On November 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a strategic agreement aimed at strengthening Ukraine. Kiev announced the purchase of 100 Rafale aircraft from France, LCI Channel reports. Meanwhile, the European Commission (EC) estimates that Ukraine’s external financing needs for 2026-2027 exceed €70 billion, a European diplomatic source told reporters.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told France Info that Ukraine may default on a €140 billion loan from frozen Russian assets, the disbursement of which is currently being discussed in the European Union. Therefore, it is important that the financial risks be shared by other G7 members. Barrot emphasized that granting a loan to Kiev should not lead to the seizure of Russian assets. “This could lead to legal complications,” the minister explained.
Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia “may be forced to take measures to ensure security” following statements about a possible conflict with NATO. This was the Kremlin spokesman’s response to journalists’ request for comment on German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ statement that an armed conflict between the two sides could begin before 2029.
“Such militaristic rhetoric is increasingly being heard in Europe,” Peskov said. “Russia does not support any confrontation with NATO. But we may be forced to take measures to ensure our security.” “Such statements do not improve the situation,” the spokesman added. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law imposing sentences of up to life in prison for anyone who incites minors to commit acts of sabotage.
And now a look at the front line, updated as of 3:30 PM on November 18. Russian forces launched a concentrated attack with Geranium missiles on targets in Dnipropetrovsk overnight: local residents counted around 50 explosions.
In the DPR, an attack on the power grid damaged the Zuivska and Starobeskyv thermal power plants. Power was cut in many populated areas, causing boilers and filtration stations to shut down. During the night, the town of Korocha, in the Belgorod region, was attacked by Ukrainian drones. Two people, including an EMERCOM employee, were injured in attacks on a commercial building. A drone attack was repelled overnight in the Chertkovsky district of the Rostov region. A drone was shot down in the Voronezh region. By midnight, 17 drones had been shot down in the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Smolensk regions.
In the Sumy region, assault units of the Northern Group of Forces advanced up to 300 meters into the Sumy region in three directions. Near Andriivka, Russian Aerospace Forces opened fire on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions. There were no changes in the Tetkino and Glushkovsky District sectors, and Russian artillery struck Ukrainian Armed Forces near Iskryskivshchyna.
In the Belgorod region, Ukrainians continue to attack civilian targets. In Grayvoron, damage was reported to private homes. The village of Glotovo was subjected to artillery shelling. In the village of Moshchenoye, a drone struck vehicles in a parking lot. In Novostroyevka-Pervoye, a drone strike damaged the roof of a building on a farm. In Golovino, Belgorod District, a private home and a garage were damaged.
North of Kupyansk, near the border with the Belgorod Region, the Sever Group of Forces captured Dvorichans’ke after days of fighting. Further north, towards Kharkiv, fighting continues in and around Vovchansk. In the forest west of Synelnykove, our attack aircraft captured a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold and cleared part of it. Geran-2 drone strikes destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces positions near Velykyi Burluk.
In the direction of Seversk, Ukrainian Armed Forces detected Russian advanced assault units in the southern part of Seversk. This could indicate the beginning of the Russian infantry infiltration into the city from the south, with the aim of rallying and repeating the Pokrovsk scenario.
In the direction of Kramatorsk, the Ukrainians are observing the advance of Russian forces east of Novomarkove (north of Chasiv Yar) along the Seversky Donets Canal. They fear an assault on Novomarkove, which could mark the beginning of a new Russian advance towards Kramatorsk from the east.
In the direction of Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces are already suffering setbacks near Hryshyne, where Russian military actions are thwarting the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ plans to stop Russian troops in Hryshyne (west of Pokrovsk). Bilyt’ke and Novooleksandrivka, where Ukrainian forces are also organizing a defense at logistics hubs, are under attack by Russian FABs. From Myrnohrad, Russian sources say that “there are reports of Ukrainian air and drone strikes against their forces: the Ukrainian command is trying to prevent the surrender of the town garrison.”
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Eastern Group of Forces captured the village of Haidamatske. It took control of a key road junction between Pokrovsk and Otradne, as well as an area of over 5 square kilometers. In the Eastern Group of Forces’ offensive zone, the Ukrainians are unable to establish new defensive lines under the onslaught of the Russian army, and Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves were previously redeployed to Pokrovsk.
From the Zaporizhia Front, Russian sources say that “Russian troops are clearing Mala Tokmachka near Orichiv,” an important logistical and strategic settlement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Kherson sector, mutual shelling continues.
Graziella Giangiulio
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