Russian Casualties Rise, Ukraine Strikes Russian Power Facilities and the Battle of Pokrovsk Continues - The Big Five, 9 November edition
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
Battle of Bakhmut
13 min read
The article references Bakhmut as a key escalation point in 2022. Understanding this prolonged urban battle provides crucial context for the current Pokrovsk situation and Russia's attritional warfare strategy.
-
NATO Enhanced Forward Presence
13 min read
The article discusses Germany's Operation Plan Germany and NATO's eastern flank reinforcement strategy. Understanding NATO's existing forward presence deployment provides essential context for the alliance's deterrence posture against Russia.
For the foreseeable future, Russia will remain a destabilizing force in Europe and the world. And Russia is not alone in its efforts to undermine the global rules. As you know it is working with China, with North Korea, with Iran and others. They are increasing their defence industrial collaboration to unprecedented levels. They are preparing for long term confrontation. We cannot be naive. We must be prepared. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, 6 November.
As is normally the case these days, it has been another big week in international affairs, and the war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainians conducted an insertion of special force troops to hold open the route into the Pokrovsk salient, although this smacks of desperation rather than good tactics. Ukraine and Russia are pounding away at each other’s power generation and distribution system as another northern hemisphere winter approaches. Citizens in both nations face a cold, bleak winter with rolling blackouts in many areas.
In the Pacific, China commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, in the presence of President Xi. This is a significant technological achievement as the carrier is the first indigenously designed and produced carrier for the PLA Navy. China also continued its incursions into Taiwanese airspace, although at a slightly reduced tempo.
And, in other news, my brain is finally back to normal operations after a few days of reduced capacity due to jet lag!
Welcome to my weekly update on modern war and strategic competition.
Ukraine
In Europe, the Drones Keep Coming. European authorities reported this week that more unidentified drone incursions occured in NATO airspace. The Swedish Civil Aviation Administration reported at least one unidentified drone flying over the Gothenburg Landvetter Airport on 6 November, which forced the diversion or cancelation of flights. On the same day, Belgium temporarily closed the Brussels Airport after an air traffic controller observed an unidentified drone. Belgian police confirmed on November 6 that unidentified drones flew near the Belgian Nuclear Research Center.
German General Warns of Future Russian Aggression. While presenting Operation Plan Germany this week - a new national defence plan aligned with NATO’s regional strategy - Lt. Gen. Alexander Sollfrank, head of the armed forces’ Operational Command, warned about future Russian aggression and stated that:
...Russia is already today capable of carrying out a regionally limited attack on NATO territory…After the end of Russia’s
This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.