The situation at the front
The Russian military continues daily shelling of Kherson and suburban areas. Ukrainian reconnaissance UAVs show that Russian units are building defensive positions along the left bank of the Dnieper and the M-14 highway, Chuck Pfarrer , a war correspondent and former US Navy SEAL, tweeted.
The Russian Ministry of Defense publishes footage of repelling attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station:
It is also reported that the Russians are withdrawing some of their units from Alyoshki in the Kherson region and transferring them to the south.
Fighting continues around Belogorivka (Luhansk region). The WarMonitor project writes that Russian forces are still unsuccessfully attacking the village from two directions. Also, according to the project, the Ukrainian HIMARS hit the railway infrastructure near Ilovaisk (Donetsk region) this night.
WarMapper publishes a map of the hottest point on the front line – Bakhmut (Donetsk region), around which fierce battles are now taking place. Blue indicates residential areas with high population density, green indicates residential areas with low population density, yellow indicates industrial areas, and red indicates the current front line. This distribution of buildings, like the river, will affect city fights if they start.
Video of the battles for Bakhmut, filmed from the Ukrainian side by a CNN journalist:
Russian units are actively fighting for the village of Vodyanoye in the Bakhmut direction:
German journalist Julian Repke writes that in the west of Vodyany, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions from a T-80 tank.
The Russian military is suffering losses and depleting its own forces during the fighting around Bakhmut, according to a summary of the American Institute for the Study of War. Analysts say this shows that they have failed to learn from previous campaigns that focused on operationally insignificant communities.
According to a Def Mon military analyst, there was no reinforcement of Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Bakhmut directions after the liberation of Kherson, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are likely to accumulate strength for another direction of attack:
WarMapper publishes maps illustrating the situation with the liberated territories of Ukraine in early November and early December. In November, the Ukrainian military liberated about 3,850 km² of the country's territory. This means that Russian troops now occupy approximately 16.66% of the territory of Ukraine. This is approximately 0.64% less than the total area of the country than at the end of October.
Preparing for a massive strike
Russia, apparently, is preparing for a new massive missile attack: one of the main military airfields, Engels-2, near Saratov, is on high alert. This is evidenced by satellite images from companies Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, which show almost two dozen Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers. You can also consider tankers, ammunition boxes, vehicles. According to military analysts Arda Mevlutoglu and Konrad Muzyka, ground personnel at the base are very active. In addition, many large military transport aircraft are located on the runway. Also visible are trolleys for carrying X-55 or X-101 cruise missiles.
The military intelligence of the UK Department of Defense believes that the massive strikes that Russia has been inflicting on the energy network of Ukraine since October 10 correspond to the concept of a strategic operation to destroy critical targets, which is in the Russian military doctrine. Russia envisioned the concept as involving the use of long-range missiles to strike critical infrastructure rather than military forces. Its task is to demoralize the population and, ultimately, to force the leaders of the country to capitulate, according to the British department.
British intelligence questions the effectiveness of this strategy, since, according to it, Russia has probably already used up most of the missiles suitable for this, and the material and psychological effect of the strikes is likely to be less than if they were in the initial period. war, as the Ukrainians mobilized.
Shelling of Russia
The head of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov , announced the next shelling of the region. According to Gladkov, air defense worked over Belgorod and the Belgorod region. Villages in the Valuysky and Shebekinsky districts were also shelled. Shell fragments damaged residential buildings, the House of Culture and a kindergarten.
In the village of Murom, one person was injured as a result of shelling, with shrapnel wounds in a state of moderate severity, he was taken to the central district hospital, Gladkov wrote . The governor also spoke about damage to two private homes and power lines.
The footage of the work of air defense over Belgorod is published by the Z-channel "Military Informant":
Arms deliveries
The United States has signed a $1.2 billion contract for the supply of six NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine. This is part of the fifth USAI long-term assistance package announced in August 2022. Two more NASAMS air defense systems promised under the third USAI package in July were already delivered in November. The contract must be completed by November 28, 2025.
Earlier, the New York Times wrote that NATO has already transferred weapons to Ukraine for a total of $ 40 billion, which is approximately the same as France's annual defense budget. The article also said that 20 out of 30 NATO countries had already exhausted their stocks of weapons for Ukraine. Such conclusions were voiced by the representative of the alliance, he clarified that this applies to small countries. The remaining 10 can still supply Ukraine with a significant amount of weapons, among them – France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
At the same time, the French unofficially admit that they cannot give more weapons to Ukraine, given the state of the French arsenals. Paris hopes to make up for this with non-military aid by hosting a conference on Ukraine's resilience in December, Politico writes .
In addition to deliveries, the Ukrainians successfully use captured equipment, for example, here is a video with Russian tanks captured in the Svatovo-Kremennaya area:
Exchange of prisoners
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners in the 50-50 format, the Russian Defense Ministry and the office of the President of Ukraine said. According to the Russian military department, the released soldiers will be taken to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation. They are already receiving the necessary medical and psychological assistance.
The Telegram channel Mash publishes a video with freed Russians:
The head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said that as a result of the exchange, the defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal returned home, captured from Yelenovka and wounded in battles in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporozhye directions. He posted photos of the military:
See also The Insider's November 30 military brief: Russia's bogged down offensive near Bakhmut, attempt to disable Ukrainian air defenses. What's Happening on the Front Line .