Russia made new threats. On Nov. 28, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that he can target 'decision-making centers' in Kyiv with Oreshnik missile. He made sure to emphasize that Oreshnik can’t be intercepted, and it can be as destructive as a nuclear weapon. I can’t say that people that I know in Kyiv are too worried about this. We are close enough to Russia to know that its tactic is often to bully and intimidate, and that it tends to overhype its capabilities. Meanwhile, a recent poll by an independent pollster found that 39% of Russians think that a nuclear strike on Ukraine would be justified.
Zelensky appointed a new army commander. Zelensky appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander on Nov. 29. Drapatyi replaced Oleksandr Pavliuk who had served in the position since Feb. 11, 2024 after then Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi had been appointed commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces. Announcing the appointment, Zelensky said that Drapatyi “successfully organized the defense in the Kharkiv sector and disrupted the Russian offensive” but didn’t elaborate on the reason for the reshuffle.
Trump picked his Ukraine envoy. On Nov. 27, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump chose Keith Kellogg as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. As our journalists report, Kellogg is “not ideal for Kyiv but an acceptable and reasonable choice.” Kellogg has co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO's accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia. Read more about him here.
Speaking of Trump, make sure to check out our story about the fate of frozen Russian assets under Trump.
Russia’s economy is experiencing turbulence. Russia's expanding spending on the war has fueled inflation, prompting Russia's Central Bank to hike its interest rate to the highest level since the early 2000s — 21% — to rein in consumer prices. The purchasing power of the Russian ruble hit the lowest point since March 2022. Here’s what it means for Russia.
Joe Rogan vs. Ukraine. Popular American conservative podcaster Joe Rogan lashed out at U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine during one of his recent shows. He criticized Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike with Storm Shadow and ATACMS long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. "Zelensky says Putin is terrified. F**k you, man. You f**king people are about to start World War III," Rogan said.
Well, Ukrainians didn’t hold back. We took to the streets of Kyiv and asked locals what they thought of Rogan’s comments. This might have been the first time when we had the “F” word in a story headline.
Separately, we ran an op-ed by former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, responding to Rogan. Earlier, Kuleba extended an open invitation to Rogan to come on his podcast and have a conversation about Ukraine. He writes that he doesn’t expect Rogan to respond but still it’s important to reach out to people like him. “Rogan’s comments serve as a wake-up call for anyone who argues that figures like me shouldn’t ‘lower themselves’ by engaging with people like him,” Kuleba writes. “Whether you like Rogan or not, his audience represents a critical segment of the conversation, including Americans who voted for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and whose views will shape the future of U.S.-Ukraine relations. Ignoring that reality doesn’t make it go away. You can’t break the echo chamber by pretending it doesn’t exist.”
