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 🕊️
-----
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

#Girkin, who is also known by the alias #IgorStrelkov, has repeatedly said #Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless Vladimir #Putin’s military leadership fights the war in #Ukraine more effectively.

Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin says he wants to run for president
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/19/russia-ukraine-war-live-wave-of-drone-attacks-on-kyiv-for-second-night?page=with:block-6559dd648f08ee81dbe5b004#block-6559dd648f08ee81dbe5b004

...cheerfully assisted by the Russian army who sells them bicycles and tells them where to go. Finland will have to seal it's Russia border soon. #Ukraine #NATO

Asylum seekers biking into #Finland from #Russia
https://euobserver.com/world/157712?utm_source=euobs&utm_medium=rss

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111419597767722508

#Finland #NATO #Ukraine

Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo spoke to reporters at a border post in #Kuhmo today, amid concerns about the arrival of asylum seekers via #Russia.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/20/europe-far-right-victory-argentina-javier-milei-live?page=with:block-655b7cb28f086b1ccf455522#block-655b7cb28f086b1ccf455522

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111443660122582098

#HELSINKI (Reuters) - Dozens of #migrants stood behind barriers at two crossings on #Finland's border with #Russia on Saturday, the Finnish Border Guard said, after Helsinki erected barricades to halt a flow of asylum seekers it says was instigated by #Moscow. #Russia #Ukraine #NATO

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/dozens-of-migrants-wait-at-finland-russia-border-after-helsinki-blocks-crossings/ar-AA1kbE7Y

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111443825302820606

Unlike other instances where #Congress tends to quickly approve urgently needed aid, lawmakers in both parties are now openly questioning whether an emergency package for #Israel and #Ukraine can get done at all. #US

Fears grow in Congress over Ukraine and Israel aid amid dispute over #immigration and spending cuts | CNN Politics
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/21/politics/congress-israel-ukraine-aid-border/index.html

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Wednesday that as of the end of Friday, only its northernmost border crossing with #Russia, Raja-Jooseppi, will remain open.

#RajaJooseppi is the northernmost [border crossing], and it requires a real effort to get there,” Orpo said at a press conference. #NATO #Ukraine

#Finland to close all but one of its border crossings with Russia | Migration News | Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/22/finland-to-close-all-but-one-of-its-border-crossings-with-russia

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111443951201296203

#EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said this week that the challenges on #Finland’s border gave her a feeling of “deja vu,” two years after #Belarus began driving migrants into #Latvia, #Lithuania and #Poland in what European officials said was an attempt to destabilize the 27-nation bloc. #NATO #Ukraine

EU sends border police reinforcements to Finland over fears that #Russia is behind a migrant influx
https://apnews.com/article/finland-russia-border-frontex-guards-2fc202b3a900d6887e0152b235a0a00d

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111457377248881157

The Nordic country has already taken decisions to close seven stations, leaving open only the northernmost remote border point, #RajaJooseppi in #Lapland. #NATO #Ukraine

#Finland Warns Border to Be Sealed If #Russia Keeps Up Pressure
https://news.yahoo.com/finland-warns-border-sealed-russia-195403617.html

Back toot: https://noc.social/@Norobiik/111460303721326446