In a bold and unprecedented military operation, Ukraine has launched a large-scale drone strike deep inside Russian territory, targeting strategic airbases housing nuclear-capable bombers such as the Tu-95MS, Tu-160, and Tu-22M3, as well as A-50 early warning aircraft. Analysts have described the operation as a milestone in modern warfare, signaling a major shift in the dynamics of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

In recent days, several media outlets have reported that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning a meeting , possibly on neutral territory. Among the proposed venues, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, has been mentioned as a potential location. News.az consulted political experts from Azerbaijan and Russia to evaluate the likelihood of such a meeting and the feasibility of Baku as the host city.

On Monday, November 18, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to answer a question about the possible permission of the United States for Ukraine to launch long-range missile strikes on Russian territory, News.az reports citing Izvestia.

Officials from a number of European countries disagree with the position of the US President Joe Biden's administration, which refuses to ease restrictions on strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) deep into Russian territory, News.az reports citing the Washington Post (WP).

From a military standpoint, there should be no limitations on the use of the weapons provided to Ukrainians, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee Chair Rob Bauer said here on Saturday, News.Az reports citing Xinhua.

Ukraine controlled at least 800 square kilometers (308 square miles) of territory in Russia's Kursk region as of Monday, according to an AFP analysis of data provided by the Institute for the Study of War, News.az reports citing Moscow Times .

Ukraine is not interested in "taking over" the territory in Kursk region of the Russian Federation, but wants to protect the lives of its people, in addition, the operation does not allow the enemy to transfer additional units to Donetsk region and complicates their logistics, said Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Heorhiy Tykhyi, News.az reports citing Ukrainian MFA.

The volume of Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine is 42.4 mln cubic meters per day, a Gazprom spokesman told reporters.