WAR IN UKRAINE: November 4, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 254
IAEA inspectors have completed in-field verification activities at three locations in Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian government, and found no indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials, the UN organization said. Russia has accused Ukraine of creating dirty bombs for use in the war. Kyiv invited inspectors in who found nothing.
Once again, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine - Europe’s largest - is running on auxiliary power after the mains power was cut. The plant sits on territory occupied by Russia.
Blackouts continue to plunge Kyiv into darkness, leaving families and businesses struggling without lights or running water. As temperatures drop across Ukraine, Russia's recurrent bombardments are making life more difficult for the millions of people who still live in and around Kyiv -- and raising fears about an arduous winter ahead. Authorities in Kyiv are attempting to prepare, readying about 1,000 "heating points" in schools, kindergartens and other sites across the city in case of an emergency, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said Tuesday - CNN
New York Times: Russian military bloggers criticize Putin for rejoining grain deal. Russia's war hawks took to social media on Nov. 2 to criticize the Kremlin after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's decision to rejoin the Black Sea grain deal to allow grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, the New York Times reports. The paper reported one Yuri Podolyaka as telling his 2.8 million followers on Telegram that “this weakness will have a negative impact on everything: at the front lines, in the rear, in the international arena." Meanwhile, Russian military leaders reportedly discussed use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to the New York Times. Russian military leaders have discussed how and when Moscow might use tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous U.S. intelligence officials. "The conversations alarmed the (President Joe) Biden administration because they showed how frustrated Moscow had become over its battlefield setbacks in Ukraine," the NYT wrote.
Required reading…
Russia hopes a winter wave of Ukrainian refugees will divide Europe
In recent weeks, Russia has launched a campaign of targeted airstrikes against Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure as Moscow seeks to deprive Ukrainians of heating, electricity, and water ahead of the coming winter season. The Kremlin hopes to spark a humanitarian crisis and appears to believe that a new wave of Ukrainian refugees will fuel social tensions within the EU while undermining European support for Ukraine. Europe must be ready to counter Russian efforts to weaponize refugee fatigue.
Since February 24, over 7.7 millionUkrainians have fled Ukraine for safety in countries across Europe, representing by far the largest European refugee crisis since the end of World War II. Ukrainian refugees have overwhelmingly experienced a warm welcome from European governments, humanitarian aid workers, and private citizens alike. Countries across Europe have rightly been commended for their efforts to help Ukrainian refugees, but as numbers have steadily grown, resources and capacity have inevitably become strained.
Read the full Atlantic Council analysis by Kristen Taylor here