Summary of the Day:
In honor of Thanksgiving, today’s report is shorter and does not contain details on the frontline battles. Tomorrow’s report will cover these events as well.
Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the year against Ukraine, deploying 188 missiles and drones nationwide, including their new Oreshnik ballistic missile. Ukrainian forces intercepted 79 missiles and 35 drones, but successful strikes left over a million people without power across multiple regions, with western Ukraine particularly impacted. Infrastructure damage was reported in several cities, including damage to a school and hospital in Shostka.
In diplomatic developments, President-elect Trump appointed Lt. Gen. (ret.) Joseph Kellogg to lead Ukraine war negotiations, proposing a plan that includes a demilitarized zone and delayed NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees. Meanwhile, President Zelensky accused Putin of escalating attacks to undermine potential peace efforts, while criticizing the G20’s weakened stance on Russian aggression.
Picture of the Day:
A cashier uses his phone torch to serve customers in a restaurant with no electricity during a partial blackout in Kyiv following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
The Path to Peace
President-elect Trump has appointed 80-year-old Lt. Gen. (ret.) Joseph Kellogg, former chief of staff of the U.S. National Security Council, to lead Ukraine war negotiations, based on a strategy outlined in an America First Policy Institute paper. The plan calls for forcing both sides to negotiate by leveraging US power, creating a demilitarized zone, and having Ukraine delay NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees, while keeping sanctions on Russia until it withdraws and using Russian energy sales to fund Ukrainian reconstruction. The proposal faces significant challenges: Ukraine needs $380 billion annually in military support to deter future Russian aggression (far exceeding current US aid of $60 billion), while Russia demands control of five regions (Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea), Ukrainian neutrality, and a reduced Ukrainian military. Kellogg’s position has evolved from supporting Ukraine’s battlefield victory to advocating for negotiations, with critics noting US military stockpiles are already depleted from supporting both Ukraine and Israel. While Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tykhyi announced that Ukraine maintains good relations with Kellogg and welcomed his nomination, Reuters had previously reported that Kellogg and another advisor proposed freezing front lines and ending Ukraine’s NATO bid in exchange for peace talks with Russia. Kellogg has met with Ukrainian delegations multiple times, including during President Zelensky’s speech at the Reagan Foundation.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that any future ceasefire in Ukraine should include a European peacekeeping mission with British forces to monitor the border. Johnson emphasized that while combat troops shouldn’t directly engage Russian forces, a multinational peacekeeping presence would be necessary. This comes amid discussions about potential peace scenarios following Donald Trump’s predicted 2024 election victory. While the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated Britain isn’t planning to deploy troops in Ukraine, Johnson argued that Britain bears moral responsibility due to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. President Zelensky has indicated Ukraine aims to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025.
Situation On The Land, Sea, and Air in Ukraine
Ukrainian military intelligence reported the destruction of a Russian Podlet radar station worth $5 million near Kotovske village in occupied Crimea. The modern mobile radar system, designed to detect low-altitude air targets, was destroyed amid reports of multiple explosions across the peninsula, where Ukraine has consistently targeted Russian military installations.
Russian Governor Kondratiev reported drone attacks on two settlements in Krasnodar Krai with one woman injured in Slavyansk-on-Kuban when drone debris damaged her house. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions: 14 over Krasnodar Krai, six over Bryansk Oblast, three over occupied Crimea, and two over Rostov Oblast.
Ukraine News
Russia launched a massive aerial assault across Ukraine targeting energy infrastructure nationwide, deploying 188 missiles and drones, including 57 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 28 Kalibr missiles, 97 Shahed drones, an Iskander-M missile fired from Crimea toward Odesa Oblast, and a new “Oreshnik” ballistic missile. The attacks were launched overnight from multiple locations in Russia, with Ukrainian forces intercepting 79 missiles and 35 drones, while 48 drones were disrupted by electronic warfare. Russian sources claim to have struck a Ukrainian missile system near Novomykolaivka, though this remains unconfirmed.
Multiple cities reported explosions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Lutsk, Rivne, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Volyn regions. The attacks left over a million Ukrainians without power in freezing temperatures, particularly impacting western regions: Lviv region reported 523,000 residents without electricity, Rivne had 681 villages affected, and Volyn lost power for 215,000 people. Infrastructure damage was also reported in multiple cities, with a school and hospital hit in Shostka, significant damage to residential buildings in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district, and one woman injured in Vinnytsia Oblast.
This marks the 11th major attack on civilian energy infrastructure this year, with UN officials warning it could lead to the harshest winter since the war began. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed the widespread attacks on the power grid forced emergency blackouts in multiple regions. Ukrainian officials described the attacks as Russian “terror tactics” aimed at disrupting power supplies during winter. The escalation comes amid rising tensions, as Russia had previously promised retaliation for Ukraine’s use of US-supplied ATACMS missiles on Russian territory, and Russia is intensifying its attacks using stockpiled weapons, including North Korean arms, prompting urgent calls for additional Western air defense systems.
Russian President Putin announced at the CSTO summit in Astana that Russia’s new Oreshnik ballistic missile could target “decision-making centers” in Kyiv, following Russia’s first use of the missile against Dnipro on November 21. While Putin claims mass production has begun and suggests the weapon’s power could rival nuclear weapons, U.S. officials believe Russia has only a few of these experimental missiles. Experts question the weapon’s novelty, noting its similarity to the RS-26 Rubezh missile, and Reuters reported that the missile used against Ukraine carried warheads without explosives.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has accused Putin of deliberately escalating the war to undermine President-elect Trump’s potential peace efforts when he takes office in January. During his Thursday night address, Zelensky warned that Putin’s recent massive air attacks, including cluster munitions strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, are aimed at forcing the future US administration to accept Russia’s terms. The attacks follow Ukraine’s successful strikes on Russian military targets in Kursk and Bryansk using U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles. Zelensky criticized the recent G20 summit’s weakened stance on Russia’s invasion, noting their statement only briefly mentioned “human suffering” without condemning Russia as the aggressor, in contrast to last year’s stronger declaration. He urged Ukrainians to take shelter during air raids and emphasized the need for unity with international partners to resist Putin’s attempts to “spread fear and despair in Ukraine.”
According to Reuters’ November 27 report, citing five unnamed sources familiar with intelligence data, allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons for strikes inside Russia has not increased the risk of a nuclear response, despite Putin’s recent update to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. While Moscow is expected to increase sabotage against European facilities, U.S. officials used this intelligence to guide Biden’s mid-November decision to authorize Ukraine’s use of ATACMS for deeper strikes into Russia. This decision came amid various challenges for Ukraine, including battlefield difficulties and reports of North Korean support for Russia.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported that Russian forces executed four unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast on November 22, bringing the total POW executions in the village of Petrivka to nine. These killings, which violate the Geneva Conventions, are part of a broader pattern of POW mistreatment, with Ukrainian authorities investigating 53 criminal proceedings involving 177 soldier executions, 109 of which occurred in 2024 alone.
Russian forces operated a torture chamber in Naroulia, Belarus, near the Ukrainian border during spring 2022. Located on state-owned property, the facility held Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians captured from Kyiv Oblast during the early invasion. Former prisoners and human rights activists reported severe mistreatment and torture at the site, which operated until early May 2022. The facility’s operation may violate Geneva Convention provisions against forced civilian displacement and co-detention of military and civilian prisoners. This is part of a broader pattern of Russian torture chambers discovered in occupied territories of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Ukraine is prioritizing faster delivery of military equipment over expanding its mobilization efforts, according to foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi. Speaking in Kyiv, he emphasized that equipping currently mobilized forces is more urgent than drafting additional personnel. President Zelensky recently rejected proposals to lower the mobilization age, instead presenting a 10-point plan focused on internal reforms, including new management strategies and a military ombudsman position.
Recent estimates indicate between 60,000 and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with approximately 400,000 others seriously wounded, according to The Economist. This represents more than 0.5% of Ukraine’s pre-war military-age male population. In comparison, Russian casualties are estimated between 106,000 to 140,000 soldiers. Ukrainian President Zelensky publicly acknowledged 31,000 Ukrainian military deaths as of February 2024, though he did not specify numbers for wounded or missing personnel. The combined casualties from both sides now exceed those from the Vietnam and Korean wars, approaching U.S. losses in World War II. While exact figures remain difficult to verify, Russian losses in Ukraine have surpassed their total military deaths in all conflicts since 1945.
President Zelensky signed a new tax law on November 28 that will significantly increase Ukraine’s tax revenue, raising approximately $192 million in 2024 and $3.4 billion in 2025. The law, effective December 1, increases the military tax from 1.5% to 5% for civilians while maintaining the 1.5% rate for military personnel. Additionally, bank profit taxes will rise to 50% in 2024. The measure aims to address Ukraine’s $35 billion budget deficit for next year, with defense spending projected at $53 billion, or 26.3% of GDP.
Innocent Victims Of War
The casualty count of civilians in the past 24 hours: (Russian War Crimes)
DEATHS: 0 INJURIES: 1
Russian forces launched drone attacks against Kyiv with explosions heard across the capital overnight. While air defenses intercepted the drones, falling debris caused a fire at a children’s medical center in the Dniprovskyi district, injuring a security guard, and damaged an infrastructure facility in the Sviatoshynskyi district. Residents were urged to stay in shelters during ongoing air defense operations.
Russian forces launched attack drones targeting Kyiv. A children’s medical center was damaged in the attack. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Ukraine Mobilization and Defense Industrial Base
Strategic Industries Minister Smetanin announced that approximately 24,000 of 54,000 domestically produced 120 mm mortar shells will be withdrawn due to defects. The issue was discovered after the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported malfunctions, leading to an investigation that found abnormal operation of several components. An Interagency Commission attributed the defects to low temperatures and high humidity. This setback affects less than 1% of Ukraine’s planned 2024 defense production but raises concerns as Ukraine already faces challenges matching Russian artillery supplies. The issue has prompted increased quality control measures across Ukrainian defense manufacturers.
Ukraine’s Allies
The Netherlands has delivered three Patriot air defense launchers to Ukraine, as announced by Dutch Defense Minister Brekelmans.
Russia News
Russia’s monthly inflation hit a record high in November, rising 1.5 times compared to October, with food prices experiencing the most significant impact. Grocery costs have risen sharply, with potatoes up 78.4%, cabbage 30.7%, and butter 31.6% since the start of the year. The Russian economy faces multiple challenges, including Western sanctions, war costs, and poor harvests. The situation is further complicated by the ruble’s declining value against major currencies, particularly after U.S. sanctions were imposed on 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank, which previously handled energy-related payments.
A Russian court in Zavyalovo, Udmurtia, has sentenced lawyer Dmitry Talantov to seven years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine on social media. Talantov, 63, who formerly led Udmurtia’s regional lawyers’ association, was convicted of spreading “false information” about the Russian military under a 2022 law criminalizing war dissent. He has been detained since June 2022. According to monitoring group OVD-Info, over 1,100 people face criminal charges for anti-war expressions in Russia, with 340 currently detained or institutionalized.
Russian War Losses (Today/Total)
Troops +1220
736630 |
Tanks +1
9450 |
Artillery +22
20852 |
Arm. VEH +2
19306 |
Aircraft 
369 |
Heli
329 |
Ships
28 |
Source Material
Institute for the Study of War – understandingwar.org
The Kyiv Independent – kyivindependent.com
Kyiv Post – kyivpost.com