian sources, these are German Patriot air defense systems. These are the two systems for which Germany, with the help of Norway, will purchase replacements from the United States, surpassing Switzerland. In total, Ukraine has received nine systems, one radar, and 11 launchers. Other sources report that another system was assembled from a Dutch “construction kit.”
Regarding Ukraine’s missile system program, “I launched missile programs at Yuzhmash in 2008-2009, which were initially unfunded, and then Yanukovych completely shut them down,” says former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov. According to Yekhanurov, missile programs in Ukraine were only resumed during the active phase of the war; these are complex developments. “Producing a missile, especially a new one, is a huge undertaking. A truly colossal undertaking. In this regard, the experts’ advice is to take the most advanced technologies available in the world and simplify them as much as possible,” he said. According to Yuriy Yekhanurov, Ukraine should follow China’s example, which has taken highly complex modern developments and implemented them very simply.
A train transporting captured Ukrainian armored vehicles was spotted near Yakutsk. Kirill Budanov and GUR special forces were spotted heading towards Pokrovsk, says Major of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andrii Tkachuk. According to Russian sources, 11 soldiers, some of whom parachuted from a UH-60A helicopter, were killed during the assault on Pokrovsk by Ukrainian special forces under the command of Kirill Budanov.
“In the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad area, our soldiers are holding back the pressure of an enemy group of several thousand men, which continues to attempt to penetrate residential areas and cut off our supply routes. However, the cities are not surrounded or blockaded; we are doing everything possible to ensure logistics,” said Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky.
The Russian Defense Minister has a new deputy. This is Vasily Osmakov, who until recently held the post of First Deputy at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. He will replace General Alexander Fomin, who is responsible for all matters related to international military cooperation. This new personnel change at the Russian Ministry of Defense is quite significant, and more are likely to follow.
According to the Vostok Forces Group, Ukrainian soldiers were killed and wounded following the joint Russian attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on November 1. Russian sources have reported the appearance of Russia’s newest 300mm Sarmat multiple-missile system, which is expected to be on the front line soon.
And now a look at the front line updated as of 3:30 PM on November 3. Since November 1, new attacks have been reported on Ukrainian energy facilities. Gas production facilities in the Poltava region have been hit. A missile attack has been launched on Mykolaiv. Sumy and Kharkiv have also been hit. In Sumy, the target was the UZ depot, which provides daily service to the regional capital and the entire region, which was damaged, as was the train station. In the Kharkiv region, the target was the railway infrastructure, which was damaged in Lozovaya. On November 2, an attack was launched on Pavlograd, destroying an industrial facility and a vehicle depot.
Also on November 2, Kinzhal missiles were launched on Kiev, apparently targeting recently acquired Patriot air defense systems. On the night of November 2–3, Russian forces launched a Kinzhal hypersonic strike in the Starokostyantyniv area. Geran missiles struck Mykolaiv, Sumy, Konotop, and the Chernihiv region. Missile strikes were carried out against enemy targets in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia.
In the Rostov region, a Ukrainian air strike was repelled, destroying Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in at least five districts of the region. There were reports of an attack on an oil refinery in Saratov.
Toward Sumy, in the forests on the right flank of the Russian Northern Group of Forces offensive, assault groups of the Airborne Forces and Russian Marines continued to advance. Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted a counterattack in the direction of Yunakivka, Oleksiivka, and Varachyne, and three attempted advances by Ukrainian Armed Forces assault groups were thwarted by combined Russian firepower. In the Tetkino and Glushkovsky District frontline sectors, Russian attack aircraft and rocket artillery struck Ukrainian forces near Ryzhivka and Stari Vyrky.
In the Belgorod region, in the village of Otradne, a drone struck a service vehicle, wounding the driver. Nine people were injured in four separate drone strikes in the region. 18 other locations were also attacked.
Fighting continues on all sectors of the frontline in the direction of Kharkiv. Russian assault groups are advancing in Vovchansk and the Khatnje sector.
North of Kupyansk, on the right bank of the Oskil River, Russian forces entered into action near the village of Fyholivka.
In Pokrovsk, the situation for the Ukrainian forces is rapidly deteriorating. Kyiv’s forces have brought a significant number of Ukrainian infantry and drone operators to the city. The Ukrainian command is withdrawing reserves from several other directions to organize a relief operation. However, even this maneuver can only delay the complete loss of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. The Ukrainian garrisons have not yet received the order to withdraw, and fighting continues.
The Vostok Group of Forces continues its offensive: progress is being made between Alekseyevka and NovoolekSandrivka, as well as in the Nechaivka and Uspenivka areas.
On the Zaporizhia front, in the direction of Orichiv, positional battles are taking place near Malaya Tokmachka; Ukrainian logistics to this settlement are under control. Fighting continues for Prymors’ke and Stepnohirs’k, with the Ukrainians attempting to transfer new forces to the LBS daily. The situation with our Russian FPV attack drones is gradually escalating against the Ukrainians; the skies are crowded with UAVs on both sides.
In the direction of Kherson, the Russian Dnipro Group of Forces continues to destroy Ukrainian Armed Forces positions along the Dnieper.
Graziella Giangiulio
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