Key Takeaways from the ISW:
- Patriarch Kirill, head of the Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP), highlighted ongoing social and ideological divides within Russian society while reiterating boilerplate justifications for the war in Ukraine during a speech on October 31.
- Kirill also highlighted the growing trend of brutality and cruelty in the Russian military and attempted to excuse this trend as the emergence of a “neo-pagan” cult.
- Russian authorities also continue to identify conflict between ethnic Russians and minority groups as a critical issue.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui in Moscow on November 1, securing strong affirmations of North Korea’s support for Russia amid updated Western reports on the number of North Korean troops deployed to Russia.
- North Korean troops are unlikely to present Russia with a long-term solution to its manpower concerns, despite Choe’s comments about Pyongyang’s indefinite commitment to Russia’s war effort.
- The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced a new tranche of military assistance valued at $425 million to Ukraine on November 1.
- Russian federal censor Roskomnadzor failed to enforce its plan to deanonymize Russian social media accounts by its stated November 1 deadline.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced north of Sudzha.
- Both Ukrainian and Russian forces recently advanced within central Vovchansk. Russian forces recently advanced northeast of Kupyansk and northwest of Kreminna.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) introduced a new system on November 1 allowing Russian veterans and their families to confirm their veteran statuses digitally.
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Authors: Karolina Hird, Angelica Evans, Kateryna Stepanenko, Grace Mappes, and Fredrick W. Kagan.
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