CDS Daily brief (17.11.22) | CDS comments on key events

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Humanitarian aspect:

Two Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Khmelnytskyi (KHAES) and Rivne (RAES), were affected by the massive Russian missile attack on November 15, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

The morning of November 17 started with an air raid warning throughout Ukraine which lasted 3,5 hours. Russia launched another massive missile attack on Ukrainian critical infrastructure.

• An infrastructure object was hit in Odesa Oblast even before the air raid siren sounded.
• In the Izyum district of Kharkiv Oblast, Russian missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility, injuring at least 8 people, including police officers. The first strike injured 4 employees of the enterprise and the second one was launched when police officers came to examine the scene.
• Oleksiy Chernyshov, head of Naftogaz Ukraine, said that the gas production infrastructure of JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya in the east of Ukraine was attacked. Several facilities were destroyed and several others were damaged as a result of the attacks.
• On the morning of November 17, several rockets hit two infrastructure objects in the city of Dnipro. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said later that the Pivdenmash plant was bombed. The Southern Machine-Building Plant (Pivdenmash) in Dnipro is an enterprise for the production of rocket and space equipment and technologies for defense, scientific and national economic purposes.
• On the morning of November 17, air defense forces shot down four cruise missiles and 5 Iranian-made “Shahed” kamikaze drones over Kyiv.

The large-scale destruction of Ukraine’s energy facilities caused by Russia on November 15 and 17 may lead to power outages for several days and “scheduled power-ups” in some areas for only a few hours, DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk said. According to DTEK, about 40% of consumers in Ukraine are currently without electricity. And when the situation will change, it is impossible to say yet. Partial restoration work has already begun, but in some places, rubble is still being dismantled, sometimes equipment is destroyed, in some cases, the territory needs to be demined, Saharuk said.

In Donetsk Oblast, there will be no heating in 11 communities located along the front line because it’s impossible to restore heating there, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, said. He said that residents of these communities are offered to move further away from the frontline to the specially prepared facilities.

A total of more than 23,000 citizens were evacuated from the liberated territory of Kharkiv Oblast, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Russian forces continued shelling Ukrainian cities within the reach of their artillery and rocket forces.

• About 70 Russian shells hit the Nikopol amalgamated community in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the night of November 16-17. 20 civilian buildings were damaged in the city of Nikopol as well as a gas pipeline and electricity grid. 6 thousand customers remained without electricity. In addition, the pumping station of the local water supply was cut off leaving more than 40,000 families without water.
• A Russian missile was fired at Vilnansk, Zaporizhzhya Oblast. It hit a residential building where 3 families (about 10 people) lived. Rescue workers working on the rubble confirmed the death of 4 people.
• At night and in the morning of November 17, the Russian Armed Forces launched missile strikes on the Kupyansk district, Kharkiv Oblast. As a result of the shelling, an enterprise in the city of Kupyansk was completely destroyed.
• Russian rockets injured 23 people in Dnipro. 15 of them are in the hospital. One was seriously injured. Apart from the industrial enterprise, the Russian attack damaged houses, trolleybuses and a busy street.

The police ensured the restoration of law and order in 577 towns and villages in the liberated territories of Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts. The operation of 15 police units has been restored, and 3,559 war crimes have been documented. The bodies of 991 civilians were found, the Head of the Department of Organizational Analytical Support and Operational Response of the National Police of Ukraine (NPU), Police General of the Third Rank Oleksiy Sergeev said.

In the liberated Snihurivka, Mykolaiv Oblast, a person hit a mine for the second time in a week, head of the Snihurivka city military administration, Ivan Kukhta said. He warned the residents of the recently liberated territories of the danger of moving around the city before the territory is inspected and cleared of mines.

The Russian military took away about 15,000 museum exhibits that they had stolen from the recently liberated territories of Kherson Oblast, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva said at a briefing. Since May 12, the Russian military conducted targeted raids on the homes of local historians, collectors, and antique shops. Everything that has even the slightest artistic or historical value was selected. They were guided by information received from local collaborators. The artifacts were taken to the occupied Crimea.

Occupied territories:

The Security Service of Ukraine announced the detention of one of the leaders of the Russian Interior Affairs Directorate for the occupied Kherson Oblast. He is charged with collaborationism, the name of the detainee was not reported.

Ukrainians continue to resist the occupation despite Russian repression, the Center of National Resistance reported. In Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhya Oblast, teenagers tore down the Russian flag from the headquarters of Putin’s United Russia party, which the Russians placed in the occupied center of public initiatives on Shevchenko Boulevard, 12. At the same time, in the village of Yelyseivka, Berdyansk district, unknown persons hung the Ukrainian flag over the administrative building in the village.

Operational situation

(Please note that this section of the Brief is mainly on the previous day’s (November 16) Developments)

It is the 267^th day of the strategic air-ground offensive operation of the Russian Armed Forces against Ukraine (in the official terminology of the Russian Federation – “operation to protect Donbas”). Over the past day, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have repelled Russian attacks in the areas around Stelmakhivka and Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast and Verkhnokamyanske, Soledar, Nevelske, Mar’inka and Pervomaiske in Donetsk Oblast.

The Russian military does not stop shelling towns and villages and positions of the Ukrainian troops along the contact line. Over the past day, the Russian forces have launched 4 missile strikes and 6 air strikes and fired over 40 MLRS rounds. Civilian infrastructure objects in the city of Zaporizhzhya were hit by a missile. The towns of Nikopol and Chervonohryhorivka of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast were affected by the Russian barrel and jet artillery fire.

The Republic of Belarus continues to support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, providing it with infrastructure, territory, and airspace. The threat of missile and air strikes on the territory of Ukraine persists.

Near the state border, the Russian military fired mortars and barrel artillery at Starytsa and Ambarne in Kharkiv Oblast.

The Russian occupiers do not stop trying to plant their own and destroy Ukrainian culture on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. According to available information, all textbooks on the history of Ukraine were seized in the city of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, to be destroyed. Upon request from the Russia-installed authorities of the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast, the so-called “honorary titles” were awarded to the cities of Horlivka and Mariupol by the decrees of the President of the Russian Federation.

During the past day, the aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck 2 positions of the Russian anti-aircraft missile systems.

The rocket and artillery troops’ units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit 2 control points, 6 areas of manpower, weapons and military equipment concentration, 3 ammunition depots, and 3 other important enemy targets.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted on November 16 that the NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system provided by the US has 100% success in intercepting Russian missiles.

The morale and psychological state of the Russian troops in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast remain extremely low. Significant losses on the battlefield, mobilization to the front without proper training, and poor supplies led to incidents of desertion. The independent Russian media ASTRA reported that the Russian authorities hold about 300 Russian conscripts in a basement in Zaitseve, Luhansk Oblast, for refusing to return to the front line. ASTRA reported that it had discovered at least seven such places of detention for Russian citizens in Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts.

The Russian occupation authorities continued mobilization in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Russia is preparing to mobilize the holders of Russian passports in the south of the occupied territories since no volunteers were found. The occupying authorities mobilized 70% of municipal employees in Makiivka and Donetsk of Donetsk Oblast. They conduct a door- to-door mobilization campaign in Kadiivka, and search for Luhansk residents who want to avoid mobilization.

Kharkiv direction

• Topoli – Siversk section: approximate length of combat line – 154 km, number of BTGs of the RF Armed Forces – 23-28, the average width of the combat area of one BTG – 5.5 km;
• Deployed enemy BTGs: 26th, 153rd, and 197th tank regiments (TR), 245th motorized rifle regiment (MRR) of the 47th tank division (TD), 6th and 239th TRs, 228th MRR of the 90th TD, 25th and 138th separate motorized rifle brigades (SMRBr) of the 6th Combined Arms (CA) Army, 27th SMRBr of the 1st Tank Army, 252nd and 752nd MRRs of the 3rd MRD, 1st, 13th, and 12th TRs, 423rd MRR of the 4th TD, 201st military base, 15th, 21st, 30th SMRBrs of the 2nd CA Army, 35th, 55th and 74th SMRBrs of the 41st CA Army, 275th and 280th MRRs, 11th TR of the 18th MRD of the 11 Army Corps (AC), 7th MRR of the 11th AC, 80th SMRBr of the 14th AC, 2nd and 45th separate SOF brigades of the Airborne Forces, 3rd and 14th separate SOF brigades, military units of the 1st AC of so-called DPR, 2nd and 4th SMRBrs of the 2nd AC, PMC

The Russian military fired at the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the areas around Kupyansk, Kislivka, Krokhmalne, Berestove, Novoselivske, Stelmakhivka, Makiivka and Ploshanka.

The Ukrainian defense forces continued their counteroffensive in the direction of Svatove and Kreminna near Kuzemivka. They tried to block the section of road and railway in this area, and continued shelling areas of concentration of the units of the Russian Armed Forces and logistical support facilities in Luhansk Oblast. Ukrainian defense forces struck Russian positions in Myrne, Perevalsk, Belourakine and Zymohirya. Ukrainian intelligence groups operate 6 km northwest of Kreminna near Chervonopopivka. Fighting continues 12 km south of Kreminna in Bilohorivka. The Ukrainian attack on the area of concentration of the Russian Armed Forces near Denizhnykove killed and wounded at least 50 Russian soldiers.

Russian airstrikes prevented Ukrainian troops from conducting an attack near Berestove and Kolisnivka in Kharkiv Oblast and Novoselyvske in Luhansk Oblast, artillery units repelled Ukrainian attacks on Russian positions near Kolomiychikha in Luhansk Oblast.

Donetsk direction

• Siversk – Maryinka section: approximate length of the combat line – 144 km, the number of BTGs of the RF Armed Forces – 13-15, the average width of the combat area of one BTG – 9.6 km;
• Deployed BTGs: 68th and 163rd tank regiments (TR), 102nd and 103rd motorized rifle regiments of the 150 motorized rifle division, 80th TR of the 90th tank division, 35th, 55th, and 74th separate motorized rifle brigades of the 41st Combined Arms Army, 51st and 137th parachute airborne regiment of the 106 airborne division, 31st separate airborne assault brigade, 61st separate marines brigade of the Joint Strategic Command “Northern Fleet,” 336th separate marines brigade of Baltic Fleet, 24th separate SOF brigade, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 15th, and 100th separate motorized rifle brigades, 9th and 11th separate motorized rifle regiment of the 1st Army Corps of the so-called DPR, 6th motorized rifle regiment of the 2nd Army Corps of the so-called LPR, PMCs.

The Russian military shelled the areas around Serebryanka, Spirne, Rozdolivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Opytne, Zelenopylla, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka, Ozaryanivka, New York, Krasnohorivka, Kamianka, Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, Nevelske and Maryinka with tanks and artillery.

The Russian military continued to attack near Bakhmut and Avdiivka. The Ukrainian joint forces repelled Russian attacks in the area of Bilohorivka, Vesele, Kurdyumivka, Avdiyivka, Novokalynoe, Pervomaiske, Vodyane, Vremivka, and Novomykhailivka.

In the area of Soledar and Spirne, the positions of the Joint Forces were attacked by the assault units of the “Wagner” PMC and the so-called “aviation of the LNR People’s Militia”. The Russian occupying forces captured Mayorsk. Up to a half of the fighters of the “1st Horlivka battalion of the DNR” died or were wounded in the fighting, the rest lost morale and the leadership of the so- called “DNR” was forced to disband the unit. The Russina military managed to achieve minor successes in the districts of Nevelske, Vodyane and Pervomayske. Russian troops repelled Ukrainian counterattacks in the area of Kurdyumivka, near Avdiyivka, in the area of Hryhorivka, Stepne.

Zaporizhzhia direction

• Maryinka – Vasylivka section: approximate length of the line of combat – 200 km, the number of BTGs of the RF Armed Forces – 17, the average width of the combat area of one BTG – 11.7 km;
• Deployed BTGs: 36th separate motorized rifle brigade (SMRBr) of the 29th Combined Arms (CA) Army, 38th and 64th SMRBrs, 69th separate cover brigade of the 35th CA Army, 5th separate tank brigade, 37th of the 36th CA Army, 135th, 429th, 503rd and 693rd motorized rifle regiments (MRR) of the 19th motorized rifle division (MRD) of the 58th CA Army, 70th, 71st and 291st MRRs of the 42nd MRD of the 58th CA Army, 136th SMRB of the 58 CA Army, 46th and 49th machine gun artillery regiments of the 18th machine gun artillery division of the 68th Army Corps (AC), 39th SMRB of the 68th AC, 83th separate airborne assault brigade, 40th and 155th separate marines brigades, 22nd separate SOF brigade, 1st AC of the so-called DPR, and 2nd AC of the so- called LPR, PMCs.

The Russian military shelled positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the areas of Vuhledar, Bohoyavlenka, Prechystivka, Vremivka, Hulyaipilske, Novoandriivka and Shcherbaky. The Russian military continued regular shelling west of Hulyaipol, in Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts. Russian troops attacked Zaporizhzhia with three S-300 missiles, and shelled Nikopol, Marhanets and Chervonohryhorivka of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

In the city of Melitopol, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed the headquarters of a Russian military unit. As a result of the actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, two ammunition depots, two BM-21 “Grad” and a S-300 anti-aircraft missile complex were destroyed in the areas of Kinsky Rozdory, Vladivka and Blahovishchenka. Also, the enemy lost about 100 in KIA and MIA. Defense forces struck and disabled a railway bridge in Chernihivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and destroyed an ammunition depot in Tokmak.

Tavriysk direction

• Vasylivka – Stanislav section: approximate length of the battle line – 296 km, the number of BTGs of the RF Armed Forces – 39, the average width of the combat area of one BTG – 7,5 km;
• Deployed BTGs of: the 8th and 49th Combined Arms (CA) Armies; 11th, 103rd, 109th, and 127th rifle regiments of the mobilization reserve of the 1st Army Corps (AC) of the Southern Military District; 35th and 36th CA Armies of the Eastern Military District; 3rd AC of the Western Military District; 90th tank division of the Central Military District; the 22nd AC of the Coastal Forces; the 810th separate marines brigade of the Black Sea Fleet; the 7th and 76th Air assault divisions, the 98th airborne division, and the 11th separate airborne assault brigade of the Airborne Forces.

Zelenivka, Chornobayivka and Kherson were subjected to artillery fire.

Russian troops continued to build fortifications and defensive positions and regroup. They conducted defensive operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River, shelled Dudchany, Kachkarivka, Prydniprovskyi of Kherson Oblast, and Illinka of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

The Ukrainian defense forces continued shelling Russian troops and logistical supply nodes in the rear areas. They struck Russian positions near Skadovsk (at the intersection of P57 and T2213 roads), Novomykolaivka (on P57 road) and Nova Mayachka (near T2210 road), inflicted more than 50 artillery strikes on the positions of Russian troops on the left bank of the Dnipro River, destroying two Russian ammunition depots in Nova Kakhovka and Oleshky, injuring 17 people and damaging 15 armored vehicles.

In the Kakhovsky district, the Russian forces intensified filtering after the Ukrainian Defense Forces inflicted effective fire damage on their positions. In Kakhovka itself, Russian invaders mine infrastructure and destroy cell towers.

The Russian forces expect a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Hulyaipole-Orihiv area. Russian troops build secondary defensive lines along the canal near Armyansk, Crimea.

Azov-Black Sea Maritime Operational Area:

The forces of the Russian Black Sea Fleet continue to stay ready to carry out two operational tasks against Ukraine:

to project force on the coast and the continental part of Ukraine by launching missile strikes from surface ships, submarines, coastal missile systems, and aircraft at targets in the coastal zone and deep into the territory of Ukraine and readiness for the naval amphibious landing to assist ground forces in the coastal direction;

to control the northwestern part of the Black Sea by blocking Ukrainian ports and preventing the restoration of sea communications (with the exception of the areas of the BSGI “grain initiative”) by carrying out attacks on ports and ships and concealed mine laying.

The ultimate goal is to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea and extend and maintain control over the captured territory and Ukraine’s coastal regions.

The Russian fleet keeps 6 surface ships and a submarine at sea. Due to stormy conditions, part of the ships returned to their base points. At sea, ships patrol along the southwestern coast of Crimea. Among them is one submarine carrying 4 Kalibr missiles.

In the Sea of Azov, the Russian military continues to control sea communications, keeping 2 boats on combat duty.

Russian aviation continues to fly from the Crimean airfields of Belbek and Hvardiyske over the northwestern part of the Black Sea. Over the past day, 16 combat aircraft from Belbek and Saki airfields were involved.

After the liberation of the right bank of the Dnipro River, the shelling of Mykolaiv significantly decreased. The S-300 air defense systems, which were shelling the city and port of Mykolaiv, were moved to the left bank of the Dnipro. Meanwhile, Shahid-136 kamikaze drones and cruise missiles continue to be actively used. On November 17, the coastal territories of Ukraine were again attacked by rockets, some of the rockets hit their targets in Odesa.

The Grain Initiative: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine: “The initiative for the safe transportation of agricultural products across the Black Sea” has been extended for another 120 days. This decision was made on November 17 in Istanbul. The United Nations and Turkey remained guarantors of the Initiative. Today, Ukrainian agricultural exports remain an effective tool for countering the global food crisis. From August 1, when the Grain Initiative began, to November 17, Ukraine exported more than 11 million tons of agricultural products to 38 countries around the world. This is a significant amount, but not enough. The world market cannot replace Ukrainian agricultural products in the near future. At the same time, it is possible to increase the amount of Ukrainian food for the world. Ukraine officially appealed to the

partners of the Initiative with a proposal to extend the initiative for at least 1 year and to include the port of Mykolaiv.

Ukraine is waiting for their answer. It is also important to ensure the effective operation of the Joint Coordination Center. Ukraine submitted its proposals for solving existing problems. Ukraine must use all the available export potential of Ukrainian ports so that the world quickly receives the necessary amounts of food.

Russian operational losses from 24.02 to 17.11

Personnel – almost 83,110 people (+400);

Tanks 2,878 (+7)

Armored combat vehicles – 5,804 (+7);

Artillery systems – 1,860 (0);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 393 (0); Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 209 (0); Vehicles and fuel tanks – 4,362 (+2); Aircraft – 278 (0);

Helicopters – 261 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 1,531 (+6); Intercepted cruise missiles – 474 (0);

Boats/ships – 16 (0).

Ukraine, general news

Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on the protection of the financial system of Ukraine, which provides for the restriction of transactions with residents of the Russian Federation and Belarus, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported.

Ukrainian railway service provider “Ukrzaliznytsia” has started selling symbolic tickets for the first train to Sevastopol within its project “Tickets to victory”. One can get a symbolic ticket now and use it immediately after the liberation of the city. Sevastopol is the sixth city which is currently occupied but to which you can buy Ukrzaliznytsya tickets. So far, Ukrainians have bought 2.5 symbolic tickets to these destinations.

International diplomatic aspect

“Protecting the sky is our priority #1 and topic #1 at Ramstein 7. Together with our partners, we’re working on an integrated and echeloned air defense system. We are preparing for winter on the battlefield,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister tweeted before the Ukraine Defense Contact Group’s meeting.

“We’re going to maintain our momentum throughout the winter so that Ukraine can continue to consolidate gains and seize the initiative on the battlefield,” the US Defense Secretary said. Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes that Russia failed in Ukraine

significantly. “They failed to achieve their strategic objectives, and they are now failing to achieve their operational and tactical objectives.”

“Since our last contact group, seven countries have either delivered critical air defense systems to Ukraine or committed to sending them,” Austin said. The Netherlands and Czechia are helping to modernize 90 T-72-B tanks for Ukraine. The UK pledged to train another 19,000 Ukrainian troops next year. Canada will provide approximately $34 million in additional military aid to Ukraine (satellite imagery, high-resolution drone cameras, winter gear). Finland will provide the most significant tranche of aid so far, worth €55.6 million. Sweden announced a $287 million package that includes air defense systems. In addition to two surface-to-air missile launchers, Spain will send a battery of six light howitzers and provide training for Ukrainian howitzer crews. Greece will send batches of 155 mm shells, while Poland will supply additional ammunition for artillery and tanks, as well as short-range air defense systems.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian citizens crowdfunded $250,000 and bought a naval UAV for the Ukrainian Navy. With “best wishes for peace for the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” the drone was named “PEACE Дец” (the interplay of the English word and Russian ending, which means F-up). Now, Andrius Tapinas, a journalist who has already led the initiative of sending the UAF a Bayraktar combat drone, kicked off another bid for yet another UAV for Ukraine.

As a result of worsening relations, Türkiye was kicked out of the F-35 production chain, denied the ability to buy F-35 and some forty F-16s, as well as modernization of almost eighty F-16s it operates. Türkiye’s President hopes to solve the issue of purchasing F-16 jets from the United States. In the meantime, his country still hasn’t ratified the protocols of Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO.

After claiming that Russia is only after the targets with military value, Putin’s spokesperson said, “reluctance of the Ukrainian side to solve the problem, to enter into negotiations” is the reason for continuing missile attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure.

According to DTEK, Ukraine’s significant electricity generating and distributing company, about 40% of consumers in Ukraine are currently without electricity. The scale of the damage caused by missile barrages on November 15 and 17 is so significant that Ukrainians might face power outages for several days and “scheduled power-ups” in some areas for only a few hours. It happens while the temperature is within the range of -1 and -6 throughout the coming days.

The Hague District Court found three of the four main suspects guilty of murdering almost 300 passengers and the crew onboard the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over the Donetsk region in 2014. The fourth suspect was acquitted.

Igor Girkin (also known as Strelkov) is among pledged guilty. At the time, a former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service was a “defense minister” of the Russian proxy entity “Donetsk People’s Republic.” The MH17 was hit by a Russian-made missile that was fired from a field in

eastern Ukraine. The judges found that Russia had “control” over so-called separatists in Eastern Ukraine in 2014.

The Bellingcat Investigation Team has previously published several reports tracking the Buk-M1 missile launcher to the Russian military unit that sent it into Ukraine (53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in Kursk, Russia), as well as reviled the chain of command that involved Russia’s Ministry of Defense and its military intelligence agency (the GRU/GU).

In spite of various court decisions and OSIT investigations, as well as confessions of Russian intelligence operatives and military, the Western governments and media still refer to Russian proxy forces and entities as separatists or rebels. While it was politically convenient and possibly justifiable in the hope of resolving the conflict diplomatically, the all-out invasion made it irrelevant and even damaging. It’s difficult to explain why the Donetsk “separatists” were led not by President Yanukovych’s entourage but by Russian intelligence officers. Alexander Boroday, a Russian citizen and FSB officer, was the first “head” of Donetsk’s “republic,” while war criminal Igor Girkin, a Russian citizen and FSB operative, was a “minister” of defense. Recently, Alexander Boroday revealed that from the beginning, his plans were not to secure the autonomy of the special status of Donetsk within Ukraine but annex it to Russia. So, new judicial facts and the results of investigations must trigger a reassessment of what happened in 2014 and till the overt invasion on 24 February 2022. It’s required to understand the reasons for the Russian aggression as well as won’t let mistakes when the time for diplomacy arrives.

Russia, relevant news

German Siemens has sold its entire financial and leasing business in Russia, according to the company’s quarterly report.

Russian citizens Ihor Girkin and Serhiy Dubinsky, sentenced in absentia today to life imprisonment in the case of the downed Malaysian Boeing-777 near Donetsk, will not be extradited to the Netherlands, a Russian law enforcement source told the Russian Interfax news agency.

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