KHARKIV, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 1: Paramedics respond to the injured after Russian attack on a … [+] residential private house, and damaged multi-storey buildings in Kharkiv, Ukraine on November 1, 2024. (Photo by George Ivanchenko/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 986.
Kharkiv region. On Nov. 3, a Russian attack on a residential building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv killed three civilians, local authorities reported. Over the past week, the Russian Federation has launched a significant assault on Ukraine, deploying 900 glide bombs, 500 Shahed drones, and 30 missiles.
On Nov. 1, Russian forces launched a missile strike on a police station in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killing one officer and injuring 26 law enforcement personnel and four civilians.
Kherson region. On Nov. 2, Russian shelling of Kherson oblast, or region, in southern Ukraine left one civilian dead and ten injured, including three children. Moscow’s military strikes targeted educational facilities, a library, a church, and residential areas.
The Kremlin intensified its drone attacks on Ukraine last month, launching a record-breaking 1,908 Shahed drones during October alone, according to Ukraine’s finance ministry. This marks a 43% increase from 1,331 drones in September, an escalation to roughly 62 drones per day, from 44 per day in September. And Russia has increased its Shahed drone attacks ten-fold from the fall of 2023, according to President Zelenskyy. Since the beginning of this year, Russia has launched nearly 7 thousand drones, indicating it may have ramped up its drone production capabilities beyond the estimated 500 drones per month reported by Forbes Ukraine in September.
Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine surged last week, marking its most rapid advance this year, according to a Bloomberg analysis. In a single week, Russian forces seized around 75 square miles, equivalent to the area of Washington D.C. That brings total territory captured since early August to over 440 square miles, approximately the area covered by all five boroughs of New York City. The escalation, notable for its speed and scale, underscores intensifying pressure on Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region and constant delays in weapons delivery, causing scarcity on the front lines.
As the Kremlin steps up its attacks, a recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology reveals a decline in Ukrainians’ readiness to continue enduring the war. While a majority, 63%, still support persisting as long as necessary, this marks a decrease from 73% in February. Nearly 6% are now prepared for only another year of conflict, and the proportion of those uncertain has tripled to 12%. While overall resilience remains high, regional disparities are striking; in Ukraine’s southern regions, support for enduring the war has fallen from 68% to 50%, while in the eastern regions, it has dropped to a notably lower level: from 70% to just 38%.
Nearly half of Ukrainians (47%) now believe Russia has the resources to sustain a prolonged war, while 46% think Russia is depleting its reserves. The opinion that Russia has the resources to continue the war grew from 22% of respondents in February 2023 to 47% in October 2024. Regional data shows respondents in the South and East, which have borne the brunt of Russia’s aggression, are less likely to doubt Russia’s resilience.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced a supplemental $220 million “winter aid” package for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Nov. 4. The aid aims to support the country as it braces for energy shortages and new Russian strikes on its power grid going into its third wartime winter. The aid will focus on enhancing energy resilience and critical infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced an additional $425 million aid package to meet Ukraine’s critical defense needs. This is the 69th tranche of aid from the Biden Administration since August 2021 and includes advanced air defense systems, artillery ammunition, anti-drone equipment, anti-tank systems, and 200 Stryker armored vehicles, highly valued for their rapid urban maneuverability. Equipped with eight wheels, Strykers enable swift attacks and counter-offensives and are expected to reinforce Ukraine’s airborne brigades, particularly those engaged in Russia’s Kursk region.
Ukraine has secured nearly $600 million in World Bank funding for economic support to nearly 20,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, Prime Minister Denys Shymhal announced on Nov. 4. Part of a new Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprise (RISE) program, the initiative is expected to create 40,000 jobs and fortify Ukraine’s economy. Consisting of a nearly $300 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, $300 million from the World Bank via its IDA Crisis Facility, and a $10 million grant from the World Bank’s Relief Trust Fund, RISE will run through 2027, with a planned $1 billion total budget, marking the World Bank’s first program-for-results initiative in Ukraine.
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani
