The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense published a video last night (Friday) mocking the withdrawal of Russian forces from Harson, along with the caption: “Are you still here? It’s over! Go home!”. The video combines archival footage of Putin and Russian officials along with footage from the 1980s youth film I Put a Faucet on a Teacher, starring Matthew Broderick.
You still here?! It’s over! Go home! pic.twitter.com/AYkQhrEXJK
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 11, 2022
Throughout Ukraine, two days have been celebrating the liberation of Kherson from the Russians. Along with the celebrations, the head of the country’s Defense Council, Alexei Danilov, rejected the estimates that after her release the front against Russia would freeze. “We don’t need to freeze anything, we are not a cold room. Ukraine needs to continue to free its lands – there are people who are suffering,” he claimed.
In recent days, the Ukrainian forces liberated dozens of settlements north and west of Kherson, and they control the entire area west of the Dnieper River. During the Russian retreat, parts of the main bridge that connects the two banks of the river collapsed. It is not clear whether Moscow deliberately blew up the bridge in order to make it difficult for the Ukrainian forces to advance.
The quick takeover of the Kherson region comes 48 hours after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that he would temporarily evacuate the Russian army from there due to logistical difficulties, and a month and a half after the solemn ceremony in which Russian President Putin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian districts, including Kherson.
At the same time, the “Ukraine Weapons Tracker” Twitter account, which deals with the weapons found in the Ukrainian arena, claims that mine-protected military vehicles made by Israel were observed in the Kherson sector. These are allegedly “Amir” vehicles manufactured by the private company “Gaia” located in Kiryat Tivon. It is not clear how the vehicles got to Harson. One of the assumptions is that a third country allegedly transferred them to the Ukrainians.
#Ukraine: To make today even more notable- for the first time ever Ukrainian forces were spotted using Israeli-made military vehicles! Here we see an Israeli GAIA Amir MRAP ????????, currently deployed in #Kherson Oblast.
There is no information how these vehicles appeared in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yhoAH8J30M
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) November 11, 2022
Zelensky’s adviser: Iran has stopped the shipment of weapons to Russia
A senior adviser in the office of the President of Ukraine, Oleksiy Arstovich, claimed last night in an interview with the Russian blogger Mark Feigin that Iran has stopped long-range weapons shipments to Russia. According to him, the reason for this may be that the Iranians “received an offer that cannot be refused”.
At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the nuclear research facility in Kharkiv was very badly damaged. The head of the agency, Raphael Grossi, said that although the radiation levels at the facility were normal, “the extent of the damage is dramatic and shocking, and even worse than expected.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that South Korea will for the first time sell artillery shells intended for Ukrainian forces in a secret arms deal between Seoul and Washington. American officials told the newspaper that the United States will purchase 100,000 shells of 155mm artillery ammunition to be delivered to Ukraine. According to estimates, the ammunition will be enough to supply Ukraine’s artillery units for several weeks of intensive combat.
According to the newspaper, the artillery munitions from South Korea will allow the Americans to arm Ukraine without further depleting the American stockpile of shells. In August, the United States Army’s artillery ammunition inventory dropped to levels that worried the Pentagon, as Ukraine waged a fierce artillery duel with Russian forces.