What did Ukraine's war look like by 7 November 2023?

What was the picture across Ukraine's security front as of 7 November 2023? The reports from the preceding week showed pressure on several fronts, with strikes in the south, in Crimea and on frontline towns.

On 6 November 2023, Russian forces attacked Odesa with drones and missiles. At least eight people were injured and infrastructure was damaged, including the Odesa Fine Arts Museum.

Ukraine struck back at occupied territory. On 4 November 2023, its forces hit the Zalyv Shipbuilding yard in Russian-occupied Kerch, Crimea, with cruise missiles, damaging the Russian corvette Askold.

On 3 November 2023, a Russian missile strike killed more than 20 Ukrainian soldiers at an awards ceremony near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the incident could have been avoided, amid anger over the losses.

The intensity of Russian fire had been notable on 1 November 2023, when Russia struck 118 Ukrainian towns and villages with artillery, missiles and drones over 24 hours, the most in a single day that year. More than 40 attacks were reported in Avdiivka.

Politics also featured. On 2 November 2023, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was reported to have said that European leaders were tired of the war and wanted to broker a deal with the Kremlin, adding that a way out was needed. She made the remarks during a phone call in which she believed she was speaking with a senior African Union official, but was in fact speaking to the Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus.