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Top Troops Beginner’s Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Strengthen Your Units and Win Epic Battles

By: Author Eli Manikan

Posted on Last updated: December 8, 2023

The kingdom is in ruins. The dark lord has triumphed. Defeated, we crawl back to fade into obscurity. But just when all hope seems lost, a miracle happens – we find a place yet untouched by the forces of evil. Saddle up. The fight has just begun.

Top Troops is part empire builder (well, empire reclaimer) and part merge/autobattler from Zynga. In Top Troops, you’ll step into the shoes of a commander working with your king to take back the realm from his EVIL TWIN (probably) BROTHER who, shockingly, has no administrative skills of his own and has left the kingdom to rot. To do that, you’ll need to build a fortress, make new allies, raise an army, and merge anything you can. Top Troops is available on the Google Play Store and the App Store.

Top Troops has an excellent in-game tutorial that will ease you into the game’s mechanics. If, however, you want to read up on them on your own, if you missed something because you were mashing buttons (we’ve all been there), or just want a taste of the game before deciding if it’s for you, you’ve come to the right place.

In this Top Troops beginner’s guide , we’ll be covering:

• A basic guide to your fortress – constructing buildings, annexing new territory, training new units.
• Understanding your units. Learning how to read, analyze, and break down each unit in your army will help you turn your guys from lone brawlers to a unified fighting force.
• Strengthening your units. Knowledge is power, yes, but brute force is also power. Let’s talk about how to bulk up your fighters to ensure they’re the best they can be.
• Where to get the multiple resources you’ll need to strengthen your army: quests, freebies, and other game modes.

Fortresses for Beginners

Even though we’ve lost the war, the dark lord has very kindly decided to just not squish us out of existence. Thanks to his mercy (or oversight), we can secure a new base from where we’ll launch our counterattack. Managing this base can be a tricky business, so here’s all you need to know about building our new base of operations.

Quick Tips:

• Always upgrade your Town Hall. Town Hall upgrades allow you to climb higher on the tech tree, unlock new buildings, increase maximum upgrade levels for all other buildings, and allows you to place more copies of buildings you already have.
• Resource generators and resource storage buildings should have second priority when it comes to upgrades.
• It’s a good idea to move your generators close together to make gathering your freebies easier.
• Always make sure your Training Camp is either making new units or being upgraded. The higher your Training Camp’s level, the better the units you can produce.
• Each construction or building upgrade project requires a dedicated builder. You have one builder by default.
• Try to annex as much territory as you can so you have more space for units and resources.
• Claiming new territory tends to yield chests, which grant a random assortment of units when opened. You can either open them as is or merge these chests to get better rates.

The Town Hall

While Top Troops isn’t strictly an empire builder, it still has one important factor it shares with those types of games – the importance of the Town Hall.

The Town Hall not only serves as your erstwhile seat of power but also as your technological center. The higher your Town Hall’s level, the more buildings you unlock, and they’ll also be able to reach higher maximum upgrade levels, vastly improving their efficiency. You’ll also be able to place more copies of buildings you already own, increasing the productivity of your base.

Resource Generators

At the beginning of the game, you’ll be prompted to put down resource generators, such as the Gold Mine and the Squad Coin Mine. These are key structures that will periodically create free resources for you to collect. You’ll also be prompted to build storage facilities for these currencies. Remember to upgrade them too – better mines mean bigger and better returns for your time, while better storage facilities allow you to hold more of their respective resource.

It’s a good idea to put these facilities beside each other for faster and more efficient collection. To move a structure, long tap on it, then drag it to its new position.

Training Camp

The Training Camp is a very important structure as it allows you to generate units that you can merge or use as you see fit.

At the Training Camp, you can pay gold and resources to generate units of a particular rarity. In the beginning, you can only train a random assortment of common units, but as you upgrade your training camp, you’ll get more detailed training programs as well as the opportunity to create higher-rarity units. Your takeaway: keep the Training Camp upgraded and running at all times.

Just like other empire builders, Top Troops’ building upgrade system is tied to builders.

You have only one builder by default. While this won’t matter in the early game due to very fast timers, keep the limit of “one thing at a time” in mind as upgrades and construction start to take longer.

Annexing New Territory

If we’re to use this island as our base of operations, we’ll need to expand. This is done by annexing new territory.

As your level increases, more territories become available for annexation. These can be identified by the plus symbol and tag above them. To claim these territories for your use, you need to fight off the forces of darkness lurking in there. After that, they’ll flee, and the land (as well as any treasures it was housing) will be yours to use.

…believe me, you will need a lot of space in this game.

As you claim new territory, you’ll gather chests that contain a random assortment of units.

Opening a chest gives you units of variable rarity and quality – the higher a chest’s quality, the better the chance for rarer units. You can see the rates of each chest when you tap on it (no, that doesn’t automatically open it).

Chests can be merged to improve their rarity. Merging three of the same type of chest yields one of a higher tier while merging 5 at once results in a merge bonus that grants extra goodies. Open or merge chests at your discretion.

Understanding Your Army

If you’re to have any hope at all of taking back the kingdom from the forces of evil, you’ll need to raise a competent, organized fighting force. You’ll need to learn how to read each unit’s strengths, weaknesses, abilities, factions, and so on if you want to make well-informed decisions and devise effective strategies to ensure you always come out on top.

Quick Tips :

• Each unit has stats, and understanding these stats is key to recognizing a unit’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Each unit has access to several skills. Skills are used without any user input.
• Units have rarity. Rarer units are almost always better than more common ones.
• Each unit belongs to a faction, which serves as Top Troops’ elemental weakness system. The weakness cycle goes like this: Militia (Blue) beats Hunter (Red), and Hunter beats Wildling (Green). Infernal and Divine are strong against each other.
• Units attacking a faction they’re strong against deal 30% more damage; units attacking a faction that they’re weak against deal 20% less damage.
• Each unit has a class, which helps you determine what that unit’s role is.
• Keep a unit’s role in mind when building your formation. Squishy damage dealers should be sheltered by tough frontliners, and the further back a unit is, the longer before it can engage in combat.

Each unit has numbers that dictate how it does in certain areas, and it’s vitally important to understand each unit’s statistics. By knowing a unit’s statistics, you can not only determine its strengths and weaknesses but also see how that unit meshes with its owner’s army – and whether it will be an asset or hindrance to you.

To the right of a unit’s profile in the Library are its Health and Attack stats, but if you want a more detailed look, you can tap the Stats button on the right to bring up a larger, more detailed readout.

The stats in Top Troops are:

• Army Power – how much combat power (an estimation of a unit’s strengths based on its stats, tier, and skill levels) each instance of this unit adds to your army power. Two swordsmen with an army power of 100 would give you 200 army power.
• Attack – attack power of this unit.
• Attack Speed – the interval between this unit’s attacks. A lower attack speed means a unit attacks faster.
• Critical Chance – the chance that a unit’s attacks deal critical damage…
• Critical Damage – …and the multiplier for the damage of critical hits. A Critical Damage of 2 means an attack that does 100 damage does (100*2) 200 damage.
• Range – how far this unit can attack from. The higher this is, the further a unit’s attack range. Large, towering melee units tend to have more range than other melee fighters.
• Health – health points. How much damage this unit can take before it goes down. This refers to the health of the entire unit : a unit with 3 members that has 2000 health only has 2000 health, not 6000!
• Population – how many members this unit is composed of.
• Defense – percent-based damage reduction.
• Movement Speed – how fast this unit moves. Cavalry units move faster, while large, heavy units move slower.
• Block Chance – the percent-based chance to negate incoming ranged attacks.
• Immunities – lists the immunities that a unit has, whether it’s to specific damage types or status debuffs.

Each unit also has access to a few skills that help define its role and help it on the battlefield.

Skills can range from passive buffs to triggered effects and even automatic nukes. The best part about unit skills in Top Troops is that you don’t need to do anything to get your units to use their skills – they’ll do it entirely on their own!

Each unit also has a rarity attached to it.

Rarer units are superior to their more common counterparts not only due to higher stats and more skills but also because they have access to powerful Talent trees – more on that in the “Building A Fighting Force” section.

In ascending order, the rarities are Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary.

Each unit belongs to a different faction. Factions are Top Troops’ equivalent to the rock-paper-scissors element system.

Remember: Blue militia beats Red hunter, Red hunter beats Green wildling, and Green wildling beats Blue militia. I tend to focus on the colors as they remind me more of elements; red fire is strong against green earth but loses to blue water.

There are two other factions besides these three, namely Divine and Infernal. These two factions are strong against each other.

Weakness bonuses in Top Troops are pretty big. Attacking an enemy you’re strong against results in 30% more damage while attacking a foe that’s strong against you results in 20% less damage. Make sure to exploit this system and build a variety of units that can effectively counter faction bonuses!

Unit Archetypes

Each unit belongs to a certain archetype, which helps you determine what its combat role is.

The archetypes in Top Troops are as follows:

• Melee units are generic frontline warriors that use a blend of offense, defense, and raw survivability when squaring off with their foes.
• Frontline units are matchless melee defenders who have no offense whatsoever. They’re excellent when paired with ranged or mage units.
• Assassins are quick, tricky combatants that have a ton of offensive prowess, at the cost of having almost no survivability on their own.
• Ranged units excel at picking off their foes from a distance. They tend to have lower survivability than dedicated frontline fighters, so they’ll need some sort of protection.
• Mages are powerful casters that excel at dealing damage and inflicting status effects from a distance.
• Support units are incredibly varied, but they all share the same trait of making battle easier for their allies, whether that’s via providing buffs or inflicting debuffs.

Formations and Scouting Enemy Units

Archetypes are very important not only because they help you determine a unit’s place in your army, but also how that unit should be placed in battle.

Logically, you’ll want your bulky Frontline and Melee units in front, with your damage dealers following suit. However, be sure to change your formation to adapt to your foes – some enemies, for example, have units that will attack your backrow as soon as the battle starts.

This is where a bit of knowledge comes in handy. By tapping on an enemy unit before battle starts, you can see not only its stats, but also its class, faction, and any skills it may have. This will allow you to prepare your countermeasures, especially if they have skills with tricky targeting!

Building A Fighting Force

Yes, knowledge is power, but power is also power. You may have read up on your units’ strengths and weaknesses, but unless your guys are sufficiently beefed up, they’ll still lose to foes that outmatch them in sheer brute strength. Here’s a quick breakdown of the many methods you can use to ensure your fighters are at the top of their game.

• The easiest way to raise a unit’s stats is by leveling it up. Leveling a unit up costs Squad Coins (the blue ones with a helmet on them) and occasionally other materials.
• Units have level caps. These can be surpassed by merging them.
• You can merge similar units (minimum 3) to create a unit with higher stats and more members.
• Merging is a tactical choice – you can either run with 5 tier 1 units or 1 tier 2 unit. Always keep your strategy and circumstances in mind before mindlessly merging your units.
• Be sure to raise the skill levels of the units you frequently use as those can give you a massive edge in battle.
• Epic and Legendary units have access to a Talent tree, depending on their archetype. The Talent tree gives potent passive bonuses that can vastly increase the strength of a unit.

Leveling Up

Now, let’s bump those stats up. The easiest way to make your guys stronger is by leveling them up.

Leveling a unit up is easy – just go to their page in the Library and mash the level up button in the lower right of the screen. Each level grants all units of that type a minor increase to their stats – nothing fancy or exciting, but always necessary.

Levels cost Squad Coins – the blue ones with a helmet on them – and occasionally require other materials to surpass certain breakpoints.

Note that when you level up a unit, you’re not leveling up an individual unit – you’re upgrading a unit type. Thus, all units of that class (say, all Archers or all Swordsmen) will benefit from levels. The higher a unit’s tier (aka the more times it’s been merged), the higher its level cap.

Finally, the stats that appear when you level up a unit refer to the highest tier of that unit that you own . This means that units of a lower tier get less of a bonus than what may first appear. Don’t worry though – you’re still strengthening your units.

Merging your units is a great way of consolidating your forces. Troops fighting together as a single unit makes them much more organized and effective.

Merging is done by lining up at least 3 identical of the same tier (star rating) and dragging one of them on top of the other. You can also merge 5 or 6 units at a time; merging 5 at a time yields a merge bonus , meaning you get bonus yields from that fusion.

However, merging is always a tactical choice. For example, would you rather have 5 tier 1 Swordsmen or 1 tier 2 Swordsman? In essence, you’re trading field presence for empowering a single unit. Consider your circumstances carefully before mindlessly merging units.

Since we’re on the topic of merging, let me take this opportunity to remind you that you can also merge chests and resources. Seriously, do it.

Skill Levels

Another quick and easy way to strengthen your units is by raising their skill levels.

To start upgrading skill levels, you first need to reach account level 9. After that, simply head to the unit’s Library page, tap “Skills”, pay the fee (gold and Soulstones), and bam – new skill level. You can get more Soulstones by participating in Ancient Battles; more on those in the “Sourcing Materials” section.

Note that skills are unlocked by reaching certain unit levels but are not automatically strengthened. You can also only increase skill levels once you’ve unlocked all of a unit’s skills!

Rare and Epic units have an additional advantage over their more common peers – they have access to a Talent tree that provides them with a lot of passive boosts.

Unlike skill levels, talents can pretty much be leveled from the get-go. The catch here is that you’ll need special materials that are only unlocked in a special game mode down the road. For now, don’t worry about these – just try to get Rare or Epic units to build up.

Note that a unit needs to be at least level 40 to start investing in its talent tree.

Sourcing Materials

Even in these desperate times, nothing is free. You’ll still need money and other resources to ensure that your units are the very best they can be. Here’s a quick rundown on where to get the various materials you need to get your Top Troops base up and running smoothly.

• I’ve included a reference sheet on where to get the various resources in the game in case you just need a quick peek.
• Always make sure to do your quests as they give a ton of experience points and resources.
• Don’t forget to claim your quest rewards from the daily bar!
• The Royal Season is Top Troops ‘ battle pass system. There’s a free and paid version.
• Adventure Mode forms the bulk of Top Troops gameplay.
• Each Adventure Mode stage has 3 stars up for grabs: one for clearing it, one for finishing with > 40% team health, and another for finishing at > 60% health.
• Stars earned are added to a meter. You can get specific rewards at certain meter levels.
• You can replay Adventure Mode stages for more drops.
• You can also sweep Adventure Mode stages you’ve earned 3 stars in. This will cost an auto-win ticket on top of the usual energy cost.
• Ancient Battles are raid bosses that require you to be in a clan before you can participate.
• The more damage you do to a raid boss, the higher your placement in your clan’s leaderboard and the more prizes you’ll get the next day.
• You get the most prizes if your clan actually kills the raid boss, so try to join an active clan with a lot of members.
• Fight in the Arena to gain chests and Trophies (arena points). More trophies mean a higher ladder rank and a better chance at getting higher-rarity chests whenever you win.
• PvP fights also give you Arena medals with which you can buy supplies. You need to be at Bronze III or higher to access the Arena Market.
• The merchant north of your Town Hall allows you to watch an ad for some free resources, including gems. This has a 2-hour cooldown.
• Tap on the yellow motes of light that fall from the sky while in your fortress. These are Divine Particles and will yield resources on one of your tiles when tapped.
• Don’t forget to claim your once-a-day free pack from the shop.
• Check the stories of units you’ve collected for a small number of gems.

Reference Sheet

If all you want is a quick reference sheet for the game’s various resources (at least in the very early game), look no further:

Every game has a cleverly disguised to-do list, and that’s done by hiding said tasks in the form of quests.

Quests (I know they’re called “missions” in the game, but old habits die hard) are a fantastic way of bulking up your army and resource pool in the early game. On top of that, they’re also an easily accessible source of valuable experience points which you’ll need to level up your account and unlock new features.

Quests are divided into daily or lifetime (“all missions”) quests. Daily quests, as the name suggests, are repeatable daily tasks meant to help you slowly make progress in Top Troops. Lifetime quests, on the other hand, are like achievements; they’re milestones that reward you for performing certain deeds. Both of these are very important but remember that daily quests disappear if you don’t complete them, while lifetime quests are here to stay.

Finally, don’t forget to claim your daily prizes for completing your daily missions. Each completed mission fills one section of the bar; fill it up all the way and you’ll get some free Essential Summon Shards!

Royal Season

Top Troops also has a battle pass, called the Royal Season.

As you complete missions for the Royal Season (which you can see on the same screen as your other missions), your battle pass gains experience. Each time it levels up, you can collect some freebies, whether you’re using the free or paid pass!

Adventure Mode

Adventure Mode forms the bulk of Top Troops ‘ gameplay. In this mode, you’ll guide your army through the land, liberating it from the forces of darkness and finding allies to help you take the kingdom back.

Each chapter in Adventure Mode has 3 star marks for you to earn: 1 just for clearing it, another if you finish with more than 40% of your army’s health remaining, and yet another for finishing with 60% or more health left. These stars are then added up to a meter that’s exclusive to each chapter – the more stars you earn, the bigger the prizes you can redeem!

Finally, you can replay any Adventure Mode stage you’ve already cleared. You can also sweep any stage you’ve gotten 3 stars in, though this also costs you an auto-win ticket per sweep on top of the regular stamina cost.

Ancient Battles

Ancient Battles are essentially raid bosses. In an Ancient Battle, you’ll be pitted against a nigh-impossible foe, and it’s your job to damage it as much as you can before it inevitably defeats you.

Ancient Battles are only available to players who have joined a clan (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). Once you’re in a clan, tap on the Ancient Battle icon to participate in the current brawl. The more damage you to do the raid boss, the higher you’ll rank in your clan’s leaderboard – and the bigger your prizes the next day. Of course, the biggest prizes come from actually felling the beast, so try to find an active clan.

You can challenge an Ancient Battle once every 4 hours, and you can store up to 3 tickets at once.

Even at the end of the world, we need to make time to smack each other in the face, because it’s fun. And profitable.

PvP battles in Top Troops are conducted in the Arena. Here, you’ll be able to participate in asynchronous PvP against other commanders in a bid to see who’s the best. There’s more than pride at stake though – there are Trophies to be earned and Arena Medals to spend!

Each time you win a battle in the Arena, you earn some Trophies. Or to be more precise, you steal some from your opponent. The more Trophies you have, the higher up the PvP ladder you climb, and the higher your rank, the better the odds of getting rarer chests per victory.

When you visit the Arena, you’ll be presented with a group of five random players. Tap on any of them to fight them. Note that fighting someone costs an Arena Ticket; these regenerate over time and will not be consumed unless you tap the button to start the battle. While we’re on the topic, don’t forget to claim your reward for participating in a certain number of PvP fights per day:

If your opponents are too strong or you don’t want to deal with their teams, you can opt to refresh your five opponents. This can be done for free once every 30 minutes, though you can also skip the line by paying gems.

Offense is only half of the PvP equation. You’ll not only need to build a powerful army to take Trophies, but you’ll also need to set up a defensive team to ensure that your hard-earned Trophies are safe from other players. While the game will force you to set a defense squad the first time you visit the arena, don’t forget to update this squad as you grow stronger.

Finally, each PvP fight gives you a certain amount of Arena Medals, which can be spent in the Arena Market. Note that you must be at least Bronze Rank III to access this feature!

North of your town hall is an opportunist merchant who will sometimes have offers for you.

Tap on the merchant to see what he has for grabs. The good news is that it’s technically free – all you need to do is watch an ad. Note that watching an ad for freebies causes the merchant to go into a 2-hour cooldown, so try to time this for maximum gains.

Divine Particles

See those yellow motes of light that sometimes drift by while in your fortress?

Those are actually free resources called Divine Particles . Tap on them to add them to your territory as a collectible resource. You will, however, need space for these items. It’s your call whether you want to pop them immediately or merge them for a bigger payoff, like chests – but I would suggest merging them as the payout is better.

Note that popping six of these a day is a daily quest.

Free Shop Pack?!

Yes, there’s a free daily shop pack that you can claim. Just swing by the shop and claim your freebies. Not much, but it’s something, and you can watch up to 2 ads to increase your gains.

Like popping Divine Particles, claiming your shop freebie is also a daily quest.

Unit Stories

Each new unit you unlock comes with a freebie in the form of stories.

Whenever you get a new unit, don’t forget to swing by its story page in the Library as there’s a small amount of gems waiting to be claimed.

And The Fight Continues!

The fight for the kingdom won’t be won in a day. After all, evil very nearly won. But it has not won completely, and while we live, we’ll continue fighting for the freedom of our homeland, even if we have to claw our way up to do it.

That concludes my beginner’s guide to Top Troops, and I hope I was able to guide you through the basics of reestablishing the kingdom and mustering an army to fight back against the forces of darkness. If you have any suggestions on how to improve this beginner’s guide or are feeling generous and want to share some of your personal tips and tricks, let me know in the comment section below!

Richard Raspenti

Saturday 6th of January 2024

Need information on Officer usage - capabilities/responsibilities.

• Game Guides

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Your User ID is available in the 'Settings' tab (It contains numbers)   

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Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin to give shock G20 speech as Moscow troops desert Donetsk frontline

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Vladimir Putin will set out Russia ’s view of the “deeply unstable world situation” in a shock G20 speech this week, the Kremlin has said, as Ukraine claimed growing numbers of Moscow’s troops were deserting the frontline in Donetsk .

Ukraine’s military has been bracing for a “third wave” of Russian assaults on the key city of Avdiivka – but a spokesperson claimed Moscow was being forced to rely increasingly on penal recruits and reservists due to its soldiers refusing to take part in casualty-heavy assaults.

Further south, Kyiv ’s forces claimed to have pushed Mr Putin’s forces three to eight kilometres back on the banks of the Dnipro River , in what would mark the first significant advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a grindingly slow counteroffensive.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in Kherson for more than a year, until Kyiv claimed last week to have finally established multiple footholds on the river’s eastern bank.

Ukrainian army pushing Russian forces back at Dnipro river

Russia launches waves of drone strikes on Kyiv for second night

Cluster bombs in battle for Avdiivka fuelling stalemate on frontline, says UK

Ukraine establishes 'several bridgeheads' on eastern bank of Dnipro

Russia lodges protest against Finnish ambassador as country threatens more borders will close

04:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia’s foreign ministry has said it has lodged a formal protest with the Finnish ambassador in Moscow over the closure of four busy border crossings between Russia and Finland.

On Saturday, Finland closed crossings on the shared border in a bid to halt the flow of asylum seekers that it says was instigated by Moscow.

Only four crossing points remain open, which the Russian foreign ministry said has impacted tens of thousands of people in both countries.

Russian drones target Kyiv as UK Defense Ministry says little chance of front-line change

03:00 , Alexander Butler

Russian drones targeted Kyiv on Sunday as the British Defense Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian front line as the war enters its second winter.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, targeting the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement. Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems shot down 15 of the drones.

The overnight strike on Kyiv is the second attack on the Ukrainian capital in 48 hours, said the city’s Military Administration spokesperson, Serhii Popko.

NATO committed to Bosnia's territorial integrity condemns 'malign' Russian influence

01:00 , Alexander Butler

NATO supports Bosnia‘s territorial integrity and is concerned by “malign foreign interference,” including by Russia, in the volatile Balkans region that went through a devastating war in the 1990s, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

Sarajevo is the first stop on Stoltenberg’s tour of Western Balkan countries that will also include Kosovo, Serbia and North Macedonia.

“The Allies strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Stoltenberg told reporters. “We are concerned by the secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as malign foreign interference, including Russia.”

At least 11,000 children in ‘re-education’ camps in Russia, UK ministry of defence says

00:01 , Alexander Butler

Russia is holding at least 11,000 Ukrainian children across 43 “re-education” camps, the UK ministry of defence said.

“At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being detained at 43 re-education camps across Russia, thousands of miles from home. Their simple right to life and liberty is being impacted,” the ministry said on X.

At least 11,000 Ukrainian children are reportedly being detained at 43 re-education camps across Russia, thousands of miles from home. Their simple right to life and liberty is being impacted. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/Dk7Lh9E935 — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 20, 2023

Russia bars Moldovan nationals, summoning ambassador

Monday 20 November 2023 22:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia barred entry to a number of officials from Moldova on Monday and complained about moves by its pro-European government to block Russian media outlets ahead of local elections earlier this month.

The moves were the latest in a series of acerbic exchanges between the two sides and allegations by Moldova that Russia has been exerting pressure on the ex-Soviet state’s affairs and President Maia Sandu’s drive to join the European Union.

A Russian foreign ministry statement said Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darie was summoned to be told of the decision.

“The Moldovan side was presented with a decisive protest in connection with the continuing politically motivated persecution of Russian media in Moldova, including the blocking of access to their Internet sites,” a ministry statement said.

The US is with Ukraine ‘for the long haul’, defence secretary tells Zelensky

Monday 20 November 2023 20:13 , Alexander Butler

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the country remains behind Ukraine as it continues its war with Russia. It comes after announcing a further package of defensive aid worth $100m.

“The message that I bring you today is that the United States of America is with you. We will remain with you for the long haul,” Mr Austin said.

He added: “I think they are prepared for combat in the winter. They did a great job last year. This year we expect them to be, just based on what President Zelensky has said, them to be even more aggressive.”

Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing Russian solider nearly 2.5 miles away’

Monday 20 November 2023 18:12 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier almost 2.5 miles away, with a custom rifle called ‘Lord of the Horizon’, Holly Evans reports.

The previous record was held by a Canadian special operations sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.

In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: “The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.

“He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.

“SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances.”

Ukrainian sniper ‘breaks world record after killing solider nearly 2.5 miles away’

Full report: Russia puts Ukrainian winner of Eurovision Song Contest on wanted list

Monday 20 November 2023 17:14 , Andy Gregory

Russia has placed a Ukrainian singer who won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list, state news agencies reported Monday.

The independent news site Mediazona said singer Susana Jamaladinova was charged under a Russian law adopted last year which outlaws spreading so-called fake information about the war in Ukraine.

Russia puts Ukrainian winner of Eurovision Song Contest on wanted list

Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Lachlan Murdoch in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 16:46 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has met Fox Corp chief executive Lachlan Murdoch in the Ukrainian capital, in what Kyiv described as a “very important signal” of support at a time when global media attention has shifted from the war in Ukraine.

“The Head of State thanked Lachlan Murdoch for his visit and emphasised that it is a very important signal of support at the time when the world’s attention is blurred by other events,” the Ukrainian president’s office said.

Mr Zelensky was quoted by his office as saying it was vital to keep the world’s attention focused on the war in Ukraine, adding: “For us, for our warriors, this is not a movie. These are our lives. This is daily hard work. And it will not be over as quickly as we would like, but we have no right to give up and we will not.”

Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall, who was badly wounded covering the war in Ukraine last year, and Sun journalist Jerome Starkey were also invited to the meeting with Rupert Murdoch’s eldest son, who was named the sole chair of News Corp in September.

ICYMI: Zelensky invites Trump to Ukraine after claims he could stop war in 24 hours

Monday 20 November 2023 16:24 , Andy Gregory

Opinion | Ukrainian victory is all but certain – so long as its allies do not seek a ‘way out'

Monday 20 November 2023 16:03 , Andy Gregory

In this Independent Voices piece, James Nixey of Chatham House writes:

Calling the war a stalemate is an obvious example of self-defeat: if it is believed that Ukraine cannot win the war, then Ukraine will not be given weapons to win the war which, in turn, means … they will not win the war. It takes rare political courage to imagine Ukraine’s victory, although EU officials Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell have managed this.

Ukraine’s EU accession, likely and in progress, and Nato accession, less likely in times of war and very dependent on US backing, will be a hollow victory if its resources dry up. Russia has had a poor war – its Black Sea fleet has retreated from Crimea, meaning it will have problems defending the peninsula, and Ukraine’s counter-offensive at Avdiivka has been costly for Russia.

But Russia can absorb costs like no other. Its industry is war-mobilised and its soldiers are dispensable, replaceable commodities. Depopulation and brain drain are problems for another day and arguably affect Ukraine more. Nor should a bad plan be mistaken for a bad army that does not learn from its mistakes. Russia does. And it may have been forced to turn to North Korea to fill a “munitions gap”, but that too has worked.

Vladimir Putin’s ideology is delusional of course, but he remains deeply committed to seeing his war through to a successful conclusion: “all in” and long since recovered from the Prigozhin affair, he surely believes he can win.

But it also remains the case that a Ukrainian victory is possible – more than possible. In fact, it is all but certain; but only if Western countries do not “get tired”, do not look for a “way out”, and if Ukraine is given the tools to finish the job.

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – the West must not turn away now

‘Double standards’ in Israel-Hamas conflict have ‘undermined fight' for Ukraine, says Varadkar

Monday 20 November 2023 15:38 , Andy Gregory

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said there is “double standards” from the EU and some Western powers in relation to Israel and Palestine.

The Taoiseach said the stance of some Western countries in response to the Israel-Hamas war had “undermined the fight” to garner support for Ukraine as it battles against the ongoing Russian invasion.

Here is the full report:

Varadkar raises concerns about EU ‘double standards’ on Israel and Palestine

Kyiv hoping for Poland talks over lorry driver protests

Monday 20 November 2023 15:09 , Andy Gregory

Kyiv hopes to hold a new round of talks with Poland and the European Union this week to resolve an issue with Polish lorry drivers holding protests to block border crossings, a Ukrainian trade representative has said.

“This week we hope to have negotiations in a trilateral format,” Taras Kachka told broadcasters.

Yesterday, some 3,000 mostly Ukrainian lorries – including those carrying fuel and humanitarian aid – were caught on the Polish side of the border due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish hauliers, Ukrainian officials said.

The hauliers are protesting against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US defence secretary meets with Zelensky in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 14:32 , Andy Gregory

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has said he was “honoured” to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv today – his second since April 2022.

Washington will “continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defence requirements”, Mr Austin said.

I was honored to meet with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv today to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine. We, along with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defense requirements. pic.twitter.com/Odv6ClgcrP — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 20, 2023

Russia places Eurovision winner on its wanted list

Monday 20 November 2023 14:03 , Andy Gregory

Russia has placed the 2016 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest on its wanted list.

An Interior Ministry database lists Ukrainian singer Susana Jamaladinova – who uses the stage name Jamala, and is of Crimean Tatar descent – as being sought for violating a criminal law, Russian state news agencies reported.

She won the Eurovision contest with the song “1944,” whose title refers to the year the Soviet Union deported Crimean Tatars en masse. Russia protested the song being allowed in the competition, saying it violated rules against political speech. But the song made no specific criticism of Russia or the Soviet Union.

The independent news site Mediazona said Ms Jamaladinova was charged under a Russian law adopted last year to outlaw the spread of so-called fake information about the Ukraine war.

Watch: Lazarus Project star says series predicted Russia-Ukraine war

Monday 20 November 2023 13:35 , Andy Gregory

Top Ukrainian cyber defence officials sacked amid corruption probe

Monday 20 November 2023 13:22 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine has sacked two high-ranking cyber defence officials amid a probe into alleged embezzlement, a senior government official said.

Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP), and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were dismissed by the government, cabinet chief Taras Melnychuk said on Monday.

The firings coincided with an announcement by anti-corruption prosecutors that they were investigating officials in cyber defence positions over their alleged roles in a six-person plot to embezzle 62 million Ukrainian hryvnia (£1.38m) in 2021.

Prosecutors did not identify either official by name, and the SSSCIP did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.

Jailed Russian nationalist Girkin hopes to challenge Putin in presidential elections

Monday 20 November 2023 12:56 , Andy Gregory

Pro-war Russian nationalist Igor Girkin has announced that he wants to run for president – despite understanding the upcoming March election will be “sham” with the winner already clear.

Mr Girkin – who is in custody awaiting trial for inciting extremism – has repeatedly said Russia faces revolution and even civil war unless Vladimir Putin’s military top brass fight the war in Ukraine more effectively.

A former FSB officer who helped annex Crimea in 2014 and organise pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, Mr Girkin said before his arrest that he and his supporters were entering politics.

“I understand perfectly well that in the current situation in Russia, participating in the presidential campaign is like sitting down at a table to play with card sharps,” he said in a letter published on Telegram entitled: “I am going to run.”

Mr Girkin said that he did not think that he would be allowed to take part in the election, but hoped that his attempt to unite patriotic forces would disrupt the Kremlin’s plan for a “sham election” in which “the only winner is known in advance”.

Analysis | Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – now is not the moment for the West to turn away

Monday 20 November 2023 12:27 , Andy Gregory

In this Independent Voices piece, James Nixey – director of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme – writes:

When Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was fooled recently by two well-known Russian “comics” – surely paid-up Kremlin agents – into saying she was “tired” of the war in Ukraine and that everyone would soon be looking for a “way out”, too many of her counterparts in the West would have tacitly agreed (and perhaps sympathised: she is hardly the first to be pranked by these two).

But Ms Meloni deserves no sympathy. She thought she was talking to the head of the African Union Commission so this should have been a chance to exercise statecraft and reason with the supposed representative from the Global South and argue that Russia’s war in Ukraine is nothing if not colonialist itself – a desperate attempt to maintain its empire.

But Ms Meloni’s admission was worse than just not showing moral leadership. She was also playing into Russia’s hands by parroting its narrative: being tired and looking for a way out of the war is precisely what Vladimir Putin now wants from the Western world.

Nato concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia

Monday 20 November 2023 11:58 , Andy Gregory

Jens Stoltenberg has said Nato is concerned by secessionist rhetoric and Russian influence in Bosnia, after months of Serb leaders increasingly saying they want to split and join Serbia.

Bosnia emerged from civil war in 1995 with a federal structure uniting a Serb-dominated republic and a federation of Croats and Bosniak Muslims. But the leader of Serbian entity, Milorad Dodik, has increasingly said in recent months that he aims to secede and join neighbouring Serbia.

“We are concerned by secessionist and divisive rhetoric as well as ... foreign interference including Russia,” the Nato chief told reporters in Sarajevo, during a tour of the western Balkans region.

“This undermines the stability and hampers reform,” Mr Stoltenberg said, adding that all political leaders must work to preserve unity, build national institutions and achieve reconciliation.

Nato had deployed about 60,000 troops in Bosnia after the war, which were replaced by an EU peacekeeping force in 2004. Last year, the EU almost doubled its size to 1,100 troops, amid fears that instability from the Ukraine war could spill over to the western Balkans.

Putin to address G20 summit this week, Kremlin says

Monday 20 November 2023 11:15 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin will set out Russia’s view of what it sees as the “deeply unstable world situation” when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit, the Kremlin has said.

Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the “first event in a long time” including both the Russian president and Western leaders.

According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.

Russia relying on penal recruits to stem increase in deserters on Donetsk frontline, Ukraine claims

Monday 20 November 2023 11:06 , Andy Gregory

Growing numbers of Russian soldiers are deserting the frontline in Donetsk, Ukraine’s military has claimed as it braces for a long-awaited “third wave” of attacks by Moscow’s forces in Avdiivka.

The Institute for Study of War think-tank cited Ukrainian Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun as saying that Russia may soon intensify artillery preparations for the new wave of assaults on the strategically key city.

Moscow’s forces have not actively used heavy military equipment Avdiivka in recent days, have decreased aviation use in the area, and are increasingly using infantry, he said, claiming that Russia’s significant losses mean only 10 to 15 percent of some detachments’ original personnel remain.

In remarks on Sunday, Mr Shtupun claimed there were growing numbers of Russian deserters and personnel who refuse to conduct offensive operations, leading Russian commanders to use physical force and barrier troops to push Russian forces to fight, with an increased reliance on mobilised reservists and penal recruits.

EU sanctions tend to have ‘boomerang effect’, Russia claims

Monday 20 November 2023 10:54 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has claimed that European Union sanctions tend to have a “boomerang effect”, as Moscow faces the prospect of an EU ban on imports of Russian diamonds.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that such a move had been anticipated for a long time, but was likely to backfire.

“As a rule, it turns out that a boomerang effect is partially triggered: the interests of the Europeans themselves suffer. So far, we have been able to find ways to minimise the negative consequences of sanctions,” he claimed.

EU diplomatic sources told Reuters last week that the proposal under discussion was to ban direct diamond imports from Russia from 1 January, and to implement a traceability mechanism by March which would prevent imports of Russian gems processed in third countries.

Exclusive: Andriy Shevchenko urges the world not to forget Ukraine

Monday 20 November 2023 10:29 , Andy Gregory

On the morning of 24 February 2022 – a date etched in every Ukrainian’s mind – Andriy Shevchenko was woken by a phone call from his mother. She told him through tears that Russia was invading. Shevchenko was in London, where he lives with his wife and four sons; his mother and wider family were in Ukraine, under attack.

Shevchenko has barely slept since. “It’s almost impossible,” he says. “It’s going to be almost two years since the full war started, and every day I wake up, check the phone – what’s the news? Are we going to be attacked in Kyiv? Are we going to be attacked in a different city? How many drones? How many rockets? Where have the rockets hit? And then, talking to my friends – who’s dead? It’s a normal day for us.”

Shevchenko is using his platform as one of Europe’s greatest footballers, a Ballon d’Or winner and a Chelsea cult hero to keep the spotlight on Ukraine at a time when the world’s attention has turned to the Middle East. In the West, the initial shock caused by Russia’s invasion has subsided, and a sense of normalisation has crept in. He is understandably worried that Ukraine’s cause might be forgotten.

“I hope not,” he says. “Because for us, it’s everything. For us, it’s exist or not exist.”

Our senior sports writer Lawrence Ostlere has the full exclusive interview here:

Andriy Shevchenko on Ukraine: ‘Every day I wake up, check the phone. Who’s dead?’

Kremlin ‘deeply regrets’ Finland’s border closures

Monday 20 November 2023 10:08 , Andy Gregory

The Kremlin has said it deeply regrets Finland’s decision to close crossings along the two countries’ vast border on Saturday.

Finland closed four crossings on Saturday in a bid to halt the flow of asylum-seekers, having accused Moscow of funnelling migrants to the frontier in retaliation for Helsinki’s ascension to Nato and increased Western military cooperation since the invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied Finland’s accusation on Monday and insisted that Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules.

Asked about the closure of the four crossings, Mr Peskov told reporters: “This causes nothing but deep regret, because we had long-standing, very good relations with Finland, pragmatic, based on mutual respect.

“And of course, we regret that these relations were replaced by such an exclusively Russophobic position, which the leaders of this country began to espouse,” he said.

Moscow protest shows lengthy Russian deployments to frontline ‘unsustainable’, says UK

Monday 20 November 2023 09:44 , Andy Gregory

Protests in Moscow by the wives of Russian soldiers show that their lengthy deployments to the front line are increasingly viewed as unsustainable, Britain’s Ministry of Defence suggested.

Russian wives and mothers have been making daily online appeals protesting against the conditions of their loved ones’ service since the invasion of Ukraine last February.

“However, Russia’s draconian legislation has so far prevented troops’ relatives from coalescing into an influential lobbying force, as soldiers’ mothers did during the Afghan-Soviet War of the 1980s,” said the ministry”.

But on 7 November, they held a rare street protest in Moscow’s central Teatralnya Square, unfurling banners demanding the rotation of their partners away from the frontline.

Police broke up the protest within minutes, according to the ministry, which added: “However, the protestors’ immediate demand is notable.

“The apparently indefinitely extended combat deployments of personnel without rotation is increasingly seen as unsustainable by both the troops themselves and by their relatives.”

US defence secretary’s visit to Kyiv is his first since early months of war

Monday 20 November 2023 09:21 , Andy Gregory

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today, as he pushes to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine.

Mr Austin travelled by train from Poland, and is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials.

It marks his second trip to Kyiv – with his first having taken place in April 2022, just two months after Russia’s invasion.

Two killed in Kherson after Russia shells parking lot, officials say

Monday 20 November 2023 08:55 , Andy Gregory

Two people have been killed this morning after Russian forces shelled a parking lot in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to officials.

Regional prosecutors said they had opened a war-crimes investigation into the artillery strike, which occurred at around 9am and injured one other person.

Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the two dead were drivers for “a private transport business”.

Images posted on Telegram showed firefighters dousing cars that had been blasted apart, one day after a separate strike on the city wounded five people, including a 3-year-old girl.

Russian forces have regularly shelled Kherson from across the Dnipro River since the city was liberated last November by Ukrainian troops – who are now seeking to push Moscow’s troops away from the river after establishing a foothold on the opposite bank.

Second drone in as many days shot down near Moscow as Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on capitals

Monday 20 November 2023 08:29 , Andy Gregory

Russia and Ukraine sent drones targeting each other’s capital cities over the weekend in signs of renewed intensity for their aerial warfare, my colleague Arpan Rai reports.

Drones were shot down on both Saturday and Sunday in areas around Kyiv and Moscow. Air defence systems for both sides intercepted attacks and no casualties were reported.

Multiple drones that were heading for Moscow and Russia’s border areas on Sunday were downed by Russian air defence systems over the weekend, officials said.

Kyiv has promised to wage a major drone campaign against Russia this winter, as bad weather conditions make it difficult to conduct operations on the ground.

Russia under Ukraine’s drone attack for two nights in row as Moscow remains on target

Zelensky dismisses Ukraine’s military medical chief

Monday 20 November 2023 08:11 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Major General Tetiana Ostashchenko as the commander of Ukraine’s medical forces, as he demanded rapid changes in the operations of the country’s military medical system.

“In today’s meeting with defence minister [Rustem] Umerov, priorities were set,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Sunday. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

He added: “The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers.”

A wide range of improvements are needed, Mr Zelensky said – from better tourniquets, to improvements in digitalisation and communication.

Ms Ostashchenko was replaced by Major General Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, head of a military clinic in Kyiv.

US defence secretary arrives in Kyiv

Monday 20 November 2023 07:45 , Andy Gregory

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin has arrived for a visit in Kyiv.

I just arrived in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian leaders. I’m here today to deliver an important message – the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine in their fight for freedom against Russia’s aggression, both now and into the future. pic.twitter.com/1D96aeeACl — Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 20, 2023

Two killed as grenade explodes in Kyiv apartment

Monday 20 November 2023 07:26 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian soldier and a woman died when a grenade exploded in an apartment in Kyiv, injuring a second man, police said.

Explosives technicians and investigators were working at the scene of Sunday’s explosion in the Dniprovskiy district, Kyiv police said in a statement.

“A citizen contacted the police with a report that an explosion rang out in a neighbouring apartment,” they added.

Earlier this month, an aide to Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, died when a grenade given to him as a birthday gift blew up.

An orphaned teenager who was taken to Russia early in the Ukraine war is back home with relatives

Monday 20 November 2023 07:00 , Holly Evans

An orphaned Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia last year during the war in his country returned home after being reunited with relatives in Belarus on his 18th birthday Sunday.

Bohdan Yermokhin was pictured embracing family members in Minsk in photographs shared on social media by Russia’s children’s rights ombudswoman, Maria Lvova-Belova.

Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, confirmed that Yermokhin had arrived back in Ukraine and shared a photo of him with a Ukrainian flag. Yermak thanked UNICEF and Qatari negotiators for facilitating Yermokhin’s return.

Read the full article here

Putin could face new war crime case as evidence suggests starvation of Ukraine was pre-planned

Monday 20 November 2023 05:30 , Holly Evans

Russia was actively preparing to steal grain supplies and starve the Ukrainian population of food for months before Vladimir Putin ordered last year’s invasion, according to new evidence compiled by human rights experts.

When Russian tanks did roll across the border on 24 February 2022 they deliberately targeted grain-rich areas and food production infrastructure first, the new report by international human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance found.

GRC found that Russia’s defence contractor began purchasing trucks to transport grain, as well as three new 170-metre bulk carrier cargo ships, as early as December 2021, evidence of advance planning for the pillage of Ukrainian food resources “on an unprecedented scale”.

Putin could face new war crime case over ‘planned’ starvation of Ukraine

Wife of twice-poisoned Briton held in Kremlin prison fears ‘time is running out’

Monday 20 November 2023 04:30 , Holly Evans

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him.

Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage.

The Vladimir Putin critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine .

Zelensky calls for rapid operation changes and sacks commander

Monday 20 November 2023 03:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday demanded rapid changes in the operations of Ukraine’s military and announced the dismissal of the commander of the military’s medical forces.

Zelensky’s move was announced as he met Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, and coincided with debate over the conduct of the 20-month-old war against Russia, with questions over how quickly a counteroffensive in the east and south is proceeding.

“In today’s meeting with Defence Minister Umerov, priorities were set,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “There is little time left to wait for results. Quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.”

Zelensky said he had replaced Major-General Tetiana Ostashchenko as commander of the Armed Forces Medical Forces.

“The task is clear, as has been repeatedly stressed in society, particularly among combat medics, we need a fundamentally new level of medical support for our soldiers,” he said.

This, he said, included a range of issues -- better tourniquets, digitalisation and better communication.

Umerov acknowledged the change on the Telegram messaging app and set as top priorities digitalisation, “tactical medicine” and rotation of servicemen.

Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion

Monday 20 November 2023 02:30 , Holly Evans

Kamianka lies in a charming valley of bright flowers and lush trees. It used to be portrayed as a model village for a contented life in rural idyll. It was also a place of archaeological and geological lure, with its rare bronze age and Scythian sites and Jurassic limestone cliffs attracting visitors from afar.

The settlement , set in a sleepy hollow, was established in the 18th century by a count from the Tsar of Russia ’s court who had returned from Britain with new methods of farming and an English bride. Keen to put his new knowledge into practice, he allocated land, built a mill, constructed roads and funded a church and a school.

But Kamianka, in eastern Ukraine , also has a dark history of violence.

Read the full article from Kim Sengupta here

Russia’s plan B in Ukraine is working – now is not the moment for the West to turn away

Monday 20 November 2023 01:30 , Holly Evans

hen Italy ’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni , was fooled recently by two well-known Russian “comics” – surely paid-up Kremlin agents – into saying she was “tired” of the war in Ukraine and that everyone would soon be looking for a “way out”, too many of her counterparts in the West would have tacitly agreed (and perhaps sympathised: she is hardly the first to be pranked by these two).

But Ms Meloni deserves no sympathy. She thought she was talking to the head of the African Union Commission so this should have been a chance to exercise statecraft and reason with the supposed representative from the Global South and argue that Russia ’s war in Ukraine is nothing if not colonialist itself – a desperate attempt to maintain its empire.

Russia, with an abundance of chutzpah and an absence of shame, claims that it is the West that is being colonialist in forcing its designs on Kyiv (even supposedly “Nazi-ruled Kyiv”). You have to apply to join Nato and the EU, of course, but facts like these are irrelevant.

Read the full article from James Nixey here

Moscow mayor says air defence units intercept drone targeting city

Monday 20 November 2023 00:30 , Holly Evans

Air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the city on Sunday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east had intercepted the drone.

According to preliminary information, falling debris resulting from the operation had caused no casualties or damage, Sobyanin said.

UK defence ministry say ‘few immediate prospects’ for change along front line

Sunday 19 November 2023 23:30 , Holly Evans

Russian drones have targeted Kyiv as the British Defence Ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian front line as the war enters its second winter.

Russia launched 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, targeting the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement.

Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems shot down 15 of the drones.

He said that the drones attacked Kyiv from different directions in waves that were “constantly changing vectors”.

Preliminary reports indicated no casualties or critical damage, he said.

Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border due to Polish drivers' blockade

Sunday 19 November 2023 22:30 , Holly Evans

bout 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said.

Polish truckers earlier this month blocked roads to three border crossings with Ukraine to protest against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials said last week Kyiv and Warsaw had again failed to reach an agreement to stop the protest.

For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water, and fuel. Ukraine cares about its people wherever they are. Our team has already gone to the border and is… pic.twitter.com/kzn1KGLrug — Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) November 19, 2023

“For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water and fuel,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Ukraine’s Prime Minister, said on X, formerly Twitter.

He said trucks were backed up more than 30 kms (18.6 miles)towards the Yahodyn crossing, more than 10 kms towards Rava-Ruska, and more than 16 kms towards the Krakivets crossing.

Russia and Iran call for ceasefire in Gaza

Sunday 19 November 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Russia and Iran’s foreign ministers on Sunday called for a ceasefire in Gaza and said that urgent assistance must be given to the civilian population there.

Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the request of Tehran.

“During the conversation, main attention was focused on the current situation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Ukrainian teen returns to Ukraine after being taken to Russia from occupied Mariupol

Sunday 19 November 2023 20:39 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving the country earlier this year returned to Ukraine on Sunday.

Bohdan Yermokhin, who turned 18 on Sunday, appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this month to help bring him back to Ukraine. In March, he tried to leave Russia for Ukraine via Belarus, but was stopped and sent back.

“I believed I would be in Ukraine, but not on this day,” Yermokhin told Reuters while eating at a petrol station after crossing into Ukraine.

“This is a very pleasant gift, to put it in the right way. The emotions are overwhelming, all good, with the notion that Ukraine needs me.”

Zelenskiy welcomed Yermokhin’s return in his nightly video address.

“Many attempts were made to help him. I am happy everything worked out,” he said, expressing thanks to Ukrainian officials, international organisations, and particularly the U.N. Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and authorities in Qatar for help in mediation.

Hungary’s Orban says Ukraine ‘light years away’ from joining EU

Sunday 19 November 2023 19:30 , Athena Stavrou

Hungary’s prime minister has said Ukraine is “light years away” from joining the European Union, further signalling that his government is likely to present a roadblock to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the bloc.

Speaking at a biannual congress of his nationalist Fidesz party, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he and his government would “resist” talks scheduled for mid-December on whether to formally invite Ukraine to start membership negotiations.

Admitting a new country requires unanimous approval from all existing member countries, giving Mr Orban a powerful veto.

Mr Orban said afterwards that standing in the way of Ukraine joining the EU would be one of his government’s top priorities in the coming months.

“Our task will be to correct the mistaken promise to start negotiations with Ukraine, since Ukraine is now light years away from the European Union,” Mr Orban said.

ICYMI: In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows

Sunday 19 November 2023 18:45 , Athena Stavrou

Russia under President Vladimir Putin has been closing in on those who challenge the Kremlin. Protesters and activists have been arrested or imprisoned, independent news outlets have been silenced, and various groups have been added to registers of “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations.”

The crackdown has been going on for years.

Full report:

In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows

Ukraine ‘preparing for winter attacks'

Sunday 19 November 2023 18:00 , Athena Stavrou

Ukraine is preparing for further attacks on their energy grid this winter.

In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian president Zelensky said that the “closer we are to winter, the more Russians will try to make the strikes more powerful.”

Zelenksy has previously raised concerns over Russian attacks on Ukraines energy grid - which became a prime target last year.

Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, the head of energy firm Ukrenergo, told local media: “All of us energy workers and defence forces are preparing to repel possible Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure this winter.”

Thousands of Ukrainian children forcefully taken to Belarus via Russia, study finds

Sunday 19 November 2023 17:15 , Athena Stavrou

Thousands of children from Ukraine aged between six and 17 years old have been forcefully transferred to 13 facilities across Belarus since Russia ‘s invasion last year , a study by Yale University has found.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health found that the transfer of 2,442 children was “directly overseen” by Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko – a key ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin .

Ukrainian teen who was taken to Russia from occupied Mariupol returns to Ukraine

Sunday 19 November 2023 16:30 , Athena Stavrou

A Ukrainian teenager who was taken to Russia from the occupied city of Mariupol during the war and prevented from leaving the country earlier this year returned to Ukraine on Sunday.

Ukraine says 20,000 children have been illegally transferred to Russia since the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, with some being put up for adoption. Kyiv says this is a war crime, an allegation denied by Russia, which says it was protecting children in a war zone.

Yermokhin, an orphan from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol that was captured by Moscow’s troops during the first year of the war, was taken to Russia and placed in a foster family in the Moscow region.

On Sunday, Reuters correspondents at Kortelisy, a Ukrainian village near the border with Belarus, saw Yermokhin driven into Ukraine from the border in a van. Asked if he was glad to be back in Ukraine, Yermokhin said “yes”.

🇺🇦Bohdan Yermokhin is in Ukraine! Together with other state authorities, the team of the Office of the Ombudsman worked out a way to return the boy within the framework of the implementation of the approved @bkb_ua action plan of the President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/0wGh9fQtI4 — Dmytro Lubinets (@lubinetzs) November 19, 2023

Putin to take part in G20 summit

Sunday 19 November 2023 15:45 , Athena Stavrou

Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to take part in a virtual G20 summit next week, according to local media.

The conference is set to be hosted by India and happen on Wednesday, as reported by Russian news agency TASS, citing the TV channel ‘Russia-1’.

Putin did not attend the last two G20 meetings in India in September and Indonesia last year. He has taken few trips outside Russia since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

Latest pictures from Ukraine

Sunday 19 November 2023 15:03 , Athena Stavrou

Sunday 19 November 2023 14:20 , Athena Stavrou

Despite slow progress, the War in Ukraine has not reached a stalemate.

Ukraine’s forces can only win if the West shows a renewed commitment to forcing Russia out, James Nixey writes:

Around 3,000 trucks stuck at Ukrainian border

Sunday 19 November 2023 13:19 , Athena Stavrou

About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said.

“For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water and fuel,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Ukraine‘s Prime Minister, said on X, formerly Twitter.

Ukrainian grain brokers said last week Ukraine‘s shipments of food by road decreased 2.7% in the first 13 days of November due to difficulties on the Polish border caused by a drivers’ strike.

Sunday 19 November 2023 12:05 , Athena Stavrou

The Ukrainian army said on Sunday that it has pushed Russian forces back “three to eight kilometres” from the banks of Dnipro river.

If confirmed, it would be the first meaningful advance by Kyiv’s forces months into a disappointing counteroffensive.

“Preliminary figures vary from three to eight kilometres, depending on the specifics, geography and landscape design of the left bank,” army spokeswoman Natalia Gumenyuk told Ukrainian television Sunday, without specifying whether Ukraine’s military had complete control of the area or if the Russians had retreated.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been entrenched on opposite sides of the vast waterway in the southern Kherson region for more than a year, after Russia withdrew its troops from the western bank last November.

Ukrainian forces have staged multiple attempts to cross and hold positions on the Russian-controlled side -- with officials in Kyiv finally reporting a “successful” breakthrough last week.

‘Greater fighting capacity' of Ukrainian recruits trained by UK

Sunday 19 November 2023 11:54 , Athena Stavrou

A Ukrainian military spokesperson has said recruits trained in the UK’s Interflex training course have a “greater fighting capacity”.

Operation Interflex was launched by the UK Armed Forces in June 2022 to develop and better prepare Ukrainian soldiers. Recruits spend five weeks in the UK receiving intense training.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 30,000 Ukrainians have been trained through Op Interflex.

They shared a comment from a Ukrainian armed forces spokesperson that said: “We notice the greater fighting capacity of the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who completed the Interflex training course.”

"We notice the greater fighting capacity of the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who completed the Interflex training course."- Maj Gen Oleksii Taran, Armed Forces of Ukraine. 30,000 Ukrainians have been trained through Op Interflex. 🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/S2Z3nvUe4L — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) November 19, 2023

Five hurt in Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine says

Sunday 19 November 2023 10:56 , Athena Stavrou

Five people including a 3-year-old girl were injured in Russian artillery shelling of Kherson on Sunday morning, Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.

“All of them sustained shrapnel wounds. The child and the grandmother were walking in the yard. Enemy artillery hit them near the entrance,” Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russian troops abandoned Kherson and the western bank of the Dnipro River in the region late last year, but now regularly shell those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

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