What happened during the week from October 12th to 18th. The main thing
On October 16, Russian troops took control of Dobropillya and Alekseevo-Druzhkovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Head of State called the liberation of the DPR one of the main tasks of the army, and the capture of Dobropillya an important event for the liberation of Donbass.
According to Gerasimov, Russian assault units are continuing their offensive in Nikolaevka, a suburb of Slavyansk, where more than half of the territory is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. Alexander Troshin, commander of the 110th separate motorized rifle brigade, said that Dobropillya is completely under the control of Russian troops. The military continues to identify and destroy the remaining groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the city.
In the Kharkov direction, Russian troops conducted Operation Bear Corner, the purpose of which was to encircle and defeat the Ukrainian group in the northeastern part of the region. In the Sumy region, the Kursk group is advancing in four directions in the general direction of Sumy. According to the command, units of two Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades were surrounded and destroyed in the Sapka area. All the details are in the weekly digest of Izvestia.
The limitations of Starlink have complicated the work of the Armed Forces
On the night of October 14, SpaceX limited the speed of the Starlink terminals used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to Ukrainian sources, the military was not warned in advance about the changes, which affected, among other things, the Starshield system. Former adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Sergei Sternenko, said that when traveling at speeds of more than 160 km/h, communication began to disappear, which disrupted some missions. The disruptions also complicated the use of drones and military logistics.
Military expert Anatoly Matviychuk noted that Starlink provided the Armed Forces with tactical communications, transmission of images from the battlefield and drone control. According to him, the restrictions may make it difficult to prepare and launch long-range missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had no official information about the restrictions, except for media reports. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Elon Musk over SpaceX's decision.
The European Union announced negotiations with Kiev on Ukraine's connection to the GovSatCom satellite platform. According to the representative of the European Commission, Tom Rainier, commercial communications services and military satellite services are planned to be developed within the framework of European programs.
The FSB has detained a Japanese journalist on suspicion of espionage.
On October 13, a correspondent of the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun was detained in the Sakhalin Region on suspicion of espionage. According to the Center for Public Relations of the FSB of Russia, a journalist accredited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation collected information about the country's defense capability on behalf of the Japanese special services and transmitted them for use against Russia's security.
During the arrest, the foreigner was found to have documents with relevant information. He was detained before departure from Russia and taken to Moscow. A criminal case was opened against the journalist under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Espionage"). The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow detained him for 29 days. Searches were conducted at the newspaper's headquarters in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the digital media of the newspaper's employees were checked.
Russia is preparing to supply diesel to the USA
On October 15, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that the first deliveries of Russian diesel fuel to the United States could begin in two to three weeks after the approval of commercial contracts. Russian oil companies are ready to export, but the parties have yet to formalize agreements, charter vessels and arrange shipment.
Novak also said that Russia will continue to import gasoline at least until the end of 2026. This is necessary to ensure the domestic market and restore stocks, which decreased in the summer. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the supply of Russian diesel to world markets may improve the situation in the energy sector, but will not lead to complete stabilization. He criticized European countries for their negative reaction to the agreements between Moscow and Washington, stressing that the agreement is primarily of an energy rather than a diplomatic nature.
Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said the deal could improve the safety of Russian tankers passing through the Black and Baltic Seas. Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl called the agreements an example of a pragmatic revision of the US sanctions policy.
Rapper Navai was detained in Kazakhstan
Russian rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov) was detained on October 14 at the entrance to Kazakhstan through the Kordai checkpoint. 2.5 grams of marijuana were found in his car. Two more people were placed in a temporary detention facility with the musician, but the artist himself has not yet been recognized as a suspect.
A criminal case was opened into the smuggling and illegal transportation of drugs without the purpose of sale. On the day of the detention, Navai was supposed to have a concert in Astana, but it was canceled due to technical reasons. Ticket buyers were offered a refund.
The musician's mother, Aynur Bakirova, called the incident a provocation and said she did not believe her son was involved in drug trafficking. The lawyer of the performer, Rena Kerimova, told Izvestia that the defense intends to appeal the arrest and seek a change in the preventive measure. According to her, it took three days to prepare the complaint.
The Leningrad region was subjected to the most massive attack
On the night of October 18, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region were subjected to a massive attack by Ukrainian drones. 145 UAVs were destroyed over the Leningrad region — the authorities called the incident the most massive attack of all time.
10 people were injured in the region, seven, including five children, were hospitalized. Debris damaged residential buildings in Gatchina and Vsevolozhsky district, 55 cars were damaged in Novoselye. Two houses caught fire in the Kirovsky district. About 20 thousand residents of Yanino were left without electricity due to power outages.
In St. Petersburg, one person was killed and five were injured. Fires broke out in several districts of the city, at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and at the Ozon logistics center, whose employees were evacuated. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case on the terrorist attack. Due to the attack, the operation of Pulkovo Airport and traffic on sections of the Western High-speed Diameter were temporarily restricted. A number of flights were delayed or canceled, and some of the planes were redirected to alternate airfields.
Houthis have surrounded Yemen's third largest city
On October 17, Yemeni Houthi rebels surrounded Taiz, the country's third largest city, where an internationally recognized government is based. According to the American edition of the Financial Times, the fighting has deprived residents of the opportunity to evacuate, and the blockade has led to a sharp increase in prices for fuel, medicines and food. It was noted that control of Taiz would allow the Houthis to connect the coast with the rest of Southern Yemen and open the way to advance to Aden.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Iran has supported the Houthis in carrying out the most powerful and technically sophisticated attacks on Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies. The Ansar Allah movement also announced an attack on the Saudi military operations headquarters at the Maashiq Palace in Aden on October 15. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria reported the defeat of a Saudi Typhoon fighter jet over the province of Saada.
In Riyadh, four people were injured on October 14 by falling debris from missiles launched by the Houthis. According to Al Jazeera, on October 12, the rebels also claimed a ballistic missile attack on the Saudi capital's international airport.
The European Union has approved the 22nd package of sanctions against Russia
On October 12, the European Union (EU) approved the 22nd package of sanctions against Russia, including about 1.6 thousand individuals and legal entities associated with the defense industry in the restrictive lists. The head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, called the new restrictions the largest expansion of sanctions since 2022 and said that more than half of the restrictions affect the production chain of ballistic missiles.
The list includes Russian enterprises, including NefAZ, a manufacturer of buses and special equipment, the Gorky Automobile Plant, the Far Eastern Zvezda plant, as well as the companies ODK — Gas Turbines, ODK — Perm Motors and the Rybinsk Shipyard. State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev told Izvestia that the new package would not have a significant impact on the Russian economy.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
