A smoldering crater following a Russian airstrike in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion has wreaked destruction across UkraineImage: Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
A Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy has killed six, including a child, regional officials have said.
Twelve were also injured in the attack, as Russia’s invasion of its neighbor entered its 1,000th day.
Leaders of the G20 have meanwhile issued a final statement that, while recognizing the “human suffering” caused by the conflict, makes no mention of Russia as the aggressor.
Here is a roundup of the developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Tuesday, November 19:
Skip next section NATO chief says Putin must not ‘get his way’ in Ukraine
12 minutes ago12 minutes ago
NATO chief says Putin must not ‘get his way’ in Ukraine
NATO chief Mark Rutte warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to prevail in Ukraine.
“Why is this so crucial that Putin will not get his way? Because you will have an emboldened Russia on our border… and I’m absolutely convinced it will not stop there,” Rutte told reporters in Brussels before joining EU ministers for defense talks.
“Today we’ll discuss how we can help Ukraine to prevail. It means more aid, more money we have to make available to them. Particularly now, as North Koreans have come on board,” Rutte said, adding that China and Iran are helping Russia in the war effort.
The NATO chief also said that he would also discuss defense industrial production with EU ministers. “We need simply to do more… We have to replenish our stockpiles, to make sure that we stand ready to oppose any adversary,” he added.
And the third issue on the agenda will be money, Rutte said, adding that the 2% defense spending target for NATO members is not enough.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n9J3
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Skip next section Ukraine strikes Russian arsenal in Bryansk region
19 minutes ago19 minutes ago
Ukraine strikes Russian arsenal in Bryansk region
The Ukrainian military announced that it had hit a large Russian arms depot near Karachev in the Bryansk region, 110 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
“The destruction of ammunition depots will continue for the army of the Russian occupiers in order to stop the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine,” the military said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over Bryansk in separate strikes.
Ukraine often uses domestically manufactured drones to target Russian positions deep inside its territory. The specific weapon used for the Karachev strike wasn’t revealed, and Kyiv has yet to deploy US-supplied weapons.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n9IX
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Skip next section Borrell urges EU nations to align with US on Ukraine missile use
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Borrell urges EU nations to align with US on Ukraine missile use
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, urged the bloc’s member states to join the United States in allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia with donated long-range missiles.
Borrell called the US policy change “very good news” for Ukraine.
“Today we will discuss it, and I hope that all member states will follow the US decision,” he said.
“I’m sure that they will follow the example of the US in order to allow the Ukrainians to use their arms to fight against the Russians inside Russian territory — because it is from Russian territory where they are being attacked,” Borrell added.
The shift in US policy puts the focus on other allies supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles, particularly the British and French Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who had previously expressed openness to allowing Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia, hailed the US decision as “a good one.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday again ruled out sending his country’s Taurus missiles to Ukraine. He has previously said he does not want the delivery of long-range weapons to make Germany a participant in the war.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8z9
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Skip next section Putin approves updated nuclear doctrine
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Putin approves updated nuclear doctrine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved an updated nuclear doctrine, according to a document posted on the government’s website.
The new doctrine allows for a broader use of nuclear weapons, stating, for example, that any conventional attack on Russia backed by a nuclear power could be considered a joint attack on Russia.
The move comes after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use ATACMS missiles against targets deep inside Russian territory.
Putin ordered the changes to the nuclear doctrine in September, and the US, EU and Ukraine all condemned his “irresponsible” plans to change the doctrine.
Biden allows Ukraine use of longer-range weapons
02:39
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8vF
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Skip next section Ukraine ‘will never submit,’ says Kyiv
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Ukraine ‘will never submit,’ says Kyiv
In a statement marking 1,000 days since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has said it will continue to resist.
“Ukraine will never submit to the occupiers, and the Russian military will be punished for violating international law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russian troops began their all-out unprovoked invasion on February 24, 2022.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, including many civilians, have lost their lives and millions have been displaced internally and externally amid the ensuing conflict.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8vG
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Skip next section Trump allies slam Biden missile decision as ‘escalation’
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Trump allies slam Biden missile decision as ‘escalation’
Allies of US President-elect Donald Trump have criticized incumbent President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to attack targets within Russia, accusing him of escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“It’s another step up the escalation ladder and nobody knows where this is going,” Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be national security adviser, told Fox News.
Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.”
The criticism by Trump’s allies echoes similar comments from the Kremlin, whose spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has also said Biden seemed to want to “provoke a further escalation of tensions” with his decision.
Trump has repeatedly promised to swiftly end the war, but has not provided details of how he would do so, with critics fearing he might be ready to make concessions to Russia that are detrimental to Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Trump himself has not commented on Biden’s decision.
ATACMS: How Ukraine could use long-range missiles on Russia
01:35
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8qZ
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Skip next section Iran slams new EU, British sanctions over support of Russia
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Iran slams new EU, British sanctions over support of Russia
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that new EU and British sanctions imposed on Tehran for its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were unjustified.
“While the president of Ukraine has admitted that no Iranian ballistic missiles have been exported to Russia, the measures of the European Union and United Kingdom in applying sanctions against Iran cannot be justified,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement.
He added that European parties were violating international law, including the freedom of navigation and maritime trade, via sanctions.
On Monday, the EU and Britain expanded their sanctions against Iran, with new measures affecting the country’s shipping and airlines.
Iran has repeatedly rejected Western accusations that it has transferred missiles or drones to Moscow for use against Kyiv.
Russia likely to use ‘ballistic missiles from Iran’
04:51
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8m3
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Skip next section G20 leaders note ‘human suffering’ in Ukraine
3 hours ago3 hours ago
G20 leaders note ‘human suffering’ in Ukraine
Leaders of the G20 meeting in Brazil have issued a final statement that calls for peace in Ukraine but does not mention Russia as the aggressor.
In it, the leaders said they wanted to “highlight the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth.”
“We welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace, upholding all the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter for the promotion of peaceful, friendly, and good neighborly relations among nations,” the statement continued.
The statement reflects Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s intention to uphold Brazil’s decades-old principle of nonalignment.
Since taking office in January 2023, he has often made remarks suggesting that Russia, NATO and Ukraine share blame for the conflict.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8ak
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Skip next section 1,000 days of war in Ukraine
3 hours ago3 hours ago
1,000 days of war in Ukraine
DW journalists Andreas Noll and Jan Walter have written a summary of events in Ukraine over the past years as it fights the Russian invasion for the 1,000th day.
They highlight the displacement and suffering caused in the Ukrainian population by Russia’s aggression, noting that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has worsened considerably as the war drags on.
You can read their account here.
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8bF
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Skip next section Russia issues own Ukrainian death toll
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Russia issues own Ukrainian death toll
Russia has said more than 900,000 members of Ukraine’s armed forces have been killed or injured since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in Ukraine 1,000 days ago.
The figure from the Ministry of Defense and state-run news agency TASS cannot be independently verified, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv has disclosed exact numbers for their own losses.
Western estimates of the death tolls on both sides generally suggest that Ukrainian casualties are much lower than Russian ones.
The New York Times recently reported that 57,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed so far, which is widely thought to be roughly half of the Russian casualties.
NATO has estimated Russian losses at more than 600,000 dead and wounded, while the Ukrainian government says that more than 722,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the start of the war in February 2022.
What 1,000 days of war have cost Ukraine
01:41
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8k5
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Skip next section Russian drone attack in Sumy kills several
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Russian drone attack in Sumy kills several
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said a Russian drone attack in the northeastern region killed seven people, including a child.
“Every new Russian strike only confirms (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s true intentions. He wants the war to continue, he is not interested in talking about peace,” Zelenskyy said.
Regional officials previously said six people were killed in the attack
The attack, which hit a residential dormitory in the town of Hlukhiv, also injured 12, according to the military administration of the Sumy region.
The Sumy region borders Russia and is a supply route for Ukrainian forces that have seized territory during an incursion into the neigboring Russian region of Kursk.
Twelve people, including two children, were killed in Sumy over the weekend in a Russian missile attack.
tj/sms (AP, AFP, DPA, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4n8ap
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