I hope those of you celebrating Thanksgiving had a great one or are having a great one. And those of you who don’t or aren’t had a wonderful Thursday. Things went well here. The excitement here was as we were finishing dinner just as dusk fell something small walked across my back deck. I could see it through the dining room window. I went “what the fuck is that?” As one does. My guests – I had my fully vaccinated neighbors over – and we then went on my screened in patio real quick to see it walk past the outside of that screened in patio. It was a small bobcat. Florida bobcats run between 2 and 4 feet in length and this was definitely on the smaller side. So I’m thinking a juvenile. He or she went on its way and into the scrub. About 40 minutes or so later when I was getting ready to take the girls out as we’d moved through dusk into evening, as I was standing in my front courtyard getting ready to open the gate, I heard a bit of commotion and a meep sound on the island in the middle of the circle I live on. And there, right in front of my house the bobcat had cut inside the evasion circle of one of the wild rabbits that lives here and took it for dinner. As far as I can tell the rabbit didn’t suffer. I don’t know if the bobcat is moving through or is setting up housekeeping, but I’ll let you all know if I see it again and, of course, if I can get a picture I will post it.
Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends! We are grateful for your support, friendship, and shared goals of democracy, liberalism, and adherence to the principles of the international order. Good always prevails over evil. We are thankful for your good.
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) November 24, 2022
Nine months.
The amount of time in which a child is born.
In Nine months of its full-scale invasion, russia has killed and injured hundreds of our children, kidnapped thousands of them, and made millions of children refugees.— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 24, 2022
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!
Restoration continues all day today – we are gradually restoring electricity, heat, water supply and communication.
As of this evening, there are still problems with water in 15 regions.
The most difficult situation is in the Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Poltava and Kharkiv regions. But together with the supply of electricity to critical infrastructure, we also provide water and heat supply.
The situation with electricity remains difficult in almost all regions. But still, we are moving away from the blackout little by little – every hour we restore power to new and new consumers.
It is still the most difficult in the capital and 15 regions: Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi. There are also problems in other regions.
Energy workers, utility workers, business – everyone is doing their part to give light again. This is truly a nationwide task – Ukraine is working as unitedly as possible in this.
Thanks to the State Emergency Service and our entire system of regional administrations for the rapid deployment of the network of Points of Invincibility. In total, as of now, 4,362 points have been launched in most regions.
And this is not yet the final figure – the network will grow according to how the points will be provided with generators and communication.
Please, if your city has been without electricity or heat for more than 12 hours, use our Points of Invincibility.
Assistance will also be provided at all police stations, at the facilities of the State Emergency Service.
Please, if you know single or elderly people who need help, be sure to help them in these circumstances.
A very important initiative was launched by our partners in the European Union. The European Parliament together with a network of European cities launched the “Generators of Hope” program. This will allow us to use the opportunities of horizontal cooperation in Europe – with cities, with businesses – and provide Ukraine with the energy equipment it needs now.
I thank Mrs. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and all our friends in the European Union who have already joined and are still joining.
I held another meeting of the Staff today.
Energy and communication issues were analyzed in great detail: the protection of the energy system from new Russian strikes, restoration work and the supply of equipment and the involvement of specialists.
Special attention is paid to the communication system. No matter what the terrorists are planning, we have to preserve communication.
Russia wants Ukrainians to not just find themselves without light and heat… Terrorists want to isolate us from each other so that we do not feel each other. Therefore, this is a fundamental question.
And there will be additional decisions regarding this issue. We are preparing them.
Of course, the situation on the frontline was examined very carefully and in detail at the meeting of the Staff. No matter how difficult it may be, we are holding the key frontiers in all directions. Our guys defend bravely. And there are directions where we are preparing to advance.
We observe how the occupiers are trying to redeploy additional forces. We do everything to “subtract” these forces of theirs.
Almost every hour, I receive reports of strikes by the occupiers at Kherson and other communities of the region. Such terror began immediately after the Russian army was forced to flee from the Kherson region. This is the revenge of those who lost.
They do not know how to fight. The only thing they can still do is terrorize. Either energy terror, or artillery terror, or missile terror – that’s all that Russia has degraded to under its current leaders.
It is only the liberation of our land and reliable security guarantees for Ukraine that can protect our people from any Russian escalations.
We work with partners every day for this. There will be important news soon.
I addressed the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today – the assembly is currently working in Poland.
I called for the reform of this Organization so that it could finally help restore security in Europe.
The principle of decision-making in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is that it is necessary to agree on decisions for many months and to convince absolutely everyone, even to deprive the delegation of a terrorist state of its rights. It definitely shouldn’t be so. During such a war, during such terror, decisions against the guilty state must be made instantly.
I hope that the OSCE members will listen to the Ukrainian appeal.
I had a call with the President of Israel. I informed him about the consequences of the Russian energy terror, about the needs of our state in view of this.
Ukrainian initiatives to overcome the food crisis created by Russia were also discussed. I invited Israel to join our “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian project.
And, by the way, we already have specific agreements with different countries, different leaders, how to make this initiative of ours to supply food to the poorest countries truly global. Soon we will present all the details.
And one more thing.
Today, another 50 Ukrainian warriors were freed from Russian captivity. Two officers, 48 privates and sergeants. 15 of them were captured in the Kyiv region, on the territory of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Seven were captured on Zmiinyi Island. Finally they will all be home.
I am grateful to Budanov, Yermak, Usov, Malyuk, Lubinets and everyone who helps.
And we will do absolutely everything possible and impossible to return every Ukrainian man and woman who are still being held by the occupiers.
I thank everyone who supports Ukraine in this extremely difficult time!
Thank you to everyone who fights and works for our country!
We endured nine months of the full-scale war and Russia hasn’t found a way to break us. And it will not find it. We must continue to hold on like this in the future! In unity and helping each other.
Glory to Ukraine!
Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s most recent assessments of the situations in Izium and Zaporizhzhia:
IZIUM AXIS/ 1430 24 NOV/ RU forces were repulsed at Stelmakhivka. Heavy RU shelling along Forward Edge of Battle Area. 10 Russian Lancet UCAVS reported downed by UKR air defense units. RU constructing defenses. pic.twitter.com/wCvzMB6J45
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) November 24, 2022
NUCLEAR ROULETTE: On 23 NOV, RU missile attacks forced the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power facility to utilize emergency power generators. The over-use of diesel generators jeopardizes both reactor safety of the security of the plant’s extensive spent fuel storage facilities. pic.twitter.com/aYMNeGAqJu
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) November 24, 2022
Kyiv is very, very dark tonight. pic.twitter.com/bhdji6GMGf
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) November 24, 2022
Kyiv after the most recent russian terrorist attacks.
A family came to a gas station to charge an inhaler needed by their child.#russiaisaterroriststate pic.twitter.com/6xnI60SPv9— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 24, 2022
Here’s a good thread by the head of the president of the Kyiv School of Economics and former Ukrainian Minister of Economics Tymofiy Mylovanov about the current conditions in Kyiv:
Good morning. Day 2 of the most recent Kyiv blackout. Day 274 of the war. There is no electricity, no heating, no water. Outside temperature is around freezing. The apartment is still warm from the previous days. We will see how long it lasts. We have blankets, sleeping bags, 1/ pic.twitter.com/wRmud44Nry
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) November 24, 2022
But every time I go there to get it, I have to let the cold air in; not good. For now, the cell network is up, although the quality varies. Thus, I have internet. Internet is critical for food. Yesterday we went to a grocery store to buy up a bit more stuff in case there will 3/
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) November 24, 2022
Our stove is electric. This means no warm food until the electricity is back. This is not fun. We have to fix it. There are two parts to our plan. First, we will buy an equivalent of a home Tesla battery. So it can be charged when there is electricity. This will 5/
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) November 24, 2022
university runs two; the underground shelter and the first floor are powered up by a generator, there is independent heating, food, and satellite internet. Water is a problem there too, though. If I don’t think too much about it, the day feels normal; just no breakfast 7/7
— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) November 24, 2022
Some better Ukrainian power grid news:
While the intensifying crisis at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant gets the most attention, Russia's attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities is a nation-wide problem
Khmelnytskyi was disconnected from Ukraine's grid after yesterday's civilian infrastructure strikes
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) November 24, 2022
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
In many cities and villages of Ukraine, there is currently no electricity, communication, water, and heat. The enemy advises us to accept their terms. We recommend them to dig bunkers deeper.
— Patron (@PatronDsns) November 24, 2022
Oh! And just now, I realized that today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA. I want to say thank you sincerely and congratulate you. Pinch the turkey for me, too😄
— Patron (@PatronDsns) November 24, 2022
And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:
@patron__dsns
The caption is pretty self explanatory.
Open thread!
GreyMichael
Thank you for the nightly updates, Adam :)
May Ukraine win this war, and by this time next year, I hope all of Ukraine is freed from the grip of russia.
Alison Rose
If I were a russian soldier, the phrasing here would make me shake in my second-hand boots.
That thread from Mylovanov is heartbreaking. This is how the invaders treat the people they have the audacity to call “brothers and sisters”. And they still seem to think that doing this will somehow help them, will make Ukrainians give up, turn on Zelenskyy, and beg putin to take them all in. Bullshit. Never gonna happen, and if putin actually thinks it will, the man is even dumber than I thought.
Thank you as always, Adam, and thank you for saying that the rabbit didn’t suffer. I know that’s how things go in the wild, but alas, I sniffled.
oldster
Just sent a little Thanksgiving note to my President.
Dear Mr. President,
On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to thank you for your excellent leadership in a time of peril.
In particular, I want to thank you for your steadfast support of Ukraine.
With our help Ukraine will win this war, and recover all of its territory.
Ukraine must win, and Russia must lose. If Russia profits from their invasion, even by the smallest concession, then Russia will invade again.
The war that Ukraine is now fighting is a war that keeps America safe. The money and arms that we send to help them are the best investment we can make in our nation’s own security. They protect us in Europe, and Asia too.
I am not Ukrainian — I’m an old Irishman like you — but I can sometimes recognize good and evil when I see it. They have seldom been so clearly opposed as they are in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Ukraine’s war of self-defense.
Because of your leadership, America is once again the beacon of freedom and the arsenal of democracy.
Thank you for your leadership.
signed, etc.
dmsilev
@Alison Rose:
You’d think Putin might have heard of the WWII siege of Leningrad, how long it lasted, and how successful the attackers were. To give just one example of many.
Elizabelle
@oldster: Good letter. Kind of you to send it.
Chetan Murthy
@Elizabelle: It’d be neato if we all wrote a letter to President Biden and signed it as a group. Thanking him for saving our country, and restoring America as the Arsenal of Democracy, having Ukraine’s back in this long struggle against Fascism.
Gin & Tonic
The one constant in *every* conversation I have had with friends and relatives in Ukraine since February is “when we prevail.” The idea that they will somehow decide to give up is ludicrous.
Alison Rose
BTW Adam, I don’t mean to get too mushy here, but on this day, I do want to extend extra and very heartfelt thanks to you for these posts throughout the war. Your updates are valuable beyond measure and are my main source of news on Ukraine, because I know I can trust you to be honest and to give us accurate and fact-checked information. In addition, knowing that your posts are pro-Ukraine and will never get anywhere near any pro-russia disinfo is a real relief. The combination of your own experience and knowledge along with that of the sources you include is incredibly appreciated.
Thank you for the time, the effort, the passion, and the care you put into keeping us all updated and informed. Слава Україні!
Gin & Tonic
And, although it is said often, thank you very much for staying with this beat, Adam. You are performing a very valuable public service here.
Feathers
Happy Thanksgiving to you Adam and thanks for doing this every night. I’m so glad I don’t have to watch the news to keep up.
l was planning to make carbonara, my usual solo holiday meal. However, I forgot to put parmesan on the shopping list. Though I had some, but no, just cheddar. So I had a lovely omelette with Caesar salad and pumpkin pie. Now cozying up with ginger tea to watch my usual Thursday night Poirot.
On the bobcat. The crazy cat lady of my childhood neighborhood had lots of cats, with an extra large screened in area for them, before that was a thing. When I went to sell her Girl Scout cookies she invited me in and introduced me to the pet bobcat. It liked me and let me pet it. It licked my cheek and it felt like sandpaper. When I learned later that big cats lick the skin off their prey, I was not surprised. No idea if the bobcat was legal. This was Virginia in the 60s. Kept looking for it in the outdoor room, but never saw it.
Kids these days have no fun.
YY_Sima Qian
Happy Thanksgiving Adam & everyone else in the States!
jackmac
Adam, I realize there are worries about using US provided weapons (HIMARs, etc.) and escalating this into a wider war or even inviting nukes, but could Ukraine be at all blamed if it started to lob missles or launch special ops missions against infrastructure inside Russia? Turnabout would seem to be fair play. And thanks for these top-notch nightly reports!
Geminid
I found this in today’s Jerusalem Post:
Amir Khalid
Maybe you’ve heard about Prigozhin’s bloody-sledgehammer stunt. Can you believe this guy and his gangster-movie shit?
dr. luba
Patron: When you’ve chewed your owner’s slippers, imagining yourself a cool fashion designer, but he doesn’t appreciate your efforts.
dr. luba
Thanks, Adam, for your daily updates.
And thanks, too, for recommending DeepL; it is much better that Google Translate, which is much better than most other translation apps. Best for non-fiction/technical stuff, not so great for poetry or folk songs. Like all the other translation apps I’ve used, for some reason it defaults to russian transliteration of names, both people and places.
Carlo Graziani
I’m with everyone else here, Adam. What you do for us is an irreplaceable service.
Carlo Graziani
My most chilling wildlife encounter occurred at my wife’s house in the Chicago suburb of Homewood, one night at 12:30 AM, when I happened to open the back patio door just as a skunk happened to be sashaying by, not four feet away from me. It was a beautiful animal, maybe 3 feet long from snout to tail, black with a huge broad white stripe, and with a thick fur coat. I froze, thinking I was about to get gassed, but to my great good fortune it did not seem spooked by my appearance and just proceeded along its rounds with whatever business it was attending to. Having regained motor control, I withdrew quietly, grateful for having dodged that bullet…
Redshift
I, too, am thankful for your efforts here, Adam. I feel much better informed as a result, and having a sense of what information is reliable helps me feel less stressed about my friends in Ukraine. (Or more accurately, only an appropriate amount of stress.)
Freemark
@Carlo Graziani:
Similar experience. I worked very late and would take a walk around a town I would drive to about 2 miles from my house after work. Walking down the sidewalk at 2 am a skunk walked out in front of me. I froze until he moseyed on by. Worried about getting sprayed but also about what it would do to my car driving home after being sprayed.
Carlo Graziani
Pfarrer’s Izium map suggests that the Ukrainians are now consistently hitting targets in Starobilsk with artillery strikes. No sources cited as usual, so no way to follow up. It’s significant, if true. I hope he isn’t blowing smoke.
Andrya
As always, Adam, thanks for doing this. You aren’t just informing your actual readers, but also their social/professional/family networks. And doing it on Thanksgiving is really above and beyond the call of duty.
@Carlo Graziani: @Freemark: Much to my horror, a skunk has moved into my backyard (I let the ivy get a bit out of control, and it’s now the skunk’s cozy nest). It’s a beautiful animal, but… it’s a skunk. Back in July, JR in WV posted a skunk spray remedy, which I saved, and now re-post as a public service:
Enviro scientists working on remediation work invented a skunk neutralizer:
1 qt hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup bicarbonate soda
enough Dawn soap to help it spread through the fur, or shampoo for a wife. More volume in the same proportions for larger dogs or bigger people.
I have invested in the ingredients, and hope for the best.
Carlo Graziani
@Andrya: Possibly the most effective “keep out” sign for skunks, racoons, etc. are outdoor ultrasonic emitters that transmit annoying sound sequences in frequency ranges above those perceptible by humans. We bought an indoor one to evict some raccoons from a garage soffit. There are several models available on Amazon.
The downside is if you have a dog (or if a close neighbor has a dog) they might be troubled by the racket. But then again, they might be even more troubled by the skunk.
Andrya
@Carlo Graziani: Thanks for the info. A close neighbor has dogs, and I have cats, so the ultrasonic transmitter fails cost benefit analysis. My current plan is to put cat food out in the land behind the backyard, verify that the skunk has gone there to eat, and then block the passage while the skunk is outside. Might work!
Chetan Murthy
a thread about General Winter, a Ukrainian patriot perhaps.