Ukraine war: ++ US lets B-52 bombers fly over northern Germany – preventive operation on NATO’s eastern flank ++ Live news

Ukrainian President Zelenskyj has embarked on a trip to Europe. In Paris he made an agreement with the President of France.

All events surrounding the war in Ukraine and security policy in Europe can be viewed live:

07:03 – The US allows B-52 bombers to fly over Germany

For the first time, the US again sent long-range bombers to maneuver in the Baltic Sea. According to a report in “Kieler Nachrichten”, the US Air Force has been flying B-52 long-range bombers in northern Germany since Wednesday. The missions are part of ongoing NATO operations and are primarily intended as a preventive measure.

As NATO announced, several aircraft arrived at Morón air base in Spain on November 8 to take part in a joint training mission. “From Morón, these aircraft will conduct training flights across Europe, supporting deterrence and defense operations along NATO’s eastern flank and in the far north,” NATO said.

05:26 – Kallas estimates 28,000 Russian troops will die in November 2025 alone

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas believes that Putin must stop the war in Ukraine in the near future because Russia will lose the battle to see who will last longer. The war “will end when one side runs out of resources. We have to make sure that that side is Russia,” Kallas told “Tagesspiegel”.

Kallas predicted heavy Russian losses in the Ukrainian war. “In September 15,000 fell, in October 25,000, in November 28,000,” he told Tagesspiegel. “Putin doesn’t care about human sacrifice, which is surprising. But the costs to Russia are increasing rapidly.” Russia does not publish official figures on casualties and deaths in the Ukraine war.

Monday, November 17

19:00 – Russian attack on Ukraine hits Turkish LNG tanker

A fire broke out on a Turkish liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker due to a Russian air attack on the port of Izmail, Danube, Ukraine. Ukraine’s Ministry of Regional Development in Kiev said a pumping device on the tanker was hit. According to Turkish media reports, 16 crew members of the “Orinda” were removed from the ship.

15:14 – Moscow accuses Pistorius of “pro-war rhetoric”.

The Kremlin again criticized Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) over his statements about a possible Russian attack on NATO members. “In Russia there are no supporters of confrontation with NATO,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian news agency Tass.

He was reacting to an interview with Pistorius in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” in which he said that a Russian attack on a NATO country in the east was possible in 2029. “Such militaristic and pro-war rhetoric is increasingly heard in European countries,” Peskov said. He also stressed that Russia was taking steps to protect its own interests.

Pistorius said in an interview published on Saturday that after restoring its armed forces, Russia “will be able to launch attacks against NATO member states in the east. We always said that this could happen from 2029. But now, there are others who say this can happen from 2028, and some military historians even said that we would have achieved peace last summer.” Russia has repeatedly rejected the warnings. Pistorius also said that NATO could defend itself. “It has quite a big deterrent potential. Conventional, but of course also nuclear.”

13:40 – Russia places former prime minister on terror list

Russia’s financial regulator put former Prime Minister Michael Kasynov and prominent economist Sergei Guriev on its terrorist list. Kasynov was prime minister under President Vladimir Putin and was dismissed in February 2004. In 2022 he criticized the invasion of Ukraine. A year later, Kasynov, who had been an opposition figure, was classified by the authorities as a foreign agent. Meanwhile, Ril is still alive. Guriev also lived abroad and was dean of the London Business School.

13.00 – Interfax: Operations at Russian oil ports resume after attacks

Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk has resumed oil transshipments, Interfax news agency reported. The entire process of receiving and transporting Kazakh oil is now running again. Operations were suspended for two days after the Ukrainian attack.

11:45 – Ukraine wants to buy 100 French Rafale fighter jets

Ukraine wants to order 100 Rafale fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent in Paris. It also includes plans to purchase modern SAMP-T air defense systems as well as radar and drone systems. Therefore, the arms business should last about ten years.

11:30 – Poland: Attacks on railway lines may have been intended to blow up trains

According to government information, bomb attacks on railway lines in Poland could have been aimed at trains. “The explosion that occurred not far from the town of Mika was most likely aimed at blowing up a train from Warsaw to Deblin,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a visit to the location. “Fortunately there was no tragedy, but the problem is very serious.”

08:49 – Dead and injured after Russian missile attack

At least three people were killed in a Russian missile attack on the town of Balakliya in Kharkiv region, eastern Ukraine. In addition, at least ten people were injured, military administrator Vitaly Karabanov said via Telegram. The Russian military attacked the city with two rockets at night.

In the same region, one person was killed in a drone strike in the Velykyi Burluk settlement, according to civil defense officials. Another person was injured.

07:04 – More Ukrainian refugees than in the last two years

The number of refugees from Ukraine has increased again in Berlin. In October, more new Ukrainian refugees were registered in the capital than two years ago. This can be seen from the latest figures released by the State Refugee Affairs Office (LAF), reported by “Tagesspiegel”. Therefore, 1,304 Ukrainians came to Berlin last month. The last time more than 1,300 arrivals were counted was in October 2023.

We are currently “struggling with a huge increase in access numbers,” said Secretary of State for Integration Max Landero (SPD) at the responsible committee in the House of Representatives. It was said that there were many youths among those who came. Due to a “political decision in Ukraine” stating that young men are now allowed to leave the country, the numbers have increased sharply. “There’s a trend emerging,” Landero said.

04:45 – Trump announces sanctions on trade with Russia

According to US President Donald Trump, the Republican Party is drafting a bill that would impose sanctions on countries that trade with Russia. Any country doing business with Russia will be subject to “very harsh” sanctions, Trump told reporters on Sunday (local time). “You can add Iran to that list,” Trump continued.

02:30 – Ukraine plans agreement with France on fighter jets and air defense

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to sign an agreement on the supply of air defense systems, fighter jets and missiles during a visit to Paris on Monday. Zelensky spoke at Platform X on Sunday about a “historic agreement” that would significantly strengthen his country’s air defenses. French President Emmanuel Macron promised more Mirage fighter jets and Aster 30 missiles last month. According to insiders, the visit may also be about a strategic agreement regarding the supply of Rafale fighter jets.

Sunday, November 16:

18:10 – Ukrainian Foreign Minister asks for money to buy drones

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha asked his country’s supporters in the defense struggle against Russia for money for drone production. Kremlin leader Putin will only end the war if two factors occur, he wrote in Platform X. On the one hand, Putin must “lose the illusion” that he can still win on the battlefield. On the other hand, the price of continuing the war must exceed the price of ending the war.

“The modern arms race is not about nuclear weapons, but about millions of cheap drones,” the minister wrote. “Those who can increase production more quickly will guarantee peace.” Ukraine’s defense industry needs money to do this. “We can produce up to 20 million drones next year if we get enough funding.” Sybiha did not mention the exact number.

Both Russia and Ukraine use drones in large numbers. However, the warring parties did not provide exact production figures.

14:20 – Two places captured: Russians report progress in the Zaporizhia region

Russia said it had captured the two towns of Mala Tokmachka and Rivnopillya during its advance in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. This put the southern cities of Hulyajpole and Orikhiv at risk of being targeted by a Russian pincer attack. There was no immediate statement from Ukraine. The goal of the Russian advance was to take control of the entire Zaporizhzhia region.

According to Russian information, Moscow controls about 75 percent of Zaporizhia. However, Ukraine still controls 7,000 square kilometers of territory, including the city of Zaporizhzhia, which had a population of more than 700,000 people before the war.

14:12 – Zelensky confirms attempted prisoner exchange with Russia

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed efforts to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia. His government is counting on this, he explained on Platform X. To ensure this, currently there are many meetings, negotiations and telephone calls.

10:10 – Russian airstrike – that’s how the night went

Nightly Russian airstrikes have caused further damage in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force announced this morning that Russia had deployed Iskander missiles and 176 drones. It was possible to shoot down 139 drones or disable them with radio interference, but there were also 37 impacts at 14 different locations.

The Sumy region in the northeast of the country was most affected. An 86-year-old man was injured. The regional civil protection agency said there was damage not only to residential buildings, but also to civil infrastructure. There was an air alert in the area for 18 hours in the last 24 hours.

08:28 – Zelensky wants to sign contracts across Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised new contracts with European partners for military support and energy supplies during his trip to Europe. In Greece, the first stop of his tour, gas import contracts for next winter will be signed, Zelensky said in a video message recorded on the train. He said the value of the contract was two billion euros.

Saturday 15 November

17:25 – Corruption: Zelensky announces restructuring of the country’s energy sector

Following recent corruption scandals, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced a “restructuring” of his country’s energy sector. “We are starting to restructure the most important state-owned companies in the energy sector,” Zelensky said in an online service, Saturday. Therefore, a new supervisory board at Enerhoatom, the operator of the nuclear power plant at the center of this scandal, will be appointed within a week.