Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 11-11-2024

All Ukraine’s bonds were doing great while hryvnia slightly weakened. Weekly Insight for Nov. 11

Bonds: Banks rush to buy reserve bonds

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) reintroduced reserve bonds at the primary auction last week and received ample bids for these instruments. Demand for military bonds exceeded supply, too.The MoF offered two and three-year reserve bonds last week, which banks can use to cover part of their mandatory reserve requirements.

After a three-week break, postponed demand was huge, and banks submitted all their bids in one day, driving oversubscription to 9x. Such significant demand drove competition high and the range of interest rates in bids was wide. Therefore, the cut-off and weighted average rates fell sharply by about 100bp. At the same time, demand for military bills declined but still exceeded the cap.

Chuck Pfarrer offers key insights on North Korea’s entry into the Russo-Ukrainian War

Nearby villages could be threatened by rising water levels.

Russian strikes have damaged a dam near the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, its governor said Monday, warning that nearby villages could be threatened by rising water levels.

Moscow’s army is rapidly advancing in the Donetsk region and are closing in on the town of Kurakhove, which lies next to the reservoir and had a pre-war population of around 18,000 people.

Industry representatives said Ukraine’s budget is insufficient to cover what companies can produce and that’s only one of the many issues facing the country’s budding arms manufacturers.

Speakers at Thursday’s Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) all seemed to conclude that Ukraine might have the means to produce the weapons it needs, but not the budget to pay for them.

Ukraine’s arms production capacity is at Hr. 1.3 trillion ($31 billion), an amount the state budget cannot currently meet, Herman Smetanin, Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industry said during a panel discussion.

It looks like some North Korean soldiers are in the general Kursk region area, and Kyiv just claimed some were shelled. But there’s no serious evidence of North Koreans fighting.

A long-awaited Kremlin offensive recently kicked off to liberate a Luxembourg-sized chunk of Russian Federation territory held by Ukraine hit tough defenses and saw spear tip units get stopped cold or wiped out, reports from Russia’s western Kursk region said on Monday.

Ukrainian media widely reported details, and was thick with images of the near total destruction an armored attack launched by Russia’s elite 810th Marine Infantry Brigade on Thursday.

Refugees from Sudzha protested in Kursk, demanding recognition of the war in their region, while authorities dismissed the protest as “illegal” following Ukraine’s August offensive.

In the Russian city of Kursk, refugees from Sudzha, now under Ukrainian control, gathered for a spontaneous protest, calling on the Kremlin to recognize the fighting in their region as a war, according to 7x7 Horizontal Russia.

The Russian social network, Vkontakte, had blocked a post about the protest.

A video showing Russian soldiers carrying out brutal close-up shootings at least two unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war was circulated on social media on Nov. 11.

A video circulating on social media reportedly shows Russian soldiers shooting at close range at least two unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

Ukrainian military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko shared the footage on his Telegram channel, captioned: “Russian ba**ards shot at least two unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Kursk region at close range.”

TASS reported on Monday that the FSB had foiled another attempt by Ukrainian intelligence to recruit a Russian pilot to defect with his aircraft.

The Russian State Security Service (FSB) released a video on Nov. 11 in which it claimed that that it had uncovered and foiled an operation by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) to recruit a Russian pilot to defect with his aircraft. According to the FSB report the plot also involved “British handlers” in support of the Ukrainian agency.

In the video of the latest incident the FSB interviews the unnamed Russian pilot who said that that the targeted aircraft was an Mi-8MTPR-1 electronic warfare helicopter. He said that a HUR operator using the pseudonym “Sergei” had contacted him via the Messenger app, offering to remove the pilot’s family and children from Russia and to relocate them in Moldova by way of Turkey.

Ukrainian Special Forces operating in the Kursk region used night vision devices, camouflage, and drone reconnaissance to covertly strike Russian forces.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported on Facebook on Sunday an account of a successful behind-the-lines operation in Russia's Kursk region that resulted in 14 Russian servicemen being killed and three others taken prisoner.

“All those who made the right decision to surrender were provided first aid and evacuated to safety,” the SSO said.

32-year-old ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina, arrested in Yekaterinburg in January 2024, faces 12 years in a penal colony. Originally charged with hooliganism, it was later upgraded to treason.

A Russian court on Monday rejected an appeal by US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina against a 12-year prison sentence for "high treason" for donating around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.

Karelina had appealed against her sentence, issued in August and condemned by the US presidency as "nothing less than vindictive cruelty".

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, the first phone conversation between the two men since Trump won the election, said several people familiar with the matter. During the call, which Trump took from his resort in Florida, he advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe, said a person familiar with the call. The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” one of the people said. Ukrainian officials have been informed of the Putin call and did not object to the conversation taking place, said two people familiar with the matter. Ukrainian officials have long understood that Trump would engage with Putin on a diplomatic solution to the war, the people said - Washington Post

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to plot a last-ditch attempt to thwart Donald Trump’s efforts to scale back US support for Ukraine. The British and French leaders will discuss on Monday whether Joe Biden, the US president, can be persuaded to give Ukraine permission to fire Storm Shadow missiles deep into Russia, according to UK Government insiders. The Telegraph has been told there are hopes in London that Mr Biden will finally give the approval Kyiv has sought for months in an attempt to secure his foreign policy legacy. A senior Whitehall source said: “We are very keen to make sure we can make the most of the time between now and Jan 20 [when Mr Trump becomes US president] and not just put everything on hold until the next administration.” Another source said Mr Biden was expected to “turn on the taps” by handing over more financial aid owed to Kyiv in the weeks before he leaves the White House. Fears surrounding Mr Trump’s plans for Ukraine were fuelled over the weekend with news that Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, two pro-Ukraine former cabinet members in his first administration, would not be given positions this time round - The Telegraph

For Ukraine’s Sake & Its own, Europe Should Step Up – But Will It?

The first victim of Donald Trump’s second term as US president is likely to be Ukraine. The only people who can avert that disaster are us Europeans, yet our continent is in disarray. Germany’s coalition government chose the day we woke up to news of Trump’s triumph, of all days, to fall apart in bitter rancor. Unless Europe can somehow rise to the challenge, not just Ukraine but the whole continent will be left weak, divided and angry as we enter a new and dangerous period of European history.

In Ukraine itself, people have been trying to find a silver lining in that orange cloud rapidly approaching Washington. After all, they were increasingly frustrated with the self-deterrence of Joe Biden’s administration. This slender new hope was perfectly captured in a text message sent to me by a frontline Ukrainian commander. Trump, he wrote, “is a surprise-man, maybe things will get better”.

France’s foreign minister warns against assumptions on Trump’s Ukraine stance, while European allies call for proactive measures to support Kyiv amid shifting US policy signals.

France's foreign minister on Monday cautioned against jumping to conclusions about future US policies under Donald Trump towards the war in Ukraine.

Jean-Noel Barrot's warning comes amid some expectations that the incoming Trump administration could seek to broker a peace deal at the expense of Ukrainian interests.

Moscow denied claims that a call took place between US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the former reportedly warned the latter against escalating the war.

The Kremlin denied reports that a phone call took place between US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last Thursday.

The Washington Post (WP) said Trump warned Putin against escalating the war in Ukraine in its Thursday report. 

On Nov. 7, the 10th Kyiv International Economic Forum was held in Kyiv. The main theme of the Forum was The Power of Challenge: Factors Shaping the Future of Ukraine and the World.

The Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) brought together more than 1,000 guests this year. More than 100 speakers took part in 16 panel discussions: entrepreneurs, top managers, representatives of international organizations, analysts and government officials. They shared their views on Ukraine’s role in the global economy, attracting investment in the face of ongoing armed aggression, developing defense technologies and the future of the energy system.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the forum in a video. During his speech, he said that business would be involved in the economic part of the internal victory plan.

Ukrainian intelligence has released a video hinting that an HUR agent conducted the arson, though specific details on this operation remain limited.

A Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter was reportedly set ablaze at the “Klin-5” airfield in Russia’s Moscow region early Sunday, Nov. 10, as reported by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).

Fico argued that cutting U.S. support for Ukraine “would lead to a solution,” claiming, “the war won’t end while the West massively supports Ukraine”—echoing narratives in pro-Russian propaganda.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has cast doubt on the effectiveness of Western support for Ukraine, criticising re-elected US President Donald Trump's election pledge to end the war in Ukraine in '24 hours' while downplaying his recent appearance on Russian state TV.

In an interview with Slovak public broadcaster STVR on Saturday, Fico (Smer-SD/NI) described newly Trump's promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours as a difficult election promise to fulfil, although he admitted that "he will have to come up with something".

Ukrainian authorities issued air raid alerts in most of the country on Monday, Nov. 11, as Kyiv’s air force confirmed the takeoff of Russian bombers.

Russia and Ukraine launched record drone attacks on each other despite a phone call reported by the Washington Post from US president-elect Donald Trump urging Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate the conflict.

Ukrainian authorities issued air raid alerts in most of the country on Monday, as Kyiv's air force confirmed the takeoff of Russian bombers.

Russian state-run TV show “congratulates” Trump on election by highlighting once and future First Lady modeling career photos, possibly spelling out the power dynamic of the US-Russia relationship.

Russian TV “congratulated” US President-elect Donald Trump on the election by highlighting once and future First Lady modeling career photos, including nude images – likely with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval, in a possible bid to set the Kremlin’s power dynamic of the Putin-Trump and Moscow-Washington relationships.

Russian newscasters celebrated his electoral victory with jokes and jabs about the next first couple on prime-time TV last week. The husband and wife presenter team of Yevgeny Popov and Olga Skabeyeva showed the collage of modeling photos on the nationally broadcast Russian show 60 Minutes, as reported by Newsweek. Melania modeled around the world in the 1990s and early 2000s before marrying Trump in 2005.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukrainian forces struck Russian ammunition warehouses in Bryansk Oblast during a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike against Russia on the night of November 9 and 10.
• Ukrainian officials continue to report Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
• Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction.