November 25th, 2024: Ukrainian Forces Lose More Ground & Montreal Burns in Anti-NATO Unrest
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What is the current situation for Ukrainian forces?
Go to blackoutcoffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Monday, 25 November. Look at that. We are winging our way towards the end of another month. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. Today, we'll start with an update on the situation for Ukrainian forces. They're facing mounting challenges. Look, Kiev's troops are steadily losing territory, particularly in the Kursk region, where their previously ambitious offensive into Russian territory is faltering. Later, we'll head to Montreal, you know, that's in Canada, where a combined anti-NATO and pro-Palestinian protest, they smushed them both together, spiraled into a night of arson and rioting.
Then, we'll turn to the Middle East, where, despite hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the deadly exchanges between the IDF and Hezbollah continue. Turns out that hope only takes you so far in a conflict as long-standing and complex as this one. And in today's back of the brief, we'll profile Scott Besant. He's the pro-tariff billionaire tapped by President Trump or President-elect Trump, let's be accurate, as the next Treasury Secretary. And of course, Treasury Secretary in the U.S., that would be the most important economic job in the country. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. As the bitter winter months approach, the outlook is becoming increasingly concerning for Ukrainian forces.
Reports indicate that Russian troops are now advancing at their fastest pace since the beginning of the 2022 invasion by Putin. The most significant territorial losses are occurring in the province of Kursk in Russia, where Ukraine, as you'll recall, launched a somewhat risky invasion into Russian territory back in early August. Now, according to a senior Ukrainian military official, Kyiv's forces have lost over 40% of the land that they had initially seized in that offensive into Russian territory. At its peak, the incursion saw Ukraine controlling as much as 530 square miles. However, recent updates from Kyiv's military suggest that figure has now shrunk to just over 300 square miles. That initial push into Kursk was the first ground invasion into Russia since World War II, and it caught Moscow by surprise, obviously. But in the weeks that followed, Russia deployed tens of thousands of reinforcements to the area. The situation quickly turned, and Russian forces have not only stabilized the region, but have also begun reclaiming lost ground through relentless counterattacks.
Ukrainian President Zelensky addressed the deteriorating situation, stating that Vladimir Putin's objective is to push Ukrainian troops out of the area by January 20th of next year. That date just happens to coincide with the inauguration of President-elect Trump. Now, the initial goal of the incursion was to draw Russian forces away from Ukraine's eastern front, and that would be the Donbas region, where Kyiv's forces were struggling to hold the line. The logic went that the loss of territory inside Russia would be politically damaging, of course, to Putin, and it would force him to divert experienced troops and major assets to halt that offensive. Unfortunately, this gamble doesn't appear to have paid off, at least not to the extent that they'd hoped. Ukrainian forces continue to lose ground in the Donbass, with Russian troops capturing village after village at a somewhat steady pace. Meanwhile, another development is looming on the horizon.
As we've been covering here on the PDB, North Korean troops, as bizarre as that sounds, are preparing to join Russia's counteroffensive. According to most estimates, around 10,000 North Korean soldiers have completed their training alongside Russian forces. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the reports over the weekend while speaking in Fiji. He stated, quote, All right.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the current situation for Ukrainian forces?
0:21–7:24
2
What happened during the anti-NATO protest in Montreal?
7:24–10:52
3
What are the implications of the violence in Montreal?
10:52–12:51
4
How is Canadian leadership responding to the riots?
12:51–14:57
5
What controversies surround Prime Minister Trudeau during the protests?
14:57–18:05
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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