"These latest assessments represent a marked change from the optimism at the start of the #counteroffensive. These officials say those expectations were 'unrealistic' and are now contributing to pressure on #Ukraine from some in the West to begin peace negotiations, including considering the possibility of territorial concessions."#UkraineWar

Western allies receive increasingly ‘sobering’ updates on Ukraine’s counteroffensive:‘This is the most difficult time of the war’
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/08/politics/ukraine-counteroffensive-us-briefings/index.html

"The #ruble has weakened by 23% against the #dollar so far this year, placing it among the three worst emerging-market performers with the #TurkishLira and the #ArgentinePeso.

The ruble was trading below 97 per dollar on Wednesday and is nearing 100 to the greenback, a level last seen during the first month after President Vladimir #Putin ordered the February 2022 invasion." #Russia #UkraineWar #Ukraine

Ruble Weakens Toward 100 Per Dollar for First Time in 16 Months
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ruble-weakens-toward-100-per-081721407.html

Why is there a pyrotechnics warehouse within the grounds of a critical optical devices manufacturing plant???
---
"The #Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant, referred to as 'ZOMZ' produces night vision devices and binoculars for the Russian military as part of #Russia’s defense conglomerate #Rostec." #ZagorskPlant #UkraineWar #Ukraine

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/09/powerful-blast-at-optical-plant-near-moscow-triggers-total-evacuation-a82098

A former #EuropeanCouncil President, #Tusk’s victory would see #Poland moving closer to European allies and reviving support for #Ukraine. His Civic Coalition (KO) party ran with Third Way and the New Left on separate tickets but with a shared commitment to restoring ties with #Europe. #EuropeanUnion

New era’: Tusk celebrates exit polls suggesting opposition win in Poland
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/new-era-tusk-celebrates-exit-polls-suggesting-opposition-win-in-poland?traffic_source=rss&utm_source=press.coop

The final count showed #PiS had received 35.4% of the vote, while #CivicCoalition, led by #Tusk, a former prime minister and #EuropeanCouncil president, had 30.7%. With the centre-right #ThirdWay, on 14.4%, and leftwing #Lewica, on 8.6%, the three groupings should be able to put together a coalition that would form a comfortable majority in the 460-seat parliament. #DonaldTusk #Ukraine

#Poland election: votes counted as country awaits Tusk-led coalition
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/17/poland-election-votes-counted-tusk-coalition-law-justice-party?utm_source=press.coop

The group brings together more than 160 intelligence units from around the world, including the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, to cooperate and share information on #MoneyLaundering, #TerroristFinancing and other related crimes. #Ukraine

#Russia Suspended From Global Financial Intelligence Group
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-suspended-global-financial-intelligence-173808952.html

This is as good as done. Now it's Hungary's turn.

#Russia #Ukraine

#Turkey's president submits protocol for #Sweden's admission into #NATO to parliament for ratification
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkeys-president-submits-protocol-swedens-admission-nato-parliament-104221981

Newsflash: The #BankOfRussia has raised its key interest rate from 13% to 15%, a larger rise than expected.

Announcing the 200 basis point hike, the Bank of Russia says current inflationary pressures have significantly increased to a level above its expectations. #UkraineWar #Ukraine

#Russia hikes interest rates to 15% to battle inflation
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2023/oct/27/natwest-grows-profits-and-admits-serious-failings-over-treatment-of-nigel-farage-business-live?page=with:block-653b91ca8f0880c248190818#block-653b91ca8f0880c248190818

Two articles published this week give a stark assessment of #Ukraine’s prospects in its war with #Russia. One – by the commander in chief of the Ukrainian military – admits the battlefield has reached a stalemate and a long attritional war benefiting #Moscow beckons. The other portrays Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelensky as exhausted by the constant effort to cajole and persuade allies to keep the faith.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/03/world/ukraine-president-warns-long-attritional-war/index.html

The marines have secured a beachhead that could allow #Ukraine to reclaim more of the #Kherson region that lies between Ukrainian territory and #Crimea, seized by #Russia in 2014, a fillip for a counter-offensive showing few gains elsewhere, but only if they can find a way to bring armoured vehicles and heavy weapons across the wide river separating the two militaries.

Ukraine troops defend vital foothold on Russian-controlled #DniproRiver
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/03/ukraine-troops-defend-vital-foothold-on-russian-controlled-dnipro-river

The conversations have included very broad outlines of what #Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of representatives from more than 50 nations supporting Ukraine, including #NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said. #EU

U.S., European officials broach topic of #PeaceNegotiations with Ukraine, sources say
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-european-officials-broach-topic-peace-negotiations-ukraine-sources-rcna123628

#Netherlands #Ukraine

First Dutch F-16s sent to #Romania for training Ukrainian pilots
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/07/russia-ukraine-war-gennadiy-chastiakov-putin-zelenskiy?page=with:block-654a21c08f08c85ed0cfa967#block-654a21c08f08c85ed0cfa967

#Moldova, a country of about 2.5 million people situated between #Romania and #Ukraine, wouldn’t usually earn much international attention, but its vulnerability to Russian meddling has put it firmly on the #EU’s enlargement radar.

Like Ukraine, Moldova believes its future security lies with the EU,

EU expected to start process of Ukraine and Moldova becoming member states | #EuropeanCommission | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/07/eu-expected-to-start-process-of-ukraine-and-moldova-becoming-member-states

In a 1,200-page report on future enlargement of the 27-member bloc, the #EU said talks should formally be launched once #Kyiv satisfied remaining conditions related to stepping up the fight against corruption, adopting a law on lobbying in line with EU standards and strengthening national minority safeguards.

#EuropeanCommission backs talks on #Ukraine and #Moldova EU membership | #EuropeanUnion | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/08/european-commission-endorses-membership-talks-with-ukraine-and-moldova

#Ukraine #Israel

My Mastodon feed on the #UkraineWar has slowed to a bare trickle.

With World’s Attention Locked On Gaza, Ukrainian Soldiers Fear Being Forgotten - The Moscow Times
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/11/08/with-worlds-attention-locked-on-gaza-ukrainian-soldiers-fear-being-forgotten-a83033

A Russian missile damaged a Liberia-flagged civilian vessel entering a Black Sea port in #Odesa region, killing one and injuring four people including three #Filipinos, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

#Ukraine says Russian missile hits civilian vessel in #BlackSea, injures 3 Filipinos
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/222278/ukraine-says-russian-missile-hits-civilian-vessel-in-black-sea-injures-3-filipinos?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=gallery

“I mean #space, including high-orbit assets, and new prospective types of weapons that will ensure strategic security of both #Russia and the People's Republic of #China,” Putin said without elaboration. #Ukraine

Putin calls for closer Russia-China cooperation on military #satellites and prospective weapons - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/top-chinese-military-official-visits-moscow-talks-expanding-104714262

Border defense? What border defense? 🙄

The #Ukraine conflict is overextending #Russia’s military and straining its ability to maintain secure defence of its borders, the #UK’s Ministry of Defence has said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/09/russia-ukraine-war-live-troops-avdiivka-encirclement-zelenskiy-putin?page=with:block-654cc0b48f0898cc3cb04266#block-654cc0b48f0898cc3cb04266

#Ukraine #Russia #UkraineWar

https://mstdn.social/@warmapper/111383612314391671

#Czechoslovakia #Taiwan

The Czech and Taiwanese governments signed an agreement on Friday to work together to help reconstruction work in #Ukraine, with a senior Czech envoy praising #Taipei as a “great ally” despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/10/russia-ukraine-war-live-russia-intensifying-assault-on-avdiivka-says-ukraine-military?page=with:block-654df93e8f08a95ef07ebc87#block-654df93e8f08a95ef07ebc87

Russian judge Kirill Gevorgian, who joined the #UN’s International Court of Justice (#ICJ) in 2015, has failed to win reelection, leaving the court without a representative of #Russia or the #USSR for the first time since it began working in 1946. #Ukraine

https://meduza.io/en/news/2023/11/10/russia-loses-international-court-of-justice-seat-for-the-first-time-in-history

Medics work in makeshift conditions, even while targeted by Russian bombs, to stabilise patients before they can be taken to hospitals

‘We save 98% of our patients’: inside a frontline Ukrainian field hospital | #Ukraine | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/im-focused-on-my-work-inside-a-frontline-ukrainian-field-hospital

The last former #PrimeMinister to serve in one of his successor’s parliaments is believed to be Alex Douglas-Home, who served in #EdwardHeath’s government as foreign secretary six years after leaving Number 10. #Ukraine

How can #DavidCameron return as Foreign Secretary while not being an MP?
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/how-can-david-cameron-return-as-foreign-secretary-while-not-being-an-mp/ar-AA1jPKxU

Cameron posted on #X, formerly known as #Twitter: “We are facing a daunting set of international challenges, including the war in #Ukraine and the crisis in the #MiddlEast. At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard." #Israel

#DavidCameron returns to #UK government as foreign secretary | David Cameron | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/nov/13/david-cameron-returns-to-uk-government-as-foreign-secretary

#UK #DavidCameron #Ukraine

European ex-PMs who went on to become foreign secretary welcome Cameron to their ranks
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/nov/13/suella-braverman-rishi-sunak-cabinet-reshuffle-conservatives-uk-politics-latest?page=with:block-65521a878f08e250e1dfc13b#block-65521a878f08e250e1dfc13b

#XiJinping and #Biden expected to discuss #UkraineWar at #Apec meeting; #Germany says aid to #Ukraine will be ‘massively expanded’ in 2024

#RussiaUkraineWar at a glance: what we know on day 629 | Ukraine | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/14/russia-ukraine-war-at-a-glance-what-we-know-on-day-629

With built-in radar and twin 35mm autocannons, the Gepard is the ideal mobile antidrone defense system. #DroneWar #Jordan

#US Secures 60 #Gepard Anti-Aircraft Systems for #Ukraine in $118 Million Deal - Militarnyi
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/u-s-secures-60-gepard-anti-aircraft-systems-for-ukraine-in-118-million-deal/U.S.

Ms Politkovskaya, an investigative reporter and vocal critic of #Russia's war in #Chechnya, was shot in a lift in her block of flats.

Her reporting for #NovayaGazeta newspaper won international renown for her dogged investigation of Russian abuses in Chechnya.

#AnnaPolitkovskaya: Russian convicted of journalist murder gets pardon fighting in #Ukraine - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67414517?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA&utm_source=press.coop

image source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Politkovskaya

One of the world’s biggest accountancy firms helped #Russia’s “richest” #oligarch attempt to transfer £1bn in a public company on the day he was placed under #EUSanctions, leaked documents suggest. The disclosure raises serious questions about the role played by #PwC #Cyprus in a potential #SanctionsBreach.

#PriceWaterhouseCooper #Ukraine #UkraineWar #CyprusConfidential

PwC Cyprus moved £1bn for Russian tycoon on day he was put under sanctions | Business | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/14/pwc-cyprus-russian-tycoons-ukraine-invasion-sanctions

The role of the blue-chip accountants #PwC Cyprus and other advisers in managing transactions as Vladimir #Putin’s forces launched their assault has emerged from #CyprusConfidential, a cache of 3.6m files leaked by an anonymous source to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (#ICIJ) and Germany’s Paper Trail Media. #Russia #UkraineWar

#Cyprus to clamp down as investigation reveals oligarchs moved assets after #Ukraine invasion
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/14/cyprus-to-clamp-down-as-investigation-reveals-oligarchs-moved-assets-after-ukraine-invasion

The documents, and Seipel’s response, suggest the payments were for his work on a 2015 biography called #Putin: Inner Views of Power and a 2021 title, Putin’s Power: Why #Europe Needs #Russia, both originally written in German.

Seipel does not appear to have disclosed the payments to his publisher.

#CyprusConfidential #Ukraine

Top German journalist received €600,000 from Putin ally, leak reveals | #Germany
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/14/german-journalist-putin-hubert-seipel

The war in #Ukraine has backfired on #Russia in almost every conceivable way, from kickstarting #NATO expansion to affirming the Ukrainian national consciousness. If #Putin truly believes the future masters of #AI will be masters of the universe, the war’s closing of Russia’s narrow window to catch up in the field may be the most devastating consequence of all.

Putin Wants Russia to Win the #ArtificialIntelligence Race. Here’s Why it Won’t - The Moscow Times
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/11/14/putin-wants-russia-to-win-the-artificial-intelligence-race-heres-why-it-wont-a83103

It's also possible Russia doesn't have enough border guards anymore because of the war in #Ukraine.
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Russian border guards usually stop people without valid #EU visas from crossing into #Finland. But on Wednesday #Niinistö said he believed #Russia had started guiding asylum seekers towards Finnish crossing points in retaliation for #Helsinki’s plans to sign a defence cooperation agreement with #Washington.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/16/finland-russia-border-asylum-seekers-us-defence-agreement-sauli-niinisto

Here are the latest developments:

#Ukraine says its forces have gained a foothold on the eastern bank of the #DniproRiver - potentially allowing it to transfer vital equipment across the river
#Russia has been focusing its efforts on eastern Ukraine with fighting continuing around #Bakhmut and near #Donetsk

Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682

Here's to hoping Kherson will have a bombardment free Christmas this year 🕊️
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The Ukrainian armed forces have said they have carried out “successful actions” on the east bank of the #DniproRiver.

The river has been the de facto front line in southern #Ukraine since Russian forces withdrew from the #Kherson region last November.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/17/russia-ukraine-war-live-thousands-of-ukrainian-children-taken-to-belarus-yale-research-shows?page=with:block-655725788f08945e7e4d0eec#block-655725788f08945e7e4d0eec