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Key developments on Nov. 20:

  • Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports
  • Biden approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in light of Russian gains in east
  • Ukrainian drones allegedly strike Russian factories, weapons arsenal
  • North Korean troops in Russia to be led by secrecy-shrouded general close to Kim Jong Un, WSJ reports
  • Putin open to discussing Ukraine ceasefire with Trump, Reuters reports
  • Russian officials threaten US over long-range strikes, allude to nuclear doctrine changes
Ukraine has struck targets inside Russia with British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles for the first time, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20, citing a Western official familiar with the matter.

According to the source, the strikes were approved as a response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast, a sign of escalation by Russia.

Different versions of Storm Shadow missiles have a range of between 250 and 560 kilometers. Storm Shadows have been used to hit Russian military targets in Crimea, a sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia.

The reported strikes come a day after Ukraine reportedly used U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles to attack Russian territory, following outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's approval on Nov. 17.

That strike reportedly hit a Russian military facility in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast.

Biden approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in light of Russian gains in east

U.S. President Joe Biden has approved the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Nov. 20.

The decision is expected to help slow down Russia's advance in the east of the country.

The move follows the Biden administration's authorization of the use of U.S.-made long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. Kyiv has not officially confirmed the claims, but recent reports indicate Ukraine deployed U.S. ATACMS missiles in Russia's Bryansk Oblast.

The transfer of anti-personnel mines could be controversial, as it contradicts the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, which has been signed by more than 160 countries. Russia and the U.S. are not signatories to this initiative.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Washington has been supplying Kyiv with anti-tank mines, while Ukrainian forces have been looking for opportunities to obtain infantry mines over the past three years. Moscow...

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