Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid & Geopolitics News
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Table of Contents 📖
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"The strength of Russia is being forged in the furnace of dying Ukrainians."
Hello Team!
- This is the second part of the Ukraine War News Update for November 26, 2023. The first part was posted on Jonathan's other channel due to YouTube restrictions.
Aid to Ukraine
- UNICEF plans to allocate $450 million to support frontline communities in Ukraine, including setting up bomb shelters, restoring water supply, and general support. Children are still living in incredibly challenging circumstances along the frontlines.
- Switzerland will provide Ukraine aid worth 100 million Swiss francs (about €103.5 million), including 10 ambulances and 6 fire trucks to replace damaged ones.
- The EU is pledging €50 million to restore Ukrainian ports. Lithuania is contributing €2 million to the Grain from Ukraine initiative.
- $100 million has been donated at the Grain from Ukraine summit on the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor to help prevent Russia from exacerbating food insecurity.
- Several countries are supporting the Grain from Ukraine initiative, including Portugal (€5 million), Norway (250 million kroner / $23.5 million), Italy, Croatia, Denmark, and Austria (€3.8 million). This is important for Ukraine's economic future and global food security.
Grain Corridor Protection
- There is speculation about what vessels Ukraine will be given to protect grain ship convoys, possibly Mark 6 patrol boats. This is needed because Russia has attacked civilian infrastructure, ports and boats.
- President Zelensky said Ukraine would be supplied with vessels to accompany cargo ship convoys from Ukrainian ports to guarantee their safety, using foreign equipment but operated by Ukrainians.
- Jonathan questions whether this would attract more Russian attacks compared to letting civilian vessels go unaccompanied. Ukraine is a major grain exporter and has been using unilateral Black Sea corridors since Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered grain deal.
Russian Air Defense Movements
- The UK Defense Intelligence update noted exceptional Russian air transport movements through November 2023, suggesting Russia has likely moved strategic air defense systems from Kaliningrad to Ukraine to backfill recent losses of SA-21 systems.
- This indicates Russia is desperate for these systems after suffering degradation, as the Ukrainian General Staff has claimed. Russia appears willing to accept additional risk in Kaliningrad, one of its most strategically sensitive regions, highlighting how overstretched the war has left some of its key modern capabilities.
Tech Aid for Ukraine
- Tech giant Cisco has built devices to help Kyiv ward off cyberattacks on its power grid, stating "fighting the good fight isn't just about cybersecurity, it's about doing the right thing."
- Jonathan emphasizes this shows Ukraine are the "good guys" and Russia the "bad guys", and it's obvious to anyone without a faulty moral compass.
Russian Conscription Changes
- The Russian government has extended the upper age limit for conscription from 27 to 30, effective January 1, 2024. This allows Russia to conscript people who weren't caught in initial waves for another 3 years and increase conscription quotas.
- Russia has previously changed health and age limits for mobilization and conscription, indicating their desperation for more troops.
Migrants at Finland Border
- Tent camps and temporary accommodation are being set up for migrants at the Russian-Finland border. The governor of the Murmansk region said foreigners attempted to illegally break through into Finland on November 22.
- Jonathan notes Russia has been paying migrants to go to certain borders to challenge social cohesion and stability in those countries, as seen previously with Belarus and the Baltics. With Finland closing the border, the build-up of migrants may now pose a challenge for Russia.
Ukraine's Israel Dilemma
- Ukraine is in a difficult position regarding Israel and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Supporting Israel risks losing support from Arab countries and the "Global South" who see Israel as committing war crimes in Gaza. But criticizing Israel could expose Ukraine to accusations of anti-Semitism amplified by Russian propaganda painting Ukraine as a neo-Nazi state.
- Ukraine has previously both supported and criticized Israel. It likely hopes better relations could lead to Israeli weapons, and wants to align with the West which mostly supports Israel. But Israel has refused to send military aid, not wanting to risk its cooperation with Russia in Syria or have its weapons end up with Iran.
- Experts suggest Ukraine's best short-term strategy is to avoid radical steps supporting either side. Long-term, Ukraine may need a foreign policy more autonomous from the West to build partnerships deterring Russia in non-Western regions. Opportunities like India firmly siding with Israel could allow Ukraine to sway a key BRICS country.
Biden's Holodomor Statement
- On the Holodomor genocide commemoration day, U.S. President Biden compared Russia's actions in Ukraine to Stalin's famine, stating Putin is deliberately targeting Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure as Stalin did, hurting the world's most vulnerable for Russia's profit.
- Biden recommitted to preventing suffering, protecting freedoms, and responding to human rights abuses, standing united with Ukraine. This strong messaging keeps Ukraine at the top of the U.S. agenda.
U.S. Funding for Ukraine and Israel
- After Thanksgiving, the U.S. House and Senate will return to the issue of additional funding for Ukraine and Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would support a vote on funding for Ukraine along with border protection, while insisting on separate funding for Israel.
- Jonathan strongly dislikes Johnson as a "Christian nationalist" who advocates for a theocracy over the Constitution, seeing him as anti-democratic and problematic on Ukraine. He urges sorting the funding out soon.
Russian Fascist Rhetoric
- Every day, Russian TV propagandists spout genocidal fascist rhetoric, making it clear they are the "bad guys." In a chilling example, Professor Sergei Luzianin compared Russia's slaughter of Ukrainians to "a giant, which burns them up in that fire" to forge "the strong and pure steel of a Russian nation."
- While this is one of the most grotesque narratives recently, Jonathan notes equally terrible ones, like justifying burning and drowning Ukrainian children. Such rhetoric is despicable.
Wrap Up
- Jonathan thanks viewers for supporting the channel and gives shout-outs to several individuals: Axel Grammersdorf, Mark Beckson, F David Davis, Jörg Prinslin, Alice Dobrovich, Gary Knapp, Matt Kirk, John Eva Helgeson, and Rob Travis Photography.
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