Newsletter 14/11/2024
Daily news digest
A cat named Mars misses his owner, who was lost in the war, so he has been guarding his portrait for 4 years .
According to the mother of the deceased Taras, after her son's death, Mars constantly approaches his photograph, paws at it, and sleeps on a pillow with the Hero's Star.
Photo: Valentyna Matviiv/Facebook
TOP
Ukraine has no intention to develop nuclear weapons – MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes that the country is not developing nuclear weapons and has no intention of acquiring them.
The spokesperson stressed that Ukraine closely cooperates with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is fully transparent to its monitoring, which rules out the use of nuclear materials for military purposes.
Earlier, The Times reported, citing documents allegedly prepared for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, that the country could potentially develop a nuclear bomb within a few months if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump were to stop military aid.
EC approves second EUR 4.1B payment under Ukraine Facility - Shmyhal
"The European Commission approved the disbursement of EUR 4.1 billion to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility. The EC provided a positive assessment of the reforms and noted that the government has fulfilled the necessary indicators to receive this tranche. We expect the quick approval of the decision by the Council of the EU. With this, total support within the Ukraine Facility this year will reach EUR 16.1 billion," wrote Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this in a post on Telegram.
Trump's win pushes Seoul to review stance on arms supplies to Ukraine - media
According to the interlocutor, President Yoon Suk Yeol's government now needs to consider the position of the U.S. president-elect as the government explores whether it should change its own long-standing policy of not sending lethal weapons to Kyiv.
Another government source added that South Korea is also studying how Trump's position on the Russo-Ukrainian war could affect further support for Ukraine from other countries.
It is noted that such comments may indicate that at the moment, Seoul is less inclined to make a decision on the transfer of weapons to Ukraine unless the DPRK takes further active steps or there is greater clarity on how Donald Trump will act toward Ukraine once he takes over the White House.
EU announces first-ever projects to fund common weapons purchase, including support for Ukraine
Implemented under the European Defense Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement instrument (EDIRPA), each of the five selected projects will receive EUR 60 million, representing a total amount of EUR 300 million funding. Procurement will be carried out in three areas, including the procurement of air and missile defense systems (two projects relating to the procurement of the MISTRAL and IRIS-T SLM systems), the procurement of modern armored vehicles (the Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS)), and the procurement of ammunition (two projects will concern the purchase of different types of 155mm artillery ammunition).
The selected EDIRPA projects involve 20 Member States, some of which will engage in common defense procurements projects for the first time.
MoD set to draft demobilization law by December 18 – MP
According to Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, the Committee officially requested the Ministry of Defense to develop a draft law that would define the procedures and conditions for the discharge of certain categories of military personnel during martial law.
The MP clarified that it is still unclear what specific mechanisms for discharge the Ministry of Defense will propose.
War
Ukraine’s military refutes reports of Russia seizing Illinka in Donetsk region
The circulating reports regarding the alleged capture by Russian troops of the settlement of Illinka in Donetsk region and their alleged advance into Kupiansk in Kharkiv region are false.
On November 13, Ukrainian soldiers held back the enemy's advance on Kupiansk, destroying all of the offensive unit’s armored vehicles and inflicting major casualties on the enemy force.
Kupiansk is completely under the control of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Ilyinka, Donetsk region, is also under Ukraine’s control. On its outskirts, battles are constantly going on, but Ukrainian units are firmly holding their ground.
Russian forces shell Sloviansk, damaging kindergarten and university
Russian forces launch three strikes on Zaporizhzhia region
War update: 88 clashes on frontline, most intense fighting on Kurakhove axis
Proposals to let go of Crimea to end war unacceptable for Ukraine - Crimean Tatars
Russians setting up defenses against sea drones to bring naval fleet back to occupied Crimea - guerillas/Photos
Special operations (sabotage) of the SSO behind enemy lines in Kurshchyna
Politics
MEP: DPRK forces, Iranian arms, Chinese aid all part of Russia’s escalation requiring West’s response
North Korean soldiers fighting in Europe, China's aid in circumventing EU and US sanctions, and arms supplies from Iran are an escalation by Russia that must see a resolute response from the West.
This was stated by Raphael Glucksmann, Member of the European Parliament from France (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Ukrinform reports, referring to Guildhall.
The lack of proper response to the escalation “shows how weak the European leadership is, and I am talking mainly about the EU member states, and how much we accept our own weakness”.
At the time when a moment of serious confrontation should come, “the fear of escalation prevents Europe and the American administration from providing Ukraine with everything it needs to win the war,” the politician said.
Europe asks Biden to increase support for Ukraine before Trump takes office - Bloomberg
Ukraine to continue cooperation with CAR to prevent sanctions evasion by Russia
Trump not to allow Russia to destroy Ukraine because he respects American taxpayers - Duda
Biden, Xi to discuss war in Ukraine - White House
NABU requests Interpol to issue "red notice" for MP Odarchenko
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has submitted materials to Interpol to announce a search for Andrii Odarchenko, a Member of Parliament from the Servant of the People party, who was sentenced to eight years in prison by the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
"We have submitted materials to the National Central Bureau of Interpol to issue a 'red notice.' In turn, the NCB of Interpol forwarded our materials to the General Secretariat of Interpol. As of yesterday, the 'red notice' had not yet been issued," said NABU Director Semen Kryvonos.
As reported earlier, on November 14, HACC sentenced Andrii Odarchenko, an MP from the Servant of the People party, to eight years of imprisonment. He was accused of attempting to bribe the then-head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, Mustafa Nayyem, with bitcoin in exchange for facilitating a decision to allocate money from the Fund for Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression for repairing university buildings, where Odarchenko served as rector (the contract for this position has been suspended).
Economy
Ukraine launching marketplace to promote IT companies
In cooperation with Lviv IT Cluster, the Ukrainian Digital Transformation Ministry has launched a tech companies platform, CodeUA, which will help foreign customers connect with Ukrainian contactors.
Currently, Ukraine’s IT sector includes about 5,000 tech companies, namely 2,118 active verified IT companies and more than 2,600 startups. Participating in the CodeUA project will help them expand presence on the global market.
Foreign clients of Ukrainian companies will be able to use various convenient tools on CodeUA, from analytics and AI assistant to legal support and round-the-clock concierge service. This will help them easily find suitable partners based on clear criteria for specific business needs.
Ukraine expects $1.1B tranche from IMF in late Dec - PM
Naftogaz Group boosts gas production by 6% over 10 months
Crime
Ukrainian MP Yevhenii Shevchenko suspected of high treason
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has served a notice of suspicion of high treason to Ukrainian MP Yevhenii Shevchenko.
The SBI noted that psychological-linguistic and military expert analyses confirmed that the MP began harming Ukraine’s defense and information security even before Russia's full-scale invasion.
The investigation revealed that Shevchenko produced content for his own channels, gave interviews to pro-Russian bloggers, and appeared on programs aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government. This content was subsequently distributed on Russian propaganda outlets, portraying it as the official stance of a Ukrainian government representative. In his broadcasts, Shevchenko propagated the idea that the Ukrainian authorities had led the country to total collapse, territorial losses, and an inability to achieve peace. He also pushed the narrative that Ukraine could not win and should seek negotiations with Russia on any terms.