This is the 969th day of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. On the wPolitce.pl website, we report events on the front for you.

READ MORE: REPORTS from the war day by day.

Saturday, October 19, 2024

14:14. There were casualties in the Sumy and Cherkasy regions after Russian night attacks

The man’s body was found under the rubble of a building in Shostka, Sumy Oblast. As a result of a massive attack in the Cherkasy region, a woman died from her injuries, the local government announced via Telegram on Saturday.

As a result of the massive attack in the Uman area, a woman born in 1961 died from her injuries. He was rushed to a health facility in very serious condition. Unfortunately, doctors couldn’t save him. We extend our condolences to family and friends

– said Ihor Taburec, head of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration.

Taburec also reported that critical infrastructure facilities were attacked in Cherkasy Oblast.

The consequences are currently being investigated. Moreover, Shahed hit the warehouse of a private company. The fire is out. One person was injured. (…) In the private sector in the regional center, drone fragments damaged the windows of a residential building

– he noticed.

A man’s body was found under the rubble of a building in the town of Shostka. As a result of night raids in the city, eight people were injured and one person died

– said the Prosecutor’s Office of the Sumy region. (https://tinyurl.com/yfvtb9vj)

Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Telegram that Ukrainian air defenses shot down 42 of the 98 drones and four Kh-59/69 missiles that Russian forces used to attack Ukraine on the night of Friday to Saturday. 46 enemy drones lost communications due to electronic warfare initiated by Ukraine.

The Air Force did not provide information on where the Shahed and the unshootable missile ended up.

12:50. Russia approaches the Oskil River in Kharkiv Oblast

Russia is maintaining pressure on Kharkiv Oblast in eastern Ukraine, and in a small area about 20 km south of the city of Kupyansk, Russian armed forces are likely to be several hundred meters from the Oskil River, the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. .

The latest intelligence update assesses that the ongoing Russian offensive is complicating Ukrainian operations on the eastern bank of the Oskil River and Russia is likely to gain more territory there in the coming weeks.

It was noted that on October 15, Ukrainian regional authorities ordered the evacuation of civilians from several cities in the region.

It added that since the loss of Kupiansk to a Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022, Russian forces have made sporadic attempts to regain control of the city. It is located on the Oskił River and is a railway junction that supports Ukrainian operations in the region.

12:31 42 Shahed drone and four missiles shot down

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 42 of the 98 drones and four Kh-59/69 missiles that Russian forces used to attack Ukraine overnight Friday into Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force said. 46 enemy drones lost communications due to electronic warfare initiated by Ukraine.

Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with guided missiles, Shahed-class unmanned aerial vehicles and unknown drones. Air Force radio engineering troops detected and tracked more than 100 air targets: up to 98 enemy drones and six Kh-59/69 guided missiles

– noted in the announcement.

The drone attack was repulsed by aviation, anti-aircraft missiles, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian air and defense forces.

As a result of anti-aircraft combat, four Kh-59/69 guided missiles were shot down. (…) There is evidence of shooting down 42 enemy drones in Odessa, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kiev, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Poltava, Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts

the Air Force wrote.

46 Russian drones lost communication, and information about their shooting down is being clarified and updated. He also added that several enemy drones were still in Ukrainian airspace.

12:02. Russian war criminal killed in downtown Luhansk

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Military Intelligence (HUR) reported via Telegram on Saturday that Russian war criminal Major Dmitry Pervukha was killed in the center of Luhansk.

On October 18, 2024, a UAZ Patriot car (Ulyanovskiy Avtomobilnyj Zavod) exploded in the temporarily occupied center of Luhansk. An officer of the Russian occupation army, Major Dmitry Vladimirovich Perwukha, was in the car

– we read in the message.

As a result of the explosion, invaders involved in war crimes were killed. Perwukha served in the 273rd Intelligence Center, under the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, whose permanent headquarters were in Novosibirsk

– notes the HUR press service.

According to HUR, in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Major Perwucha holds the position of “chief of staff of military and security services”.

11:34. The Russians attack the fire station

5 Ukrainian rescuers were injured as a result of Russian attacks on the town of Shostka in Sumy Oblast – reports the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations.

The Russians attack the fire station. The building was partially damaged. Firefighting equipment was also damaged in the attack

– Belsat reported.

10:10. Ukraine finds 501 bodies of fallen soldiers

As a result of repatriation activities, the remains of 501 fallen soldiers were returned to Ukraine, the Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced via Telegram.

It was reported, in particular, 382 bodies of defenders killed in the Avdiivka sector, 56 bodies of fallen soldiers from the Bakhmut sector, 45 bodies of defenders from the Marjinka sector, 6 bodies of defenders killed in the Vukhledar sector, 4 bodies of soldiers killed in the Zaporozhye sector and 7 bodies of defenders who fought in Luhansk sector repatriated.

We also managed to return one body from a morgue in the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will transport the repatriated bodies and their remains to designated state institutions. Law enforcement officials and forensic experts will identify the victims. Once identified, the bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for burial with dignity

— noted in the message.

Moscow received the remains of 89 soldiers, The Moscow Times reported. The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the exchange.

09:40. Russia: Ukraine’s entry into NATO will increase the escalation of the conflict

Ukraine’s entry into NATO will hinder a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict and will also lead to its escalation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, as reported by Reuters.

Russian diplomacy refers to the words of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who on Friday, after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, confirmed his previous declaration that Ukraine would become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. Rutte predicted the command of the training mission for Ukraine (NATO Security Assistance and Training) would reach full operational readiness in the coming months.

We are on track to fulfill our promise to provide EUR 40 billion in military support to Ukraine next year. (…) Supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity. It is also an investment in our own security, as the costs of letting Putin have his way would be much higher than the costs of supporting Ukraine. Ukraine’s struggle is our struggle

– said the Secretary General of NATO.

8:31. French expert: I would not say that Poland is out of the diplomatic game regarding Zelensky’s plans

French expert Nicolas Tenzer disagrees with the opinion that Poland is “out of the diplomatic game” regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory plan and classifies the annexes to the plan as only given to some of Kiev’s partners.

An expert from the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) noted that he had “no direct knowledge of the reasons why Poland was not informed about the secret aspects of the plan.” These are three secret attachments that only some of Ukraine’s partners have access to.

I assume – but I’m not completely sure – that the Polish authorities have been informed, even unofficially, as have the Baltic and Nordic countries that support Zelensky’s plan.

– said Tenzer.

He later added that he “wouldn’t say that Poland is out of the diplomatic game”, but that it would “certainly not be normal” for US President Joe Biden to only consult with France, the UK and Germany in Berlin.

On Thursday, Zelensky presented in Brussels, and earlier in the Ukrainian parliament, a victory plan, namely demands for action to increase Ukraine’s support in the fight against Russian aggression. This proposal consists of five points and three confidential attachments. The plan includes, among other things: inviting Ukraine to NATO, strengthening Ukraine’s defense, special strategic and economic agreements with Kiev partners. The fifth point talks about the post-war period – Kyiv proposed, among other things, replacing American troops in Europe with Ukrainian troops after the war.

00:26. Zelensky: Ukraine exports drones only to Ramstein Group countries

Ukraine can only export its drones to countries belonging to the Ramstein Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, which has been helping Ukraine with arms supplies, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

I asked the Minister of National Defense to consider what models of drones we could export, but I excluded exports that might be harmful to us and ultimately reach Russia. We can only export drones to Remstein group countries because they help us with weapons supplies

— Zelensky said in an interview for Ukrainian television.

At the same time, the president added that Ukraine, “with all due respect,” has no right to export drones to Middle Eastern countries and other countries that have not helped it with arms supplies.

Zelensky explained that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is preparing a multi-year export contract for Ukraine’s best drones.

00:01. Reuters: Russia and Ukraine each exchange 95 prisoners of war

Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 95 prisoners of war as part of a deal reached thanks to mediation by the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

As Reuters wrote, a Russian private group representing the interests of prisoners of war published a list of the people and stated that most of them were captured in Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces have been carrying out attacks since August.

The Russian Ministry announced via Telegram that the released Russian soldiers were undergoing medical examinations in Belarus.

The Ukrainian side did not confirm the exchange.

The last exchange – including 103 prisoners from both sides – took place in September.