Victorious news of 628th day of war: US buys Gepard systems for Ukraine, Ukrainian forces succeed on Dnipro's left bank in Kherson region

Ukrainian defenders succeed on Dnipro's left bank in the Kherson region

Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have made some progress in their ground operation on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to geolocated footage from November 12, Ukrainian forces have slightly advanced further into Krynky (30 km northeast of Kherson and 2 km from the Dnipro River). Russian military bloggers claimed that Russian troops had tried in vain to push Ukrainian forces back from Krynky, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces were conducting offensive operations near the villages of Poyma (10 km southeast of Kherson and 4 km from the Dnipro River), Pishchanivka (13 km southeast of Kherson and 3 km from the Dnipro River), and Pidstepne (17 km east of Kherson and 4 km from the Dnipro River).

According to the military bloggers, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have deployed additional personnel to the Krynky area and intend to cut Russian logistics lines and strike at the infrastructure connecting the Russian front line with rear areas in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Gepards from the Americans

The United States is buying dozens of Gepard self-propelled artillery systems from Jordan to send them to Ukraine. These air defense systems were previously decommissioned by the Netherlands and sold to Jordan, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reports, citing De Telegraaf.

"According to media reports, Ukraine may soon receive the first units. They were allegedly paid 110 million euros. As noted, the Cheetahs are extremely effective in countering drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed strike drones," the article says.

Germany to boost Ukrainian air defense with new IRIS-T

By the end of 2023, Ukraine will receive two more IRIS-T air defense systems from Germany to protect civilian and energy infrastructure from Russian attacks in winter. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by German Ambassador to Ukraine Martial Jäger.

The ambassador reminded that Germany's support for Ukraine is largely focused on air defense and the supply of such systems as Gepard, IRIS-T and Patriot. He noted that three IRIS-T systems are currently deployed in Ukraine, and five are planned for the end of this year. According to the ambassador, this should be a guarantee for even greater security of Ukrainian cities to protect them from Russian attacks.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed Germany's intention to double its support for Ukraine. His country plans to double military aid to Ukraine in 2024. Germany plans to provide EUR 8 billion in aid to Ukraine instead of the EUR 4 billion previously budgeted in the federal budget.

Training center for Ukrainian F-16 pilots opens in Romania 

On November 13, a training center was opened at the Fătesti Air Base, 150 kilometers east of Bucharest. Here, Ukrainian pilots will learn to fly American F-16 fighters. The center was officially opened by the Ministers of Defense of Romania and the Netherlands, Angel Tîlvăr and Kajsa Ollongren.

The Netherlands will provide 12-18 fighter jets for training both Ukrainian and Romanian pilots. The Dutch authorities sent the first five F-16s to Romania a week ago. Lockheed, the manufacturer of the F-16, is providing instructors and technical staff for the training. According to preliminary estimates, the training of pilots will take at least six months.

Ukrainian forces destroy Russian electronic warfare system and drones

The Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed the Russian mobile electronic warfare system RB-636 Svet-KU. This was reported by Defense Express military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi on the Espreso TV channel.

"The enemy decided to bring such a rare vehicle to the contact line in the Kherson region because it believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have a radical advantage in drones," Kyrychevskyi suggested.

According to the military expert, we will see the destruction of rare Russian electronic warfare systems on the left bank of the Dnipro River more than once.

"At least 2 electronic warfare stations and 10 armored vehicles were destroyed on the left bank of the Dnipro. This indicates that the Russians are relying on electronic warfare systems and that their troops in the occupied Kherson region are not as well armed as in other parts of the frontline," Kyrychevskyi said.

In addition, 5 reconnaissance UAVs were destroyed in the southern direction, the Ukrainian Air Force reports. These are three Merlin-BP drones and two Orlan-10s. 4 drones were destroyed in the Kherson region, and another 1 in the Mykolaiv region.