Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:15 Ukraine received and used long-range American ATACMS missiles on the battlefield for the first time. This became one of the most successful attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the rear positions of the invaders. Read more in the material First launch of ATACMS .
22:12 The White House confirmed the transfer of ATACMS missiles with a range of 165 km to Ukraine. The statement said that this will “significantly increase the combat potential” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Associated Press reported that the United States transferred "less than a dozen" missiles to Ukraine.
21:41 Zaluzhny showed the work of ATACMS:
21:36 The defense forces have had partial success in the area west of Verbovoye, Zaporozhye region, and have advanced about a kilometer, said Alexander Shtupun, spokesman for the Tauride Defense Forces.
18:57 Zelensky confirmed the use of ATACMS missiles by Ukraine. “Our agreements with President Biden are being fulfilled. They are being carried out very accurately - the “attacks” have shown themselves,” the head of state said in an evening video message.
18:51 Police evacuated all children from 12 front-line settlements, said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Igor Klimenko. During the next stage of mandatory evacuation in the Donetsk region, 345 children and their relatives were rescued. Not a single child was left in the following settlements: Zaliznoye, New York and Severnoe (Bakhmutsky district); Yampol, Torskoye, Zarechnoye, Orekhovatka, Nikanorovka, Malinovka, Tikhonovka, Vasyutinskoye, Rai-Alexandrovka (Kramatorsk district).
18:40 Advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, Mikhail Podolyak, announced the beginning of a “new section of this war.” According to him, Moscow will eventually have to recognize the current conditions on the ground. “There are no longer safe places for Russian troops within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. This means there is no possibility of retaining the South, Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet in the medium term,” Podolyak emphasized.
18:27 The latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has dominated world news since last week, distracting the world from the war that has been raging in Ukraine since February last year. Therefore, the question arose - how this will affect military support for Kyiv in the future. About how foreign media see the situation, see the article War in Israel and assistance to Ukraine .
17:52 The New York Times reports that a “small number” of ATACMS missiles with cluster munitions were transferred to Ukraine. They attacked airfields in Berdyansk and Lugansk.
17:43 The United States transferred all the promised Abrams tanks to Ukraine - 31 units, Voice of America reports, citing the military. All the Ukrainians who trained on tanks with the American military in Germany also returned - along with ammunition and spare parts for the tanks.
17:34 Russian military correspondents publish photos of the debris of the rocket that attacked the Berdyansk airfield. Markings visible on the body: MGM-140A ATACMS Block 1.
16:50 The Wall Street Journal writes that Ukraine fired an ATACMS missile at the Russian military for the first time. According to the newspaper, the missiles were secretly transferred to Ukraine in recent days. Russian military publics also claim that the remains of cluster submunitions from the ATACMS missile were found at the airfield in Berdyansk.
16:39 As a result of another Russian strike on Kherson, two people were wounded, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin.
16:36 Local publics report a blow to the location of Russian officers in the private sector of Skadovsk, Kherson region.
16:00 The European Parliament supported the initiative of the European Commission to create the Ukraine Facility Fund for assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 50 billion euros. Negotiations between the parliament and member states must now begin - this will happen as soon as the EU Council agrees on a common position.
15:46 Ukrenergo stated that it does not plan any restrictions on electricity consumption in the near future - unless Russian attacks on the energy system are resumed. The company warned that some media outlets are now spreading fake news using last year’s videos and stories about the introduction of shutdown schedules. “This is an outright lie and a Russian IPSO,” Ukrenergo emphasized.
15:32 The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam caused damage to Ukraine amounting to almost $14 billion, according to a comprehensive report of the Ukrainian government and the UN. Specifically, direct damage to infrastructure and assets totals $2.79 billion, with losses exceeding $11 billion. The initial estimate of total recovery needs is $5.04 billion, and this figure is expected to rise as more detailed information becomes available. ratings. In the short term, recovery efforts will require $1.82 billion in 2023-24.
14:58 Lithuania will repair damaged Ukrainian Leopard tanks, the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. The ministry recalled that they had already repaired Ukrainian PzH2000 self-propelled howitzers and trained technical personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine so that they could do it independently.
14:09 Zelensky said that he held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. We discussed the situation at the front: “There is a result in our progress, the result of the assault actions of our guys.” They also discussed changes in international politics: “There are many challenges. But whatever the threats, our response is our strength, our unity.” In addition, according to Zelensky, issues of protecting the shores of the Black Sea, the Danube region, protecting people and ports, as well as Ukrainian exports were discussed.
14:05 Zelensky said that he held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. We discussed the situation at the front and changes in international politics. “There are many challenges. But, whatever the threats, our response is our strength, our unity,” the president emphasized.
13:38 The operation to destroy airfields in Berdyansk and Lugansk was called Dragonfly and was carried out by the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As the MTR reported, as a result of the operation, nine helicopters of various modifications were destroyed ; special equipment located at airfields; air defense launcher; ammunition depot, and airfield runways were damaged. The ammunition depot in Berdyansk detonated before four o'clock in the morning, in Lugansk - before 11 am. Enemy casualties amount to dozens of dead and wounded, bodies are still being pulled out from under the rubble.
12:43 Three more children from the occupied part of the Kherson region were returned to Ukraine - two boys aged ten and six years old and a girl eight years old, the Ministry of Reintegration reported.
12:39 During negotiations with Orban in Beijing, Putin said that Russia’s relations with Hungary “are maintained and developed.” The Hungarian Prime Minister, in turn, said that Budapest “never wanted to confront Russia, on the contrary, Hungary’s goal was to establish and expand contacts, and we succeeded.”
12:04 The Russians shelled Kherson, there were hits in the residential area. Two employees of the security company, who were in an official car during the shelling, were injured, as well as one more person, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Another blow was struck at a transport company, preliminary one person was injured.
11:30 Russian aircraft attacked the Berislavsky district of the Kherson region - they ended up in the hospital, the therapeutic department was damaged. Windows and doors were broken in the premises and diagnostic equipment was damaged. No people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. As a result of the fall of another aircraft, a fire occurred in a private house; rescuers quickly extinguished it.
10:53 Vice President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber has arrived in Minsk, reports the monitoring group of Belarus Gayoun. During his visit to the Republic of Belarus he will meet with Lukashenko. In 2022, Reuters reported that it was Mohammad Mokhber who agreed in Moscow on a deal to supply the Russian Federation with Iranian weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles and additional batches of attack UAVs. In March 2023, during a visit to Tehran, Lukashenko already met with Mokhber.
10:38 Russian military publics write that today’s Ukrainian attack on the airfields of Lugansk and Berdyansk was the most serious since the beginning of a full-scale war, there were losses in people and equipment.
10:27 Peskov said that Putin “does not and cannot have any competitors” in Russia.
09:43 The “head” of occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, stated that during the night, while approaching the peninsula, eight UAVs were allegedly suppressed by electronic warfare and shot down by air defense forces.
09:14 At night, the Russians launched a missile attack on the center of Slavyansk, Donetsk region, hitting the dormitory of the Lugansk Agrarian University on Svoboda Street, said the head of the city military administration, Vadim Lyakh. No people were hurt.
09:11 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russia has likely deployed units of at least two brigades of the Central Military District to strengthen offensive operations on the Avdeevsky Front. Until recently, these units operated along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line, so they had more time for rest and recovery. Analysts say this partly explains the recent Russian advance on the Avdeevsky sector of the front, which had previously been stagnant.
According to ISW, on October 16, Russian troops continued their offensive in the Avdeevsky direction and achieved some success, although at a slower pace than during the initial attacks. In particular, they advanced slightly along the E50 highway approximately 3 km south of Avdiivka.
08:56 All six drones were shot down in the Odessa region during the night attack, said Oleg Kiper, head of the OVA. In Odessa, the wreckage of the downed “martyrs” fell in the area of the yacht club, private property was damaged: a sailing school, a hangar and several civilian watercraft. No people were hurt.
08:38 At night, the Armed Forces attacked helicopters and airfield equipment near occupied Lugansk and Berdyansk, StratCom reported. The General Staff reported that over the past 24 hours, missile force units hit two helicopters on landing pads, an ammunition depot and an enemy artillery weapon.
08:10 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 17:
- personnel - about 289,430 (+800) people,
- tanks - 4979 (+14),
- armored combat vehicles - 9405 (+20),
- artillery systems - 6936 (+26),
- MLRS - 814 (+0),
- air defense systems - 547 (+0),
- aircraft - 318 (+0),
- helicopters - 317 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 5291 (+11),
- cruise missiles - 1533 (+2),
- ships/boats - 20 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9293 (+22),
- special equipment - 982 (+1).
07:42 Air defense at night destroyed all enemy air targets: six attack drones and one X-59 aircraft missile , the Air Force command reported. The Russian Shahed attack UAVs were launched from the area of Cape Chuada (Crimea), and the Kh-59 guided missile was launched from a Su-34 aircraft from the airspace of the occupied Kherson region. In addition, the enemy used two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles in the eastern direction.
07:33 Over the past 24 hours, 72 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report . In the Avdeevka direction, the enemy does not abandon attempts to encircle Avdeevka: within 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled more than ten enemy attacks.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka and Ivanovka areas of the Kharkov region, as well as Stelmakhovka and Nadezhda in the Lugansk region. In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled enemy attacks in the Andreevka area of the Donetsk region and at the same time continue assault operations south of Bakhmut. In the Maryinsky and Shakhtarsky directions, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the area of Marinka, Zolotaya Niva and south of Prechistovka, Donetsk region. In the Zaporozhye direction, the Ukrainian defenders did not allow the loss of positions southwest of Novodanilovka, Rabotino and west of Verbovoy, Zaporozhye region.
In the Melitopol direction, the Defense Forces have partial success in the area west of Verbovoye, Zaporozhye region.
04:56 Putin arrived in Beijing to participate in the One Belt, One Road forum and negotiations with the leaders of “a number of countries,” Russian media report. In particular, his talks with Xi Jinping are scheduled for tomorrow.