Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:38 Russian media write that General Viktor Afzalov became commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces instead of Sergei Surovikin.
21:07 The Russians launched a missile attack on a dacha cooperative in Krivoy Rog: one person was killed, one was wounded, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
21:01 The White House proposes to reduce monthly financial support for Ukraine from $1.1 billion to $825 million. This proposal is contained in a letter from the White House to the interim speaker of the lower house of the US Parliament, Patrick McHenry.
18:42 “Governor” of the occupied Kherson region Vladimir Saldo said that “at least 10-15 missiles, including converted S-200s,” were allegedly fired at the region and Crimea. He also claims that “five missiles were shot down over the territory of the Kherson region alone: three in the Kakhovka region and two in the Henichesky district.”
In turn, the “governor” of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said that the smoke in the Sevastopol Bay area is “the military using standard means of camouflage.” Air defense is also operating in the city - according to preliminary data, a missile was allegedly shot down over the sea in the Lyubimovka area.
17:49 The White House reported that Biden has asked Congress for additional funding for Ukraine and Israel. The amount is not named, but The Washington Post writes that we are talking about $106 billion, of which $61.3 billion is provided for Ukraine. The funds are intended for military assistance: additional weapons and equipment, replenishment of Pentagon stocks, intelligence and other defense support, investments in the defense industrial base, etc.
This amount also includes funds for non-military assistance: direct budget support, investments in critical infrastructure, support for law enforcement agencies, mine clearance, support for Ukrainian refugees in the United States.
17:18 The third peace summit with the participation of foreign policy and national security advisers to world leaders on the Ukrainian Peace Formula will take place on October 28-29 in Malta, the country’s Foreign Ministry reported.
17:03 Biden will ask Congress for $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, Reuters reports, citing sources. In total, the head of the White House will request $100 billion. Of this, 10 billion will go to humanitarian assistance, 14 billion to border security and 7 billion to the Indo-Pacific region. Half of the $60 billion for Ukraine is earmarked for replacing and modernizing U.S. weapons stockpiles.
17:00 Zelensky said in an evening video message that during today’s meeting with the military in a narrow circle, they discussed the situation in Kherson and the region, in general in the South, as well as in the Donetsk region - primarily in Avdiivka. “These days, Russian losses are truly impressive, and these are precisely the losses of the occupier that Ukraine needs,” the president added. We also discussed the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkov region.
16:56 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with Scholz: “Our agreements in Granada are being successfully implemented. I am especially grateful for the recent large package of military assistance, which contains Patriot and IRIS-T systems, as well as ammunition for them.” The president also told the chancellor about the situation at the front, including the unsuccessful offensive attempts of the Russian Federation and its “catastrophic losses” near Avdeevka. Particular attention was paid to the next round of negotiations on the World Formula in Malta, as well as the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference, which will take place in Germany in November.
16:25 Germany transferred another batch of military aid to Ukraine, which included, in particular, three Gepard anti-aircraft guns, 20 RQ-35 Heidrun unmanned reconnaissance systems, 20 Vector light reconnaissance UAVs, a Biber bridge laying aircraft, and artillery smoke shells.
16:13 Zelensky held a meeting with the military in the Kherson region: “A special format. The key issue is the situation on the main directions of the front. Our military actions. Avdiivka. Kupyansk direction. South.” After this, the president went to the Nikolaev region.
15:07 Zelensky said that he was on a visit to the Kherson region and held a meeting with border guards about the current situation and conditions of service in the front-line regions.
14:12 Romania will soon receive a modern defense system against drones after a number of incidents with falling debris from Russian UAVs, HotNews reports citing sources. The new system will be installed on the border with Ukraine. Romania will receive this system with the consent of NATO on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement with one of the partner countries. The publication's sources clarified that we are talking about one of the most powerful anti-drone systems in Europe.
13:19 China still supplies Russia with weapons and dual-use goods, the Pentagon report says. According to the results of the analysis of Russian customs data, deliveries are carried out by both state and private companies of the PRC. We are talking about drones, small arms, navigation equipment, spare parts, and protective equipment. In just nine months of 2022, $12 million worth of drones were sold.
12:55 The night explosion in Melitopol was the work of partisans who blew up a car with occupiers, said the mayor of the city, Ivan Fedorov. According to him, these Russians regularly monitored and robbed empty apartments. The explosion occurred in the Aviagorodok area, while the loot was being loaded into a car.
12:27 Radio Liberty correspondent for European affairs Rikard Jozwiak reported that consultations between the European Commission and EU countries regarding the details of the 12th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation will begin soon and should be completed in November-December.
11:53 Ukraine, together with its partners, is working on the 12th package of EU sanctions against Russia. “It is necessary to strengthen restrictions. Russian energy, the military-industrial complex, as well as technology are important components,” the President’s Office said.
11:40 In the Diya application you can now find the nearest Invincibility Point and check if everything you need is there. You can also build a route. The service is available in the Services menu. For security reasons, Indestructibility Points in the Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Lugansk regions will not be displayed, and in the Kharkov, Chernihiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Nikolaev regions they will be partially displayed.
11:34 In the morning, the Russians fired at the village. Kucherivka, Kupyansky district, Kharkov region, one person was injured, the prosecutor’s office reported.
11:09 According to British intelligence, as a result of a Ukrainian strike using ATACMS on the airport in Berdyansk, nine Russian military helicopters were hit, and five in Lugansk. However, analysts added that the extent of the damage has not yet been confirmed. Intelligence predicts that this strike will force Russia to once again move its bases of operations and command centers further away from the front lines, increasing the strain on supply chains.
10:41 The Russians launched an airstrike with four guided bombs on Berislav, Kherson region, one person was killed, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Also, two KABs hit Novoberislav, the scale of destruction there is being clarified. Over the past 24 hours, seven people were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.
09:38 Around midnight, the enemy launched a missile attack on the village of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, Kupyansk district, Kharkov region. The rocket hit the ground, surrounding shops were damaged, but there were no casualties, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian army has shelled settlements in the Chuguevsky, Izyumsky and Kupyansky districts. As a result of shelling in the city of Volchansk, Chuguevsky district, a children's and youth arts center and four residential buildings were damaged, and two people were wounded.
09:19 Croatia transferred all its Mi-8 helicopters to Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said during a meeting with Croatian Defense Minister Mario Banozic.
08:39 The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that several explosions occurred outside the city at night, the most powerful in the Aviagorodok area, where the Russians set up their military base at the captured airfield. Local residents also reported hearing the hum of machinery.
08:18 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 20:
- personnel - about 292,060 (+1380) people,
- tanks - 5047 (+55),
- armored combat vehicles - 9557 (+120),
- artillery systems - 7012 (+29),
- MLRS - 822 (+4),
- air defense systems - 548 (+0),
- aircraft - 320 (+0),
- helicopters - 324 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 5326 (+8),
- cruise missiles - 1535 (+1),
- ships/boats - 20 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9370 (+33),
- special equipment - 985 (+0).
07:35 In the Avdeevka direction, the Russian army has resumed offensive operations and is not abandoning attempts to encircle Avdeevka, the General Staff reported in its morning report . The Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the line and have also repelled enemy attacks in the Novokalinovo, Stepnoy and Northern Donetsk regions. Over the past 24 hours, enemy losses in this direction amounted to almost 900 people killed and wounded, almost 50 tanks and more than 100 enemy armored vehicles were destroyed or damaged.
In total, 90 military clashes took place at the front over the past 24 hours. In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka and Ivanovka areas of the Kharkov region, as well as near Nadezhda, Lugansk region. In the Liman direction, Ukrainian forces did not allow the loss of positions in the Makeevka area of the Lugansk region. In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy unsuccessfully tried to restore the lost position in the Kleshcheevka area of the Donetsk region. In turn, the Defense Forces continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, and consolidate on the achieved lines.
In the Maryinsky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled Russian attacks in the Maryinka area of the Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the Zolotaya Niva and Staromayorsky districts of the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the Verbovoy district of the Zaporozhye region. Also, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol direction.
03:56 Biden, in his address to the nation, said that it is necessary to continue assistance to Ukraine and Israel. "Hamas and Putin pose different threats. But they have something in common: they want to completely destroy the neighboring democracy. For Hamas, the purpose of its existence is the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. At the same time, Putin denies that Ukraine was ever a state. He claims that the USSR created Ukraine,” the American president noted.
“Why is this important for America? History teaches that when dictators do not pay for aggression, they bring more chaos, terror and more destruction. They continue, and the threat to America and the world grows,” Biden emphasized. He explained that if the United States does not stop “Putin’s thirst for power and control over Ukraine, he will not limit himself to just one country.” In this regard, the head of the White House called assistance to Ukraine a “smart investment” that will bring dividends to future generations.
Biden also said that on Friday, October 20, he will send an "urgent budget request" to Congress to "fund America's national security needs to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine."
03:28 Putin visited Rostov-on-Don, where he visited the headquarters of the Russian Armed Forces, Peskov said. There, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of the Kremlin about the progress of the war. In particular, Gerasimov told Putin that the combined group of Russian troops “is solving the problem in accordance with the special operation plan.”