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A new Banksy piece emerges in Ukraine. Credit: Getty Images
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Where Is Banksy?
- Banksy Leaves A Mark: In the recently liberated city of Borodianka, the renowned street-artist Banksy debuted a new piece. The art shows a gymnast balancing on a piece of ruble. The artist first uploaded the piece on Instagram. Reports have been swirling that Bansky has been in Kyiv for some time, as other pieces matching Bansky’s style have cropped up around the country.
- New App Alert: Ukrainian developers featured their app Headway at the Web Summit in Lisbon this week. The phone application gives users bite-size lessons they can fit in on their commute. The idea is that instead of using that time to scroll Instagram or watch Tik Toks, people can learn about a new book or practice a skill. The app, which launched in 2019, is used by 15 million people across 140 countries. The team behind Headway say that, despite the ongoing war, they have been able to continue their work, even if at times it is from a bunker.
- Chicago’s Tribute to Ukraine: The Windy City will be paying tribute to the song “Carol of the Bells” which was composed by Ukranian Mykola Leontovych in 1914. As part of the Art on theMart program, which displays a massive projection on Chicago's MART building situated on the Chicago River, the video will reveal the little-known history of the song. This piece feels especially timely as Leontovych was killed by Soviet special police. The showing will run from Nov. 10-17.
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Human Moment:
Actor and fierce Ukrainian advocate, Sean Penn, gave one of his Oscar awards to President Zelenskyy. Penn said that it can be returned when Ukraine wins the war.
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Ukrainian troops liberate village in Kherson Oblast. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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Ukraine for the Win
- Ukraine Liberates Kherson: On November 11th, Ukrainian forces recaptured Kherson after Russian troops fled the area. Russia occupied the region for more than eight months. This is a significant victory for Ukraine’s counter-offensive, which began in late August. Kherson, a city of nearly 300,000, was one of Russia’s most considerable occupations after the February 24th invasion.
- First of Many: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that recapturing Kherson will not be Ukraine’s last major victory. Officials in Kyiv plan on recapturing as much territory as possible before Russia can deploy 120,000 new conscripts. Ukrainian forces will continue their liberation efforts along the southern axis into the Kherson Oblast, in the Donetsk Oblast near Bakhmut, and in the northern Luhansk Oblast.
- No Winter Ceasefire: The ISW said that full-scale fighting between Russia and Ukraine will likely continue throughout the winter. The campaign analysis reported that peace talks are unlikely and that only Russian forces would benefit from a ceasefire because it would allow them to resupply troops and equipment.
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Damaged building in Kyiv after October 17th attack. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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A Long, Cold Winter
- Emergency Psychological Services: Every time Russia attacks a civilian target, a team of state psychologists rush to the scene to help victims cope with the loss of loves ones, their property, and/or near-death experiences. They aim to mitigate long-term issues associated with depression and PTSD. Each Oblast has emergency psychologists, with Kyiv employing six for the capital.
- In Action: As an example of their work, on October 17th, Russian drones destroyed a residential building in Kyiv. The psychologists spent 12 hours on-site working with residents and civilians hiding in nearby bomb shelters.
- New Influx of Refugees: As Russia targets Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, countries surrounding Ukraine are preparing for another wave of refugees during the winter. Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania are reopening reception centers and restocking food supplies. There are roughly 6.9 million people displaced within Ukraine, with many individuals living in housing unsuitable for winter. Power outages and heating issues will only exacerbate those issues. There are roughly 4.5 million Ukrainians already registered as refugees in Europe.
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Human Moment:
The defenders of Ukraine have furry friends. Check out this Tik Tok set to the Ukrainian song “I Don’t Have a Home.”
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba speaking at ASEAN. Credit: Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP
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International Makeup
- Ukraine x SE Asia: Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dymtro Kuleba, traveled to Cambodia to sign a largely symbolic peace treaty with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement commits Ukraine and the nations of ASEAN to “mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national identity of all nations.” While the agreement is welcome news for Ukraine as they look to further isolate Russia from the rest of the world, ASEAN is not entirely united in its support for Ukraine. Vietnam and Laos, both ASEAN members, have strong relations with Russia, and reports surfaced that they prevented President Zelenskyy from addressing the group during the gathering.
- Connected: The official train service of Ukraine, Ukrzaliznytsia, has started a trial run connecting Ukraine and Romania. The service will link the Ukrainian city of Rakhiv to Romania’s Valea-Viseului, with a trip time of 40 minutes. Officials are planning to operate two train services a day. This route will be crucial in providing another way for Ukrainians to access the E.U., and will further integrate Ukraine into the economic bloc.
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Looking to lend support to Ukraine? Below are some ways you can help:
- Help forPEACE, which seeks to connect foreign donations with on-the-ground organizations in Ukraine
- Donate to the Ukrainian military (will need google translate on your computer)
- Donate to Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive
- Help Ukrainian refugees in Poland
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Advantage Ukraine logo. Credit: Ukraine's Ministry of Economy
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A Bright, Integrated Future
- The Ukrainian Advantage Grows: Two months ago, Ukraine launched Advantage Ukraine, a platform dedicated to attracting foreign investments. Since we reported on it last month, the Ministry of Economy has received an additional 120 investment requests from portfolio and strategic investors. Potential investors hail from countries such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, Belgium, Korea, and Denmark. Investors are mainly interested in technology, agriculture, mining, logistics, and the energy and defense sectors.
- Are you interested in Investing in Ukrainian Stocks? Then check out this Forbes article on top Ukrainian stocks in the global market.
- Euro Rail to Ukraine: The European Union plans to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of funding the conversion of Ukraine’s railway to the standard 1435 mm gauge track. The conversion would allow quicker rail travel between Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Currently, trains have to pause and switch to another gauge when entering into the E.U., which can sometimes take hours. The E.U. will complete the study by May 2023. Still, even before Russia invaded, Ukraine had committed to updating the railway system.
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To help people pursue their passions about the Eurasian region we are collecting jobs that are connected to the area. If you have a relevant job you would like posted here please contact us.
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