Republicans in the US Senate are demanding a border closure in exchange for assistance to Ukraine. A group of Republican senators is calling for changes to immigration policy, including an end to asylum claims at the US southern border as a condition of supporting President Joe Biden’s call for a $106 billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine, source Wall Street Journal. The United States no longer has funds for direct budget support for Kiev; without new appropriations, humanitarian aid could cease completely – source USAID.
US President Joe Biden fears that ATACMS long-range missiles will not help Kiev change the balance of power on the battlefield, the New York Times reported. And despite this, the US administration does not encourage Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia, said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. And again we learn from the State Department that the United States does not want to see Chinese participation in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine
G7 countries will not return assets frozen at the start of the Ukraine conflict to Russia until Moscow agrees to pay compensation to Ukraine, G7 foreign ministers said in a joint statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Tokyo. The G7 countries also promise “serious consequences” for countries that continue to support Russia and its actions in Ukraine, which the West and its allies describe as aggression.
The European Commission will issue formal recommendations to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU after the completion of reforms and the adoption of new laws, Bloomberg writes citing sources. The European Commission has recommended opening EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and still recommends granting Georgia EU candidate country status if a number of conditions are met.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission said that the actual timing of Ukraine’s accession to the EU depends on reforms and the principle of ensuring membership “on merit” and urged not to rely on the 2030 as the date for EU enlargement. The new Slovakian government blocked the previous government’s proposal to send military aid worth 40.3 million euros to Kiev.
The Rheinmetall company has been ordered to supply about 100 thousand 120 mm mortar rounds to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The order, worth around 100 million euros, will include, in addition to ammunition for 120, 81 and 60 mm mortars, fire control systems, as well as 120 mm Ragnarök mortars and 60 mm RSG60 mortars. Deliveries are expected to begin soon and continue over the next two years. Recall that the German Rheinmetall is a supplier of a large number of medium and large caliber ammunition, including 20 mm shells for the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, 35 mm shells for the Gepard air defense system, as well as 105-mm shells mm and 120 mm ammunition for the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks.
ICC judge Sergio Godinez, who issued an arrest warrant for Putin and children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova, is wanted by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin and Lvova-Belova, suspected of “illegal deportation of the population (children) from the occupied territories of Ukraine” to Russia since February 24, 2022.
Previously, ICC prosecutor Khan Karim Assad Ahmad and judges Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Tomoko Akane were put on the wanted list.
The Secretary of the Russian Security Council Patrushev, not very inclined to make statements, said that Kiev is increasingly resorting to terrorist methods against Moscow, without achieving success on the battlefield; has already attempted to attack nuclear power plants in Leningrad, Kalinin and Kursk.
Kremlin spokesman Dmtrj Peskov said that the Russian Federation will develop a response to the possible seizure of its assets in the West; it will hardly be a mirror image, but it will protect Moscow’s interests.
On November 8, Putin signed a decree according to which some of the foreign assets frozen in the Russian Federation can be exchanged for Russian assets frozen in the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that: “NATO is trying to go beyond its geographical boundaries, violating its own doctrines.”
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov presented the proposal to fire the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny, reports Verkhovna Rada deputy Aryev. But the head of the office of the Ukrainian President Andriy Borysovych Yermak reported that there is no division between the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny. Not only according to Ukrainian media, Zelenskyj asked a member of the US administration for access to American military technologies to start joint production of weapons.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky will exercise his powers after the end of his term, as Ukrainian laws prohibit holding new elections during martial law, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Sergei Dubovik said in a comment to the service Ukrainian Radio Liberty. “No matter how much speculation there is on this topic, the Constitution clearly states that the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the newly elected President of Ukraine takes office. Everything else is political speculation about the end of powers, the transfer of some powers, ”said the deputy head of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine.
Deputy of the LPR People’s Council, former head of the LPR People’s Police Mikhail Filiponenko died in Lugansk. This was reported by deputy of the People’s Council of the LPR Yuri Yurov. An explosive device exploded in Mikhail Filiponenko’s car, as a result of which the deputy died, according to the deputy’s son, Ivan Filiponenko
And now a look at the front line updated at 16:00 on November 8th.
Bachmut Directorate (Artemovsk). North of Bachmut (Artemovsk), Russian troops advance in the direction of Bogdanovka. To the south, fighting continues in Kleshchiivka and Andriivka.
Donetsk direction. The Russian army continues to gain a foothold near the railway in the Stepnoe area. Furthermore, Russian fighters are storming the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces east and south of Avdiivka, as well as near Severny. Russian units improved their tactical position in the quarry area on the southern flank of the Avdiivka Front.
Zaporozhizhie Directorate. In the Orichiv sector, Russian fighters counterattacked in the Verbove area. Near Vuhledar the Russian army advances from Nikolsky. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense systems shot down Ukrainian Su-27s and MiG-29s in the Brigade’s areas of the Kharkov region and Roskoshny DPR. Since last summer accounts of Russian military analysts “had predicted provocations at the Zaporizhzhie nuclear power plant, planned as part of a joint operation of the State Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine and British intelligence agents MI6. According to social information, the situation in the leadership forced the Ukrainian command to return to these plans again. Since the left bank of the Dnieper is currently a critical section of the front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, attention should be paid to the possibility of sabotage of important infrastructure in this territory. First of all, we are talking about the Dnepropetrovsk hydroelectric power plant and the Zaporozhzhie nuclear power plant. The responsibility for carrying out sabotage work in these facilities is assigned to a group of the Ukrainian special operations forces: it is currently located in the position of one of the special forces regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Kupyansky area: Russian armed forces are combing plantations near Pervomaisky
Near Kupyansk, Russian troops continue to push their way through the defenses of Ukrainian formations. Due to the complexity of the situation, the Ukrainian command has assembled significant units to strengthen the defense in case of a large-scale offensive by the Russian Armed Forces.
Over the course of several days, Russian units destroyed the Ukrainian landing areas by moving from Pervomaisky and expanding the control zone. As before, progress is slow due to heavy mining in the area.
Ukrainian formations once again attempted to attack targets in Crimea with drones. Nine UAVs were shot down in the area of Belbek and Saki airfields, and another eight were suppressed by electronic countermeasures.
In the direction of Kherson, the Ukrainians maintain a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Krynok area, adding personnel despite the work of Russian artillery. The Ukrainian formations, it seems, are trying first of all to break through to the rear to disrupt logistics, and not to expand the bridgehead.
Moreover, according to some reports, the old terminal building of the Krivoy Rog International Airport was hit today, where over two dozen people were injured, including presumably foreigners.
Since the morning of November 8, the Ukrainian armed forces have bombed the Belgorod region: the Krasnoyaruzhsky, Shebekinsky and Valuysky districts were attacked. In Valuyki, several residential buildings were hit and residents’ cars were also damaged. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were avoided.
In addition to the Belgorod region three districts of the Kursk region were under Ukrainian fire. The border areas of the Rylsky district, as well as the village of Gornal, Sudzhansky district, were targeted. In the village of Uspenovka, Korenevsky district, several houses were damaged. There were no casualties.
Graziella Giangiulio
