Ukraine Daily

Friday, October 7

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian firefighters carry the body of a civilian killed after a strike in Zaporizhzhia on October 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff /AFP via Getty Images)

General Staff: Armed Forces liberated 93 settlements since Sept. 21 in northeastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s Armed Forces advanced 55 kilometers deep into Russian-occupied territory and took control of more than 2,400 square kilometers, Ukraine’s military reported on Oct. 6.

UK intelligence: Ukrainian troops push front line in Kherson Oblast by 20 kilometers. Ukrainian forces are “making gains along the east bank of the Inhulets River and west bank of the Dnipro River,” threatening Russian groups around Nova Kakhovka, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry. Withdrawal of Russian combat forces across the Dnipro River “makes the defense of the rest of Kherson Oblast more tenable; but the political imperative will be to remain and defend,” reads the report.

Governor Haidai: Ukraine liberates Hrekivka in Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai reported that heavy battles continue for other settlements in Luhansk Oblast.

Ukraine’s military has destroyed over half of Iranian drones Russia sent to Ukraine. Ukraine took down 24 out of the 46 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones that Russia sent to Ukraine between Sept. 29 - Oct. 6, according to Ukraine’s government.

Russian forces blow up dam in Donetsk Oblast, flood local General Staff headquarters. The resulting flood hit the town of Raihorodok, with the pre-war population of 3,900 people, according to Ukraine’s General Forces.

IAEA head visits Kyiv, says accident at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘very possible.’ Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the IAEA mission at the plant will increase from two to four people, who will rotate every 3-4 weeks. He added that the situation remains dangerous as the territory around the Russian-occupied plant is mined.

Zelensky calls on IAEA to condemn Russia’s illegal capture of Zaporizhzhia plant. “Society is very much waiting for this condemnation,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky: Putin will not be able to save his life after a nuclear strike. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he doubts Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s ability to direct a tactical nuclear strike. Yet, Zelensky added on Oct. 6 that the world “will never forgive either Putin or Russia” if he actually uses nuclear weapons.

Danilov: Twice as many draft-age Russians left country than joined army. The number of draft-age Russian citizens eligible for mobilization who have left Russia is twice as high as the number currently conscripted, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov.

Azov senior officer: Russian intelligence tried to recruit Azov soldiers to ‘fight against US, West.’ Russian military intelligence attempted to enlist members of the Azov Regiment, the defenders of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, according to Bohdan Krotevych, the regiment’s chief executive officer. It happened after they were released from captivity. The Russians told them they’d fight “against the U.S. and the West,” but Azov soldiers refused, said Krotevych.

General Staff: Belarus has sent almost 30 wagons of ammunition to Russian troops in Ukraine since Oct. 1. Ukraine’s military also reported that Belarus sent 250 wagons of ammunition weighing more than 10,000 metric tons to Russian troops on the ground since Feb. 24.

Ukraine sells patriotic bracelets made of Azovstal steel to support Armed Forces. Ukraine’s fundraising platform United24 and Metinvest Group used the last pre-war batch of steel produced at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol to create bracelets and raise money to support the army. One bracelet costs about $40. The collected money will be spent on drones for the Armed Forces.

Read our exclusives here

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine retakes more settlements as Russians strike Zaporizhzhia again. Ukraine has liberated over 400 square kilometers of land in Kherson Oblast, more than a month into the southern counteroffensive, a military command spokesperson said on Oct. 6.

Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images

Learn More

UN migration agency says ‘terrible impact’ awaiting Ukrainians as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure. As winter approaches and Russia’s war continues, Ukrainians living near the front line are faced with the decision to flee or to confront Russian aggression amid Ukraine’s harshest months.

Photo: Paula Bronstein /Getty Images

Learn More

The human cost of Russia’s war

Update: Death toll of Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia rises to 7. Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported that seven people have been killed following a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia early on Oct. 6. At least five people are considered missing, he added. The exact number of victims will be known after the completion of rescue operations which are still underway, Starukh said.

Police: 534 bodies of civilians have been found in liberated Kharkiv Oblast. Since Sept. 7, 534 civilian bodies, including 19 children, have been recovered in the liberated territories of Kharkiv Oblast, said Serhii Bolvinov, head of Kharkiv Oblast police’s investigative department. He added that this number includes bodies found at a mass burial site in liberated Izium.

Russia’s attacks kill 4 in Donetsk Oblast, injure 3 in Kharkiv Oblast. In the past 24 hours, Russian forces have killed four and wounded three civilians in Donetsk Oblast, not including Mariupol and Volnovakha, reported the oblast governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko. Overnight, Russia also shelled Kharkiv Oblast, injuring three men, said Oleh Syniehubov, the oblast governor.

2 bodies of tortured men found in liberated Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, Kharkiv Oblast. The two male bodies were found with their hands tied. According to law enforcement, one body shows bruises on the neck and chest, while the other has a bullet wound in the chest and groin.

General Staff: Russia has lost 61,330 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Oct. 6 that Russia had also lost 2,449 tanks, 5,064 armored fighting vehicles, 3,854 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,424 artillery systems, 344 multiple launch rocket systems, 177 air defense systems, 266 airplanes, 232 helicopters, 1,047 drones, and 15 boats.

International response

Biden: Danger of nuclear “Armageddon” highest since Cuban missile crisis. U.S. President Joe Biden said during a Democratic fundraiser in New York that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s threats to use tactical nuclear weapons are not a joke, Reuters reported.“Putin is not joking when he talks about the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological and chemical weapons, because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming,” Biden said. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily (use) tactical nuclear weapons and not end up with Armageddon.”

European Parliament: EU should give Ukraine more tanks, fast-track its membership. The EU countries willing to deliver Leopard II tanks to Ukraine will be reimbursed from the European Peace Facility, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, according to France 24. Metsola has also called for Ukraine’s “accelerated” entry into the EU. “We have a country that has shown us its intention, and overwhelming willingness to join, and surpassing expectations and meeting goals that other countries would have taken months or years,” she said.

EU officially adopts new package of sanctions against Russia. The EU has approved the eighth package of sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine; it includes import bans worth €7 billion and lays the foundation to introduce the price restrictions on Russian oil, the European Commission stated on Oct. 6.

USAID to provide Ukraine with $55 million to prepare for winter. The USAID has announced a $55 million investment in Ukraine’s heating infrastructure to help the country prepare for winter amid Russia’s war. According to Samantha Power, the organization’s head, up to seven million Ukrainians in 19 regions will directly benefit from the assistance.

In other news

Ex-National Bank head Shevchenko cites political pressure among resignation reasons. Kyrylo Shevchenko, who was appointed chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine in July 2020, attributed his resignation to “health reasons,” aggravated by “two years of political pressure,” which had intensified before his resignation.

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

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Denys Krasnikov, Dinara Khalilova, Oleksiy Sorokin, Alexander Query, and Anastasiya Gordiychuk.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider becoming our patron on Patreon or donating via GoFundMe. Start supporting independent journalism today.