[Korrespondent] 23:38 Croatia has filed an application to join the genocide case, in which Ukraine is suing Russia at the International Court of Justice. Lithuania, Latvia, New Zealand, France, Great Britain and a number of other countries have already joined the lawsuit.
22:52 Ukrenergo warned that on Friday, October 21, temporary restrictions on energy consumption will be possible throughout Ukraine: "In what areas - we will tell you tomorrow morning. Please keep your phones charged and pass on information to those who do not use social networks."
22:46 Zelensky said that the situation on the front line remains difficult: "Especially in the Donbass - the same Bakhmut direction - and in some directions in the south. But we are holding positions. We are defending our land. We are gradually moving, displacing the enemy. And we will definitely ensure victory for Ukraine" .
22:38 Zelensky, in an evening video message, called on the West to act "powerfully and quickly" in order to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack: "Blowing the dam means a large-scale catastrophe. With this terrorist attack, they can destroy, among other things, even the possibility of supplying water from the Dnieper to Crimea. The North Crimean Canal in the event the destruction of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station will simply disappear. And if Russia is preparing such a terrorist attack, it means that the terrorists are very clearly aware that they cannot hold not only Kherson, but the entire south of our country, including Crimea."
The President stressed that such a terrorist act at the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station would mean "absolutely the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction - the consequences for Russia should be appropriate."
22:17 The United States is aware of the presence of the Iranian military in the occupied territories of Ukraine to help Russia as instructors in launching kamikaze drones, White House National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said: "According to our assessment, Iranian military personnel were in Crimea and helped Russia in these operations ". Kirby stressed that the US "will use all means to expose, contain and oppose Iran's provision of these munitions against the Ukrainian people," including by imposing sanctions on Iran and Russia.
21:52 Members of the US Congress from the Democratic and Republican parties are discussing the possibility of allocating $ 50 billion to Ukraine amid fears that after the election, lawmakers may be more skeptical of support for Kiev, NBC News reports. According to the interlocutors of the publication, this amount will be enough for Ukraine to last the whole next year.
21:36 Amnesty International considers Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure a war crime, Marie Struthers, director of the organization for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: "The targeted destruction of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure by Russia is illegal. The morale of the civilian population is not a legitimate goal, but the implementation these attacks with the sole purpose of terrorizing the population is a war crime. All persons responsible for ordering and carrying out these criminal attacks must be held accountable."
21:31 Podolyak said that Russia is preparing a man-made disaster: "The real" Surovikin's plan "for the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station: 1. Mining the dam and transformers. 2. Forced export of Ukrainians, resettlement of the disloyal population in the Russian Federation. 3. Flooding of the territory to stop the counteroffensive of Ukraine and block their own retreat. Russia is preparing a man-made disaster."
20:42 Zelensky, in his address to the European Council, said that the Russians mined the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station: "We have information that Russian terrorists mined the dam and units of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. This is one of the largest energy facilities. The dam of this hydroelectric power station contains volumes of about 18 million cubic meters water. If Russian terrorists undermine this dam, then about 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the flood zone."
According to the President, hundreds of thousands of people may suffer after the dam is blown up, and water supply to a significant part of southern Ukraine may be disrupted. In addition, this terrorist attack could leave the ZNPP without water for cooling. Zelensky stressed that Russia had prepared everything to carry out this terrorist attack. In particular, the Ukrainian workers of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station were removed from there, only the Russians remained at the facility. Zelensky called for the creation of an international observation mission, the return of Ukrainian personnel to the Kakhovka HPP, and the clearance of mines and dams.
19:55 Zelensky appealed to the European Council and called for increased support for Ukraine in priority measures to recover from terrorist attacks: "Thank you for the funds already received, but a decision has not yet been made on the remaining 6 billion from this package, which are critically needed this year "And it is in your power to come to an agreement in principle today on providing this assistance to our state. Terror must lose. Ukraine and all of Europe must win."
19:46 Britain is preparing a package of assistance to Ukraine for the winter - it, in particular, will include 25,000 sets of uniforms, Defense Minister Ben Wallace said. He also added that London will continue to provide Ukraine with missiles for air defense systems "in light of the ongoing and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure."
19:42 Zelensky said that he had a meeting with representatives of one of the largest investment companies in the US and the world - Goldman Sachs. We discussed the possibilities of attracting investments for the needs of Ukraine. In particular, we focused on the issue of cyber defense and countering the spread of disinformation.
19:38 Ukraine and Switzerland signed a memorandum of partnership in the field of digital transformation, Zelensky said. It is planned to deepen cooperation between the two countries in promoting the restoration of Ukraine through digitalization. We also separately discussed the possibilities of Swiss assistance in supporting digitalization and restoring telecommunications systems in the newly de-occupied territories.
19:29 The UN will help Ukraine with the clearance of territories, the Ministry of Reintegration reported. In particular, the agency reached an agreement with representatives of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) that 20 teams of the State Emergency Service and the State Transport Special Service will receive technical equipment and personal protective equipment that will help Ukrainian pyrotechnicians clear the territory of explosive objects.
19:20 Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied the information that Tehran plans to send missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine: "During a telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, I told him that our policy ... is that we oppose the war and its escalation in Ukraine... The allegation of sending Iranian missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine has no basis.We have defense cooperation with Russia, but it is certainly not our policy to send weapons and drones against Ukraine".
18:41 The police completed the exhumation at the site of the largest mass grave in Liman - the bodies of 111 civilian and 35 military AFU were found there. Currently, the exhumation of individual spontaneous graves is underway. In total, 166 bodies were exhumed in the de-occupied territories of the northern Donetsk region, including five children.
To date, 25 spontaneous burials have been established in Liman, investigative teams are working there. In total, 58 such graves have already been discovered in the liberated settlements. Every day, the police receive new reports from residents about buried people, but there is still no access to some of these graves due to active hostilities. Among the civilians exhumed in the north of the Donetsk region, 85 were men, 66 were women, five children, the sex of another ten people was not established.
18:38 Putin checked the progress of the training of those mobilized at the training ground in the Ryazan region.
18:35 In order to save electricity in the Kharkiv metro, all escalators are turned off, except for the two deepest stations, where the escalators only work on the rise. Station lighting has been halved, and train intervals have been increased by a few minutes. Trams and trolleybuses also run less frequently, Mayor Igor Terekhov said. Restrictions were introduced on the supply of hot water, which made it possible to significantly reduce electricity consumption by heating networks.
Terekhov said that rolling blackouts are not planned in Kharkiv today and tomorrow, but he urged residents and businesses to reduce electricity consumption as much as possible, especially in the morning and evening.
18:28 The mayor of Slavyansk Vadim Lyakh said that the heating season begins in the city. The gas will be supplied to the private sector and boiler houses, which provide heat to high-rise buildings.
18:06 The effectiveness of the Ukrainian air defense system is 64%, said Alexei Gromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
17:58 In Poltava, patrolling the streets has been introduced: law enforcement officers will identify entrepreneurs who have not turned off outdoor lighting and violate the energy saving mode, the mayor of the city Alexander Mamai said. According to him, violators will be disconnected from electricity.
17:51 Kremenchuk is preparing emergency supplies of water due to Russian shelling of critical infrastructure, Mayor Vitaly Maletsky said.
17:44 Zelensky said that he had a meeting with Swiss President Ignazio Cassis: "This visit testifies to the impossibility of maintaining neutrality in times of challenges to the security of our entire continent and humanity. The main topic of our negotiations is further interaction in response to the terror of Russia. Thank you for your principled condemnation criminal attempt to annex the territory of Ukraine and Switzerland's support for EU sanctions packages".
17:05 The Russian military leadership can pick up experienced soldiers from the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region, and leave the mobilized to contain the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Alexei Gromov, deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: "We are considering one of the options that the enemy can withdraw and leave the mobilized in first of all, to carry out containment tasks - to cover the withdrawal of their troops, and transfer the most combat-ready personnel units in advance to the left-bank part of the region.
16:46 100 speed cameras were stolen in Sweden - the same ones were found on Russian UAVs. According to Aftonbladet, up to a hundred Canon cameras used to monitor traffic have gone missing along Swedish highways in the past few months. Exactly the same cameras were found in the Russian Orlan-10 drones. The Swedish security police say they are aware of a link between the thefts on Swedish roads and Russian drones.
16:18 Ukrenergo reported that due to a sharp increase in the level of electricity consumption, it was forced to introduce a temporary controlled limitation of electricity consumption in Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava regions.
16:01 The "LPR" stated that the Ukrainian troops fired at the village of Stary (the former Red Banner), allegedly killed five employees of the "Ministry of Emergency Situations" and emergency services, nine more were injured.
15:57 Liz Truss announced that she is resigning from the post of Prime Minister of Britain.
15:54 As of mid-October, as part of the mobilization in Russia, about 200 thousand people were called up - about 66% of the declared plan, said Anna Malyar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. According to her, the completion of 107 and the formation of 24 regular and reserve regiments with a total number of about 146 thousand people continues. This is happening in all military districts, navy and air forces.
At the same time, the Deputy Minister stressed that due to the accelerated pace of mobilization, the Russian Federation still has problems with the lack of a sufficient amount of barracks and housing stock, educational and material base, clothing equipment, as well as instructors for proper training for military operations called up.
15:42 The Parliament of the Netherlands supported the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine in the city of The Hague.
15:21 The threat of the resumption of the offensive against Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces on the northern front is growing , said Aleksey Gromov, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: "This time the direction of the offensive can be changed to the west of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border to cut the main logistical arteries for the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from partner countries".
15:16 The project I want to live has already received more than 3,000 applications from the Russian military, said project speaker Vitaly Matvienko. According to him, the Russian military is actively surrendering, information about the project is quickly spreading throughout Russia and gives positive results.
Matvienko said that families, relatives of the Russian military, as well as citizens of the Russian Federation who are waiting for a summons, mainly turn to the hotline. In addition, applications are often received from active military who are already on the territory of Ukraine.
15:12 Zelensky said in an interview with the Canadian CTV channel that, "as far as he knows," Ukraine is not the customer of the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge: "We definitely did not order this, as far as I know."
15:01 The special services of the Russian Federation are probably preparing terrorist attacks against their own population. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, military registration and enlistment offices in Russia are distributing leaflets for local residents, which accuse Ukrainian special services of planning and carrying out terrorist attacks against civilians. Allegedly "saboteurs" spread mined phones, wallets, tablets on the roads, benches and in the bushes. And that even children's things can be mined in this way.
This "horror story" is a mirror reflection of the real actions of the Russians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. After liberation, a variety of mined items, household appliances and children's toys remained there, which led to injuries and even deaths of the civilian population. It is likely that the Russian special services are thus preparing the ground for provocations, followed by accusations against Ukraine, according to intelligence.
14:28 2507 individuals and 1374 legal entities from the Russian Federation are included in the sanctions lists of Ukraine . Decrees on the imposition of sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council are published on the President's website.
14:23 Zelensky said that he had a "substantive and productive" conversation with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier: "I am grateful to Germany for the first IRIS air defense system - we must deploy an air shield over Ukraine immediately. We appreciate Germany's willingness to help overcome the consequences of Russian missile terror as well We are also preparing the visit of the President of Germany to Ukraine."
14:18 The occupying authorities have increased the number of checkpoints and tightened control at existing ones, said Yuri Sobolevsky, First Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Council. In addition, according to him, information has appeared that the Russians are planning to use the housing of people leaving for their own purposes. To do this, everyone who is "evacuated" must specify the address of their last place of residence.
According to Sobolevsky, the invaders continue to disperse panic on the right-bank part of the Kherson region in order to force people to leave this territory. For this, in particular, they resort to robotic calling of subscribers, sending SMS, leaflets and even titles on television. In the meantime, there are far fewer people willing to "evacuate" today than yesterday.
14:10 Reducing electricity consumption by 20% would critically help the energy system, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said. According to him, in the early days, when citizens were urged to consume less energy, Ukrainians were able to save 10%: “This is a good result, but we ask citizens to unite and save as much as possible. Unfortunately, we see other examples when our calls do not worked."
14:08 Ukrenergo reports that the level of electricity consumption is growing rapidly in the central regions of Ukraine, so the company is forced to introduce a temporary controlled limitation of electricity consumption in this region. Residents of Kyiv and Kyiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr regions are asked to urgently reduce electricity consumption - this will help reduce the load on the power grid and give power engineers time to repair equipment damaged by terrorist attacks.
14:06 The majority of the PMC Wagner are mercenaries from among the former prisoners, they also account for the largest percentage of the dead, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Thus, more than 8,000 PMC mercenaries have been involved in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, most of the units are located directly in areas along the line of combat.
The predominant part of the personnel of the PMC assault squads are mercenaries recruited among the prisoners. Their task is to support a smaller group of experienced contractors. At the same time, the biggest losses of personnel are among the former prisoners. Currently, PMC Wagner is urgently training several hundred additional mercenaries from among the prisoners to be sent to the war zone.
13:55 The New York Times writes that Russia transferred the S-330 air defense system from Syria to Ukraine and withdrew more than a thousand military from there. The publication notes that such a move by Moscow could change Israel's position on the issue of providing military assistance to Ukraine.
13:51 Satellite images published by Radio Liberty confirm that Russia is gathering forces on the border of Ukraine and Belarus. In particular, an increase in military equipment and troops of the Russian Federation is observed at the Zyabrovka airfield, located near the border with Ukraine.
13:46 The Ukrainian authorities were shocked by the warning of the Republicans that they would cut aid to Ukraine if they win the November elections, Arakhamia said in a commentary to the Financial Times: "To be honest, we are shocked by such comments from McCarthy."
He said that he met with McCarthy during a recent visit to Washington and was confident that the United States would continue to support Kyiv: “Just a few weeks ago, our delegation visited the United States and met with McCarthy. We received assurances that bipartisan support for Ukraine in its war with Russia will remain a top priority even if they win the election."
13:29 The EU Council approved sanctions against Iran for the supply of drones to Russia , the Czech Presidency announced: "Sanctions against Iran in record time! After three days of negotiations, EU ambassadors agreed on measures against organizations that supply Iranian drones that strike on Ukraine. The written procedure has been completed, the sanctions will come into force this afternoon after publication in the Official Journal."
12:47 The number of settlements liberated from Russian occupation in the Kharkiv region has increased to 544, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov: "Today, 544 settlements have been de-occupied. And 32 remain under temporary occupation, this is a little less than 2%. Ahead of us a very large amount of work to resume the functioning of state power in these territories."
12:22 The SBU detained a blogger who published a video of the shelling of the Burshtynska thermal power plant in the Ivano-Frankivsk region on October 19. The blogger filmed the consequences of missile hits on a critical infrastructure facility and posted it on his Telegram channel. I did this to increase the number of subscribers. The video was picked up by a telegram channel with a million audience, and seven minutes later, Russian propagandists already had the results of the shelling.
The SBU emphasizes that social networks are monitored not only by Russian military correspondent bloggers, but also by military personnel. Enemies take into account information from open Ukrainian sources when planning their actions.
11:57 Yermak held a meeting via videoconference with representatives of leading Jewish organizations, during which he stressed the importance of providing Ukraine with modern air defense systems that Israel has.
11:51 In Russia, they came up with another reason not to renew the grain agreement - this time because of the UN investigation into the use of Iranian drones by Russia in the war against Ukraine. First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said that in response, Moscow could "reconsider cooperation" with the UN, including not extending the grain deal. The statement was made following a closed meeting of the UN Security Council, during which charges were brought against Iran for the supply of drones to Russia.
Polyansky said that Russia was "not yet convinced" of the need to extend the grain agreement, and noted that "the export of Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs" remains the main issue. According to him, Moscow hopes that the secretariat and the UN Secretary General will refrain from participating in any investigations into Iranian drones, calling such actions "illegal", a violation of the decision of the UN Security Council, going beyond the technical mandate of the organization. Otherwise, Russia will reconsider cooperation with the UN. "We do not want this, but there will be no other choice," Polyansky said.
11:37 Italy will never be the "weak link" in the Western alliance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said the leader of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni: "Italy is completely and proudly part of Europe and NATO. Anyone who does not agree with this, cannot be part of the government - even if it means not forming one."
11:12 Radio Liberty's Scheme Project published satellite images showing how the occupiers are moving military equipment and personnel from the right to the left bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. According to the project, since the beginning of October, the cargo ferry has already made a number of flights, ferrying Russian military and military equipment across the Dnieper from the area of ​​​​the village of Kozatskoye to Novaya Kakhovka.
10:43 British intelligence suggests that the top leadership of Russia is really seriously thinking about the retreat from the right-bank bridgehead in the Kherson region. Analysts note that Surovikin's statement with bad news about a "special military operation" is very unusual. At the same time, intelligence indicates that if the Russians decide to retreat, the key challenge for them will be the transfer of troops and equipment across the Dnieper to the left bank, because all full-fledged bridges are seriously damaged.
The Russian Federation will likely have to rely on a temporary barge bridge that has been completed near Kherson in recent days, and pontoon crossing units that continue to operate in several locations.
10:28 The head of the Nikolaev OVA Vitaly Kim announced Russian attacks on the regional center with S-300 missiles, without casualties and destruction.
10:19 Swiss President Ignazio Cassis announced that he had arrived on a visit to Ukraine: "My goal is to get an impression of the situation in connection with the war, the humanitarian situation and the preparatory work for the restoration of the country."
09:37 In the Republican Party, which is very likely to gain control of the lower house of the US Congress, two camps have formed on the issue of providing assistance to Ukraine , writes Politico.
09:34 The invaders start to flee from Energodar. According to Energoatom, yesterday, October 19, and tonight, looted property began to be taken out of the centers of compact residence of the Russian military and the occupation "administration" of the city. So, a mass robbery of the Skifsky hotel was recorded, from where the Russians took out and packed everything they could into buses and trucks: TVs, refrigerators, furniture, kettles and other household items.
09:29 On the night of October 20, the enemy attacked Nikolaev with Shahed-136 shock kamikaze drones. Four drones hit one of the educational institutions of the city, another drone fell on a closed private area. Two fires broke out in open areas, which were promptly extinguished. There are no victims or injured, said the head of the OVA, Vitaly Kim.
09:20 The US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Transportation, together with the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure, created a working group "focused on the critical needs of Ukraine during the war and future post-conflict reconstruction of infrastructure." The group will hold its first meeting in the coming months. Particular attention will be paid to energy issues. It will also discuss "the participation of the US private sector and the introduction of the best American and Ukrainian innovations in the reconstruction of Ukraine."
09:04 Ukrenergo reminds that today, from the very morning and all day long, you need to consume electricity very economically. From 7:00 to 22:00 throughout Ukraine, measures to limit consumption can be applied. When a specific street is turned off, it is determined by the distribution network operator (oblenergo).
09:01 The Russians attacked an industrial enterprise and an energy infrastructure facility in the Krivoy Rog district of the Dnipropetrovsk region at night. There is serious damage, people were not injured, said the head of the OVA Valentin Reznichenko.
08:58 The US State Department said that Iran continues to lie and deny the transfer of weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. In its statement, the agency recalls that back in July, Washington warned that Iran was planning to transfer drones to Russia. Now there is ample evidence that they are being used to attack Ukrainian citizens and critical infrastructure.
At the same time, Iran continues to lie and deny the transfer of weapons to Russia, but the United States, together with allies and partners, is working to prevent the transfer of weapons to the Russian Federation. In particular, the US will not hesitate to apply sanctions and other appropriate instruments against those involved in these transfers. Washington will also continue to provide unprecedented security assistance to Ukraine, including air defense transfers.
08:50 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Russians are creating an information field for a false flag attack on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station in order to justify or cover up their retreat in the Kherson region. Analysts say the Russian military may believe that the breach of the dam will cover their retreat from the right bank of the Dnieper and halt or delay the Ukrainian advance. Also, such an attack would contribute to Russian propaganda trying to portray Ukraine as a terrorist state.
08:42 In the Zaporozhye region, Russians this morning launched a missile attack on the territory of a children's specialized school in the village of Kamyshevakh. Information about the destruction and casualties is being specified, the OP reported.
08:39 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one civilian died - in Zarechny. In addition, law enforcement officers found the bodies of 12 civilians killed by the Russians during the occupation: eight in Liman, two in Novoselovka and two in Sosnovy. Five more people were wounded yesterday, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:37 On the night of October 20, the Russians attacked Nikolayevshchina with Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, 14 drones were shot down, the Air Force reported.
08:30 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of October 20.
- personnel - about 66,650 (+370) people liquidated,
- tanks - 2567 (+13),
- armored combat vehicles - 5255 (+20),
- artillery systems - 1646 (+9),
- MLRS - 372 (+0),
- air defense systems - 189 (+0),
- aircraft - 269 (+0),
- helicopters - 243 (+1),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 1311 (+25),
- cruise missiles - 329 (+6),
- ships/boats - 16 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 4005 (+6),
- special equipment - 147 (+1).
08:00 During the day, units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the invaders in the areas of the settlements of Belogorovka, Lugansk region; Bakhmut, Bakhmutskoye, Kleschievka, Krasnogorovka, Novomikhailovka, Nevelskoye, Experienced and Maryinka of the Donetsk region, the General Staff said in the morning report .
According to the General Staff, replenishment from among the persons mobilized in the Russian Federation arrived in the Luhansk region. Numerous facts of robberies and looting are noted. It is not excluded that a significant number of this contingent arrived from places of detention. The General Staff also warned of a high probability of shelling by the invaders of the civilian population of the Kherson region.
According to preliminary information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the leadership of Iran and the Russian Federation agreed to send advisers and instructors to Russia on the use of strike UAVs. In particular, it is known about the training of operators of the existing Shahed-136 and promising Arash-2 UAVs.
03:59 Czech Defense Minister Yana Chernokhova announced a new military aid package for Ukraine: “We keep our word and continue to support Ukraine with military supplies. At a government meeting, I continue to submit military equipment for approval, which we can give away. , and today - for 22 million kroons".
00:22 The "DNR" announced the shelling by Ukrainian troops of the central Voroshilovsky district of Donetsk, the administration building was damaged.