Victory Chronicles-DAY 988

The Biden administration intends to finalize more than $6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine by the day of the new president’s inauguration to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia. 

The plan faces significant challenges due to the time it takes for munitions and equipment to reach Ukraine. Any equipment shipped in the coming weeks may not arrive in full by the time the Trump administration officially takes over. 

This could lead to a halt in supplies before they reach Ukraine. The main obstacle to rapid delivery is that the United States can only send equipment already in stock, and the speed of production or contracting for new artillery shells and weapons is a limiting factor.

According to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 93% of Ukrainians have a negative attitude towards Russia as of October 2024. This marks a sharp decline in attitudes since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022. Only 3% of respondents expressed a positive attitude towards Russia. The survey suggests that Ukrainians had maintained a positive attitude towards Russia before the invasion, but Russia’s aggressive actions and propaganda have led to a reconsideration of their attitudes. The negative perception of Russia is consistent across all regions of Ukraine, with 96% in the West and 88% in the East expressing a negative attitude. 

Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, was struck by Russian forces with missiles and guided bombs, causing damage to residential buildings and a hospital. There are reports of wounded and an ongoing assessment of the extent of destruction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the attack and expressed his condolences to the affected families. He emphasized that such strikes not only cause loss of life but also invalidate any attempts at negotiation with Russia, as they appear to revel in the deaths of people. President Zelenskyy stressed the importance of having strong air defense capabilities for Ukraine to protect civilian lives and thanked those who supported Ukraine in this regard.

Russian Orlan and Zala reconnaissance drones are scanning the horizon for Ukrainian positions. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Condor unmanned aerial vehicle battalion from the Bureviy Brigade monitors their movements, calculates their flight paths, and waits for the optimal moment to strike. When the time is right, they deploy FPV drones to intercept and destroy the Russian drones.

Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a Russian naval base in Kaspiysk, Republic of Dagestan for the first time on November 6 damaging several missile ships of the Russia Caspian Sea Flotilla. 

Ukrainian media outlets, citing Ukraine’s military intelligence, reported that the Ukrainian drones struck a naval base in damaging the Tatarstan and Dagestan Gepard-class frigates (Project 11661) and possibly damaging several nearby Buyan-class corvettes (Project 21631).

Republic of Dagestan Head Sergei Melikov claimed on November 6 that Russian forces downed a Ukrainian drone over Kaspiysk without specifying the consequences. Satellite imagery collected on November 6 indicates the presence of three likely Russian Buyan-class vessels, two likely Buyan-M-class vessels, one likely Tarantul-class vessel, one likely Gepard-class vessel, and one likely Karakurt-class vessel present on the day of the strike in the port of Kaspiysk, although the images are insufficient for identifying damage to ships or naval piers.

Geolocated footage published on November 6 shows drones striking near port infrastructure in Kaspiysk.

31-year-old aviation Lieutenant Colonel Denys “Flash” Vasyliuk died on May 17, 2024, in the Kharkiv sector while performing a combat mission. In the last minutes before the plane was shot down, he dropped 2 bombs on the enemy, saving the infantry. 

His last words to the air traffic controller were “I’m dancing”, which in pilot slang means “I’m maneuvering away from the missiles.” After that, the connection was broken forever. When Denys was found, his hand was on the steering wheel. He was defending the Ukrainian sky to the last.

Denys was born in Crimea. After school, he graduated from the Kharkiv Air Force University, named after Ivan Kozhedub. Since childhood, he participated in various school activities, played the guitar, and tried his hand at boxing. For 8 years he was engaged in ballroom dancing. As a teenager, he was fond of mountain tourism.

Since 2014, he was a pilot of the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade in Myrhorod. He participated in the ATO/JFO.

He gave his entire adult life to the military. Only in 2021, after the end of his contract, did he work for five months in the IT field at Telesens before the full-scale invasion. After February 24, 2022, he returned to the military again.

Denys performed tasks in all areas of the front. He was directly involved in the liberation of Zmeinyi Island. He countered enemy fighters with his fighters-in-arms, for which he received the Order “For Courage” of the III degree.

During his lifetime, the pilot became a full cavalier of the Order “For Courage,” received a medal “For Military Service of Ukraine,” and was posthumously awarded the Order “Golden Star.”

“I have never seen such a combination of external and internal beauty. Denis loved life very much; he tried to enjoy every moment. He was very wise fond of psychology. He always had great ambitions. He said he wanted to be an outstanding person to help others. For a while, he even dreamed of becoming president. Denys dreamed of the de-occupation of Crimea, of our victory. He dreamed of peace, his children and a quiet life. After the death of my universe, I started to keep therapeutic video diaries about my state of mind, about the story of our love, about who Denys Vasylyuk is as a warrior and as a person. About my experience of grief. These diaries help and support those in a similar situation. I am also currently writing a book about the Hero. It will be called “The Story of a Combat Pilot. FLASH. Love forever and more”. These are the words we used to say to each other all the time… and indeed love now and even more… There was not a day that I did not worry about my beloved during the full-scale invasion. Being a woman in the military is very morally difficult, but it was my choice. And besides worrying and fearing for his life, there were a lot of warm, tender memories… I loved him endlessly and waited for him. Always. And even now, I want to believe we will see each other someday… Even if not in this world… But this thought warms me,” said Vladyslava, the deceased’s wife.

The defender was buried on the Alley of Heroes in the city of Myrhorod, Poltava region. Denys is survived by his parents, brother and wife.

*Denys’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• President Zelenskyy: We need “peace through strength”, not concessions to Putin
• Britain imposes large-scale sanctions against Russia’s military-industrial complex and Russian-backed mercenaries
• WSJ: Trump advised to freeze war in Ukraine, but has yet to make decision
• Trump and South Korean president discuss Russia’s involvement of North Korean military on battlefield in Ukraine
• US officials: N.Korean troops engaged in combat in Kursk for the first time