Key developments on November 9 and 10:

• Ukrainian forces launch largest drone attack on Moscow
• Russian losses hit record high in October, UK defense minister says
• Russia is preparing to launch an offensive of 50,000 men in the Kursk oblast, including North Koreans, reports the New York Times.
• Trump urges Putin to avoid escalation in Ukraine, WP reports

Russian air defense downed 70 Ukrainian drones, including 34 in Moscow Oblast, in the largest Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian capital, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on November 10.

Drones between Russian airspace between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Defense Ministry said. Russian air defense systems shot down 34 drones over Moscow oblast, 14 over Bryansk oblast, seven each over Oryol and Kaluga oblasts, six over Kursk Oblast and two above Tula Oblast.

Unverified social media accounts shared images of drones flying over houses and subsequent damage, including a burning car. They could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent.

At least one person reportedly injured in Moscow Oblast and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency services were working in the city.

Two of Moscow’s four airports, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, shut down due to the attack and drone threat, according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency. Sheremetyevo International Airport was subsequently closed, although flights have since resumed.

Russia launched its biggest overnight drone attack on Ukraine on November 9-10, with 145 drones entering Ukrainian airspace. Ukrainian air defense downed 62 drones.

A previous Ukrainian drone attack damaged a Russian ammunition warehouse in Bryansk Oblast, according to the General Staff.

Ukraine increased its drone attacks on Russia this year and drones destroyed or damaged 52,000 Russian targets last month, says Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Alexander Syrsky.

“Drone technology is developing rapidly and we must stay one step ahead of the enemy,” the general said on November 9.

In the words of a Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) source who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity, an ammunition warehouse was “literally erased from the face of the earth” in Tver Oblast last month.

This happened just a few days after Ukraine confirmed attacks on two other arms depots, the British Ministry of Defense said the combined strikes had caused “biggest loss of ammunition” in Russia during its all-out war against Ukraine.

British Defense Chief: Russia lost 1,500 soldiers every day in October

Although the Kremlin does not announce the number of dead and wounded, Western officials say October was the heaviest month yet for Russian forces.

Russian casualties reached record high in October, UK defense minister says

Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered their deadliest month since the start of the full-scale invasion, Britain’s defense minister said in an interview published on November 8.

Talk to The telegraphJohn Healey said Moscow’s troops suffered 41,980 deaths and injuries in October, according to British intelligence figures.

This equates to an average of 1,354 per day.

British intelligence estimates that Russia likely suffered more than 696,000 casualties. losses since the start of the full-scale invasion, a figure consistent with Ukraine’s current total of 707,540 reported on November 9.

The daily figure reported by kyiv was 1,660, the second highest of the war.

The second previous high was 1,630 reported on October 25, which surpassed the previous record of 1,530which was fixed just a week ago.

THE bloodiest day for the Moscow forces it was May 13, when they came under attack 1,740 victims.

While Russian forces are suffering record losses, they are also making increasingly rapid gains in eastern Ukraine.

According to a Publication of a Bloomberg analysis on November 1, Ukraine has lost 1,146 square kilometers of its own territory since the launch of the Incursion into Kursk Oblast in early August, with the week through November 1 considered the worst in terms of territory lost in all of 2024.

On November 2, Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky said that Ukraine was facing “one of the most powerful” Russian offensives since the start of the total war.

During the fall, large parts of Ukrainian territory, sometimes including entire towns, were lost almost daily in the south of the country. Donetsk Oblastwhile Russian forces also made significant operational gains nearly Toretsk, Chasiv YarKupiansk, as well as on their own soil in the Kursk Oblast.

Despite the grim situation, Healey told the Telegraph that Russia’s momentum is not unstoppable.

Asked if Ukraine, with the support of its Western allies, could win the war, he replied: “The West can and must.”

Mediazona confirms the identity of more than 77,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

Since Mediazona’s last update at the end of October, the names of 1,761 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of victims.

Russia set to launch 50,000-strong offensive in Kursk Oblast, including North Koreans

Russia is preparing to launch an offensive in Kursk Oblast with a force of 50,000 troops, including North Korean troops, The New York Times reported on November 10, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

The attack will be to start in the near future, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine launched a surprise offensive against Russia. Kursk Oblast in August and maintains its positions even though Russian forces have managed to reconquer around half of the territory.

Russia has amassed 50,000 troops without withdrawing its troops from the Eastern Front, according to a new US assessment. Eastern Ukraine remains Russia’s priority and it has made notable progress in the south. Donetsk Oblastand nearby Toretsk, Chasiv YarAnd Kupiansk.

Although it has managed to retake parts of Kursk Oblast through missile strikes and artillery fire, Russia has not yet launched a major assault there, a US official told the New York Times.

The new force comes as Russia sees its the heaviest losses last month and North Korean troops could replace wounded and killed Russian soldiers, some experts say. Admiral Anthony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff, said Russia lost an average of 1,500 troops per day in October.

North Korean troops, who arrived in Russia last month, will likely be directly involved in the Kursk Oblast operation. The troops were divided into an assault unit and a support unit, according to a Ukrainian official.

They will fight as light infantry, making them vulnerable to attacks from Ukrainian artillery and drones without the help of armored vehicles, writes the New York Times.

Russian and North Korean soldiers are expected to suffer heavy losses in their battles against Ukrainians in the Kursk oblast, U.S. officials say.

North Korea has already deployed some 11,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 4.

Clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean soldiers are currently taking place in progresssaid Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on November 5.

North Korean troops have already suffered lossesZelensky confirmed on November 7, without specifying the number.

NATO chief Rutte wants to discuss Russia-Korea threat with Trump

“We have to work together. So I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can collectively address these threats and what we need to do,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump urges Putin to avoid escalation in Ukraine, WP reports
President-elect Donald Trump spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 7, marking their first telephone conversation since Trump’s election victory, sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

On the call from Florida, Trump advised Putin not to escalate the situation in Ukraine and highlighted Washington’s significant military presence in Europe, one of them said. source close to the discussion. The sources requested anonymity to discuss this sensitive subject.

Trump and Putin discussed the importance of peace in Europe, with Trump expressing interest in continuing conversations aimed at “a rapid resolution to the war in Ukraine,” according to multiple sources.

Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to immediately end the war in Ukraine, but did not outline specific plans. Privately, Trump has indicated support for a possible deal allowing Russia to keep some of the occupied territory. During the call, he briefly addressed the land issue, sources said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Nov. 8 interview that “the Americans will leave” the war in Ukraine under Trump.

The unprecedented call came amid widespread uncertainty over Trump’s approach to realigning U.S. relations with global allies and adversaries following his election victory on Tuesday.

On November 7, Trump told NBC that he had spoken with about 70 world leaders since winning the election, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Elon Musk joining the call.

The Ukrainian government was informed of the conversation with Putin and did not object, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Ukrainian officials acknowledged Trump’s intention to talk with Putin about a possible diplomatic solution, the sources said.

Trump’s initial outreach to world leaders took place without the support of the State Department or U.S. government interpreters. Trump’s transition team has not signed an agreement with the General Services Administration, a standard step in presidential transitions.

Efforts underway to prepare for Zelensky-Trump meeting, minister says

“The dialogue between President Zelensky and President-elect Trump has already been established,” Sybiha said in kyiv during a joint press conference with the head of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell.