Ukraine Daily Summary - Monday, November 13

Blast kills at least 3 Russian officers at military headquarters in occupied Melitopol -- Finnish Border Guard reports spike in asylum seekers traveling from Russia -- Russia attacked 120 settlements in 8 regions over past day -- Russia escalates airstrikes in southeastern axes -- and more

Monday, November 13

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukraine’s Ground Forces Commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, visits troops fighting in Bakhmut and Lyman axes on Nov. 12, 2023. (Oleksandr Syrskyi/Telegram)

Ukrainian women’s team wins gold in World Cup stage. The Ukrainian women’s team won gold in épée fencing at the first stage of the World Cup in Legnano, Italy, Suspline media outlet reported on Nov. 12.

Georgian volunteer killed in Ukraine. Irakli Kurtsikidze, a Georgian volunteer who came to Ukraine to serve in the Ukrainian military died on Nov. 12, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Governor: Russian attack damages civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. Russian attack on Kharkiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district damaged civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Telegram post on Nov. 12.

Finnish Border Guard reports spike in asylum seekers traveling from Russia.

The Finnish Border Guard reported a spike in asylum seekers arriving without required travel documents to its southeast border in a statement on Nov. 12.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Commander: Russia intensifies assaults near Bakhmut. Russian forces have intensified their assaults near occupied Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast as they attempt to take control of nearby positions, Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on Nov. 12.

Northern Command: Russia attacks Chernihiv, Sumy oblasts 13 times across the border. Russian forces shelled northern Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts 13 times across the border over the past day, the Northern Command reported on Nov. 12.

General Staff: Russia attacked 120 settlements in 8 regions over past day. Russian forces attacked over 120 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts over the past day, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on the morning of Nov. 12.

Military: Russia escalates airstrikes in southeastern axes. Russian forces have increased airstrikes in the south, including with aerial guided bombs, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria Group fighting on the southern front lines, reported on Nov. 12.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russia intensifies assaults near Bakhmut

Russian forces have intensified their assaults near occupied Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast as they attempt to take control of nearby positions. A powerful explosion at one of the headquarters of the Russian military in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol killed at least three Russian officers.

Photo: Vlada Liberova/Libkos via Getty Images

Learn more

Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides

On the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Kazakhstan on Nov. 9 exuded an air of business as usual. The Russian leader was met at dawn on the tarmac of Astana airport by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before being greeted by an official guard of honor.

Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

Learn more

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 33 – Ukraine makes “substantial progress” in its EU bid

Ukraine makes “substantial progress” in its EU bid | This Week in Ukraine Ep. 33

Human cost of war

Mayor: Storage facility fire injures 2 in Kyiv. Fire in a building materials storage facility and store injured two workers in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, according to Telegram posts from Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko on Nov. 12.

Ukraine’s military intelligence: Blast kills at least 3 Russian officers at military headquarters in occupied Melitopol. The explosion was allegedly carried out by representatives of the local resistance movement.

Local authorities: Russian shelling kills 1, injures 1 in Kherson. The attack took place in the part of Kherson close to the Dnipro River. These areas suffer the worst from Russian shelling.

Governor: Russian attacks kill 3 civilians in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces attacked Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 11, killing three civilians, acting Governor Ihor Moroz reported on Nov. 12.

Governor: 1 killed, 5 injured in 62 Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast. Russia attacked Kherson Oblast 62 times, killing one and injuring five civilians over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on the morning of Nov. 12.

General Staff: Russia has lost 311,750 troops in Ukraine.

This number includes 1,100 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Yermak: Ukrainian delegation lands in US to discuss defense, cooperation. Ukrainian delegation led by Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko arrived in the U.S., Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said on Telegram on Nov. 12.

Official: Hungarian government to ask citizens whether they want Ukraine in EU. Yet even the announcement itself appeared to nudge the citizens to respond negatively, presenting the potential accession of Ukraine as an undesirable event.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Khrebet, Lili Bivings, Olga Rudenko, Asami Terajima, Anastasiia Malenko, Teah Pelechaty, and Rachel Amran.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.