Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid & Geopolitics News
Table of Contents 📖
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"You can only keep up the fight if they know that we will continue to send"
Hello Team!
Jonathan apologizes for being a bit late with the video due to his partner's parents visiting, which of course means drinking even more tea. He then moves on to discuss the latest military aid and geopolitical news related to the Ukraine war.
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Ukraine shortens equipment delivery times
- Since Nov 1st, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has significantly shortened the terms of delivery of equipment and weapons to the armed forces
- The production cycle is shortened and testing simplified, with the manufacturer determining technical parameters
- This could give Ukraine an advantage over Russia's more cumbersome Soviet-era production and bureaucracy
- It's important for Ukraine to get equipment made and repaired quickly near the front lines
Hrym-2/Sapsan missile
The Hrym-2 (Thunder) missile exists and is being improved according to General Baranov, head of Ukraine's missile forces. He said "the Russians feel it" but wants to keep details secret for now. Jonathan notes this indigenous capability is good for Ukraine.
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Archer self-propelled guns delivered
- 8 Swedish-made Archer self-propelled guns have been delivered to Ukraine, with 4 more coming soon
- The Archer has excellent mobility, accuracy and fire rate - Jonathan shows a video demonstrating how it can deploy, fire 3 rounds and drive off in just 74 seconds
- This war is a big advertising opportunity for defense manufacturers like the makers of the Archer system
M1150 assault breacher vehicle spotted
A US-made M1150 assault breacher vehicle, based on the M1 Abrams chassis, has been spotted in Ukraine for the first time according to @Status_6. The impressive "Mad Max style" vehicle is equipped with a mine plow and line charges for clearing mines and explosives. The delivery was apparently unannounced by Washington.
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More military aid
- The Netherlands pledged €500 million in ammunition to Ukraine over the next 6-7 months. Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said "You can only keep up the fight if they know that we will continue to send" - an important message for Ukraine.
- Germany promised delivery of 25 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 11 Biber bridge layer tanks, 14 Amps armored recovery vehicles, and 13 M1070 Oshkosh tank transporters in the coming weeks.
- Lithuania reaffirmed its readiness to assist Ukraine's energy sector.
- The US announced a $400 million package including ammo for NASAMS air defense, HIMARS, artillery, TOW and Javelin anti-armor systems, and more.
US aid may be scaled back
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said military aid to Ukraine will be scaled back as Congress runs out of previously allocated money. She clarified this is about the supplemental budget that is nearly exhausted, so aid will be smaller packages "for now" until a new budget is passed. It's a "warning shot" to politicians delaying a new aid budget.
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Former Wagner/Stormzed fighters join Ukraine
Breaking news that some former members of the Russian Wagner and Stormzed mercenary groups have joined the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighting alongside Ukraine against Russia. Jonathan is unsure how many have actually done this or if it's partly a psyop.
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Flights to Kaliningrad
@Tim_White reports on regular flights between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad exclave, which are "almost certainly transferring troops and some equipment" onward to Ukraine. This suggests Russia is short on both and is clearing out what they have in Kaliningrad.
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Russia expands military recruitment
A detailed look at how Russian authorities are expanding military recruitment to cover a wide range of "socially vulnerable" groups like migrants, debtors, ex-convicts, the unemployed and more. Officials are under pressure to meet quotas, using coercion and false promises. The aim is to get 305,000 new contract soldiers to make up for losses. Jonathan contrasts this with Ukraine's difficulties getting enough volunteers after 1.5 years of war. While the recruits won't be quality soldiers, Russia can use them for "meat assaults" and doesn't care about the human cost, giving them an advantage in available manpower.
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Israel defends itself at UN
Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan responded to criticism from Russia, saying "Russia is the last one who will teach us" about human rights and international law. He accused Russia of using Hamas attacks to distract from its invasion of Ukraine, calling out the hypocrisy of Russia's position.
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Zelenskyy may visit Israel
According to reports, arrangements are being made for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Israel next week. Jonathan warns this could be a bad move that risks losing support from nations that are more pro-Palestine, even if it pleases Israel. He suggests staying strategically ambiguous and sending a delegation for secret talks instead of an overt visit.
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Erdogan condemns Netanyahu
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over attacks on Gaza, saying "Netanyahu is no longer a person with whom we could have a conversation." He argued the attacks have nothing to do with the Bible or Torah and called for Turkey to be a guarantor in Gaza. Jonathan notes if Zelenskyy is seen as too pro-Israel, it could damage Ukraine's relations with Turkey and other nations that are important allies.
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EU membership bid
@Tim_White reports that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Kyiv "virtually confirms Ukraine will be getting good news next week" on its application for EU membership. There are rumors of an accelerated accession process.
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Peace talks pressure?
An NBC report claims US and European officials are privately telling Ukraine it has until around the end of 2023 to make gains before peace negotiations should begin. However, Shashank Joshi of The Economist thinks this is "overdone" and doesn't reflect high-level views which are more skeptical about negotiating with Russia now. Jonathan agrees that pressuring Ukraine to negotiate would only benefit Russia at this stage.
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Slovakia signals anti-EU stance
In a public display, the new deputy speaker of the Slovak parliament, from a far-right party, removed the EU flag from his office and replaced a portrait of the president with one of Che Guevara. It's a signal of the anti-EU agenda of Slovakia's new government coalition. Jonathan sees it as "left-wing populism" rather than a serious leftist position.
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Wrap up
Jonathan apologizes for any background noise from his daughter's hamster rolling around in its ball. He thanks viewers for watching and reminds them to like, subscribe and share.
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