Ukraine war, latest news. Kremlin: without an agreement with Europe, we will use force. Zelensky: the EU must force Moscow to end the war

Russia will have to resort to force to achieve its objectives if there is no prospect of reaching agreements with Europe. This was stated by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by TASS. He said that, if the European Union does not want peace, there is no point in discussing a solution to the conflict in Ukraine or the EU’s security framework. Europeans “simply cannot take certain decisions in a timely manner because they are divided. This slows down every process,” he added.

“The Russians are targeting electricity substations using ‘Shahed’ drones. Many of these attacks are successful because restrictions remain in place on the operational speed of ‘Starshield’ terminals along the front line and in the temporarily occupied territories.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this on X. “Our interceptor drones lose contact with their operators when they reach a speed of 161 kilometres per hour (100 miles per hour) and, as a result, are unable to catch up with the Russian jet-powered ‘Shahed’ drones. We are confident that these restrictions will be lifted: the protection of human lives and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the run-up to winter depends directly on this.” “Teams from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the President have been tasked with working as closely as possible with the US and with SpaceX. It is important to be on the right side of history. It is vital to help Ukraine. Thank you to everyone who supports our defence.”

Zelenskyy summarised the latest Russian attacks: “In the last week alone, Russia has deployed over 2,300 attack drones, 1,590 aerial bombs and 15 missiles of various types against Ukraine. These are brutal attacks, which are difficult to counter. Overnight and up until this morning, the Russians targeted energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia and in the regions of Sumy, Odessa, Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad. Railway infrastructure in the Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions was also hit. Russia has also launched attacks on the Donetsk and Kyiv regions. Sixteen people have been reported injured.”

Europeans realise that the train is about to leave and “want to jump on the last carriage”. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by TASS, when speaking about the EU’s desire to take part in the negotiations on Ukraine. “They probably realise that the train is about to leave and want to try and jump onto the steps of the last carriage,” he said.

“Ursula von der Leyen’s call for a ceasefire, even before discussing European security, is an approach that leads absolutely nowhere. The same applies to Kaja Kallas’s statement that they would not support an agreement that takes Russia’s interests into account. I hope everyone realises this,” the minister said. Europeans themselves do not understand what role they could play in the negotiations for a solution in Ukraine, he added: “Their statements confirm that they are unclear about what role they could play.”

The industrial area of Nizhnekamsk, in central Russia, was hit in the early hours of this morning by drone attacks attributed to Ukraine. This has been reported by the local authorities, who say three people have been injured, whilst local media are reporting a fire at one of the country’s largest petrochemical plants. “Very early this morning, Nizhnekamsk was the target of a massive and prolonged attack by enemy drones. Sites in the industrial zone were damaged in the attack,” as was a residential building, the city’s mayor, Radmir Belyaev, reported via Telegram. The city, with a population of around 240,000, is known as the ‘petrochemical capital’ of Tatarstan and is home to refineries and a major petrochemical complex. According to Ukrainian and Russian media, the attacks caused a fire at a site belonging to Nizhnekamskneftekhim (Nknk), part of the Sibur group. Videos posted on social media – which the AFP news agency states it has been unable to verify – show flames and plumes of smoke rising from an industrial site.

Russian air defences intercepted and shot down 533 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions of Russia. This was reported by the Ministry of Defence in Moscow, as quoted by TASS. According to the statement, the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles were neutralised between 8.00 pm on 14 November and 8.00 am on 15 November (local time). The drones were shot down over the regions of Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Volgograd, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov, Saratov, Tula, Ulyanovsk and Krasnodar, as well as over the republics of Tatarstan and Crimea. Interceptions were also reported over the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Russia launched 132 drones against Ukraine overnight, including 78 jet-powered Shaheds, as well as Gerbera aircraft and Parodiya decoy drones. This was reported by the Ukrainian Air Force, as cited by RBC-Ukraine. According to preliminary data updated at 8.00 am local time, Kyiv’s air defences shot down or neutralised 106 unmanned aerial vehicles, including 61 jet-powered Shahed drones. The attacks, however, caused damage in 20 locations across the country. The drones were launched from various directions, from the Russian regions of Bryansk, Orel, Kursk, Millerovo and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, as well as from occupied Crimea and the Donetsk region. Aircraft, anti-aircraft missile systems, electronic warfare units and mobile fire support groups were deployed to repel the attack.