Friday, November 3, 2023, marked a grim day in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region as Russian shelling claimed two lives and disrupted the region’s power supply. The night was described as ‘hellish’ by regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin due to over 40 hits on the village. He shared this information via the messaging platform, Telegram.
On the battle front, Ukrainian forces successfully fended off a fresh Russian onslaught near Vuhledar town, positioned between the eastern and southern front lines in Donetsk, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The President reported that the assault resulted in ‘heavy losses’ for the Russians, with many casualties incurred.
Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s military command, disclosed that Russian forces were regrouping near Avdiivka, an eastern city, to recover their losses before advancing on their mission to surround the devastated town.
In a bold move, Ukraine downed nine of its drones near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which has been under Russian occupation since early March 2022. The action led Russia to accuse Ukraine of endangering nuclear safety. The downed drones were located near the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, where a significant number of the power station’s workers reside. Both nations have levelled charges against each other for attacks in the vicinity of the plant.
Russia’s air defences also claimed victory over five Ukrainian drones over Crimea and another over the Black Sea.
In a further development, Russia imposed lengthy prison sentences on two more Ukrainian soldiers who had fought in Mariupol, continuing the trend of putting captured soldiers on trial. After capturing Mariupol in May, Russia took many Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners. Some were shipped off to Russia, while others faced trials in Moscow-backed courts situated in the occupied regions of eastern Ukraine. However, international law prohibits the prosecution of soldiers for defending their country.
Despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander, Valery Zaluzhnyi, declaring the war as a conflict of attrition, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed this claim. He asserted that it was preposterous for Kyiv to believe it could triumph over Russia.
On the diplomatic front, the US implemented extensive new sanctions on individuals and organisations it believed were aiding Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine. These entities were allegedly assisting Russia in acquiring dual-use goods, useful in creating weapons, including suicide drones. The latest sanctions targeted 130 new entities, including those based in China, Turkey, and the UAE.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law retracting Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). This move, according to Moscow, aligns Russia with the US, and Russia will not recommence nuclear testing unless Washington follows suit.
Ukraine has added Swiss food conglomerate Nestle to its list of ‘international sponsors of war’ as it continues its operations in Russia. Ukraine’s national anticorruption agency noted Nestle’s ongoing supply of goods to Russia and expansion of its Russian production base, despite the ongoing Russian aggression.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, branded Poland, a supporter of Ukraine, as a ‘dangerous enemy’. He warned that Poland’s statehood could be at risk if it persists on its current trajectory.
On the military aid front, the US is set to declare a $425m aid package for Ukraine, encompassing laser-guided munitions to combat drones, as per a report by the Reuters news agency citing two US officials and documentation.
