Politics
Ukraine updates: Russia says dozens of drones target Moscow
The Kremlin said 70 Ukrainian drones were intercepted by Russian air defense in six regions. Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat vowed “unwavering” support for Kyiv after Donald Trump’s reelection.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russia’s air defense destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones heading for the capital region.
Three of Moscow’s airports, including Sheremetyevo International Airport, temporarily suspended operations amid the assault.
It was the largest attack on the capital since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had downed 70 drones across six regions overnight.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said its air defense downed 62 out of 145 Russian drones launched on its territory overnight — the most by Moscow in any nighttime attack.
Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said reports suggest North Korean troops were preparing for combat alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell made his first visit to Kyiv since Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory, promising Brussels’ “unwavering” support to Ukraine.
Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Sunday, November 10:
Russia, Ukraine step up drone warfare
Russia and Ukraine have intensified drone attacks against each other, sending out unprecedented numbers of the uncrewed aircraft.
The Ukrainian port city of Odesa was the main target of Russia’s attacks.
Watch DW’s full report here:
Biden to lobby Trump administration to support Ukraine
US President Joe Biden will lobby the incoming Trump administration to continue supporting Ukraine against Russia, the White House’s national security adviser said on Sunday.
Biden and Trump will meet at the Oval Office next Wednesday to discuss the transition process.
“The President will have the chance to explain to [President-elect] Trump how he sees things, where they stand,” and talk to Trump about how he would take on these issues once in office, Jake Sullivan said in an interview on CBS show Face the Nation.
A key topic will likely be Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also said the White House plans to spend its remaining $6 billion (€5.6 billion) of Ukraine funding before the end of Biden’s term in January.
The Biden administration’s prime goal was “to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” Sullivan said.
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Kremlin sees ‘positive signals’ from Trump’s election
The Kremlin said it sees “positive signals” from the election of Donald Trump as US president.
“During his campaign, Trump spoke of achieving things through deals, that he could make a deal that would lead to peace,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
“At least he is talking about peace. He’s not talking about confrontation, he’s not talking about wanting to deal Russia a strategic defeat. And that distinguishes him in a favorable way from the current administration.”
However, Peskov said that it is nevertheless hard to predict “to what extent he’s going to stick to statements that he made on the campaign trail.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said he was “ready” to hold talks with Trump.
Putin finalizes North Korea defense deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a landmark defense pact with North Korea, as reports suggest that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine.
The Kremlin published the signed law ratifying the treaty on its website on Saturday evening.
Putin struck the deal during a visit to North Korea in June, which the Russian leader hailed as a “breakthrough document.”
The pact obliges both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the case of an attack on the other.
It also commits them to cooperate to oppose Western sanctions and coordinate positions at the United Nations.
South Korea, Ukraine and the West have said that North Korea has deployed around 10,000 troops to Russia.
Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said Sunday that the North Korean soldiers were currently being readied for the front line, citing intelligence reports.
Zelenskyy says Russia carried out largest overnight drone attack since war began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, the most in any single night-time attack of the war so far.
“Last night, Russia launched a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
He then noted how Russian forces had used more than 800 guided aerial bombs, around 600 strike drones, and nearly 20 missiles of various types on Ukraine over the past week.
He then called for Kyiv’s allies to increase supplies to help protect the country’s skies, in an apparent message to US President-elect Donald Trump who has vowed to reduce support to Ukraine and negotiate a speedy end to the war once he takes office in January.
“Such terror cannot be stopped with words, and the killing of children and the loss of loved ones cannot simply be forgotten,.” Zelenskyy said. “Security from terror is impossible without bold decisions — this is clear for every country. Without justice, there is no lasting peace, and it is quite realistic for Ukraine to achieve it.”
Russia claims control of eastern Ukraine’s Vovchenko
Russian forces captured the Ukrainian village of Vovchenko, the Defense Ministry in Moscow claimed.
“Units of the Centre armed group have liberated the town of Voltchenka,” the ministry said, using the Russian spelling of the Ukraine village Vovchenko.
It is not possible to verify the claim. Ukraine rarely admits any loss of territory until weeks afterward.
Vovchenko is located in the eastern Donetsk region, on the Vovcha River, around five kilometers (three miles) from the industrial city of Kurakhove.
Kurakhove has become the new Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May 2023 following a monthslong war of attrition.
Russia says it shot down 70 Ukrainian drones over 6 regions
Russia said it had downed 70 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including 34 around the Russian capital Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that the attack had occurred between 7 am and 10 am local time on Sunday (0400 and 0700 GMT/UTC).
The other regions targeted were Tula, Bryansk, Kaluga, Oryol and Kursk regions, the ministry said.
The Moscow attack was the largest in the region since Russia began its offensive in Ukraine in 2022.
The drone strikes forced the temporary closure of three Moscow airports, injured a 52-year-old woman and set two homes on fire in a village in the Moscow region, officials said.
UK: Russia suffered 1,500 casualties a day in October
The United Kingdom’s chief of defense Admiral Tony Radakin said Russia was paying an “extraordinary price” for President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Radakin said Moscow’s forces suffered an average of around 1,500 dead and injured per day in Ukraine during October, telling the BBC that it was the worst month for losses since the conflict began.
“Russia is about to suffer 700,000 people killed or wounded — the enormous pain and suffering that the Russian nation is having to bear because of Putin’s ambition,” he said.
Radakin said that while Russia was making gains and putting pressure on Ukraine, the losses were “for tiny increments of land,” while the country’s huge increased defense spending was “an enormous drain” on the economy.
Ukraine says it downed 62 out of record 145 Russian drones
Ukraine’s air defense downed 62 out of the record 145 Russian drones launched overnight, the Ukrainian military said.
The air force said it lost track of 67 drones, adding that 10 drones left Ukraine’s airspace in the direction of Russia, Moldova and Belarus.
Russia shoots down several drones heading for Moscow, says mayor
Ukraine launched at least 34 drones targeting Moscow early on Sunday, forcing the temporary closure of the capital’s airports, Russian officials said.
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 12 of the drones were destroyed in the Ramenskoye and Kolomensky districts of the Moscow region, as well as in Domodedovo city, southwest of Moscow.
“At the moment, 32 drones flying to Moscow have been destroyed,” Sobyanin added, before another Russian official increased the number to 34.
“According to preliminary information, there is no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris,” Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app. “Emergency services are on the sites.”
Ramenskoye, some 45 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the Kremlin, was last targeted in Ukraine’s biggest attack on Moscow in September, when Russia destroyed 20 drones.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport agency, said on Telegram that temporary restrictions were introduced at Domodedovo and Zhukovo airports to protect civilian aircraft. Later, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport also said it had temporarily stopped taking flights.
Russia’s Bryansk, Kaluga regions hit by Ukrainian drones
Several buildings caught fire in Russia’s Kaluga and Bryansk regions after overnight drone attacks by Kyiv’s forces, Russian regional governors said.
“Emergency services and firefighters are on the site,” Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border region of Bryansk, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense units had destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 17 over Bryansk.
Ukraine’s military wrote on Telegram that the drone strike caused a large fire and at least eight explosions.
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region, said a non-residential building in the region was on fire following the drone strikes.
Ukraine has often said its drone attacks on Russian territory are aimed at infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts.
Two hurt in Russian air attack on Odesa, Kyiv says
At least two people were injured and buildings were damaged in an overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s southern region of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said.
“The enemy has once again launched a massive attack on our region,” the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odesa region said on its social media account.
The agency said garages with cars and property were on fire and that residential buildings and shops were damaged.
Oleh Kiper, governor of the region on the Black Sea coast, said, without providing further detail, that the attack caused some fires.
Video footage posted by the emergency services showed residents gathered in front of a building watching as firefighters combed through a pile of building debris.
Ukraine commander: North Korean troops nearing combat readiness
Reports suggest North Korean troops are preparing for combat alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, Kyiv’s top military commander said.
“We have numerous reports of North Korean soldiers preparing to participate in combat operations alongside Russian Forces,” Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on Facebook.
He was speaking after a conversation with Christopher Cavoli, a senior US general who heads the US European Command.
Syrskyi said the situation in frontline sectors in the war against Russia remained “difficult and show signs of escalation.”
EU’s Borrell reaffirms support for Ukraine after Trump win
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pledged “unwavering” support for Ukraine, on the first visit by a top Brussels official to Kyiv after Donald Trump’s win.
“The clear purpose of this visit is to express European Union support to Ukraine — this support remains unwavering,” Borrell told journalists.
“This support is absolutely needed for you to continue defending yourself against Russian aggression.”
During the US presidential election campaign, Trump cast doubt on maintaining US military and financial aid to Ukraine and said he could pressure both sides to cut a quick deal to end the war.
“Nobody knows exactly what the new administration is going to do,” Borrell said, pointing out that incumbent Joe Biden still has two months in the White House to make decisions.
The EU diplomat, who himself leaves office next month, called for additional weapons, training and more speedy deliveries to Ukraine from its allies.
Europe together has spent around $125 billion (€117 billion) on supporting Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, while the United States alone has delivered more than $90 billion, according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW-Kiel).
mm/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
Politics
Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project- Minister Dave Umahi dismisses calls for Biafra under Tinubu’s administration
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, says the all-inclusive style of governance being practiced by President Bola Tinubu has made the agitation for Biafra an unnecessary clamour.
While speaking at the inspection of the Enugu-Anambra road last Saturday, December 13, Umahi said the Tinubu administration had given Ndigbo what they had sought for decades, not through secession, but through what he described as unprecedented inclusion in national governance and development.
He explained that the agitation for Biafra was historically driven by neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation at the federal level, but insisted that the situation had changed under the current administration.
“When a people are fully integrated, respected and empowered within the structure of the nation, the dream they once chased through agitation has already been achieved through cooperation.
The push for Biafran secession over the years was borne out of neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation but today the narrative has changed dramatically under President Bola Tinubu.
The President has deliberately opened the doors of national development to the South-East. Appointments, policy inputs and infrastructure priorities now reflect true federal balance.
Every sector now bears visible Igbo footprints. The emergence of Igbo sons and daughters in strategic positions is a testament to this inclusion.
Biafra was never about breaking Nigeria; it was about being counted in Nigeria. Through inclusion, equity and concrete development, Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project; they are co-authors of its future. When justice finds a people, agitation loses its voice.”he said
Politics
ADC Launches 90-Day Membership Drive, Fixes Dates For Congresses, National Convention
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced a 90-day nationwide membership mobilisation, revalidation, and registration exercise as part of preparations for its internal party activities ahead of 2026.
The party also approved provisional dates for its congresses and the election of delegates at the polling unit, ward, and local government levels across the country.
In circulars issued by its national secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, the ADC said the congresses are expected to hold between January 20 and January 27, 2026.
The process, the party said, will lead to the emergence of delegates who will participate in its non-elective national convention scheduled for February 2026 in Abuja.
A statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the party, said the decisions were reached at a meeting of the national working committee (NWC) held on November 27, 2025.
Abdullahi said the timetable and activities were approved in line with the resolutions of the NWC and in accordance with relevant provisions of the party’s constitution.
The ADC said further details on the membership exercise, congresses, and convention will be communicated to party members and stakeholders in due course.
Politics
INVESTIGATION: Why No Imo Governor Ever Controls Succession- The Untold Story
Imo State’s inability to sustain political succession from one elected governor to another is not accidental. It is the consequence of recurring structural failures rooted in elite conspiracy, federal power realignments, internal party implosions, zoning sensitivities, and the perennial arrogance of incumbency. From Achike Udenwa to Ikedi Ohakim and Rochas Okorocha, each administration fell victim to a combination of these forces, leaving behind a state where power is never inherited, only contested.
Achike Udenwa’s experience remains the most instructive example of how federal might and elite scheming can dismantle a governor’s succession plan. Governing between 1999 and 2007 under the PDP, Udenwa assumed that the party’s national dominance would guarantee internal cohesion in Imo. Instead, his tenure coincided with one of the most vicious intra-party wars the state has ever witnessed.
The Imo PDP split into two irreconcilable blocs. On one side was Udenwa’s grassroots-driven Onongono Group, powered by loyalists such as Alex Obi and anchored on local structures. On the other was a formidable Abuja faction populated by heavyweight figures including Kema Chikwe, Ifeanyi Araraume, Hope Uzodimma, Tony Ezenna, and others with direct access to federal influence. This was not a clash of personalities alone; it was a struggle over who controlled the levers of power beyond Owerri.
The conflict worsened when Udenwa openly aligned with then Vice President Atiku Abubakar during his bitter feud with President Olusegun Obasanjo. That alignment proved politically fatal. Obasanjo, determined to weaken Atiku’s network nationwide, withdrew federal support from governors perceived as loyal to the vice president. In Imo, the effect was immediate and devastating.
Federal agencies, party organs, and influence channels tilted decisively toward the Kema Chikwe-led Abuja faction. Udenwa lost effective control of the PDP structure, security leverage, and strategic influence. His foot soldiers in the Onongono Group could mobilise locally, but they could not withstand a coordinated assault backed by the centre.
His preferred successor, Charles Ugwu, never gained political altitude. By the time succession became imminent, Udenwa was already a governor without power. Even his later recalculations failed to reverse the tide. The party had slipped beyond his grasp.
The eventual outcome was politically ironic. Ikedi Ohakim emerged governor, backed by forces aligned with the federal establishment, notably Maurice Iwu—his kinsman and then Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Another Udenwa ally, Martin Agbaso, briefly tasted victory, only for his election to be cancelled. The lesson was brutal and unmistakable: without federal alignment, succession in Imo is almost impossible.
Notably, Udenwa’s record in office did not rescue him. Infrastructure development, relative stability, and administrative competence counted for little in the face of elite conspiracy operating simultaneously at state and federal levels. In Imo politics, performance is secondary to power alignment.
Ikedi Ohakim’s tenure presents a different dimension of failure. Unlike Udenwa, he never reached the point of succession planning. His administration was consumed by political survival. From 2007 to 2011, Ohakim governed amid persistent hostility from elites and a rapidly deteriorating public image.
Ohakim has consistently maintained that his downfall was orchestrated. Central to his claim is the allegation that he was blackmailed with a scandal involving the alleged assault of a Catholic priest, Reverend Father Eustace Eke. In a deeply religious state like Imo, the allegation was politically lethal.
Whether the claims were factual or exaggerated mattered less than their impact. The narrative overwhelmed governance, drowned out policy achievements, and turned public opinion sharply against him. Political elites who had midwifed his emergence quickly distanced themselves, sensing vulnerability.
By the 2011 election, Ohakim stood isolated. Party loyalty evaporated, elite cover disappeared, and voter sympathy collapsed. His re-election bid failed decisively. With that loss, any discussion of succession became irrelevant. His experience reinforces a core principle: a governor rejected by the electorate cannot dictate continuity.

*Uzodimma*
Rochas Okorocha’s rise in 2011 appeared to signal a break from Imo’s succession curse. Charismatic, populist, and financially powerful, he commanded party structures and grassroots loyalty. By his second term, he seemed politically unassailable.
Yet Okorocha committed the most consequential succession error in the state’s history. By attempting to impose his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as successor, he crossed from political strategy into dynastic ambition. That decision detonated his massive support base in the State overnight.
Imo’s political elites revolted almost unanimously. Party affiliation became secondary to a shared determination to stop what was widely perceived as an attempt to privatise public office. The revolt was elite-driven, strategic, and ruthless.
The zoning factor compounded the crisis. Okorocha hailed from Orlu zone; so did Nwosu. For many Imo voters, the prospect of Orlu retaining power through familial succession was unacceptable. What might have been tolerated as ambition became framed as entitlement.
This time, elite resistance aligned with popular sentiment. The electorate queued behind alternatives not necessarily out of conviction, but out of rejection. Crucially, Emeka Ihedioha emerged governor because Okorocha fatally miscalculated—splitting his base, provoking elite rebellion, and underestimating voter resentment. Okorocha’s formidable structure collapsed under internal rebellion and voter backlash, sealing his failure to produce a successor.
Hope Uzodimma’s current position must be assessed against this turbulent history. At present, the structural indicators are in his favour. He enjoys firm federal backing, controls the APC machinery in the state, and commands the support—or at least the compliance—of most major political elites.
Unlike Udenwa, Uzodimma is aligned with the centre. Unlike Ohakim, he has survived electoral tests. Unlike Okorocha, he has not openly flirted with dynastic politics. On the surface, the succession equation appears favorable.

*Udenwa*
However, Imo’s history cautions against certainty. Elite loyalty in the state is conditional and transactional. It endures only where interests are balanced, ambitions managed, and inclusion sustained. A wrong choice of successor could still provoke elite conspiracy, even if it emerges from within the ruling party.
The opposition remains weak and fragmented, with limited capacity to mobilize mass resistance. Yet voter apathy, now more pronounced than during the Udenwa and Okorocha eras, introduces a new risk. Disengaged electorates are unpredictable and often disruptive.

“Ohakim*
Ultimately, Uzodimma’s challenge is not opposition strength but elite psychology. Suppressed ambitions, if mishandled, can erupt. Succession in Imo has never been about coronation; it is about negotiation.

*Okorocha*
History is unforgiving to governors who confuse incumbency with ownership. Power in Imo is never transferred by decree. As 2027 approaches, the same forces that toppled past succession plans remain alive. Whether Uzodimma avoids their trap will depend not on power alone, but on restraint, balance, and political wisdom.
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GOVERNOR FUBARA APPOINTS COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR KEN SARO-WIWA POLYTECHNIC BORI
