Monday, October 16

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A man in Donetsk Oblast stands in the courtyard of his house after it was struck by a Russian missile on Oct. 15, 2023. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

Air Force: Western countries lease Ukraine air defense systems. Western countries leased Ukraine air defense systems, said Yuri Ihnat, the Air Force’s spokesperson. “The fact that Ukraine can have these systems for use during the heating season is a significant and positive sign,” he said.

Media: SBU attacks energy facility in Russia’s Belgorod region, causes blackout.

Overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on an energy facility in Russia’s Belgorod region caused blackouts in the area, Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported on Oct. 15, citing a Security Service (SBU) source.

Official: Partial blackout in Kherson as Russia strikes critical infrastructure. Russian forces struck critical infrastructure in Kherson with two guided bombs, causing a partial blackout and running water supply interruptions, Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson city military administration, reported in a series of Telegram posts on Oct. 15.

Kuleba: Foreign Ministry working to bring IKEA, H&M, Zara back to Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry is working to bring global brands like IKEA, H&M, and Zara, which ceased operations in Ukraine after the full-scale war started in 2022, back to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Oct. 15.

ISW: Russia tones down rhetoric about Avdiivka offensive. Facing heavy losses and stalled momentum in their attempt to encircle Avdiivka, Russian forces made no territorial gains on Oct. 15, while the Russian information space changed its tone regarding the offensive.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Activist: 5,000 human rights abuses recorded in Crimea during Russian occupation. “Russia is focusing its attention on the Crimean Tatars, branding them as potential terrorists and criminals,” Alim Aliyev, the deputy director of the Ukrainian Institute, said during the “Global Crimea: Understanding Ukraine through the South” conference.

Russia adds more missile carriers to Black Sea forces. Two new Russian naval frigates capable of launching up to 20 Kalibr cruise missiles are already on active combat duty in the Black Sea, according to the Ukrainian military.

Ukrainian sappers find over 700,000 explosive devices. The Interior Ministry said that sappers have closely examined 152,000 hectares of territory and uncovered over 707,000 explosive objects.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia constructs railway line to Mariupol to ease logistics on southern front. Russia is constructing a new railway line to occupied Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, reducing travel times for supplies to the Zaporizhzhia front lines, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence report on Oct. 15.

Survey: Majority of Ukrainians turn away from Russian media, music. The Ukrainian NGO, with a focus on news literacy, disinformation, and related topics, conducted three waves of surveys – in 2020, 2021, and in late 2022 to early 2023 – addressing the media consumption habits of Ukrainians.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: SBU attack on energy facility in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast causes blackout

According to the source in the SBU, Russian military sites were connected to the energy facility, located in the village of Krasnaya Yaruga, which sits just north of the border with Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast.

Photo: Screenshot

Ukrainians trapped in besieged Gaza: ‘We are constantly bombed’

Hundreds of Ukrainians have been caught in the crossfire inside the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 prompted Israel to respond with a total blockade and intense bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave.

Photo: Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Mines kill 2, injure 2, victims include children. A 14-year-old boy was killed, and his 12-year-old friend was injured by mines in a field in the Bashtanka district of Mykolaiv Oblast on Oct. 15, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported.

Governor: Russian airstrike kills 2 in Kharkiv Oblast. Russian forces launched a guided bomb against the village of Druzheliubivka in the Izium community, killing two civilians and injuring another one, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Oct. 15.

General Staff: Russia has lost 287,770 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. According to the report, Russia has also lost 4,948 tanks, 9,362 armored fighting vehicles, 9,249 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,866 artillery systems, 813 multiple launch rocket systems, 547 air defense systems, 317 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 5,269 drones, 20 boats, and one submarine.

International response

Polish opposition set to win election, according to exit poll. While PiS, which has been in power since 2015, came out on top in terms of support, the party’s victory is offset by the fact that Poland’s three leading opposition parties will hold the majority of the seats – 248.

AP: Putin’s visit to China signals necessity of Beijing’s economic support. Putin told reporters on Oct. 13 that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will discuss their nations’ deepening economic ties during the Belt and Road Forum.

Biden readies spending package of over $2 billion including aid for Israel, Ukraine. When asked whether the new support tranche will be worth $2 billion, Sullivan said that “the the number is going to be significantly higher than that.” “But it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine, and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist foes.”

In other news

Foreign nationals in Gaza to be allowed passage into Egypt. Foreign passport holders trapped in Gaza will be allowed to cross into Egypt via the Rafah border starting on Oct. 16 at 9:00 a.m. local time, a Palestinian official told NBC News.

Zelensky: Ukraine continues evacuating its citizens from Israel; those in Gaza remain trapped. To date, 208 Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have left Israel for Romania, according to Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk.

Kyiv Independent journalist wins Bayeux Calvados-Normandy award for war correspondents. The Kyiv Independent’s journalist Francis Farrell was announced as the winner of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents in the Young Reporter (print) category on Oct. 14.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Alexander Khrebet, Oleksiy Sorokin, Olga Rudenko, Martin Fornusek, Dinara Khalilova, Teah Pelechaty, Natalia Datskevych, Li Luo, and Abbey Fenbert.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.