Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:48 Zelensky, in an evening video message, announced the details of the conversation with Biden: “We discussed further joint steps to protect freedom. We discussed defense support, among other things, that “attacks” can help us speed up the liberation of Ukraine from the occupier. Of course, we also talked about "Continuing aid to Ukraine next year is a significant package of support for our country. America will support the implementation of the Peace Formula, and I informed President Biden about the upcoming large international meeting on the Peace Formula, which will be held in Malta this month."
22:17 Zelensky said that he had a conversation with Biden: “He thanked for the effective implementation of our recent defense agreements. The Ukrainians were very inspired by the receipt of ATACMS missiles, and our soldiers are successfully using them on the battlefield. We discussed further strengthening our long-range capabilities.”
In addition, the Ukrainian president thanked US Special Representative Penny Pritzker for the fruitful visit, during which negotiations began on ways to use frozen Russian assets. Zelensky also welcomed the US decision to send a representative to the next meeting of advisers in Malta later this month.
21:02 Zaluzhny reported that he visited the Avdeevskoe direction, with the commanders and brigade commanders they determined the sequence of steps and discussed the priority needs of the units. We also carried out work in the Kupyansk direction, where the Russians continue their offensive. According to the commander-in-chief, near Avdiivka the enemy is not abandoning attempts to break through the Ukrainian defenses and surround the city. The enemy is actively using assault units, throwing a large number of armored vehicles, using aviation and artillery. Despite this, the Defense Forces continue to repel attacks, destroying enemy personnel and equipment.
20:24 Ukraine and France have begun the first round of negotiations to conclude a bilateral agreement on security guarantees, the Presidential Office reported. France became the fifth G7 state after the USA, Great Britain, Canada and Japan, with which Ukraine began such bilateral negotiations.
18:31 Zelensky put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, providing for the protection and uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure and energy facilities in war conditions. According to the document, the government must, within ten days, strengthen engineering protection of critical facilities, increase the number of air defense groups, and create reserves of equipment and spare parts for quick repairs. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers must approve a plan for the restoration of critical facilities destroyed or damaged within three months.
17:59 The Russian Army shelled the Kherson region from aircraft, two people were wounded, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. In particular, the enemy fired ten aerial bombs at Berislav, and two more at the village of Veseloye.
16:47 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, thanked him for the $435 million preparation plan for the winter season, as well as for the UN’s active participation in the implementation of the Peace Formula and its readiness to send a representative of the organization to the next meeting of advisers. “After the meeting of advisers in Jeddah, it is also important that the next event be no less successful and produce concrete results. To do this, we need to maintain the support of the countries of the Global South. In this, Ukraine very much counts on the UN,” the president emphasized.
16:34 The International Commission on Missing Persons is aware of about 30 thousand Ukrainian civilians who have gone missing since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said the agency’s director general, Katherine Bomberger.
15:31 Zelensky said that he was on a working trip to the Kiev region, got acquainted with the progress of housing construction for people affected by the Russian invasion, which is being built in the village of Tarasovka at the expense of philanthropists.
15:28 Kuleba is confident that the United States will supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles on an ongoing basis. The minister also expressed hope that in the future Ukraine will receive ATACMS missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 300 km.
14:50 Kuleba predicts that Ukraine will receive the first F-16 fighters in the first half of 2024, at best: “As soon as the pilots complete training, and in parallel Ukraine is preparing the infrastructure for this, the planes will be in Ukraine. That is, the only obstacles for "In order for F-16s to appear in Ukrainian air, pilot training and infrastructure preparation are completed. The optimistic scenario, I think, is somewhere in the first half of next year."
14:44 The UK, together with its partners, is implementing a Winter Emergency Assistance Plan for Ukraine totaling £127 million, said Nicholas Aucott, senior military adviser to the UK delegation to the OSCE.
14:27 Scholz promised to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and announced the preparation of a winter military assistance package, the key element of which will be air defense systems.
14:19 The Russian Orthodox Church is creating its own private military companies engaged in the recruitment and combat training of mercenaries for the war against Ukraine, the SBU reports. One of these PMCs, called St. Andrew's Cross, operates on the basis of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Its representatives are recruiting parishioners for further inclusion in the Russian troops.
After mercenaries are enrolled in the ranks of PMCs, they undergo a course of military tactical and fire training under the guidance of instructors from the Russian special services. To disguise combat training, training is carried out exclusively on the territory of the cathedral, as well as at special training grounds. Such PMCs are financed by representatives of financial and industrial groups close to Putin. Money goes to the accounts of the Russian Orthodox Church in the form of charitable contributions and donations for the “construction of churches.”
13:04 In Moscow, not far from residential buildings, a plant for the production of air defense missiles was built, according to the mayor’s website. Production is planned to start before October 2024. As the Russian publication Important Stories writes, the plant is located in the east of Moscow - close to residential buildings. There are two metro stations a few kilometers away. In addition, a test site for testing drones with an area of 100 hectares has been organized in the Nekrasovka district.
12:55 Kazakhstan has introduced a ban on the export of 106 types of goods to the Russian Federation, including technological ones - drones, microelectronics and others that can be used by Russians for military purposes. These are products that were not produced in Kazakhstan.
12:46 Russian so-called military correspondents began sounding the alarm on Tuesday and declaring that the Ukrainian military had gone on the offensive on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Oleshek region. Propagandists claim that marines of the Ukrainian Navy took occupier positions in two villages - Poyma and Peschanivka. Read more in the material New operation of the Marines .
12:03 Russian Alexander Mozhaev , known as “Cossack Babai,” was killed in the Zaporozhye direction , Russian military publics report. Since 2014, Mozhaev has fought in the Donbass against Ukraine and participated in the seizure of administrative buildings. He himself said that he went to Crimea, and then to Donbass with other Russian “volunteers”. In April 2014, Mozhaev gained fame in the Donetsk region because of his colorful appearance; he was accused of shooting down a helicopter near Kramatorsk with a grenade launcher.
11:22 The defense forces shot down another enemy Su-25 attack aircraft. This is the fifth plane shot down in the Donetsk region over the past ten days, the Tavria group of troops reports.
11:19 After a short lull, the Russians continue to try to capture Avdiivka, the shelling continued all night, said the head of the GVA Vitaly Barabash. According to him, due to the aggravation of the situation, humanitarian aid is not being delivered to the city now, but there are still reserves. At the same time, the evacuation of civilians is underway, leaving about 1,600 people in the city.
11:16 The Russians hit Kherson with artillery: they hit a residential area, three people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Over the past 24 hours, two people were killed and four were injured as a result of Russian shelling in the region.
10:50 British intelligence believes that the Kerch Bridge, although restored after damage, will be limited in providing Russian transportation to Crimea, and will also require significant resources to protect against new Ukrainian attacks.
10:09 Russia is expanding the Rostov-Novoazovsk-Mariupol highway to improve automobile logistics to Crimea. We are talking specifically about the expansion, and not the construction of a new road, said Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol Pyotr Andryushchenko and showed a photo. He emphasized that the road that Radio Liberty previously showed in the photo is not a road one. “This is the golden dream of Russians about a railway over the sea Rostov - Mariupol and Beryansk - Kirillovka - Crimea,” Andryushchenko added.
09:03 At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and attack drones , the Air Force command reported. In total, the enemy recorded the use of 17 air attack weapons:
- five Iskander M ballistic missiles;
- one S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile;
- one X-59 guided aircraft missile;
- one cruise missile (type to be confirmed);
- nine Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs.
Industrial, infrastructure, civilian and military facilities were attacked in the Donetsk, Nikolaev, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions. Air defense forces destroyed one Kh-59 guided missile and three attack drones.
08:51 Late in the evening of October 18, the Russians launched a missile attack on Pavlograd in the Dnepropetrovsk region, destruction was recorded at an infrastructure facility, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. In the morning, air defense forces shot down a missile over the Krivoy Rog region. In addition, at night the Russian army continued to shell the Nikopol region, without any deaths or injuries.
08:36 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 19:
- personnel - about 290,680 (+630) people,
- tanks - 4992 (+11),
- armored combat vehicles - 9437 (+17),
- artillery systems - 6983 (+39),
- MLRS - 818 (+4),
- air defense systems - 548 (+1),
- aircraft - 320 (+1),
- helicopters - 324 (+1),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 5318 (+17),
- cruise missiles - 1534 (+0),
- ships/boats - 20 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 9337 (+34),
- special equipment - 985 (+3).
08:13 As a result of an evening missile attack on the settlement of the Stepovskaya community of the Nikolaev region, two people were killed and one was wounded, said the head of the OBA Vitaly Kim. The missile hit a food establishment, and the strike also damaged residential buildings, agricultural enterprises and other civilian infrastructure. Also at night in the same locality, as a result of falling debris from the Shahed attack drone, a fire broke out in the roof of an unused warehouse building; no people were injured.
In addition, at night the Russians launched a missile attack on Nikolaev, which resulted in a fire in an unused warehouse building on the territory of one of the enterprises, and the blast wave damaged apartment buildings. No casualties.
07:58 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Ukrainian marines landed on the left bank of the Kherson region and occupied enemy positions. In particular, yesterday's geolocation footage shows that Ukrainian fighters have advanced north of Peschanivka (14 km east of Kherson and 3 km from the Dnieper River) and towards Poima (11 km east of Kherson and 4 km from the Dnieper River).
In turn, Russian media write that two assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces landed on the eastern bank of the Dnieper and broke through the defenses of the occupation forces, temporarily occupying the entire Poima and positions on the northern outskirts of Peschanivka. As of October 18, the Russian army controlled only the southern part of Peschanivka.
07:35 Defense forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol direction and have partial success southwest of Verbovoye, Zaporozhye region, the General Staff reported in its morning report . The Ukrainian Armed Forces also continue assault operations south of Bakhmut, Donetsk region.
Over the past 24 hours, about 80 military clashes took place at the front. In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the Sinkovka, Ivanovka, Kislovka areas of the Kharkov region, as well as near Nadezhda, Lugansk region; on Limansky - in the Makeevka area of the Lugansk region; on Bakhmutsky - in the Kleshcheevka area of the Donetsk region; in Avdeevsky - in the Avdeevka, Novokalinovo and Pervomaisky districts of the Donetsk region; on Maryinsky - in the area of Marinka and Novomikhailovka, Donetsk region; on Shakhtarsky - in the Novomayorsky district of the Donetsk region; in Zaporozhye - in the areas of Novodarovka and east of Malaya Tokmachka, Zaporozhye region.
05:28 Of the $100 billion that Biden intends to request from Congress to help Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, $60 billion is intended for Kiev, NBC reports, citing sources. The remaining 40 billion are planned to provide assistance to Israel, Taiwan, and to protect the US-Mexico border.
Republicans expect the new Ukraine aid package to be used, in part, to replenish US military supplies, especially ammunition that was previously sent to Europe and Ukraine.
04:37 Lavrov said that relations between Russia and the DPRK after the summit between Putin and Kim Jong-un “reached a qualitatively new, strategic level.”
02:24 Biden intends to address the Americans with a speech about the war in Ukraine and Israel, the White House reports. The American leader's address is scheduled for Thursday evening. "White House President Joe Biden will voice the US response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and Russia's brutal war against Ukraine," the statement said.