Ukraine and Greece signed a deal on gas supply

Ukraine and Greece have agreed on a new gas supply route and on financing gas imports, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on November 16. He said the deal will help secure gas deliveries for the winter.

The agreement follows earlier reports that Zelensky would visit Greece to sign an energy deal. Kyiv and Athens have arranged financing to cover nearly 2 billion euros needed to compensate for Ukraine’s reduced gas production caused by Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s government, European partners, and banks — including the European Commission, Norway, Ukrainian banks, and the U.S. — are working together to secure funding for the country’s energy needs. Kyiv is also cooperating with Poland to obtain a long-term gas contract with Azerbaijan.

After Greece, Zelensky will travel to France on November 17 to discuss a defense agreement expected to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and aviation. He will then visit Spain.

The gas deal comes as Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Major attacks on November 8 and November 14 caused severe damage and blackouts across the country.

Russia captured 900 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this month

According to a recent analysis by BILD journalist Julian Röpcke, Russian forces have captured approximately 900 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in the first 16 days of November 2025—roughly the size of Berlin—amid a deteriorating situation in the southeast, including Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. This aggressive push highlights the steady erosion of Ukrainian defenses, with Moscow's troops advancing despite Kyiv's calls for more Western air defenses and long-range weapons.

Röpcke warns that the momentum could soon threaten major cities like Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, predicting a potential offensive there within months to a year or two. He attributes Russia's gains to superior manpower and rotations, contrasting Ukraine's struggles with rotations for battle-worn brigades since 2022, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced mechanization and strategic Western support to halt the enemy's pressure.

Zelensky pledges a quick reform of state energy companies amid a major government corruption scandal

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on November 15 that Ukraine is beginning a full reset of its major state-owned energy companies, including Energoatom, Naftogaz, Ukrhydroenergo, and the Gas Transmission System Operator. The overhaul will involve new management teams and comprehensive financial audits.

The move comes amid the biggest corruption scandal of Zelensky’s presidency, in which top officials are accused of taking bribes from contractors working with state energy companies. Zelensky said new supervisory boards and CEOs must be appointed quickly, with transparent competitions for leadership positions. Naftogaz, in particular, must urgently select a new supervisory board to begin work in early 2026.

Zelensky stressed the need for constant cooperation between ministers and anti-corruption bodies, adding that any uncovered schemes must be addressed immediately. He said full transparency in the energy sector is a top priority.

The shake-up follows a National Anti-Corruption Bureau investigation that alleges Timur Mindich, a close associate of Zelensky, led a group that took kickbacks from energy construction and procurement projects, including work on protecting energy infrastructure. The scheme reportedly involved laundering around $100 million through a back office run by businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman.

The scandal has already led to the resignations of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, with more officials implicated in the investigation.

Pokrovsk actually fell under the onslaught of Russian forces

According to a recent report by The Sunday Times, the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk has effectively fallen under intense Russian pressure, becoming encircled on three sides as Moscow's forces exploit foggy weather, superior numbers, and drone dominance to infiltrate its streets and sever supply lines. Ukrainian commanders face a dire dilemma amid heavy casualties, with President Zelenskyy describing the situation as "difficult" while rejecting claims of full encirclement, though drone footage and battlefield maps from groups like DeepState reveal Russian troops—estimated at 300-500 strong—gaining footholds in the southern outskirts, turning the once-vibrant coal hub of 60,000 into a contested gray zone that threatens to unlock advances toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk.