Ukraine pulls back from positions near 5 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from several positions in Zaporizhzhia Oblast amid intense Russian assaults, according to Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn.

Voloshyn confirmed on November 11 that Ukrainian troops had fully pulled back from Uspenivka and Novomykolaivka, while “very fierce fighting” continues near Yablukove and several other nearby settlements. He described the situation as fluid, saying the front line “remains quite dynamic.”

His comments came after Valentyn Manko, commander of Ukraine’s Assault Forces, said on Nov. 9 that Ukrainian troops had stopped a Russian advance in eastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast and cleared the villages of Solodke and Rivnopillia. However, heavy clashes persist near Poltavka and Uspenivka, where Russian forces are trying to push toward the strategic city of Huliaipole.

Voloshyn said Russian troops are attempting to advance northeast of Huliaipole to cut Ukrainian supply routes from Pokrovske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. In recent days, Russia has intensified its attacks in both the Orikhiv and Huliaipole sectors, with up to 50 clashes taking place daily.

“The enemy is carrying out massive strikes on our positions,” Voloshyn said, adding that many fortifications and shelters have been destroyed, forcing Ukrainian troops to withdraw to secondary defensive lines.

He described the situation as “difficult,” noting that Russian forces are exploiting poor weather conditions to advance in small groups, often moving on foot or by motorcycle. The same weather limits Ukraine’s ability to use drones effectively.

Russia currently controls about 70% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, though the regional capital remains under Ukrainian control. Fighting also continues in neighboring Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts, where Moscow has concentrated forces near the city of Pokrovsk.

Mindich, the main suspect in the energy corruption case, had an influence on the former ministers of energy and defense

During a hearing at Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court, prosecutors alleged that businessman Tymur Mindich — a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky — had an influence on the former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and former Defense Minister Rustem Umierov as part of a major corruption scheme involving the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom.

According to prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), Mindich used his connections with senior officials to secure personal and financial benefits throughout 2025.

“The investigation found that Mindich carried out criminal activities in the energy sector by influencing then–Energy Minister Halushchenko, and in the defense sector by influencing then–Defense Minister Umierov,” a SAPO prosecutor told the court.

Prosecutors said Mindich maintained close personal relationships with both ministers and other high-ranking officials, regularly holding private meetings with them at his apartment. Through these connections, Mindich and his companies allegedly received illicit payments, while some officials — including Halushchenko — benefited from Mindich’s backing and access to the president’s inner circle.

The official caught on National Anti-Corruption Bureau tapes from the Energoatom investigation fled Ukraine

Serhii Pushkar, a member of Ukraine’s National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities, has reportedly left the country amid an ongoing corruption investigation tied to the state nuclear energy company Energoatom.

According to lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Pushkar departed Ukraine on November 11 and is now in Warsaw, Poland. Zhelezniak wrote on Telegram that Pushkar was “heard on recordings discussing a $20,000 monthly payment from Tymur Mindich,” a businessman and close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky who is a central figure in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) investigation.

Pushkar previously served as Energoatom’s executive director for legal affairs from 2022 to 2025 before being appointed in September 2025 to Ukraine’s national energy regulator following an open competition.

Specialized energy media outlet Enerhoreforma reported that Pushkar is officially “away on business” until the end of the week, though his departure coincides with mounting scrutiny over the alleged corruption network linked to Energoatom and senior government officials.

 Russia presses into Pokrovsk as 300 troops enter the city

Under the cover of dense fog, Russian forces are intensifying their assault on Pokrovsk, taking advantage of poor visibility that hampers Ukrainian drone surveillance and strikes, Ukraine’s 7th Corps of Air Assault Forces reported on November 11.

Pokrovsk — a city of roughly 60,000 before the war — has become one of Russia’s main targets in recent months. Despite repeated incursions by Russian reconnaissance and sabotage units since the summer, the city remains under Ukrainian control.

The 7th Corps said Russian troops are now pushing into Pokrovsk from the southern outskirts, using light vehicles to advance from the direction of occupied Selydove and Donetsk. Around 300 Russian soldiers are reportedly operating inside the city, attempting to reach its northern edge and complete an encirclement.

Ukrainian forces continue to engage Russian units in close-quarters fighting, even amid the fog. Since early November, they have killed at least 162 Russian troops and wounded another 39, the report said.

According to the Ukrainian military analysis group DeepState, Russian forces have now surrounded Pokrovsk on three sides, leaving only a narrow, 15-kilometer (nine-mile) corridor open for Ukrainian reinforcements and supply lines.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia currently outnumbers Ukrainian troops by roughly eight to one in the battle for the city.