Victorious news on  639th day of  war: hit on special forces base in Crimea, additional Patriot for Ukraine and a "gift for Putin" from Czechs 

Drone attack on Crimea

On November 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced an alleged massive attack on Crimea and the Volgograd region. They reported that air defense forces had destroyed 16 drones: 13 over the temporarily occupied Crimea, and three over the territory of Volgograd region.

Meanwhile, the Crimean Partisans Telegram channel reported that the nighttime explosions in Dzhankoy had damaged a Russian military unit, air defense, radar and hit enemy personnel. According to them, in Volgograd region, there were several hits on military unit 57229/51 in the village of Kotluban. This unit stores an arsenal of the Russian ammunition. 

Later, Information Resistance reported that one of the drones hit a special forces base of the Russian occupation forces in the Dzhankoy area. Two more drones hit a field camp and an S-300 system, which is now out of commission. The attack killed 14 soldiers and wounded 9. The information was confirmed by a source in the Crimean government.

Additional Patriot air defense system to be deployed in Ukraine in winter

Germany will deploy an additional Patriot air defense system in Ukraine this winter. This was stated by German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger in an interview with Ukrinform.

"I have already spoken about our support for air defense. In addition to the aforementioned IRIS-T systems, another Patriot system from Germany will be deployed here in winter," he said.

Jaeger stressed that the situation in Ukraine in winter can be very difficult. However, in his opinion, the Ukrainian side has done everything possible to prepare for this situation. He also added that Germany has provided tangible financial support to prepare the Ukrainian energy network for winter.

Russia loses up to 700 people a day in southern Ukraine

The total enemy losses in the Tavria Joint Forces Operation Area for the second day in a row amounted to about 700 people. This was reported by the commander of the Joint Forces Operation, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi.

"Our defenders are steadfastly holding the defense in the Avdiivka sector. Total enemy losses amounted to 675 people," he said. "22 units of military equipment were destroyed, including 2 tanks, 8 armored personnel carriers, 3 artillery systems, an air defense system, 1 UAV and 7 vehicles. Another 37 units of enemy equipment were damaged." 

Ukraine is among the three largest food suppliers to the EU

Despite the war, Ukraine remains one of the main suppliers of agricultural products to the European Union. This is evidenced by the data for the first eight months of 2023, as presented in a new report by the European Commission. 

In January-August, Ukraine exported €7.9 billion worth of agri-food products to the EU. This is 23% more than in the same period last year. Only the UK and Brazil exported more to the EU.

Czechs and Slovaks raise funds for a Black Hawk helicopter for the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine

The Czechs and Slovaks have raised 400,000 euros for a helicopter for intelligence officers in a week. This was reported by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

"The Czech initiative "A Gift for Putin" has announced a fundraiser to buy a Black Hawk helicopter for the servicemen of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. During the first week, Czechs and Slovaks donated more than 400,000 euros for the helicopter. Its total cost is about 4.3 million euros," the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said. 

According to the organizers, the helicopter has already been inspected by aviation experts from Ukraine - it is in good condition and ready to perform combat missions. As soon as the necessary amount of money is raised, the Czech Ministry of Defense will deliver the Black Hawk to Ukrainian servicemen.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine already has one such helicopter in its fleet, which helps to perform combat and special tasks, missions to deliver military cargo and personnel, conduct electronic warfare, and evacuate the wounded.