November 13 2024

Former Ukrainian President and People’s Deputy Petro Poroshenko has provided the Ukrainian military with 2 additional Ai-Petri electronic warfare complexes. The systems were given to the 406th separate artillery brigade of the Ukrainian Navy. The Ai-Petri is used to disrupt reconnaissance attempts from Russian drones, such as the Zala, Orlan, and Supercam. Additionally, the Ai-Petri can pinpoint the locations of UAV operators, disrupt the operation of FPV drones, and interfere with Russian guided bombs. One full Ai-Petri system comes with “an electronic warfare station, a modern radar station, an anti-drone device, pickup trucks and a command vehicle with secure communication equipment and an autonomous power source.”

In the past, Poroshenko reported that the Ai-Petri can suppress Russian UAVs at ranges of up to 20 kilometers.


Russia's Arctic LNG 2 pipeline has undergone a serious drop in production. Gas production has decreased by over 90% as of November 2024. The cause of this decline is attributed to Western sanctions. The gas fields that supply the pipeline only produced an average of 0.4 million cubic meters of gas per day, the lowest production rate in over a year. In Quarter 3 of 2023, the fields were producing 2-14 million cubic meters of gas per day. The pipeline can transit 19.8 million tons of LNG through it per year but is only operating at 6.6 million tons annually. After the US sanctioned the pipeline in November 2023, foreign companies ended their involvement in the pipeline. Additionally, Russian LNG company Novatek may not receive 6 LNG transportation ships from Korean company Hanwha. Novatek’s executives have close ties to Putin, and Novatek currently has no fleet of LNG tanker ships, meaning alternatives to their failing pipeline are limited.

The first volunteers of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland signed their contracts with the Ukrainian military on November 12. The recruitment took place at the Ukrainian Consulate in Lublin. Over 600 people have applied to join the Ukrainian Legion. The initial stages of training and equipping of the Legion will be done in partner countries in Europe.

In an interview on November 12, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Wiesław Kukuła said that Poland will not intercept Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine. He said that Poland is only responsible for air defense in its own borders and that Poland needs to improve its own defense against airborne threats.

On November 12, President Zelenskyy announced that servicemembers in Ukraine’s National Guard and the State Border Guard Service can now apply to transfer to different units. The administration is working on extending this right to all members of the Defense Forces and Security Forces. Transfers will be handled through Army+ app. Requests will take 72 hours to process and generate a response. This new system will go into effect on November 15.


By the end of this year, France will provide Ukraine with 600 AASM Hammer guided bombs. These bombs will come from France’s existing stockpiles, instead of providing newly produced bombs. France plans to produce an additional 1,200 AASM Hammer bombs in 2025. France was scheduled to produce 600 of them in 2024. These bombs have been integrated into Soviet MiG-29s and F-16s. The AASM bombs can strike targets at ranges of 15-70 km, depending on the altitude at which the bomb was launched.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the 6th IRIS-T air defense system will be in Ukraine by the end of the year. Both Scholz and Zelenskyy have agreed to continue the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meetings and Zelenskyy will promote Ukraine’s peace proposal at the G20 summit in Brazil.

The EU General Court ruled that the slogan "Russian warship, go fk yourself” cannot be trademarked by Ukraine. They made this decision on the basis that this is more of a political statement than one directly related to commerce.


On November 13, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to the German Bundestag. He said he made a “personal contribution” to preventing the war from escalating. It is not entirely clear what he means by that. He also said that Germany has a responsibility to support Ukraine’s democracy and sovereignty and that decisions cannot be made without Ukraine’s involvement. He spoke about preventing escalation and repeated that neither Taurus missiles nor permission to do long-range strikes with German weapons into Russia will be provided to Ukraine.


Slovakia's main gas buyer, SPP, has signed a short-term contract with Azerbaijan for the purchase of natural gas. They are looking into long-term agreements, however, as Russian gas will no longer be transited through Ukrainian pipelines by the end of the year. SPP largely purchased gas from Russia, but has been working on diversifying its sources of natural gas. Slovakia is also using alternate gas transit routes, such as the Turkish stream pipeline, and getting gas from Germany.


On Nov 13, President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is planning to produce its own air defense systems, including missile systems, with assistance from partners and allies.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi denied reports that Ukraine is developing or planning to develop nuclear weapons. He said that Ukraine is committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and is transparent about its handling of nuclear materials with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Times reported that Ukraine could develop a nuclear bomb if the US cuts off aid and Bild claimed that it would only take weeks for Ukraine to begin building a nuclear arsenal. Tykhyi said, “We do not possess, develop, or intend to create nuclear weapons.”

On November 13, Bloomberg reported that numerous Russian billionaires have a less-than-positive outlook on the future of the Russian economy. They see the war as massively disruptive to the economy, making long-term growth difficult. Six billionaires Bloomberg spoke to doubt that the war will end soon. Putin’s own economic predictions are modest but optimistic. The billionaires feel the government has unrealistic goals and that insufficient effort is being made to meet them. Substitutions for sanctioned goods are being found slowly, there is a shortage of workers due to conscription, and government spending on the war is driving up inflation. The Russian Central Bank continues to increase interest rates in an attempt to combat inflation, but this contributes to the slowing of the economy. The billionaires do believe that the economy can continue to operate as is for years, similar to how the USSR government was able to continue despite economic hardships. The billionaires feel it is getting harder and harder to explain economic issues to the public due to the government’s restrictive policies on discussing the war.

South Korea’s intelligence agency confirmed that North Korean soldiers are now engaging in combat alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast. The US State Department has also confirmed this fact. The number of North Korean troops involved in or preparing for combat on behalf of Russia is 10-11 thousand.

A poll by the International Republican Institute shows that 88% of Ukrainians believe they will emerge victorious in the war against Russia. Those who doubt Ukraine can win has risen from 8% in February 2024, to 10% in September. Skepticism towards victory is most pronounced in eastern Ukraine. 31% expect the war will end within a year, up from 26% in February. 33% think the war will in the next year or two. 4% of Ukrainians think the war will never end, and 9% think the war will last at least 5 more years.


The Utyos Oil Depot in the village of Montazhny, Russa was struck by drones, according to Russian media outlet Astra. Local authorities claim 3 drones reached the area but all went down in forested areas. Locals claim a storage tank was damaged. Videos show that one of the tanks has a hole punched into it, surrounded by black scorch marks.


The Moscow Times reports that 36 small and medium Russian airlines are at risk of going bankrupt in 20265. These airlines account for 26% of domestic flights. Many of these airlines have been accumulating massive debt, due to leasing foreign aircraft. They stopped the payments on the leases when sanctions were imposed in 2025, but the Russian government allowed them to write off these debts but will levy a 25% income tax which could be more than many of these airlines can afford. Maintenance prices have also gone up due to sanctions as spare parts became much harder to get. Only large airlines like Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, and S7 Airlines could afford to purchase their leased aircraft. 165 out of 400 leased aircraft were purchased in the first quarter of 2024.

A Russian milblogger claims that 3 Mirage 2000-5Fs have been delivered to Ukraine ahead of schedule. Their post was a whole long, long, long complicated thing not worth retelling. They provided video of a Mirage at an airbase alongside F-16s with Turkish livery. The Daily Hog staff places very little faith in this rumor.


The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense began testing new winter equipment for its soldiers on Nov. 13. The equipment includes a camouflage suit (Type 2), a winter hat, and a special winter suit. The purpose of these tests is to evaluate their reliability and ease of use, according to Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov.

Ukraine’s military has been operating in Russia's Kursk Oblast for 100 days, during which Russian forces have shelled their own territory 11,578 times, according to the Operational Command North. On Nov. 13, Operational Command North said that there have been a total of 51,456 explosions in the region. The Russians have reportedly dropped 3,243 guided aerial bombs, 356 unguided missiles, and 2,462 explosive devices from drones, along with using 2,175 FPV drones on their own territory.


Ukraine has received a $1.35 billion grant from the U.S. to support humanitarian and social programs, including salaries for educators. This funding was provided by USAID. It will be used to reimburse state budget expenses through the World Bank's PEACE project. The US has provided a total of $28.2 billion in budget support to Ukraine since February 2022. This is the largest amount provided by any country. Ukraine also expects an additional $2.6 billion in U.S. support this year. Additionally, Ukraine has met the IMF’s expectations during its sixth review and expects a $1.1 billion financial aid package.


Captain Valery Trankovsky, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s 41st Brigade, was killed when his car was bombed in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Nov. 13. The operation was pulled off by the Ukrainian Security Service which targeted Trankovsky for his role in launching cruise missile strikes on Ukrainian cities which killed civilians. The explosion severed his legs and was remotely triggered. The Security Service had been surveilling Trankovsky for a week. Ukraine considered him to be a war criminal.


Ukraine is in talks with the UK to train 5,000–7,000 civil servants annually, with the goal of developing a whole new generation of officials who can reform law enforcement and business over the next twenty years.


Ukraine has created five joint ventures with Western arms manufacturers from Germany, Lithuania, and other countries. Ukraine is also finalizing agreements for three more with European companies. Several arms manufacturers have also set up offices in Ukraine. Arms production makes up 1.8% of Ukraine's GDP. It was 0.3% of the GDP in 2021. The Ukrainian government has allocated over $1.334 billion for weapons and equipment production in 2025. Additionally, over $12 million in loans will be provided to defense companies by the Ukrainian government.


The Vinnytsia has provided 2,000 FPV drones to the Ukrainian military for use in the hottest spots on the front. The type of FPV was not specified.


Ukrainian soldier officer_alex33:

“Despite the statements of some "authoritative channels", the enemy did not occupy the settlement of Dalne in the Kurakhove direction. Yes, the enemy was able to gain a foothold in part of the settlement, but did not take it completely. By the way, the footage of the Leopards from the 33rd Brigade is from that area.”
…
“The situation on the Zaporizhzhia front is becoming increasingly tense, and everyone has a strong feeling that a fight is imminent. In addition to Robotyne, the bastards are moving around the area of Olhivske - Rivnopillia (the administrative border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions).
All the guys are on high alert, waiting.”

Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Osman:

“In the Pokrovsky direction, the situation is bad, the enemy is advancing steadily at a set pace every day, because when retreating, ours cannot properly take up the defense.

On the roads from Shevchenkov to Novooleksiivka, in addition to destroyed military equipment, you can find destroyed civilian cars and civilian corpses on the roads.

Russians absolutely want to kill anyone, the main thing is that it is a Ukrainian, and it doesn't matter if he is a civilian or a military man.”
…
“The activity of the enemy from the direction of Kreminnaya remains high, the main targets for the enemy remain Torske and Terny.

Today, thanks to the good work of intelligence, in Kreminnaya it was possible to destroy 2 out of 4 units of equipment with the landing party, which came forward to storm our positions.”
…
“The activity of the pro-Russian forces in the de-occupied part of Kursk region is stable.
They regularly use equipment in the main areas, suffer losses, and have no significant advances or successes.
Thanks to the coordinated work of our units and their tireless efforts, this area can now be considered one of the most stable areas of the front.”
…
“In the direction of New York, the Azov fighters repelled a mobile assault by [Russians], which included 11 units of various vehicles, only 1 motorcycle managed to escape.”
..
“There are no [Russians] in Kupyansk, they were knocked out, and the reserves that tried to pull up were destroyed.
I am writing for those who take phrases out of context and shout about the surrender of the city.
Thank you for your attention”
..
"In the direction of Orikhiv (AR), the bastards are terrorizing our positions with artillery, UAVs, FPV drones on fiber optics, and other types of equipment.
They continue attempting to break through with several small groups of 5-8 people at once, but our guys wipe them out before they even get close with the help of mortars and FPVs.
The bastards are mostly on 'stimulants,' they don't hesitate to surrender and talk complete nonsense."

Quote of the Day:

“Books! tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland hedgehog,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.”

― William Wordsworth