Newsletter 29/10/2024
Daily news digest
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Rescue operation over in Kharkiv after overnight strike: four killed, six injured
Rescuers have retrieved the bodies of four people from under the rubble in the residential area. Working alongside municipal services, they cleared the debris of a completely destroyed building, removing 320 cubic meters of rubble.
In total, the airstrike on the residential sector of the city resulted in four fatalities and six injuries.
As previously reported, at around 3:00 on October 29, a guided air bomb strike in Kharkiv’s Osnovianskyi district destroyed a house and damaged 19 private homes and four vehicles.
The deceased included two women, aged 70 and 90, and two men, aged 25 and 26.
Emergency repairs underway at Kharkiv’s Derzhprom building following Russian strike
On the evening of October 28, around 21:00, a Russian aerial bomb struck the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kharkiv, damaging Derzhprom, a hospital, residential buildings, and local businesses. Nine people, including an on-duty police officer, were injured in the attack.
The building, which is under the regional council's jurisdiction, is receiving coordinated support. Communication is ongoing with UNESCO and philanthropist Howard Buffett, who visited the site after the attack, to explore additional funding for restoration from international partners.
The Derzhprom building, constructed from 1925 to 1928, is a national heritage site in the constructivist architectural style, featuring interconnected towers up to 13 stories tall. It was added to UNESCO's list of protected sites for enhanced protection on September 7, 2023.
Norwegian PM announces plans to increase aid to Ukraine during meeting with Zelensky
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Reykjavik that Norway intends to increase its aid to Ukraine.
under the program originally set to last until 2027, Norway has been providing Ukraine with USD 1.5 billion in annual support. Under the new initiative, this amount will be increased.
Jonas Gahr Støre and Volodymyr Zelensky also discussed defense cooperation with other partners and long-term security collaboration, including NATO for Ukraine, the Victory Plan, and a joint strategy with partners to approach peace.
Among the main topics of discussion were Ukraine's key needs: strengthening air defense and long-range capabilities. The parties also talked about team-level cooperation to ramp up production of various military equipment, especially air defense systems.
A specific focus of the conversation was the deployment of North Korean troops to the combat zone. Both sides emphasized the importance of providing a united and decisive response to this challenge.
DPRK military in Russia: Zelensky, South Korean President agree to strengthen intelligence sharing
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol to discuss Russia's involvement with the North Korean military. The presidents decided, in particular, that Ukraine and South Korea would exchange delegations in the near future to coordinate actions.
“I had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol. First of all, I thanked him for his consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for the financial and humanitarian assistance already provided and announced. We discussed the involvement of the North Korean military in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There is only one conclusion - this war is internationalizing and going beyond the borders of two states,” Zelensky said.
The President of Ukraine provided Yoon Suk Yeol with an update on the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russian training grounds in the immediate vicinity of the combat zone and the expected increase in their number to about 12,000.
“We agreed to strengthen the exchange of intelligence and expertise, intensify contacts at all levels, including the highest, to develop a strategy of action and a list of countermeasures in response to the escalation, as well as to engage joint partners in cooperation. As part of this agreement, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea will soon exchange delegations to coordinate actions,” the Head of State noted.
Zelensky also invited South Korea to join the G7 Vilnius Declaration on bilateral security agreements in support of Ukraine.
Russia spreads fakes about alleged killings of Donetsk border residents by Ukrainian military – CCD
Russia is disseminating fake information and supposed drone footage alleging that Ukrainian military personnel are deliberately killing residents of border settlements in Donetsk region.
This was reported on Facebook by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
The CCD emphasizes that the video lacks details about the circumstances of the recording, the direction of the shelling, or the identity of those involved.
Additionally, the video does not provide enough information to identify the individuals in the combat zone or explain why they are there.
Earlier reports indicated that Russian propaganda has been using the population of frontline areas in attempts to discredit the Ukrainian forces.
Through such disinformation, Russia aims to portray its forces as ‘saviors’ of Donetsk residents and distract from its numerous crimes.
War
Russian forces three kilometers from Kupiansk destroying town with glide bombs – Military Administration
"The enemy is practically within 2.5 to 3 kilometers from Kupiansk. There are constant bombardments and destruction of critical civilian infrastructure. Even on the right bank, the enemy is striking, including with guided aerial bombs weighing 1.5 tons, which carry massive destructive force," stated Chief of the Kupiansk Town Military Administration, Andrii Besedin.
He added that some services are still operational on the right bank, and residents are receiving basic utilities. However, the future situation remains unpredictable, with ongoing water supply issues due to damage to the water pipeline.
General Staff update: 104 clashes along frontlines since morning, most intense in Kurakhove sector
Civilian killed in missile strike on Odesa district
Ukraine to create register of children deported to Russia
AFU shot down 26 enemy drones overnight, 20 were lost locally
Drone attack: debris falls recorded in two Kyiv’s districts, five injured
In Solomianskyi district, a gas pipe on the facade of a nine-story residential building was depressurized, causing a fire in a nearby store. Additionally, three parked cars caught fire. The fire has been extinguished. According to preliminary data, five people sought medical assistance, with one person hospitalized.
In Sviatoshynskyi district, debris shattered windows in a three-story administrative building. No information on injuries has been reported.
The work of the soldiers of the 11th brigade named after M. Hrushevsky, which effectively destroy enemy reconnaissance drones
Defense
Defense Forces contracted 1.8M drones worth UAH 147M for two years
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, has already contracted 1.8 million drones with an estimated total value of UAH 147 billion for the 2024-2025 period.
In 10 months of 2024, the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, has contracted 1.6 million units of various types of UAVs for a total sum of over UAH 114 billion. Of this amount, suppliers have already completed orders for 1.28 million UAVs worth over 81 billion UAH. At the same time, another 366,940 drones are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year.
Economy
ENTSO-E raises electricity export capacity limit to Ukraine, Moldova to 2.1GW
According to ENTSO-E, since June 2024, following the destruction of numerous power plants in Ukraine and the anticipated large electricity deficit during the winter 2024-25, the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) of Continental Europe have evaluated the feasibility to increase the electricity export capacity from the neighburing EU countries to Ukraine and Moldova, while ensuring power system stability and operational security.
The results of the calculations have enabled the TSOs to secure an increase of the export capacity limit to Ukraine and Moldova to 2,100 megawatts during this winter. It represents an increase of 400 megawatts from the previous value.
“The 2.100 MW export capacity limit will apply from 1 December 2024. From March 2025, TSOs will be able to reassess the commercial capacity limit between the EU and Ukraine and Moldova on a monthly basis,” ENTSO-E added.
Crime
Corruption scheme uncovered at regional MSEC in Odesa – doctors falsified disabilities for draft dodgers
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine has uncovered a scheme in Odesa region involving a group of doctors who provided false medical documentation to conscription-aged men attempting to avoid military service by obtaining disability status.
In the spring of 2024, a doctor from the Odesa Regional Clinical Hospital began offering paid services to men seeking to evade mobilization.
He recruited a network of 12 doctors from various medical institutions, officials from the Odesa Regional Center for Medical and Social Expertise (MSEC), and their relatives, who acted as intermediaries in this scheme.
The doctors fabricated diagnoses for healthy individuals and created complete medical records to support these fictitious cases, including MRI scans. With these falsified documents, the men would go to the MSEC, where they were met by "prepared" commission members to formally establish disability status.
The service fees ranged from USD 6,000 to USD 12,000, depending on the complexity of the diagnosis and the disability classification required.