Russian soldiers 'thrown naked into pit' if they refuse to fight

If one issue has dominated British politics over the past year it must surely be illegal immigration. Hardly a day goes past without another report of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats, oftentimes having to be rescued as they get into difficulty.

Most of these alleged asylum seekers are in reality economic migrants, driven to make their way here because of our better employment prospects and generous benefits regime. Our Government has proved to be singularly inept at confronting the problem whilst criminal gangs make large profits from facilitating the crossings.

Many of us are now wondering whether there is more behind this than meets the eye.

Migration as one of the key threats to political stability has been a topic taught at military staff colleges around the world for decades. It was covered on both of the staff courses I attended while still in uniform, at the British Army Staff College at Camberley in 1986 and at the US Army Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1993.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he survived at least five or six assassination attempts since Russia widened its invasion of his country last year.

Mr Zelensky claimed Ukraine's intelligence services have thwarted repeated bids to kill him since February 24, 2022.

Ukrainian marines traded fire with Russian forces on the left bank of the Dnipro River on Wednesday - it appears Vladimir Putin's forces are struggling to push them back.

Moscow's counterattacks have been hampered by the low, marshy ground meaning tanks and heavy equipment are unable to enter the area.

Video shows the fiery aftermath of a car bomb that left two top Putin security officials hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

The flaming SUV appears to have crashed into a thorny bush as the flames engulf what's left of the vehicle.

A video posted on social media allegedly shows a Ukrainian soldier undertaking an assault in or around a Russian forces dugout.

X (formerly Twitter) user @Rinegati posted the clip, which shows a soldier clad in gear entering a Russian held dugout area.

Ukrainian soldiers have shed light on the brutal fighting in the east against Russia as concerns grow that Western support may start to dwindle.

Speaking from the frontlines in the eastern town of Avdiivka, a region at the centre of the fighting, soldiers described the difficulty of pushing back Russian forces at this stage.

One soldier, nicknamed 'Seagull' to protect his identity, said of the Russian attacks: "They are just razing everything to the ground.

"I have never seen anything like this."

Speaking to the New York Times, medic Oleksandr added: "We understand that it will be longer, harder and there will be more losses...(but) we will stay here as long as necessary."

Over 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, with about half of recent deaths occurring far behind the front lines, the United Nations Human Rights Office have announced.

Danielle Bell, who heads the monitoring mission said: “Ten thousand civilian deaths is a grim milestone for Ukraine.

“The Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, now entering into its 21st month, risks evolving into a protracted conflict, with the severe human cost being painful to fathom."

Poland is standing by Finland's side as the two countries face increased pressure on their borders from Russia.

Polish President Andrzej Duda assured his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, that Poland is ready to help defend against hybrid attacks by Russia during their meeting in Warsaw on Monday.

The leaders discussed the security challenges posed by Russia and Belarus, focusing on the growing migration pressure on Finland's border.

President Duda shared that Poland understands Finland's situation, as they are dealing with similar challenges on their border with Belarus.

Prague has put forward a set of proposals aimed at addressing concerns related to the travel privileges of Russian diplomats in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Many governments have expelled Russian diplomats, alleging their involvement in intelligence activities.

Media reports indicate that dozens of Russians were killed in an attack in Kherson. Ukrainian soldiers allegedly targeted a group of Russian troops from the 810th Marine Brigade in the Kherson region. According to sources cited by RBC Ukraine, dozens were killed, and hundreds more were injured. The attack is said to be in retaliation for the killing of nearly twenty soldiers from the 128th brigade on November 3, who were struck by an Iskander-M missile near Zaporizhzhia while commemorating an event. "The defence forces have struck; I would not like to comment further. The damage is done, and the losses among the command and personnel are significant," stated the source to RBC Ukraine.

Ukrainians do not have the means to threaten the life of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's claim in an interview with The Sun, suggesting that Kyiv would seize the opportunity to kill Putin if it arose. "If you remember," Peskov said, as quoted by the Interfax news agency, "verbal threats against Putin have been made from Ukraine at various levels and many times. We are well aware of this, but they will not succeed."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he survived at least five or six assassination attempts since Russia widened its invasion of his country last year.

Mr Zelensky claimed Ukraine's intelligence services have thwarted repeated bids to kill him since February 24, 2022.

He told The Sun: "The first [assassination attempt] is very interesting - when it is the first time - and after that it is just like Covid.

"First of all people don't know what to do with it and it's looking very scary.

"And then after that, it is just intelligence, just sharing with you detail that one more group came to Ukraine to [attempt] this."

According to the intelligence update released by the British Ministry of Defence today, Russia has refrained from launching cruise missiles from its bomber fleet for nearly two months, likely to amass a substantial stockpile of these weapons. The report, published on X, suggests that it is highly probable Moscow will deploy these missiles if, similar to last year, it chooses to target the country's critical infrastructure again during the winter.

Between November 18 and 19, Russian forces launched approximately 50 kamikaze drones towards Ukraine, particularly in the direction of Kyiv, note London experts. They claim that one of the objectives was likely to degrade enemy air defences in anticipation of a potential winter campaign against the country's energy infrastructure.

The Russian army is repelling "all Ukrainian landing operations" on the occupied bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, where Kyiv recently claimed advances, according to Moscow's Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu. "All attempts by the Ukrainian armed forces to conduct a landing operation towards Kherson have failed," stated the Russian minister. Last week, Ukraine declared it had taken positions on the left bank of the Dnipro, reporting "heavy fighting" and "strong resistance" from Russia. On Sunday, the Ukrainian army spokesperson, Natalia Goumeniouk, claimed that they had pushed back the Russian army "from 3 to 8 km" deep into this area. However, Sergei Shoigu's statements are contradicted by some specialised Russian bloggers and military experts who claim that since the end of October, the Ukrainian army has indeed managed to secure several positions on the Dnipro's bank.

The modified Iranian-produced Shahed-238 attack drone, recently unveiled in Tehran, is a more challenging target to identify due to several of its features, said Yuriy Ignat, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. The spokesperson explained that, according to publicly available information, this version of the Iranian Shahed has a jet engine and is also equipped with "a different radar guidance". Ignat also highlighted the color scheme of the Shahed-238, which makes missile barrage ammunition less visible in the sky. The official clarified that there is no information yet on Russia receiving these updated drones. The new modified Shahed-238 has been presented in three versions with different guidance systems.

Russian Amry losses as of November 21, according to Ukrainian figures.

European Council President Charles Michel arrived in Kyiv today

Poland is standing by Finland's side as the two countries face increased pressure on their borders from Russia.

Polish President Andrzej Duda assured his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinistö, that Poland is ready to help defend against hybrid attacks by Russia during their meeting in Warsaw on Monday.

The leaders discussed the security challenges posed by Russia and Belarus, focusing on the growing migration pressure on Finland's border.

President Duda shared that Poland understands Finland's situation, as they are dealing with similar challenges on their border with Belarus.

The hybrid warfare tactics employed by Russia along the Russo-Finnish border are likely part of a broader objective to destabilise NATO countries near the Russian borders, according to a report released today by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The report focuses on the tensions between the Russian Federation and Finland arising from an unusual influx of migrants towards the Finnish borders.

As per the ISW, these tensions are largely the result of Russia's planning of an artificial migrant crisis at the Finnish border. Finland began closing border crossings on November 17 and announced its intention to build fences along the border with Russia, accusing Moscow of orchestrating the migrant crisis. The ISW points out that this situation is reminiscent of the migrant crisis at the Polish border in 2021, which, according to the ISW, was created by Russia and Belarus.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has included the Ukrainian singer Jamala, winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, in a federal wanted list, as reported by The Kyiv Independent citing Russian media.

Moscow claims to have shot down a Ukrainian drone last night over the Russian region of Kursk and another over Oryol, as reported by local media.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv today by train for an unexpected visit aimed at reaffirming Berlin's support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Pistorius is scheduled to hold discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umierov, and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Kremlin has banned 11 Moldovan officials from entering Russia in retaliation for recent restrictions imposed by Chisinau on pro-Russian media, stated the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release quoted by local media. The Russian ministry summoned Moldovan Ambassador Lilian Darie to inform her of the decision. According to the Kremlin's statement, the move represents "a strong protest in response to the ongoing political persecution of Russian media in Moldova, including the blocking of access to their websites." On October 24, Chisinau blocked access to 22 Russian media sites, claiming that the outlets were engaged in an "information war" against the country. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of planning a coup in Chisinau and interfering in local elections. According to Moldovan authorities, Moscow has conducted a multimillion-dollar destabilisation campaign in the country, hoping to distance Chisinau from the West.

Good morning from London. I’m Alessandra Scotto di Santolo, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.

Email: alessandra.scottodisantolo@reachplc.com

X: @AleScotto