Weekly Exclusives
Weekly Exclusives - a newsletter that contains author publications, interviews, exclusive comments, photos and videos.
Photo of the week
A serviceman from the anti-aircraft unit of the 13th Battalion of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky holds cookies brought by volunteers from the NGO 'SUVIAATO', Kharkiv region, November 4, 2024.
Interview
You have no intention to die when going to kill the enemy, - Volodymyr Maksymiv, Commander, Independent Battalion, Territorial Defense Forces, AFU
Our guest for this Victory Commanders series interview by Ukrinform is Volodymyr Maksymiv, call sign Max, the Independent Battalion commander at the AFU’s Territorial Defense Forces. He was among the first volunteers to stand up to defend Ukraine, was taken into Russian captivity, and was the only one of his group to have survived the Ilovaisk “green corridor” massacre.
Commander Max is one of the first Ukrainian soldiers to start implementing NATO interoperability requirements in the Ukrainian army back in 2016. Over the time of the Great War, Volodymyr Maksymiv was among those who liberated Kyiv Oblast from occupying Russian forces and took part in fierce battles for Bakhmut.
We discussed his path as a warrior, the loss of his comrades, release from captivity, as well as what a military commander should be like, and what should be changed in the Ukrainian army.
At the end of July, banks issued the first loans to businesses and households for building their own mini power plants under state preferential loan programs. The state fully covers interest on loans for purchasing solar and wind power equipment, providing benefits to the population. In a brief interview with Ukrinform, Serhii Nahorniak, MP, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services and Head of the Subcommittee on Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency, highlighted the need for further development and simplification of these programs. He assures that the state will fulfill its obligations.
Publication
Donald Trump is elected the 47th president of the United States. The validity of martial law in Ukraine has been extended for further three months, until 7 February 2025. Ukraine’s kamikaze drone strikes hit Russian warships in Caspian Sea for the first time
Ukraine Latest: Weekly Digest for November 4-10, 2024
Fact Checks
Russian fake: Most Europeans are against support for Ukraine
Russian Telegram channels and bots on social media platforms X and Facebook shared a video that was allegedly created by the EU's statistical office Eurostat. The clip presents the alleged results of a public opinion poll of Europeans regarding the unity of citizens in Russia and Ukraine. In particular, it is noted that 77% of respondents "believe" that Russians are united, whereas only 19% of surveyed citizens are confident in the unity of Ukrainians. According to the "survey" distributed by propagandists, only 38% of citizens of EU countries are in favor of further support for Ukraine, while 62% are against it.
This is a fake. Such a video was not published on Eurostat's official website or the organization's social media accounts. The latest video posted on October 31 was dedicated to Halloween. It tells about the five countries that produced the most pumpkins and gourds in 2023.
One of the organization's logos is missing in the fake video shared by propagandists. It is located in the lower right corner of all Eurostat media products - from videos to tables with statistics.
Russian propaganda spreads fake about cutting off aid to Ukraine after Trump's victory
After the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, Russian propaganda resorted to manipulations in the wake of this result. In particular, on the morning of November 7, a video emerged on Z-Telegram channels that had been allegedly published on the Instagram Stories of the American TV Channel CNN. The video, supposedly filmed in Times Square in New York City, features a billboard with the words “Congratulations to Donald Trump for winning the U.S. presidential election and congratulations to hundreds millions of American citizens on the fact that billions of their dollars will now not be spent to help Ukraine.”
This is a fake. First, this video was not published in Stories on CNN's official Instagram account. Secondly, the fact that the propagandists have faked it is indicated by the absence of a TV channel-style “story” design. All authentic Stories from CNN have the same format and include links to the official CNN website, where users can access the full content.
Video
The first volunteers in Poland from the Ukrainian Legion signed contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On the night of November 10, Russia attacked Odessa with shaheeds
On the night of November 10, 2024, in Odesa, two residents of a private house in the Peresyp district were injured as a result of a Shahed attack.
Houses, administrative buildings, a garage cooperative, warehouses, cars, kiosks, and pavilions in the local market area were damaged.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met in Brussels
News:
War
Russian torture chambers in Kharkiv region: 319 victims officially recognized
“In total, we are aware of 31 locations in Kharkiv region where civilians were detained and tortured. We have examined 27 of these sites. The remaining torture chambers are currently inaccessible due to ongoing combat operations and safety concerns. There are 12 criminal cases under investigation, with 319 individuals officially recognized as victims (for comparison, in January 2024, there were 227 officially recognized victims). However, the actual number of people who went through these torture chambers is much higher. Some have left the region, while others prefer to stay silent, trying to forget the horrors they endured,” said Serhii Bolvinov, Head of the Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv region.
One of the largest torture sites was located in Kupiansk, where the occupiers set up their facility in the local police station.
Identification of 75 people killed by Russians continues in Kharkiv region
In Kharkiv region, 75 victims of Russia's armed aggression remain unidentified, most of whom are from a mass burial site in the Izium forest.
"We know where and who found each of these bodies, under what circumstances, and when they were buried. For each deceased person, we create a map-scheme tracking the movement of the body from the point of discovery to the burial site. Legally, they are all considered unidentified. However, for 26 of them, we have an idea of who they might be, but we do not have matching DNA. There are various cases. For example, some families have left the country, and close relatives have not yet been able to provide us with DNA samples. So, there are certain procedures in progress. In some cases, there are no DNA matches because the comparison sample was provided by a distant relative," the investigation chief explained.
Navy spox comments on operation of Ukraine’s maritime corridor, enemy activity at sea
Ukraine’s maritime corridor continues to operate as scheduled. Currently, the enemy does not use missile weapons against the Odesa region’s port infrastructure.
About 10,000 km of railroad tracks destroyed in Ukraine since war started
Following a report by Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), which covers the period from February 2022 until January 2024, up to 507 kilometers of railroad tracks were damaged; 126 railway stations and terminals were damaged and destroyed, including over 55 – on the Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Over 700 kilometers of railroad tracks have been left on the temporarily occupied territory. Overall, 5,500 buildings and about 4,000 structures owned by Ukrzaliznytsia JSC were damaged, destroyed or lost. Additionally, the company’s movable assets, which were not timely taken from the temporarily occupied areas, are considered to be lost, destroyed or stolen by Russian troops.
The KSE analysts estimated the total direct damage caused to Ukraine’s railway infrastructure at USD 4.3 billion.
Politics
Germany should have started training Ukrainian military to operate Taurus missiles - German politician
"First and foremost, all frozen Russian assets should be transferred to Ukraine. Secondly, now it is necessary to start training Ukrainian soldiers how to operate Taurus missiles, which will take some time, so that at the next opportunity, such as Russia bombing another hospital or committing other war crimes, the Taurus will be handed over. Such conditioning (tying the transfer of weapons to certain conditions) should be a signal. And thirdly, it is necessary to state very clearly that Ukraine will no longer fight with tied hands on its own territory, but will be able to hit military targets in Russia within the limits allowed by international law," Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the Bundestag from the Christian Democratic Union and member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs said.
He expressed hope that this would happen when the Conservatives are strong enough after the election that they can choose their coalition partners. Kiesewetter did not name the potential partners in the coalition government that the CDU/CSU bloc expects to lead, but noted that "the only party in Germany that does not have close ties with Russia in its own ranks is the Greens," and spoke favorably to this party's position on the issue of support for Ukraine.
Possible shift in U.S. position on Ukraine set to mobilize, strengthen Europe – French expert
After Donald Trump's election as U.S. President, the situation for Ukraine became more serious, but France and Europe’s position on supporting Ukraine will only strengthen.
"France's position on this issue is very clear. Regardless of Trump's decision, Europe remains central in terms of supporting Ukraine. Military support, training, political and economic support. Clearly, Ukrainians are at the forefront because they are the ones defending Europe today," emphasized Didier Le Bret, Director of the Diplomatic and Consular Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France.
The expert called Trump's coming to power a turning point, which may only push Europe to strengthen its role.
Trump's unpredictability may benefit Ukraine – expert
Trump's unpredictability could work to Ukraine's advantage, while it poses a threat to Russia, as there is no clear understanding of how the U.S. President-elect will build his strategy, which limits Putin's decision-making abilities.
New German government may strengthen support for Ukraine – ex-Bundeswehr general
"We need to see what consequences the break-up of the coalition in Germany will have. I think that if we don't need a lot of time, if everything develops quickly, we will get a full-fledged, dynamic, more effective government as soon as possible. This, in my opinion, will be an advantage for Ukraine. After all, then we will be able to do more for Ukraine than now," said former Bundeswehr General Roland Kather.
Speaking about the possible consequences of Donald Trump's return to power in Washington, the former military officer expressed confidence that he would not implement everything he has constantly promised, "because the election campaign is something different than real politics."
Economy
Nearly 200 properties in Izium under investigation for document forgery in eVidnovlennia compensation program
“We are currently checking at least 200 houses registered under this program. I'm not saying that all 200 cases involved illegal actions, but we do have definite information that some houses were not damaged by shelling, yet people received compensation,” stated Serhii Bolvinov, Head of the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv region.
According to Bolvinov, the fraud scheme allegedly involves a commission head as the main figure. In collaboration with other individuals, they allegedly made houses appear as if they were damaged by shelling. The commission would then visit the site, conduct a so-called inspection, hold meetings, and decide that the property qualified for compensation under the program, determining the compensation amount.
Some 90% of SMEs resume operations in Mykolaiv region’s de-occupied Snihurivka community
In the Mykolaiv region’s de-occupied Snihurivka community, 90% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have resumed operations.
“Prior to the war, the community’s industrial potential consisted of processing enterprises, such as a butter factory, mineral water bottling plant, flour production enterprise, bread factory, Agrofusion tomato processing group of companies, etc. As a result of hostilities, all of them suffered significant damage and suspended operation. But, as of today, 90% of SMEs have resumed operations,” told Snihurivka City Military Administration Head Ivan Kukhta.
According to Tetiana Tereshchuk, a local shop owner, business revenues have significantly reduced compared to the pre-war period. In the first days of the invasion, Russians ransacked her store, and she left for the Czech Republic, where she worked at four jobs. The money earned helped Tetiana to restore her Snihurivka-based shop.
Environment
Ukraine needs out-of-the-box solutions to achieve climate goals – expert’s opinion
“The climate goals that are in line with EU membership are very ambitious. In 2030, no one will exempt us from these commitments. And the more war-related losses and destruction we have, the more emissions – the more strategically and creatively we need to think about how to reach the level of EU Member States in 2030,” Pavlenko said.
See you next Friday!