Canada wants ‘incendiary’ Russia banned from G-20

(Bloomberg) —

The Pentagon on Friday announced $725 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has no regrets over the invasion of Ukraine, now in its eighth month, and that Moscow’s goal is not to “destroy” its neighbour. The controversial mobilization of some 300,000 reservists is nearly complete, Putin told reporters in Kazakhstan.

The Ukrainian president spoke on Friday evening with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in particular on “granting macro-financial assistance to Ukraine“, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister has called for Moscow to be removed from the international community, including the G-20. “Russia is the arsonist right now,” Chrystia Freeland said at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington on Friday. “Arsonists have no place in firefighters’ meetings.”

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian sanctions dashboard.)

Key developments

• Russia Failed to Swap Western Military Parts: 2021 Audit

• Ukraine’s IT sector tested as Putin bombs civilian infrastructure

• Musk’s Starlink not the only option for Ukraine, Pentagon says

• Putin says he doesn’t regret invading Ukraine after setbacks

• Musk’s tweets complicate US diplomacy from Ukraine to Taiwan

• Canada wants ‘incendiary’ Russia banned from IMF and G-20

On the ground

Russian forces again launched missiles at the Kyiv region overnight, the head of the regional administration said on Telegram. No injuries have been reported so far. Kamikaze drone attacks also took place in the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Ukrainian military estimates that Russia still has around 300 Iranian-made drones and plans to “purchase several thousand more”. In the past 24 hours, Russian troops have launched six rockets and 30 at infrastructure and civilian targets in eastern and southern Ukraine, according to an update from the General Staff. Large numbers of injured people are being admitted to medical facilities in areas annexed by Russia last month after a vote deemed illegal by the UN. Hospital overcrowding and a high death rate were reported in Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian casualties in the region include dozens of newly mobilized forces, Ukraine said.

The story continues

(every hour CET)

Russian reservists are buying their own body armor at inflated prices, UK says (8am)

Many newly mobilized Russian reservists were deployed to Ukraine this month with personal equipment “almost certainly inferior to the already insufficient manning of previously deployed troops”, the UK Ministry of Defense said.

Many reservists will likely have to purchase their own body armor, including 6B45 vests, which currently sell online in Russia for 40,000 rubles ($640), down from around 12,000 rubles in April, the UK said. on Twitter.

Russian authorities announced in 2020 that 300,000 sets of armor had been supplied to the Russian military, the UK said, suggesting much of the equipment has since gone astray.

Canada wants ‘incendiary’ Russia banned from IMF and G-20 (6 a.m.)

Canada is pushing for Russia to be completely shut out of the international community over its invasion of Ukraine, which is now approaching the eight-month mark.

Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been vocal in opposing Russian officials attending International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings this week.

“IMF and World Bank meetings are meetings of firefighters – of ministers and central bank governors, whose job it is to protect the global economy,” Freeland, who is of Ukrainian origin, said on Friday. “Russia is the arsonist right now. Russia shouldn’t have been at IMF meetings. Arsonists have no place in firefighters’ meetings.

Russia Failed To End Reliance On Western Coins, Audit Says (3:20 a.m.)

Even before sanctions cut off access to components and technologies vital to Putin’s defense industry, an internal Russian government review found that years of attempts to reduce import dependency had largely failed.

Previously unpublished assessments show that a program with specific objectives was put in place from 2019 to reduce Russia’s dependence on Western parties for its arsenal by 2025 – everything from radar to advanced submarines to missile defense systems. But an internal review of the plan 10 months before Putin invaded Ukraine found it fell short of nearly every parameter.

Read more: Russia Failed to Swap Western Military Parts: 2021 Audit

US to give additional $725 million in security aid (2:55 a.m.)

The Biden administration on Friday announced $725 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine. The package includes more ammunition for HIMARS long-range artillery systems, which Ukraine has credited with aiding its military counteroffensive in the east and south of the country by striking deep behind Russian lines.

“Following the brutal Russian missile attacks on civilians across Ukraine, mounting evidence of atrocities committed by Russian forces and the firm and unequivocal rejection by 143 nations at the United Nations of the attempted illegal annexation parts of Ukraine by Russia, the United States is offering additional military assistance to help Ukraine’s proud defenders protect their country,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Zelenskiy talks to the Saudi Crown Prince (1h50)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had spoken to Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and expressed his gratitude for his support for “the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

“We have agreed to cooperate in the release of prisoners of war. We have agreed on providing macro-financial assistance to Ukraine,” Zelenskiy tweeted on Friday. His praise of the crown prince came as the Biden administration has been embroiled in an unusual and growing public feud with the kingdom since OPEC+ announced an oil production cut. In September, the Saudis helped broker an exchange that freed 215 Ukrainian POWs for a Putin ally and others held by Ukraine.

IAEA Says Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Power Restored (8:04 p.m.)

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a tweet that emergency power had been restored at Russia’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Musk’s Starlink Not Only Option for Ukraine, Pentagon Says (7:52 p.m.)

The Pentagon confirmed it was talking to Elon Musk, who threatened to stop funding Ukraine’s access to its Starlink satellite communications system, but added that the United States was also considering other options.

“We are talking to SpaceX,” the space exploration company owned by Musk, Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Friday. At the same time, she said, the United States, Ukraine and their allies are also “weighing our options” with other communications companies.

Zelenskiy’s assistant praises Musk’s contribution to Starlink (5:40 p.m.)

Mykhailo Podolyak, one of the Ukrainian president’s top aides, praised Elon Musk in a tweet, saying “like it or not” the billionaire helped the nation “survive the toughest times”. more critical of the war”.

His comments came hours after Musk threatened to cut financial support for the Starlink satellite system which has played a central role in the war against Russia. Musk said others would have to step in to cover the costs SpaceX incurred.

Ukraine Crop Talks May Hinge on Fertilizers, Extra Port (4:12 p.m.)

Russia and Ukraine are both seeking to amend their landmark grain export deal amid talks to extend the initiative beyond the current deadline next month, according to the UN.

Russia wants a pipeline that carries its ammonia to the Ukrainian port of Odessa to reopen under the new conditions, said Amir Abdulla, UN coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Ukraine is seeking to extend the deal for more than a year and include Mykolaiv as a fourth export port, he said.

Read more: Ukraine crop talks may hinge on fertilizers and extra port

Putin says there are no plans to expand mobilization (3:10 p.m.)

Putin said he did not plan to expand the mobilization of reservists beyond the 300,000 announced last month, most of whom have now been called up.

There is no need to continue such efforts for “the foreseeable future”, Putin told reporters in Kazakhstan. The “partial mobilization” will be completed in a few weeks, with 222,000 reservists already mobilized, he said. Around 16,000 of them are already fighting in Ukraine, he said.

Putin’s sudden order in September to call up reservists – the first such move since World War II – sparked an exodus of more than 300,000 Russians from the country and widespread alarm among those who remained.

Read more: Putin says he doesn’t regret invading Ukraine after setbacks

Putin says the goal is not to ‘destroy’ Ukraine (3:00 p.m.)

Putin said he had no regrets about the invasion of Ukraine, which is approaching the eight-month mark. Russia’s actions are “just and timely,” Putin told a news conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, answering “No” when asked if he had any regrets.

The Russian leader said no further mass strikes against Ukraine were needed “for now” and that his goal was not to “destroy” his neighbour. Moscow this week unleashed a barrage of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian towns, many far from the front lines, after an explosion severely damaged the key bridge with Crimea that it blamed on Ukraine.

Ukraine reopens Kyiv-Kramatorsk rail link (2:00 p.m.)

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Ukrainian rail service from Kyiv to Kramatorsk, a major city in the Donetsk region, was resuming due to a “significantly improved” security situation.

More stories like this are available at bloomberg.com

©2022 Bloomberg LP