Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 645.

Local news.

Dnipropetrovsk region. Russian troops shelled the town of Nikopol on November 28,. killing one person and wounding two others. A drone attack later wounded at least one resident and damaged two industrial sites.

Sumy region. Russian rocket fire on November 28 struck the settlement of Seredyna-Budy, killing three people, including a seven-year-old girl, and wounding two others.

Marianna Budanova, wife of Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, was rushed to a hospital one week ago with severe symptoms of poisoning. Medical examination detected heavy metals, including arsenic and mercury. Physicians also have diagnosed poisoning in several intelligence officers. “Russian special services have never quit their attempts to eliminate either Kyrylo Budanov, or other intelligence department staff,” Valerii Kondratiuk, former head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, told Radio Svoboda (Radio Freedom) “And, in my own assessment, what we are seeing today is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s personal revenge for the humiliation he personally suffered because of the actions of Ukraine’s intelligence under the leadership of Budanov.” Ukrainian agents allegedly have attempted the assassination of several Russian officials.

World.

The European Council has approved an extension of funding for training of Ukrainian troops. The EU intends to allocate a further €194 million through the European Peace Facility to provide equipment and supplies to Ukraine's armed forces. More than 34,000 Ukrainian soldiers already have been trained by such EU assistance. In a separate development, the Netherlands has announced its intention to provide Ukraine an additional $2.2 in military aid.

The first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council (the NUC) took place in Brussels, Belgium, on November 29. Represented by their foreign ministers, member states welcomed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in the Alliance’s headquarters for discussions on expanded packages of military support and related matters. “I’m actually impressed by Ukraine’s commitment to implement reforms, to modernize their society in the midst of a full-scale war,” said NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. “It helps them to be a stronger country fighting Russia as an aggressor.” Kuleba replied that the meeting disproved the notion that the partner nations were weary of supporting Ukraine. “Those who count on American or international support for Ukraine to weaken over time will be deeply disappointed.”

Culture.

The Financial Times has included Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska on its annual list of the 25 most influential women of the year. Zelenska, a television screenwriter by profession, was nominated for the listing by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “Like her husband, Zelenska has become a global symbol of resilience,” Kallas wrote in support. “Her leadership in addressing mental health for Ukrainians during war is vital.” Kallas also praised Zelenska's charity work. The list also includes Brazil’s environment minister, Marina Silva, Tanzanian biodiversity leader Elizabeth Maruma Mrema and Hungarian-born biochemist Katalin Kariko.

By Daria Dzysiuk, Alan Sacks