Good morning from a very white Kyiv, where heavy snowfall all day Sunday has given the city a bit of a festive feel, albeit one that reminds everybody of the challenge ahead this winter as temperatures plummet.
It was a quiet weekend with no Russian attacks and no air raid sirens in the capital, but Ukraine’s central army command reported that civilian objects in Dnipropetrovsk Region had been hit by four missiles.
What’s happening today?
This morning is all about looking at the week ahead, with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning Russia will launch another wave of mass-missile attacks soon “for sure” and urging people to prepare as best they can and look out for the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
“The upcoming week can be as hard as the one that just passed,” Zelensky said during his daily televised address on Sunday, Nov. 27.
You can read the full story here.
Any other news I need to know about?
Of course, here’s a roundup of the morning’s top stories:
- Bomb shelter signs have appeared on the streets of Russian cities near the border with Ukraine as well as in more far-flung locations, according to The Moscow Times.
- The U.S. Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet demand for more arms, Reuters reports.
- The mayor of Kyiv, former professional boxer Vitali Klitschko, has traded rhetorical punches with Ukraine’s president over how to help residents withstand power cuts, Sky News reports.
- And if you missed it on Sunday, Kyiv Post has a little report on how Black Friday played out in Kyiv.
What’s the situation on the front lines?
In his daily address on Sunday evening, Zelensky said the situation at the front “remains very difficult”, adding: “Most of all – in Donetsk Region, as in previous weeks.” He provided no further details.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) focuses on the current situation in Kherson which, despite being liberated earlier this month, is now subject to regular nearly shelling from Russian artillery.
“On 24 November 2022 alone, 10 people were killed,” the MoD writes. “The city is vulnerable because it remains in range of most of Russia’s artillery systems, now firing from the east bank of the Dnipro River, from the rear of newly consolidated defensive lines.”
Kyiv Post last week reported on the case of Lada Koslovska who stayed in Kherson throughout the Russian occupation of her city but is now fleeing in large part due to the increased shelling.
The Institute for the Study of War’s daily assessment covers a multitude of topics, most notably:
- The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian officials are preparing for another wave of covert mobilization starting on Dec. 10 in the Russian Federation and in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
- Russian sources reported that Ukrainian troops continued counteroffensive operations toward Svatove and Kreminna.
- Russian occupation officials continued to forcibly transfer Ukrainian children from occupied territories in Luhansk Region to Russia under the guise that the children require special medical care.
