WAR BULLETIN
October 21, 6.00 pm EST
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 21.10 were approximately:
personnel ‒ about 66750 (+100),
tanks ‒ 2573 (+6),
APV ‒ 5258 (+3),
artillery systems – 1648 (+2),
MLRS – 372 (+0),
Anti-aircraft warfare systems ‒ 189 (+0),
aircraft – 269 (+0),
helicopters – 243 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level – 1325 (+14),
cruise missiles ‒ 329 (+0),
warships / boats ‒ 16 (+0),
vehicles and fuel tanks – 4006 (+1),
special equipment ‒ 147 (+0).
Data are being updated.
The two-hundred-fortieth (240) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a Russian military large-scale invasion continues.
The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories and concentrates efforts on restraining the actions of the Defence Forces in certain areas. At the same time, it does not stop trying to conduct offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas.
Over the past day, units of the Defence Forces repelled the attacks of the Russian invaders in the areas of Bilohorivka settlements of the Luhansk oblast; Opytne, Bakhmut, Pobyeda and Maryinka of the Donetsk oblast.
The enemy is shelling the positions of our troops along the contact line and conducting aerial reconnaissance. Violating the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the laws and customs of war, it continues to strike critical infrastructure and the homes of the civilian population.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy has launched 3 missiles and 24 air strikes, carrying out more than 30 MLRS attacks.
Areas of more than 15 settlements were hit by enemy attacks. Among them - Mykolaiv; Nova Kamianka and Mala Seidemynukha in the Kherson oblast and Hatyshche in the Kharkiv oblast.
The invaders used to cruise and anti-aircraft-guided missiles for their crimes. In addition, the enemy launched more than 20 Iranian-made "Shahed-136" unmanned aerial vehicles.
In the Volyn, Polissya and Siversky directions, the situation remains unchanged.
The enemy shelled in other directions:
in the Slobozhansk direction - from tanks, mortars and barrel artillery, in the areas of Starytsa, Krasne and Khatne settlements;
in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions - from barrel and jet artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Berestove, Zarichne, Nove, Pershotravneve, Stelmakhivka, Terny and Yampolivka;
in the Bakhmut direction - from tanks and artillery, in the areas of Andriivka, Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Bilohorivka, Zelenopillia, Spirne, Ivanhrad and Yakovlivka settlements;
in the Avdiivka direction - from tanks, mortars, barrel and jet artillery, in the areas of Vodyane, Marinka, Novomykhailivka, Pervomaiske and Semenivka settlements.
On the Novopavlivskyi and Zaporizhzhia directions, the enemy carried out shelling in the areas of Vremivka, Vuhledar, Dorozhnyanka, Neskuchne, Novodanylivka, and Stepova.
Up to 20 settlements along the contact line were damaged by fire in the South Buh direction. In order to conduct aerial reconnaissance, the occupiers made more than 20 flies of UAVs of various types.
According to the available information, up to 2,000 people from among the Russian mobilized people arrived in the temporarily captured territory of the Kherson region to replenish losses and strengthen units on the contact line. At the same time, the occupation authorities issued an order to prepare evacuation for the so-called "banking institutions", and prepared evacuation lists of imported Russian medical workers and teachers. Humanitarian facilities in Kherson stop working.
According to detailed information, more than 30 wounded people arrived at the hospital in the town of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, at the same time after the fire damage caused by the Defence Forces of Ukraine.
During the past 24 hours, Ukrainian aviation has carried out 5 strikes. It was confirmed that 3 strongholds and areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment and 2 positions of the enemy's anti-aircraft missile systems were hit. Air defence units shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Soldiers of the missile troops and artillery struck 4 control points, 7 areas of concentration of manpower, weapons and military equipment, an ammunition depot, an air defence device, a bridge and a pontoon crossing of the enemy.
The operational update was on 18.00, on October 21, 2022.
The enemy is trying to hold the temporarily captured territories and concentrates its efforts on restraining the actions of the Defense Forces in certain directions, at the same time, it does not stop trying to conduct offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions.
During the current day, the units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of settlements of Ternova, Kharkiv oblast; Bilohorivka and Zolotarivka, Luhansk oblast; Lyman, Soledar, Ozaryanivka, Odradivka, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk oblast.
The enemy is shelling the positions of our troops along the contact line and conducting aerial reconnaissance. The adversary continues to strike critical infrastructure and civilian homes, in violation of International Humanitarian Law, laws, and customs of war.
During the day, the occupiers carried out 4 rocket and 10 air strikes, carrying out more than 30 MLRS attacks.
Areas of about 8 settlements were hit by the enemy's aviation and anti-aircraft-guided missiles. Among them are Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Novovoskresenske of the Kherson oblast.
In the Volyn direction, the situation remains unchanged.
On the Siverskyi and Polissya directions, the enemy used mortars and barrel artillery to shell the areas of Ukrainske and Hai settlements of the Chernihiv oblast, as well as Pokrovka in the Sumy oblast.
At the same time, in the Pinsk and Stolinsk districts of the republic of belarus, the belarusian special services are intensifying regime and administrative measures. In particular, it is forbidden to conduct any video recording, including the use of car video recorders.
In the military commissariats, work continues on clarifying the personal data of men of conscription age, emphasis is placed on readiness for a call-up.
The enemy shelled in other directions:
in the Slobozhanskyi direction - from barrel and jet artillery, in the areas of Berestove, Strilecha, Dvorichna, and Chuhunivka settlements;
in the Bakhmut direction - from tanks and artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Soledar, Bakhmut, Bilogorivka, Klishchiivka, and Opytne;
in the Avdiyivka direction - from tanks, mortars, barrels and rocket artillery, in the areas of Vodyane, Prechystivka, Pervomaiske, and Velyka Novosilka settlements.
The enemy did not conduct active offensive actions in the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhya directions. Fired in the areas of the settlements of Vremivka, Zelenyi Hay, and Mala Tokmachka.
In the South Buh direction, the enemy shelled military and civilian infrastructure. Areas of settlements near the contact line were damaged by fire. Among them are Novovoskresenske, Myrne, Davidiv Brid and Novohredneve.
According to the available information, in the city of Beryslav, Kherson region, since October 19 of this year, all bodies of the occupation authorities have ceased their activities. It is also known that collaborators who collaborated with the Russian occupiers continued to leave the city, along with their families and property.
In the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk oblast, the enemy is taking measures to improve television and radio broadcasting.
On October 19 of this year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces fired at the pontoon crossing under the Antoniv bridge in the Kherson oblast.
The aviation of the Defense Forces carried out 16 strikes during the day. The defeat of three strongholds and ten areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, as well as three positions of the enemy's anti-aircraft missile systems, was confirmed.
Units of missile troops and artillery hit the control post and the enemy's S-300 anti-aircraft missile complex in a day.
POLICY
President of Ukraine
Address of President of Ukraine
I held another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today. The main points of the agenda are quite obvious - the protection of our skies from enemy missiles and drones, the protection of infrastructure facilities, the destruction of the positions of the occupiers, the advancement of our forces and everything necessary to support the army. Military, intelligence, ministers delivered reports.
Every day we are bringing the results Ukraine needs both on the ground and in the air. We are also working on the necessary results at sea.
The situation around the Export Grain Initiative is becoming more and more tense these weeks. The enemy is doing everything to slow down our food exports. I believe that with these actions, Russia is deliberately inciting the food crisis so that it becomes as acute as it was in the first half of this year.
Today, more than 150 ships are in the queue to fulfill contractual obligations for the supply of our agricultural products. This is an artificial queue. It arose only because Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of ships.
Every day that ships with food spend in the queue means an increase in social and political tension in the countries that consume our agricultural products. Here are just some of the states to which food exports are delayed due to Russia: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia. Our partners - the UN, Türkiye and others are fully informed about this situation.
During the operation of our grain initiative, due to the Russian slowdown, we under-exported about 3 million tons of food. This is the annual volume of consumption for 10 million people.
Russia is doing everything to ensure that at least hundreds of thousands of these people become forced migrants who will seek asylum in the same Türkiye or EU countries, or die of hunger. And we, together with our partners, must do everything so that the grain initiative is not only preserved, but also works at 100% capacity.
The right to food and to life without hunger are fundamental rights for absolutely every person on earth. And that is why Russian attempts to exacerbate the food crisis are also aggression against every person on earth.
I held a meeting today with representatives of the U.S. Congress who arrived in Kyiv. I thanked them for their continued bipartisan support and for the tremendously powerful things America is doing to help us protect freedom. We discussed the key issue for today - anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. We also talked about financial support, about our political interaction, about what new anti-European and anti-democratic steps to expect from Russia and its accomplices in terror. We touched upon the topic of Iranian supplies for Russian terror.
Today, this terror against our infrastructure, against our energy will be discussed by the UN Security Council. The meeting is convened at the request of our state and will take place at 10:00 p.m.
I met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. I thanked her for the help and informed about our new needs that have arisen due to the Russian terror. The EBRD is already providing financial support to Ukrenergo, and has all the data on what steps we need to take to restore energy and social facilities, to build housing for Ukrainians.
We agreed upon positions on the eve of the Conference on the reconstruction of our state, which is to be held in Germany on October 25.
Today, during the day, an air alert was announced in most regions of Ukraine. There are new downings of drones and enemy aircraft.
Active hostilities continue in the east and south of Ukraine. Our Armed Forces retain the initiative.
Today I want to commend the fighters of the 25th separate airborne brigade for their skillful and thoughtful actions in destroying the enemy in the eastern direction.
I am also thankful to the warriors of the 60th separate infantry brigade, whose units are showing good results in the Kherson region. Only since the beginning of October, the fighters of this brigade "trophied" more than 30 units of Russian armored vehicles, a thousand projectiles for tanks and three "Giatsint" cannons. All these weapons will definitely help liberate our land.
I am also grateful to the fighters of the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakov Handziuk. This week, the boys showed excellent results in destroying enemy equipment and ammunition.
I also thank the warriors of the 35th separate marine brigade named after Rear-Admiral Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi for their steadfastness in the defense of the regained frontiers.
And one more thing. Today, the government made an important decision that affects tens of thousands of Ukrainian students. Those whose home is in the temporarily occupied territory or in the areas near the front, as well as children of fallen defenders of Ukraine, family members of combatants. All of them will be transferred from the contractual form of education to the budgetary one in our universities and colleges. Details of this decision should be made public by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
I thank everyone who fights and works for our country!
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the delegation of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with members of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress Mike Turner, James Himes and Eric Swalwell.
The Head of State noted that the visit of the congressmen to Ukraine is especially important today, when Russia increased its terror againt peaceful cities and civilian infrastructure, hitting them with missiles and Iranian drones.
“This is a bold step that demonstrates strong bicameral and bipartisan support for Ukraine. It confirms that the United States is our strategic partner,” the President noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the members of the House of Representatives about the situation on the frontline and the priority needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He praised the support of the U.S. Congress, the President of the United States, his Administration and the entire American people. At the same time, the Head of State called for increasing aid in order to bring peace closer.
Separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of transferring air defense systems to our country in the necessary quantity to create an air shield over our country, which should protect the civilian population and critical infrastructure facilities. Such systems would become an important element of security guarantees for our state.
During the meeting, the issues of Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and security guarantees for our state were discussed. The parties agreed on the inadmissibility of nuclear blackmail by the Russian leadership.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the strengthening of sanction pressure on the aggressor country, which is of particular importance in view of the terrorist attacks carried out by Russia in recent weeks on the civilian population and civilian objects in our country. The President separately noted that the world should designate Russia as a terrorist state.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of proper preparation of Ukraine for winter and the need for prompt restoration of the energy infrastructure that was destroyed. He expressed hope that the United States would take an active part in the reconstruction of our state.
The members of the House of Representatives assured the President of the unwavering support for Ukraine by the United States and emphasized the importance of restoring the territorial integrity of our state.
Separately, the results of the July visit of the First Lady of Ukraine to the U.S. and her speech in Congress were positively noted, as it contributed to the spread of information about the crimes of the Russian occupiers in Ukraine.
President met with the EBRD President
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso.
The Head of State noted that the visit of the EBRD President is an important signal of support for Ukraine.
"Today our cooperation is more relevant than ever, because now due to the large amount of destruction caused by missile strikes and kamikaze drone attacks, we need to work on the rapid recovery of our country," he said.
The President of Ukraine also thanked the EBRD for its decision to stop cooperation with the Russian Federation and Belarus.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the importance of holding a large number of conferences and meetings devoted to the recovery of our country, in particular the International Expert Conference on Restoration and Reconstruction of Ukraine on October 25 in Berlin.
At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that, in parallel with the discussion of the post-war reconstruction of our country, it is important to work on a fast recovery (Fast Recovery Plan), which also requires urgent attraction of financial resources. First of all, this concerns the energy, infrastructural, educational spheres, as well as the restoration of housing for Ukrainians.
The Head of State thanked the EBRD for the decision on the financial support for NPC Ukrenergo.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Odile Renaud-Basso about the risks for Ukraine in the energy sector due to the terrorist attacks by the Russian Federation. Possibilities of additional lending for the needs of this industry were discussed.
For her part, the President of the EBRD expressed her solidarity with Ukraine and noted that our state demonstrates extraordinary resilience. Odile Renaud-Basso emphasized that the financial institution she chairs will do everything possible to support Ukraine.
https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/glava-derzhavi-zustrivsya-z-prezidentom-yebrr-78629
Yermak-McFaul International Working Group has prepared a Roadmap for individual sanctions against Russian propagandists, opinion leaders and artists
The international working group on sanctions against Russia chaired by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Former US National Security Adviser, Ambassador Michael McFaul has prepared another document - the Individual Sanctions Roadmap: Recommendations for Sanctions against the Russian Federation.
It contains a basic list of Russian propagandists, opinion leaders, artists who generate and spread Kremlin propaganda narratives, lies about Russia's war against Ukraine and thus support policies aimed at undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and security of our state. This list will be updated.
The Individual Sanctions Roadmap singles out, in particular, propagandists who consistently reproduce false narratives in line with Kremlin policy, laying the ideological foundation for Russia's war and concealing ongoing war crimes.
Propagandists are divided into two big groups: those who generate ideas for propaganda (ideologues, experts, scientists) and those who spread these ideas (journalists, artists and stars).
Disreputable think tanks (such as the Valdai International Discussion Club, the Izborsky Club, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, the Russian Council on International Affairs and the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies have close ties to high-ranking officials, support the actions of the authorities, develop propaganda narratives.
Among those involved in spreading information in support of the war with Ukraine are not only journalists or experts, but also those who are "soldiers" in this hybrid war.
The Individual Sanctions Roadmap includes artists who are no less dangerous than corporate propagandists due to their ability to quickly and effectively spread propaganda to the masses.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, many of them have visited the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, performed at concerts in support of Russia, or publicly supported the regime of the President of the Russian Federation and his war. Their activities are not related to journalism, freedom of expression or science, but purposefully help the efforts of the military-political leadership of Russia in Ukraine.
At the same time, most of them spend their vacations abroad, many own expensive real estate in Europe and the United States.
The international working group recommends that democratic countries around the world include in their sanctions lists those persons who have so far avoided it.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Dmytro Kuleba had a telephone call with Prime Minister of the State of Israel Yair Lapid
Dmytro Kuleba: "I spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and informed him on unspeakable suffering, loss of life, and destruction caused by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones. We discussed in detail Ukraine’s request for Israel to provide air and missile defense systems and technology".
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter:
I call on parliaments of all nations to support Ukraine by recognizing the Holodomor, Stalin’s 1932-1933 artificial famine, as genocide of the Ukrainian people. We will commemorate its 90 years in November. Recognition is very important now, when Russia commits another genocide.