Developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Russia is building a new line of defense in the border region with Ukraine.Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said on November 23 that Russia is building a new defensive line between Ukraine and the Belgorod region in the west of the country.

Russia is building a new line of defense in the border region with Ukraine. Photo: Telegram

Speaking to the press, Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that this move was aimed at addressing the escalating tensions on the border, but he did not disclose details about the construction of the new defensive line. The official also indicated that his statements "will be closely scrutinized by Ukraine." "I will say briefly: Work is underway on a large scale. Since April, we have been actively involved in strengthening the border within our jurisdiction," Gladkov said.

Russia is cutting off gas supplies to Europe via a transit point in Ukraine.Russia's energy giant Gazprom has just announced it will cut natural gas supplies to Europe starting November 28th by restricting gas flow through a pipeline running through Ukraine.

In a Telegram announcement, Gazprom stated that gas intended for Moldova is still being held in Ukraine, and therefore they will reduce supplies through the Sudzha pumping station. Sudzha remains the only transit point for Russian gas to European countries via Ukrainian territory after the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were damaged by several explosions in September 2022. According to Gazprom, Moldova paid for Russian gas in November, but Ukraine has withheld 52.52 million cubic meters of gas intended for Moldova within its territory.

Ukraine launches new offensive aimed at pushing Russia out of the Kinburn Peninsula.On November 23, the Ukrainian army announced it had launched an offensive aimed at pushing Russian forces off a strategic peninsula on the Black Sea coast.

Kyiv is also seeking to reopen seaports blockaded by Russia and is attempting to gain an advantage on the southern front. According to the Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian forces have begun an offensive on Cape Kinburn – a strip of land on the Kinburn Peninsula jutting out into the sea south of Mykolaiv, which has been controlled by Russian troops for months and has cut off access to the port city. Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine, said the operation at Cape Kinburn is in a “quiet mode.” She added that strong storms and winds in the area are helping Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia claims to have repelled a Ukrainian drone attack in Sevastopol.Authorities in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol have accused Ukraine of using drones to attack the city on November 22.

Numerous videos and images posted on social media show that the drone attack lasted at least an hour. The Russian news agency Tass quoted Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev as saying: “A drone attack was repelled over the waters off Sevastopol.” He added that the Ukrainian drones were shot down while attempting to attack the Balaklava thermal power plant. No casualties or damage to infrastructure were reported in the attack.

Russia deploys Tornado-S "fire tornado" in Ukraine.The Russian Ministry of Defense has released a video on its VK Social Network account showing Russian armed forces deploying the Tornado-S 9K515 multiple rocket launcher system in the field in Ukraine.

The Tornado-S is a modernized version of the Soviet-made BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launcher system, which entered service with the Russian armed forces in 1987. The Tornado-S boasts high accuracy thanks to its guided missiles. This system is designed to engage enemy personnel, military equipment, fixed targets, and moving targets.

Ukraine urges the EU to prevent Russia from developing missile capabilities.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the EU to expedite the ninth round of sanctions against Russia, and to take measures to disrupt Russia's ability to produce new missiles.

"Special attention must be paid to sanctions that could hinder and stifle the Russian missile industry," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated, adding: "Russia's ability to produce new missiles should be destroyed." He urged the EU to expedite the adoption of the ninth package of sanctions against Russia.

What do Russian politicians say about the possibility of Ukraine attacking to retake Crimea?In recent days, Russian politicians have begun discussing a possible attack on Moscow's positions on the Crimean Peninsula.

Russian Senator Viktor Bondarev stated that Ukraine "has neither the resources nor the military capability" to regain Crimea. Meanwhile, MP Andrei Gurulyov urged the Kremlin to consider the possibility of Ukraine launching an attack on the peninsula with NATO support. Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet warned that the Ukrainian army would suffer a serious defeat if they launched a major offensive on Crimea.

Russian Ambassador to the UK: Conflict in Ukraine will not escalate anytime soon.Russian Ambassador to the UK Andriy Kelin stated that the situation in the conflict in Ukraine has not yet seen many major changes, and this will allow Russian forces to reorganize.

In an interview with the BBC, Andriy Kelin suggested that the conflict in Ukraine would not escalate further in the coming days or weeks. “I predict that in the coming weeks or days, we will not see any serious events on the battlefield,” Kelin said, adding that the situation in Ukraine has not yet undergone significant changes, allowing Russian forces to regroup.

Czech Republic is ready to go to war if a Russia-NATO conflict breaks out.Czech Army Chief of Staff Karel Rehka said on November 22 that if a conflict between Russia and NATO occurs, the Czech army will be ready to fight to protect the country's security.

Speaking at the annual meeting of corps commanders with the Czech army commanders and key representatives of the Ministry of Defence held at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Rehka stated: "The start of the conflict in Ukraine is a wake-up call for the Czech Republic. The reality is that the risk of escalating the conflict in Ukraine is still increasing, and even the most serious scenarios cannot be ruled out. If war breaks out, the Czech Republic will be severely affected."

Ukraine says Russia wants to turn the freezing winter weather into "weapons of mass destruction."On November 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia is attempting to use the cold weather this winter as a "weapon of mass destruction" by attacking Kyiv's energy infrastructure.

“The Kremlin wants to turn the cold of winter into a weapon of mass destruction. To survive this winter and prevent Russia from turning the cold into a tool of subjugation, we need a lot,” Zelensky said via video during a meeting of the French Mayors’ Association.

US lawmakers send letter urging the provision of long-range UAVs to Ukraine.Senior US lawmakers are urging the Joe Biden administration to provide Ukraine with long-range UAVs to break the blockade over the Black Sea.

In a letter dated November 22, a group of 16 senior lawmakers urged President Biden to reconsider his June decision not to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drones manufactured by General Atomics to Ukraine after some Pentagon officials expressed concerns that the valuable surveillance and radar equipment on board could fall into Russian hands.