NEW: Following a successful Ukrainian defense forces operation, Russian forces was blocked in Kupiansk and the entire northwestern outskirts of the city were cleared, according to Ukraine's DeepState.

ISW’s Map Manipulation Turns Ukraine War Into a Polymarket Cash Machine

A brief, unauthorized edit to a Ukraine war map by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) appears to have triggered a massive payout on Polymarket, a prediction gambling platform, raising questions about the vulnerability of both war mapping and betting markets.

On November 15, Polymarket users bet over $1.3 million on whether Russian forces would capture the eastern Ukrainian town of Myrnohrad. Russia did not take the town, but shortly before the market closed, ISW’s interactive map was altered to show Russian control of a key intersection.

Polymarket relied on that map to resolve the bet, handing longshot gamblers returns of up to 33,000%. By the next morning, the edit was gone.

ISW later acknowledged the change was unauthorized, removed a geospatial researcher believed to be responsible, and condemned the use of its maps for gambling.

The incident has fueled outrage among Polymarket users and renewed concerns that lightly regulated prediction markets can be manipulated by insiders with access to trusted data, turning war into a high-stakes casino.

Source: Responsible Statecraft

NOW: Putin and Turkish President Erdogan meet in Ashgabat.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan says the UK threatened to defund the court and withdraw from its founding treaty if it pursued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a court filing, Khan says a UK official warned him in April 2024 that warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would be “disproportionate.”

Source: The Guardian

Sudan: The UK has imposed sanctions on senior RSF commanders, including Hemedti’s brother Abdul Rahim Dagalo, over alleged involvement in mass killings, systematic sexual violence and attacks on civilians.

War Dog or Champion of War: Meet With Michal Strnad

Michal Strnad is the youngest Czech billionaire and one of the most polarizing figures to emerge from Europe’s new era of war-driven rearmament.

As the owner and chief power behind Czechoslovak Group (CSG), Strnad inherited a family business born out of the rubble of the Cold War—scrap metal yards, surplus Soviet tanks, and forgotten military stockpiles—and turned it into a sprawling defense conglomerate supplying ammunition, armored vehicles, and military systems across NATO and beyond.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Strnad’s business entered overdrive.

Europe’s sudden ammunition shortages, urgent tank refurbishments, and rapid militarization created historic demand—and CSG was uniquely positioned to meet it.

Revenues surged, order books ballooned, and Strnad’s personal fortune skyrocketed, growing by billions in just a few years.

By his early 30s, he had become not only the youngest billionaire in Czech history but one of the richest people in the country.

Supporters describe him as an industrial savior: a businessman who revived iconic Czech manufacturers like Tatra, preserved thousands of jobs, and helped arm Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Critics see something darker. To them, Strnad represents the modern “War Dog”—a man whose wealth expanded precisely because war returned to Europe, whose balance sheet benefited from battlefield consumption, and whose rise illustrates how conflict reshapes fortunes as much as borders.

This perception has followed him closely. Czech politicians have accused him of war profiteering, activists have questioned arms flows and political ties, and U.S. lawmakers scrutinized his expansion into American ammunition production.

Strnad rejects the label outright, arguing that defense production is not exploitation but survival—that sovereignty, deterrence, and independence have a price.

Yet his story sits uncomfortably at the intersection of patriotism, profit, and perpetual conflict.

In a Europe preparing for long-term confrontation, Michal Strnad is both a product of war—and one of its biggest financial winners.

The Office of Zelensky emphasized that Podolyak was speaking about theoretical models that could be discussed, but Ukraine has not made any decisions.

They say that French media misinterpreted his words.

Ukrainian drones targeted a Russian An-26 aircraft and two radar systems in Crimea.

Zelensky arrived in Kupiansk.

Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado:

The fight for Venezuela’s freedom is the fight for the freedom of Cuba and Nicaragua.

You must know that once Venezuela is liberated, we will also fight for your freedom. And it will come.

Venezuela will be free, Cuba will be free, and Nicaragua will be free.

DR Congo: ISCAP claims it executed 10 Christians previously captured near the town of Monge in Ituri province.

Zelensky is expected to visit Berlin on Monday.

Source: AFP

During the talks, President Erdogan emphasized the importance of considering a limited ceasefire focused on energy infrastructure and ports as a potential initial measure.

Draft peace proposals backed by Brussels would see Ukraine join the EU as early as January 2027.

The plan, presented to Washington by Ukrainian and European officials, aims to counter earlier US proposals seen as favouring Russia.

Source: FT

Ukraine’s accession to the EU as early as 2027 is being considered in the US peace plan.

Source: AFP

Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.

Mohammadi had been on extended medical furlough since December 2024 due to serious health issues.

Switzerland will buy fewer than 36 F-35A fighter jets from the United States to keep the purchase within its original 6 billion Swiss franc budget after costs rose.

Source: Reuters

Ethiopia: The US administration has announced it will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals, according to a Federal Register notice.