Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,374

On Saturday, November 29, this is how things are going.

Fighting

• Four people were hurt when Russian drones hit six locations in Kyiv’s city center and eastern suburbs early on Saturday, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the country’s military administration.
• Despite Moscow’s claims that its troops are completely in control of the area, Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, said that Ukrainian forces are defending their positions and pursuing sabotage groups in the northeastern city of Kupiansk.
• In the first few weeks of its full-fledged invasion in 2022, Russian troops took control of Kupiansk, but Ukrainian troops recaptured it later that year. The city was “fully in our hands,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who made the statement on Thursday. The allegations were quickly refuted by Smyrskii, who cited “astonishing evidence from the Russian leadership regarding the state of the Kupiansk.”
• In the midst of ferocious fighting, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian forces reportedly cleared Ukrainian troops from 6, 585 buildings in Pokrovsk, Ukraine.
• The Saky airbase and Saratov oil refinery in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula have been hit by Ukraine’s forces, according to Ukraine. Regarding the refinery strike, the Ukrainian military reported that “a number of explosions were recorded, followed by a fire in the target area.”
• 136 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed overnight by Russian air defense systems, according to the Moscow Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian politics

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s negotiations team at tumultuous United States-backed peace talks, has left, hours after anticorruption investigators searched his home. Ukraine’s efforts to retaliate against US-proposed peace agreements, which would satisfy many of Moscow’s territorial and security needs, were led by Yermak.
• On Saturday, Zelenskyy said he would look into replacing his chief of staff. Russia is eager to make mistakes in Ukraine. In a video address, Zelenskyy urged unity and said, “We won’t make any.” Our work continues, the saying goes. He continued, “Our struggle goes on”.
• The justice and energy ministers of Ukraine resigned amid a comprehensive investigation just weeks after they launched investigations into high-level corruption, which has sparked outcry and put the country’s leadership in crisis.

talks on a ceasefire

• Zelenskyy stated in a video message to the nation that senior Ukrainian military, intelligence, and foreign ministry representatives would soon engage in discussions with Washington officials regarding the resolution of the conflict.
• Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that when a US delegation arrives in Moscow next week, Russia anticipates receiving information on the agreed points of a proposed peace plan. Moscow is assuming that it is negotiating the plan exclusively with the US, according to Peskov.

Sanctions

According to a spokesperson for the European Union, “intensive discussions” are being held, including with Belgium, regarding using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine in staying afloat. The plan’s support from Belgium is crucial because Euroclear, a financial institution with a presence in Belgium, owns the assets the EU wants to use.
• Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to warn that using the assets could thwart a peace deal with Ukraine.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed “increasing urgency” about the need to support Ukraine with frozen Russian assets, and hoped for a resolution soon.
• Following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced that Russia would provide Hungary with agreed crude and gas supplies in accordance with existing contracts.
• Two vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers have been blown out of their ships in the Black Sea, close to Turkiye’s Bosphorus Strait, by explosions. The 274-meter-long (898 ft) tanker Kairos, which was traveling from Egypt to Russia, was reported by Turkiye’s Ministry of Transportation, which was on the verge of an explosion and caught fire in the Black Sea. The 25 crew members on board the emergency response vessels were immediately rescued, according to the statement.
• The Kairos reported having “an external impact” that had caused a fire 28 nautical miles (51. 8 kilometers) off the Turkish coast, according to Turkiye’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs.
• Further east in the Black Sea, a second Russian tanker, Virat, reportedly hit by a missile about 35 nautical miles (64 kilometers). Although it was not immediately known what caused the explosions, ships have recently struck mines in the Black Sea.
• Russia has urged nations to support its nomination for a seat it lost in 2023, but it still hasn’t gotten enough votes to re-establish itself as the governing body of the UN shipping agency. The outcome is a blow to Russia, which also failed to win enough votes in September to become president of the UN aviation agency, and is also a diplomatic blunder against Moscow for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Regional security

• According to two anonymous US officials, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels the following week, which is unusual for Washington to not attend a key transatlantic gathering at a crucial moment for peace talks in Ukraine.
• Instead, according to one of the officials, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will represent Washington. Rubio’s intentions to skip the December 3 meeting were unklar. His likely no-show comes as US and Ukrainian officials have been working to close any gaps between US President Donald Trump’s plan to stop Ukraine’s Russian invasion.
• As Warsaw warns of Russian attempts to destabilize nations supporting Kyiv, Poland has detained two Ukrainians and three Belarusians on suspicion of acting at the foreign intelligence services’ orders. In a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to undermine Ukraine’s support, Poland claims that it has been the target of arson and cyberattacks.
• A senior intelligence official noted that with a growing emphasis on naval installations, Germany had its highest number of drone sightings over military installations in October. Prior to now, drones had frequently been seen hovering over military and airbases, including those used to train Ukrainian troops.
• Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the ex-Saudi president’s daughter, has resigned from parliament after being accused of defrauding 17 Ukrainian men of Russian smuggling. In her father’s Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), Zumba-Sambudla was a lawmaker. According to MK officials, she voluntarily resigned and took over all other public positions immediately, including the National Assembly.
• Putin will travel to India on December 4 and 5, according to Russian state news reports from the Indian government.

Source: Aljazeera