WAR IN UKRAINE: November 20, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 270
Rishi Sunak has pledged £50m in defence aid to Ukraine as he met President Volodymyr Zelensky in his first visit to Kyiv since becoming prime minister. The £50m defence aid comprises 125 anti-aircraft guns and technology to counter deadly Iranian-supplied drones, including dozens of radars and anti-drone electronic warfare capability. Mr Sunak also announced the UK will increase the training offer to Ukraine's armed forces, sending expert army medics and engineers to the region to offer specialised support - BBC
Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported on Nov. 19 that Russian forces fired at a humanitarian distribution point giving out bread in Bilozerka, Kherson Oblast, injuring five people - Kyiv Independent
The number of Russian inmates plummeted by 23,000 in just two months, apparently due to the Kremlin-backed private military company Wagner Group's recruitment of the prisoners to fight in Ukraine - Mediazona
Ukraine has restored train service to the newly recaptured southern city of Kherson, and Ukrainian forces face fierce fighting in eastern Donbas, where Russian troops have intensified their push on several fronts - RFE/RL
Yesterday, Russian forces fired at a humanitarian distribution point giving out bread in Bilozerka, Kherson Oblast, injuring five people. Separately, Kherson residents say that Russian forces used a pretrial detention center to interrogate and torture locals. Some say they heard screams coming from the building. A RFL/RL correspondent visited Kherson and spoke with people about what life was like under Russian occupation.
In what should be seen as a welcome sign of return of normalcy to Ukraine, a group of seven foreign students (four Nigerian, two Nepalese and one Indian) crossed into the country from Moldova (they were on my bus from Chișinău to Odesa). The Indian national told me he was returning for the first time since the war started to write his medical exams.
Ukraine hosted tens of thousands of foreign students - many coming here from developing countries for an affordable and quality post-secondary education - up until Russia’s full-scale invasion in February. When they fled many experienced difficulties - some claiming segregation and racism - reaching the border and the stories generated worldwide headlines. At the time, the government moved quickly to clean up the chaos, including help lines. The Indian medical student said he faced no problems leaving in February.
Required listening…
"There are many other people in the chain of command that were involved in the downing of the plane, people even higher up than those charged today. They are yet to be charged and convicted."
Listen to my interview about the MH17 trial verdict on ABC Australia Radio RN Breakfast here