The Ukrainian military has improved its ability to shoot down Iranian-made, Russian-made drones, with up to 85% shot down. reported by the British Ministry of Defenseciting official sources.
In its latest war assessment, the ministry said Russia will likely use drones as a replacement for its increasingly scarce Russian-made long-range precision weapons.
“Ukraine’s efforts to defeat the Shahed-136 UAV are becoming increasingly successful,” the ministry said on Monday. “These drones are slow, noisy and fly at low altitudes,” making them relatively easy targets, the ministry added.
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kirilo Budanov on Monday estimated the shot down rate of the estimated 330 Shahed drones Russia had released by Saturday at about 70%.
According to Budanov, the Russian military has ordered about 1,700 drones of various types, with a second batch of about 300 Shahed being deployed.
“The scare with ‘Shaheds’ can actually last for a long time,” he told Ukraine Pravda. “The air defense is basically coping.”
Russian Armed Forces May Face “Defeat”:Russia could struggle to push front-line forces out of Kherson.US Rejects Russia’s Claims About Ukraine’s Radioactive ‘Provocation’
Other developments:
WNBA star Britney Griner is “very nervous” about Tuesday’s appeal to reduce her nine-year sentence from a drug-related conviction in Russia, her attorney team said.
Anton Krasovsky, the talk show host of state broadcaster Russia Today, said last week that Ukrainian children who call Russians occupiers should be drowned or burned alive. was suspended from employment. He apologized on Monday.
► Residents of the southern city of Mykolaiv queued up for water and supplies as Ukrainian forces continued their advance in nearby Kherson.
The war in Ukraine was a major topic on Monday at the Vatican conference between Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the reconstruction of Ukraine will be a “one-generation challenge” that no country, donor or international organization can handle alone.
Zelensky hails victory at 8-month mark of war, calls Russia ‘beggar’
While warning that the coming winter “will be one of the most difficult in history,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the country’s success as the war against Russian aggression reached the eight-month mark. praised.
Russian forces have destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in a series of targeted attacks in recent weeks, Zelenskyy said, calling for conservation efforts. But he noted on Monday the progress of his army to retake the territories of the partially occupied provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkov and Kherson, with plans to recapture the Zaporizhia region and the annexed Crimea. He said that it was
“Ukraine is breaking the so-called second army of the world,” said Zelensky. “Now Russia can only be a beggar. Begging for something in Iran, trying to squeeze something out of the West, fabricating, intimidating and deceiving stories about Ukraine.”
30 House Democrats call for diplomatic end to war
A group of 30 progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives urged President Joe Biden on Monday to call for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.
But they also stress the need to pursue a negotiated peace settlement that would allow Ukraine to maintain its independence and grant Russia some concessions, such as relief from sanctions.
“The alternative to diplomacy is a protracted war,” they say, “with both the certainty and the catastrophic and unknown risks that come with it.”
White House Press Secretary John Kirby thanked the letter for its “thoughtful concerns” and was skeptical that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to negotiate in good faith. He added that the regime supports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Our focus will continue to be on enabling him and his army to succeed on the battlefield, and enabling Mr. Zelensky to succeed when the time comes to get to the table,” Kirby said. Told.
Russians are creating an ‘illusion’ of leaving Kherson, but they are digging
Budanov said Sergei Slovikhin, commander of the southern group of Russian troops in the war, may have maintained the appearance of an orderly withdrawal to curb the reaction of the Russian public in the event of the surrender or loss of Kherson. Said there was.
“They create the illusion that everything is gone,” Budanov said. “And at the same time, on the contrary, they bring new military units there and prepare the streets of the city for defense.”
The Washington-based War Research Institute said in an assessment over the weekend that Russia appears to be relying on recruits to delay the recapture of the city by Ukrainian forces.
“If Ukrainian forces choose to go ahead with the offensive, using such inexperienced forces to carry out delayed action could prompt a Russian rout,” the assessment said.
Kremlin pushes ‘dirty bomb’ claim
Despite categorical denials from Kyiv and the West, the Kremlin Ukraine plans to detonate a low-yield nuclear weapon and accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction, according to unsubstantiated allegations Monday.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Unit, said his Defense Ministry “has evidence that the Kyiv regime is planning provocations, including the detonation of so-called dirty bombs.” said. These weapons are typically used to sow fear rather than kill. Kirillov did not reveal any evidence Russia might have.
Kirillov said the provocation would be used to launch an anti-Russian campaign around the world aimed at undermining confidence in Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that Russia is ready to deploy radioactive material in Ukrainian soil.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu met with his US, British and French counterparts on Sunday and accused Ukraine of planning a provocation to escalate the war. All vehemently deny the allegations, and a senior US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told USA TODAY that Ukrainians are not building dirty bombs.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “Today I spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the phone and asked for a follow-up call.” It reaffirmed the value of continued communication amidst Russia’s illegal and unjust war against Ukraine.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleva also dismissed Shoigu’s claims, which would likely work in Russia, as “ridiculous” and dangerous. He said the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, accepted his request to send inspectors to Ukraine to prove the Kremlin’s claims wrong.
Grain trade threatened as belligerents lodge complaints
Ukraine’s Black Sea ports are operating at less than a third of their capacity due to Russian interference, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure. This development jeopardizes a vulnerable deal that expires on November 19th.
The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey and reached in late July, lifted Russian port blockades and allowed Ukraine to ship more than 8 million tons of grain to countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, resulting in rapid growth. helped alleviate the growing food crisis.
Russia believes that the guarantees it has received on grain and fertilizer imports have not been honored, has repeatedly complained about the implementation of the agreement, and has recently expressed its concerns to the United Nations. Reuters reported.
Ukraine wants the agreement renewed, but wants Russia to fully comply with its parts.
“Russia is deliberately delaying the full implementation of the ‘Grain Initiative,'” Russia’s Ministry of Infrastructure told Telegram.
Pelosi: Iran is making a ‘big mistake’ by supplying drones to Russia
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Iran is “making the world less safe” by providing drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Addressing alongside Croatian Prime Minister Andrei Plenković, who was attending a forum in Zagreb aimed at supporting Ukraine’s independence in the face of Russian aggression, Pelosi supplied the explosive-laden device. accusing Iran of “making a big mistake”.
Russia has rebranded the Shahed drones that terrorized the Ukrainian public and damaged power plants, but Iran denies being the source of them. However, some of the distinctive triangular drones have been found in Ukraine.
“We have to be able to compete with drones,” Pelosi said. “This is dangerous technology and must be stopped.”
Contributors: Tom Vanden Brook, Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY. Associated Press
