Situation as of 8:00 a.m. on October 09, 2023
- As a result of a missile attack on the village of Groza in the Kharkiv region on October 5, 52 civilians were killed. This attack became one of the deadliest in terms of the number of civilian casualties.
- The Russian command is withdrawing its navy from bases on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea because of the intensified strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against targets in the peninsula. Instead of a naval blockade of Ukrainian ports, it is trying to destroy Ukraine’s port and warehouse infrastructure with the help of missiles and drones.
- Ukraine has resumed the operation of the Odesa ports without the involvement of third parties. Since September 19, 12 ships have successfully left the ports of Odesa with cargoes.
OPERATIONAL SITUATION
Positional battles continue on the front line. The most intensive fighting continues at the areas of Bakhmut in the east, and Robotyne in the south.
Ukrainian special forces conducted another operation on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, where they engaged in battle with the Russian military. Russian sources also report new drone attacks on Sevastopol.
The effective strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Crimea forced the Russian command to relocate the forces of the Black Sea Fleet from the territory of the peninsula. At the same time, the British Foreign Office noted the threat of the mining of the approaches to Ukrainian ports by the Russian military in order to disrupt the export of agricultural products. The urgency of the threat was confirmed on October 5, when a Turkish cargo ship received minor damage due to a mine explosion off the coast of Romania.
Russian troops continue to strike civilian infrastructure on the territory of Ukraine. The major number of casualties was caused by a missile attack on the village of Groza in the Kharkiv region on October 5. The rocket hit the building of a shop and a café, where a memorial dinner was held, which was attended by almost half of the village’s population. As a result of the attack 52 people were killed, 6 people were injured. On the same day, Russian troops severely damaged the hospital building in Beryslav in the Kherson region. On the morning of October 6, a missile attack was carried out against the center of Kharkiv, as a result of which 2 people were killed and 30 people were injured. On the night of October 7, missiles were launched against the Odesa region. As a result of the attack the building of the boarding house and the granary were damaged, 4 people were injured.
Attacks against the territory of Ukraine with the use of UAVs also continue. On the night of October 3, Russian troops used 31 kamikaze drones against the territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense was able to neutralize 29 UAVs. Damage was reported to an enterprise in Pavlohrad and civilian infrastructure in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk region. On the night of October 5, Ukrainian military destroyed 24 of the 29 kamikaze drones involved in the attack, as a result of which an infrastructure facility in the Kirovohrad region was hit. On the night of October 6, Ukraine`s air defense shot down 25 out of 33 Russian drones.
As a result of Russian shelling, the losses of civilians in the frontline regions of Ukraine during the week amounted to at least: in the Donetsk region – 2 people killed and 22 people wounded; in the Kherson region – 4 people killed and 39 people wounded. In the Kharkiv region, in addition to the above-mentioned victims of attacks on Groza and Kharkiv, 1 person was killed and 9 people were injured. At least 1 person was injured in Dnipropetrovsk region. At least 1 person was killed and 2 injured in Zaporizhzhia region.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
The new report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Ukraine indicates that the extent of damage caused during the explosions in July 2022 at the colony near Olenivka does not correspond to the scale of impact that could have been caused by a HIMARS missile (thus, the version of the Russian side regarding the explosions caused by the launch of HIMARS by Ukrainian forces was not confirmed).
According to the Director General of the IAEA, R.Grossi, at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Reactor Unit 4 has been taken out of the “cold shutdown”, while Reactor Unit 6 is being placed from a “hot” to a “cold” state. The IAEA emphasized the need to adhere to the rules set by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, which require all reactor units to be placed in a “cold shutdown”. The actions of the Russian armed forces at ZNPP are increasing the risks of equipment failures and the threat of a radiation accident at the plant.
According to British intelligence reports, Russia intends to continue posing a threat to civilian vessels passing through the so-called humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea. This includes the placement of sea mines by the Russian side along the path of civilian ships arriving at Ukrainian ports for the export of grain. Such actions by Russia are aimed at disrupting the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products and exerting pressure on the Ukrainian economy.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, O.Kubrakov, Ukraine has resumed the operation of the Odesa ports without the involvement of third parties, thanks in part to the attack on the Russian landing ship “Olenegorsky Gornyak” in August 2023. Currently, 10 ships for the export of grain have already passed through the temporary Ukrainian corridor in the Black Sea.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted draft law №10038, which involves an increase in state budget expenditures for the year 2023 by UAH 322.6 billion, among which an additional UAH 303 billion will be allocated for the needs of the country’s defense (including the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Security Service of Ukraine, Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, and others). The expenditures of Ukraine’s general budget will exceed UAH 3.39 trillion for the first time, with a deficit of over UAH 2 trillion.
FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
On October 5th in Granada, Spain, the third summit of the European Political Community took place, in which President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated. On the sidelines of the event, President Zelensky held a series of bilateral negotiations, including with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Rishi Sunak, Acting Head of the Government of Spain Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni , and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The head of the Ukrainian state informed his counterparts about the situation on the battlefield and the needs of Ukrainian defenders. The leaders also discussed necessary steps for the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula, preserving international support for Ukraine, strengthening air defense, and expanding Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Additionally, during President Zelenskyy’s visit to the Kingdom of Spain in Granada, he had an audience with His Majesty King Felipe VI.
On October 2nd, in Kyiv, an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of the European Union on Foreign Affairs took place for the first time in history outside the EU’s current borders. This event was an important signal of support for Ukraine’s European integration future. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in the Council’s meeting, where, together with the heads of European foreign policy agencies, he discussed current issues related to supporting Ukraine on its path to EU integration, implementing the peace formula, and creating an international tribunal to prosecute crimes of aggression by Russia.
International partners continue to provide military and financial assistance to Ukraine, strengthening its defense capabilities against Russian aggression. Germany has delivered a new package of military aid to Ukraine, including Bandvagn 206 armored vehicles, Biber bridging vehicles, WISENT 1 engineering vehicles, equipment for Leopard tanks, satellite communication terminals, and other equipment. Sweden will provide Ukraine with its fourteenth package of military assistance, including 155mm artillery ammunition, infantry equipment, communication devices, and ammunition for CV 90 combat vehicles worth 2.2 billion Swedish kronor (199 million dollars). Denmark is allocating 100 million Danish kroner (over 13 million euros) for a joint European order of 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine under the auspices of the European Defense Agency (EDA). Spain is transferring six launcher units for Hawk anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine for the protection of civilian objects and critical infrastructure against Russian attacks. The United States intends to provide Ukraine with thousands of confiscated Iranian weapons and ammunition. Ukraine has also received a batch of refurbished Leopard 2 tanks from Poland, which were damaged in the combat zone.
Furthermore, the European Parliament has voted on a resolution to revise the European Union’s budget for 2021-2027, which includes the creation of a special Ukrainian fund worth 50 billion euros. This decision aims to counteract the numerous consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine, strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and sovereignty, and provide the EU with the necessary flexibility to respond to crises. In turn, the United Kingdom has allocated financial assistance to Ukraine for the winter period, amounting to 34 million pounds sterling (over 41 million dollars). The Netherlands is providing 102 million euros for Ukraine’s third package of support in 2023, which will be directed towards insuring export credits for Ukraine’s recovery, strengthening the energy system, and supporting recently liberated territories.
Ukraine and Japan have begun the first round of negotiations on a bilateral security guarantees agreement, as outlined in the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine. Previous negotiations on similar agreements have already started with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, while negotiations on a bilateral security guarantees agreement with Sweden will begin in the near future.
The United States has imposed sanctions on 42 Chinese companies and added them to the government’s export control list due to their support of Russian military and defense industries. Norway has joined the 11th package of EU sanctions against Russia, supporting all EU sanctions packages aimed at curbing Russia’s military and technological potential.
This week, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine held meetings with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Estonia, Hanno Pevkur, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic, Antonio Tajani, who were visiting Ukraine. The head of state also held phone conversations with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and had an emergency phone call with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The information in the newsletter is collected from official sources—reports of state authorities of Ukraine, Ukrainian and international news agencies. The accuracy of the data is carefully checked by the project team and corrected in case of fake news.