Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
1. Key developments
- U.S. legislation would require greater scrutiny of the $20 billion in military aid sent by President Biden to Ukraine, and it has bipartisan support, The Post reports. It comes as Republican skeptics call for audits and other accountability measures regarding U.S. assistance.
- Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko pushed back on Zelensky’s criticism from Friday that the local government had not done enough to restore power there. Klitschko said that more than 430 heating centers had been installed in the city and that the president’s remarks had “a political color.” “In Kyiv, we are doing everything we can for the life-support of the capital, for the comfort of its residents,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram.
2. Battleground updates
- A Russian lawmaker says troops don’t have enough doctors or basic supplies, the Associated Press reports. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee of the lower house of parliament, told mothers of soldiers that doctors in medical units “are practically not seen,” the AP reported. Slutsky, who has supported the invasion, said he would discuss the matter with the Russian Defense Ministry.
- Weather is slowing front-line operations in Ukraine, but a consistent ground freeze expected in early December would allow Russian and Ukrainian forces to pick up where they left off, according to the Institute for the Study of Warthink tank.
- Russia is unlikely to make a breakthrough in Ukraine’s south-central Donetsk region, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Sunday, noting that Russian troops have suffered “heavy casualties,” which is likely to hinder their operational advances. Pavlo Kyrylenko, Donetsk’s regional military leader, said two people in the city of Kurakhove were killed by Russian shelling and warned that anyone who stays in Donetsk is putting their life at risk.
- At least two Russian missiles hit a transportation facility in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, the regional governor said Sunday. Valentyn Reznichenko, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said the strikes caused “serious destruction” but gave no further details.
- People were fleeing Kherson in a kilometer-long line of vehicles on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. They told the news outlet they were trying to escape intense shelling in the area a few weeks after Ukraine retook the regional capital. Yaroslav Yanushevych, governor of the Kherson region, urged area businesses with bomb shelters or basements to keep them open for remaining residents.
3. Global impact
- Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei died “suddenly,” the Foreign Ministry said Saturday, without giving the cause of death or any other details. Makei was set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week. Belarus has remained a close ally of the Kremlin throughout the war, with President Alexander Lukashenko hosting Russian troops and equipment, and allowing Russia to use his nation as a launchpad for hundreds of airstrikes against Ukraine.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry paid tribute to Makei, calling him a “true friend” in a statement Sunday. “The leadership and staff of the Russian Foreign Ministry deeply mourn the untimely death of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei,” the ministry said, adding that Lavrov had sent a telegram of condolence to Makei’s wife.
- A Russian advocacy group is urging Russian authorities to end the invasion of Ukraine because of the war’s effects on the economy and domestic violence at home. In a petition posted on Sunday — Russian Mother’s Day — a group called Feminist Anti-War Resistance says Kremlin officials should bring home their countrymen because international sanctions are hurting the economy, which can lead to more domestic violence. On Friday, amid domestic anger over the nine-month war, Russian President Vladimir Putin gathered mothers in a made-for-TV appearance and said Kremlin leaders “share this pain with you and, of course, we will do everything so you do not feel forgotten.”
- Belgium’s prime minister signed a declaration of support for Ukraine’s full membership in NATO as he and the leaders of Poland, Hungary and Lithuania gathered in Kyiv on Saturday, offering a show of support as Ukraine commemorated those who died in the Holodomor, a famine orchestrated by the Soviet Union from 1932 to 1933…..
image….Credit…Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times