Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 248.
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation.
By Polina Rasskazova
During the day, the Russian Federation lost more than 500 military personnel, 19 tanks and 23 armored vehicles, 1 plane and 1 helicopter, and 5 drones in the war against Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. According to the general staff, since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army has lost more than 70,000 personnel, 2,659 tanks, 273 aircraft, 252 helicopters and 351 cruise missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is preparing for the notion that the current Russian leadership will look for any new opportunities to continue the war. “Although Russia is trying to increase the pressure on our positions by using mobilized people, they are so poorly prepared and equipped, so ruthlessly used by the command that it allows us to suggest that Russia may soon need a new wave of sending people to war,” he mentioned.
During the 7 months of the full-scale war against Ukraine, more than 65,000 tons of ammunition were exported from Belarus to Russia. According to data published by the community of railway workers of Belarus, the maximum amount of ammunition was exported in April, at 22,534 tons (689 wagons) per month. Since July, the growth of supplies has been recorded again. In September 2022, they exported 14,479 tons (442 wagons). In addition to this, Belarussian president Aleksandr Lukashenko transferred tanks and other equipment to Russia. Only in the last few weeks, at least 94 T-72A tanks and 36-44 “Urals” have arrived in the Russian Federation,” reported the Telegram channel that monitors military activity in the territory of Belarus, Belarusian Hajun.
52 Ukrainian defenders returned from Russian captivity. The defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol, those who were captured by the Russians in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv regions, Snake Island (also known as Zmiinyi Island) and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, are returning home, reports the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. As a result of the exchange, the Ukrainian side managed to return soldiers and officers, sailors, and medics. The youngest released recently turned 19, the oldest, 56. “The large exchange of ‘all for all’ doesn’t suit the aggressor country Russia yet, but the Ukrainian authorities are working on this issue,” said Dmytro Lubinets, the human rights commissioner of Ukraine.
Donetsk Region. According to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, on October 28 the Russians killed 3 civilians of the Donetsk region. Another 8 people were injured. The Ukrainian police also documented 29 artillery or missile strikes in the region. During the day, the Russian army attacked 15 settlements with artillery, BM-21 Grad, BM-27 Uragan, and mortars. Infrastructural objects and private houses were damaged.
Dnipropetrovsk Region. Russian troops shelled three communities — Nikopolska, Marhanetska and Myrivska. According to Valentyn Reznichenko, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, the city of Nikopol was the most affected. “A 39-year-old man was injured there, currently he is in a moderate condition,” said Reznichenko. Eight high-rise and private buildings, several shops, a furniture factory, a hotel, a gas pipeline and electricity networks were damaged in Nikopol.