War in Ukraine. Daily update. Day 267-268 [17-18.10.2022, 10.00 am]🇯🇵

Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk, Maryana Zaviyska, Anna Dovha

Photo: Dnipropetrovsk State Administration

Cities under attack.

On the morning of November 17, the Russian military again massively shelled the territory of Ukraine. Oleksiy Chernyshov, the head of the board of JSC “Naftogaz of Ukraine” confirmed that on November 17, Russia carried out a massive attack on the gas production infrastructure in the east of Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk region. At night on November 16, the Russian invaders shelled the city of Nikopol where 10 private houses, household buildings, cars, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged. The next night, on November 17, Nikopol was heavily attacked again. As a result, 20 high rise and private houses, around 10 household buildings, a college, cars, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged. In the morning, the Russian military attacked the city of Dnipro. An industrial enterprise was struck and a fire broke out there. Residential buildings nearby were damaged. As a result of the attack, 23 people were injured. Kharkiv region. On the night of November 16, the Russian military attacked Vovchansk. As a result, at least 12 private houses, household buildings were damaged. In the morning, the Russian invaders launched a missile attack on the critical infrastructure of the region in Izium district. As a result, 3 workers of the facility were injured. Zaporizhzhia region. On November 17, the Russian invaders launched a missile attack on the settlement of Vilniansk district. 3 rockets struck the civilian buildings. A three-story building was completely destroyed and 7 people were killed there.

Poland.

Ukrainian specialists were allowed to join the investigation of the circumstances of the fall of the missile in Poland, which occurred on November 15 and resulted in the death of two people. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukarine reported that  Ukraine and the US share the view that Russia bears full responsibility for its missile terror and its consequences on the territory of Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova. Meanwhile, all member states of the European Union have expressed their belief that Russia bears direct responsibility for the missile attack on Poland. The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, stated that there is an assumption of a deliberate provocation by Russia aimed at worsening relations between Ukraine and Poland. At the meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to the large-scale shelling of Ukraine and the tragedy in Poland, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that Ukraine and Poland are allegedly trying to bring Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance into a war.

Foreign policy.

On November 15, the Czech Parliament recognized the Russian regime as terrorist. The members of the Parliament condemned the attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine and the key energy infrastructure of the country, which are an obvious attempt to achieve political goals by intimidating the civilian population and correspond to terrorist methods.

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau extended Canada’s training mission of Ukrainian soldiers until the end of 2023.

The Parliament of Ukraine appealed to the G20 states to exclude Russia from the group due to the facts of the purposeful extermination of the population and energy infrastructure of Ukraine, which have an exclusively terrorist purpose. In addition, on November 16, the leaders of the G20 adopted a resolution at the summit in Indonesia, in which they “strongly condemned” Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO countries, the EU and Japan condemned Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine on November 15, and also confirmed their support for Ukraine and their readiness to hold Russia accountable for aggression.

Hungary begins economic cooperation with Iran. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjártó stated that in this way, the country wants to “normalize the situation in the Middle East.”

Israel granted permission to NATO members to supply Ukraine with weapons of its own production: fire control systems and electro-optical systems. In addition, Israel agreed to finance the purchase of “strategic materials” worth millions of dollars for Ukrainian military operations.

Human rights.

During the de-occupation measures, law enforcement officers discovered the bodies of 991 dead civilians in the territories of Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions liberated from the Russian invaders. Also, 3,559 war crimes were documented in these territories. Meanwhile, in Kherson, law enforcement officers discovered another torture chamber where local residents who refused to cooperate with the the Russian occupiers were detained and tortured. 

As of November 16, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 280 children have been reported missing in Ukraine, and the number of children reported missing as a result of hostilities has reached 43.

According to the National Information Bureau, 11,129 children were illegally deported to the territory of the Russian Federation. Of them, 103 children were returned back to Ukraine.

Food security.

On November 17, a decision was made to extend the “Grain Initiative” for 120 days. The United Nations and Turkey remained the guarantors of the Initiative. On the same day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated the need to remove obstacles to the export of grain and fertilizers from the Russian Federation. The same demands were announced by the Russian Federation before.

War crimes prosecution.

The Hague District Court has found Russian citizens Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko guilty in the case involving the crash of a Boeing 777 plane performing flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and in absentia sentenced them to life in prison. However, Russia does not recognize the verdict of the Hague District Court in the case of the crash of the Malaysian Boeing 777 flight MH17 and called the court’s decision “politically motivated.”

Energy security.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that missile strikes are carried out on infrastructure facilities of Ukraine that are directly or indirectly related to its military potential. He also emphasized that the attacks linked to the unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to enter into negotiations. In response, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Nikolenko said: “Dmitry Peskov admitted that Russia is destroying Ukrainian critical infrastructure in order to induce Ukraine to negotiate. This is how ISIS terrorists behave: they kill innocent people to fulfill their demands. Russia acts as a terrorist state.”

IAEA reported that in connection with the latest Russian missile attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, the risk of accidents at all Ukrainian nuclear facilities, which require external electrical power for their normal operation, has increased. Also, as a result of attacks, hourly or emergency power outages were introduced in various regions of Ukraine. Depending on the time, two to four million people remain without electricity.

In response to Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s civil energy infrastructure, the German Federal Foreign Office is securing €1 million in immediate emergency help to be contributed to the Ukrainian Energy Support Fund.

The UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors on Thursday passed its third resolution since the outbreak of war in Ukraine calling on Russia to end all actions at Ukrainian nuclear facilities.

Sanctions.

Canada has imposed sanctions against Iranian officials and institutions responsible for the country’s human rights violations and destabilization of international security. Manufacturers of kamikaze drones, which are used by Russia in the war against Ukraine, came under sanctions.

Digital security.

210 “Starlink” terminals were delivered to liberated Kherson. Due to the first batch of terminals, 5 public Wi-Fi points were launched in the city.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi reported that during the eight months of the war, Ukraine repelled more than 1,300 cyberattacks.

Culture.

Hollywood film studio Warner Bros. banned the broadcasting of her films by Russian TV channels that are part of the National Media Group.

Sport.

Membership in the International Paralympic Committee was suspended for Russia and Belarus. 

Statistics.

  • General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., November 18, 2022: personnel – around 83 460, tanks ‒ 2879, APV ‒  5808, artillery systems – 1865, MLRS – 393, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 209, fixed-wing aircraft – 278, helicopters – 261, operational-tactical level UAV – 1536, cruise missiles – 3480, boats and light speed boats – 16, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers –  4366, special equipment – 161.

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