Ukraine claims record 3,000 Russian casualties in one day as war drags on
Ukraine reported a record 2,980 Russian casualties in a single day on November 9 as peace talks in Abu Dhabi failed to halt the war's momentum.
Ukraine’s military claimed a new daily record of 2,980 Russian soldiers killed or wounded on November 9, the fourth such record reported this year. The General Staff said this figure contributed to a total of more than 26,000 Russian casualties in the first 10 days of November, suggesting the month could surpass October’s 54,400.
The record casualties come as Russia’s war effort stagnates, with independent assessments indicating a net gain of only 117 square kilometres this year. A group of pro-Ukrainian hackers from Belarus accessed records of Rosstat, the Russian state statistical service, and discovered an official tally of 450,000 Russian fatalities since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Peace talks in Abu Dhabi
Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 failed to produce a ceasefire or territorial concessions. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation, said he would be satisfied only when Russia wins and signs a peace agreement on its terms.
When the Russians now talk about a security architecture for themselves … What they really want is to freely interfere in the affairs of other countries, and to use force whenever they want, and to make sure that no one can support liberty inside Russia.
Russia demanded territory Ukraine is not willing to surrender and called for NATO to withdraw from all former Soviet bloc countries that joined since 1997. Medinsky argued for a new European security system, claiming the post-World War II arrangement is 'sick' and that Ukraine is a 'festering wound'.
Ukraine and the United States agreed to table the subject of a European security architecture, but Germany, France and the United Kingdom did not and were excluded from the proceedings. Medinsky said he did not communicate with the European powers and did not understand their status at the talks.
Ukraine has asked for an ironclad guarantee of military intervention if attacked again, similar to NATO’s Article 5. Zelenskyy said the Trump administration offered something similar to NATO, but Russia’s President Vladimir Putin rejected the presence of European peacekeepers in a post-war Ukraine.
Drone and missile attacks
In the run-up to the Abu Dhabi talks, Russia launched 3,519 drones at Ukraine, with the General Staff reporting that Ukraine intercepted 3,068 of them. On the night of November 7, Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles, including some reportedly manufactured by North Korea, striking energy infrastructure.
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi has asked European allies to provide generators, battery packs, mobile shelters and buses to maintain urban transport during blackouts. On November 12, Zelenskyy reported renewed restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the Starlink satellite service, which is needed to coordinate interceptors for incoming drones.
Strikes inside Russia
Ukraine has continued to strike Russian military and energy infrastructure as a form of forward defence. Since the end of October, Ukraine has attacked Russia’s five biggest refineries, including the Afipsky, Saratov, Kirishi, Ust-Luga and Omsk facilities.
Russian military reporters said three Russian helicopters were downed by friendly fire during attempts to defend the Ust-Luga refinery. Sources told Reuters that Ukraine has destroyed at least 30 percent of Russia’s refining capacity.
Ukrainian defence minister Yevhenii Khmara told his Dutch counterpart that Ukraine had struck 12 ballistic missile launch sites inside Russia. He said the strikes on factories were reducing Russian production capacity, including attacks on the Morozov plant near St Petersburg, the Redkino plant in Tver, and the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in Novgorod.
Ukraine also targeted the Naro-Forminsk cruiser, which launches Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles, and the Proton-Electrotex conglomerate, which makes parts for Kormoran cruise and Iskander ballistic missiles. A fire burned almost a hectare of storage space next to an Almaz factory in Rostov on November 7, though it was unclear who caused it.
Zelenskyy renewed his call for German Taurus missiles to strike Russian launchers. The strikes on refineries appear to be affecting the Russian economy, with Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reporting Moscow projecting a $63bn-$67bn deficit for 2026, double its intended figure.
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