Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Households in the assessed Hromadas face significant demographic and economic vulnerabilities and limited employment opportunities placing severe strain on economically active members exacerbating financial distress and reliance on social benefits or humanitarian aid Disability and chronic illness are widespread with 35% of households reporting a member with a disability and up to 65% reporting at least one member with a chronic illness Conflict-related injuries and limited access to healthcare in areas like Vysokopillia and Velyka Oleksandrivka further compound health vulnerabilities Households with multiple risk factors—such as elderly dependents and chronic illness—face the greatest financial and social exclusion The prevalence of precarious employment in Muzykivka and Velyka Oleksandrivka combined with the decline of stable industrial jobs in Novohrodivka and Hrodivka underscores the urgent need for expanded livelihood support programs and stronger social safety nets will be essential to reducing financial distress and preventing negative coping mechanisms in high-risk Hromadas such as Borova Households across the assessed Hromadas face severe economic instability and precarious income sources limiting financial resilience Nearly half of all households have no working members agricultural seasonality and informal work further restrict income stability The influx of IDPs has intensified job competition reducing access to stable employment opportunities Pensions are the primary income source for many households where elderly populations and limited employment options drive f inancial dependency and Muzykivka reporting the highest debt burdens Market access disparities further exacerbate economic challenges particularly in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv Oblasts where long travel distances and high transport costs limit access to affordable goods and Kurylivka further restrict economic participation while limited access to functional banking services in multiple Hromadas complicates cash-based assistance programs and social benefit distributions interventions should focus on expanding employment programs and livelihood support particularly in IDP-hosting and high-unemployment areas increasing cash assistance and targeted financial aid to reduce dependency on debt accumulation for basic needs and improving market accessibility and financial infrastructure ensuring functional banking services and cash transfer mechanisms in underserved Hromadas This update was shared on Facebook by Oleksandr Prokudin head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration about the launch of the energy independence project in Velyka Oleksandrivka The village is finalizing the installation and connection of solar panels which will supply electricity to all eleven wells,” Prokudin wrote This initiative ensures a stable water supply for 5,000 residents Prokudin expressed gratitude to UNICEF for its support in raising UAH 5.8 million for this critical project the reconstruction of a kindergarten in Velyka Oleksandrivka has been funded with more than UAH 38 million from state and local budgets the facility will accommodate up to 120 children Parents have enrolled the first 100 children This shows that local families want to stay in the region raise their children and live a normal life The reconstruction includes a fully re-roofed and insulated structure Interior finishing work and floor insulation have been completed Special attention has been given to the safety of children with a shelter being constructed next to the kindergarten to protect pupils during potential threats of Russian attacks this project exemplifies the gradual restoration of communities affected by the war a solar power plant has been installed in the Myrove community of the Kherson region with the support of UNICEF ten renewable energy facilities and a mini-hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 87 MW are operational in the de-occupied areas of the region With the assistance of international partners solar panels have been installed in the Velyka Oleksandrivka ensuring a continuous water supply by powering wells A total of 64 solar energy projects are planned across ten communities the need for solar panels at more than 300 facilities in 16 communities has been identified these projects are expected to generate over 10,000 kilowatts of electricity significantly advancing energy independence in the region While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration “The scale of destruction in the Kherson region is devastating and grows daily have been damaged or destroyed,” Prokudin stated Despite the ongoing daily attacks by the Russian army Prokudin emphasized that restoration efforts in the region have not ceased over 5,700 civilian objects have been rebuilt reconstruction work on a local school in Velyka Oleksandrivka began in January and is currently underway Residents describe how Russian forces used a carrot-and-stick approach with the local population they describe growing evidence of Russian atrocities Soon after the Russians occupied his village of Velyka Oleksandrivka in the Kherson region 71-year-old Mykhailo managed to withdraw his pension and sell some of the garlic he had grown This left him only 9,000 hryvnias (about 300 dollars at the then-exchange rate) to live on Mykhailo said he felt he had no choice but to accept humanitarian aid from the occupying forces “Russian soldiers came to each household several times to donate products,” he continued “They didn't force anyone: you could either take it or not As Ukrainian forces liberated the southern region after nine months of occupation residents have told how the Russian forces used a carrot-and-stick approach with the local population.  Alongside the provision of humanitarian aid to win their hearts and minds the occupiers routinely arrested and mistreated those who challenged them residents over 50 years of age were not harassed the Russian military checked the documents of all residents who remained in the village and treated people of [more advanced] age with courtesy: they never entered the houses without the permission of the host were automatically under suspicion of cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence Numerous cases of arbitrary arrests and torture were reported particularly among local government representatives journalists and former members of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) run by Ukraine’s security forces in the Donbas region between 2014 and 2018 was tortured after Russian soldiers asked him to show the contents of his smartphone When he said he only had a basic keypad mobile phone they said that he was lying and arrested him Ivan Samoilenko, head of the Stanislav hromada, or territorial community, was detained twice They tried to intimidate and negotiate [collaboration] The push to liberate Kherson started on August 29 when Ukraine’s armed forces launched a southern counteroffensive to expel Russian forces occupying the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions Military analysts considered this to be the third strategic phase of the war along with the eastern counteroffensive and the ongoing fight in Donbas Located about 20 kilometres south-west from Kherson Stanislav hromada comprises four villages on the Dnieper-Bug estuary which were occupied on February 25 the day after the full-scale invasion began During the counteroffensive on the southern front the frontline villages were under constant shelling Samoilenko said that the occupation authorities appointed a woman to act as what he described as a “gauleiter” - the Nazi-era term for regional governor - to administer the hromada and manage aid deliveries “Most residents did not accept neither her nor the aid,” he stated Incentivised opportunities to receive Russian passports were also unpopular “Russians paid locals to get Russian passports,” Mykola told IWPR noting that collaborators had access to goods “You would get 5,000 roubles (83 US dollars) if you’d agree and 10,000 roubles after getting the passport They also distributed pensions in Russian roubles in cash near the village council there were just a few options to survive." said he understood why some locals accepted Russian aid “Almost all agribusinesses in the area stopped operating most villagers lost their jobs and were left with no income The occupiers took all the agricultural machinery that belonged to local farmers,” the 43-year-old told IWPR there were just a few options to survive: either evacuate to Kryvyi Rih which was not occupied or accept handouts from the Russians.”   The Velyka Oleksandrivka hromada in Beryslav district - which includes 31 villages and towns - spent months on the frontline For months there has been no transport connection with other parts of Ukraine Most residents managed to evacuate early on and only about 1,000 people are left in the hromada out of nearly 16,000 pre-war residents which had a population of about 6,400 before February 24 residents said that the whole village council The evacuation itself was dangerous as it proved impossible to negotiate a green corridor with the occupiers The commander in Velyka Oleksandrivka had no authority to approve the corridor and there was no communication with the higher ranks civilian cars were shot at as they drove to Kryvyi Rih This was how Velyka Oleksandrivka hromada’s residents were informed about the so-called referendum to join the Russian Federation In late September Russian-installed officials staged these referenda in the occupied areas of Kherson Samoilenko said that in the Stanislav territorial community collaborators who he described as “so-called members of election commissions” went house by house with ballot boxes Residents reported widespread intimidation to vote Ukraine’s security service is investigating criminal proceedings opened by the prosecutor general's office about the process when district election commissions were formed under the leadership of Maryna Zakharova the so-called head of the Kherson region election commission,” a source with the security service told IWPR on condition of anonymity Precinct commissions existed mainly on paper Zakharova and her subdivisions listed fake names and then received the money in cash for them.” The source added that an estimated 20,000 people in the Kherson region took part in the vote out of a pre-occupation population of over one million adding that coercion combined with the provision of aid once again played a part Journalists need training and support to properly cover war crimes trials Activists warn that vulnerable domestic workers risk abuse often returning with serious health conditions sacrifice and luck secured a vital early win in the south-eastern campaign Some women face Adana's male-dominated traffic chaos for a living Recent murder highlights widespread discrimination and violence against LGBTI people Open source intelligence (OSINT) can provide facts – but impatient Tel +44 (0)20 7831 1030 Tel +1 202 393 5641 IWPR is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom (charity reg no: 2744185); in the United States as a not-for-profit organisation with tax-exempt status under IRS section 501(c)(3); and as a charitable foundation in The Netherlands The opinions expressed on iwpr.net are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting Site design by IWPR. Developed by AG Prime Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Russian soldiers are attempting to desert when met with the counteroffensive by Kyiv's troops In its daily update the General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Friday that Russia was focused on establishing full control of the Donetsk region Ukraine said that over the span of 24 hours, Russia had carried out 45 air and five missile strikes in which there were civilian casualties. But it stated that Kyiv's forces were "conducting a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv direction" in which they had advanced almost 30 miles in three days On Thursday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address that his forces had recaptured almost 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles) and "liberated dozens of settlements." Ukraine's armed forces said that according to intelligence, some Russian units had suffered "significant losses" and had tried "to evacuate wounded personnel and damaged military equipment to the areas of Vilkhuvatka and Borodoyarske settlements" in the Kharkiv region "Personnel of the occupying forces in civilian clothes resort to desertion and try to return to the territory of the Russian Federation," the assessment said more than 15 such cases were noted," it added Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment Ukrainian armed forces also said on Friday that Russian troops were switching to "terrorist" tactics in parts of the Kherson region where civilians in the settlement of Velyka Oleksandrivka were being used as "human shields." It also warned of a growing threat of a strike on Ukraine from Belarus British defense officials also noted the start of military exercises on Thursday in Belarus which are due to last until September 14 close to Brest near the Polish border However, Friday's assessment by the British Ministry of Defence [MOD] said it was "highly unlikely" the exercises indicated "preparations for direct Belarusian involvement in the Ukraine war." Meanwhile, some Russian officials have disputed how far Ukraine had advanced, including its claim it had recaptured the city of Balakliya. The BBC reported that verified social media posts show Ukrainian flags flying from administrative buildings in the city's center on Thursday local Moscow-appointed official Vitaly Ganchev told Russian state TV that the city remained under Russian control "Neither Balakleya nor Shevchenkovo have fallen under the control of Ukraine's formations," he said "We are carrying on with our work as usual." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article Print KYIV Ukraine — Russian forces used Iranian-made kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine’s capital and Odesa regions Thursday and slammed other areas with missiles as Moscow punished the country for a fourth day for a bomb attack on a landmark bridge connecting Russia with the annexed Crimean peninsula A strike carried out near Makrariv, a small city about 30 miles west of Kyiv, destroyed critical infrastructure. Throughout the capital region, residents whose lives had resumed some normality when the war moved east months ago again awoke to air-raid sirens The intensity of Russia’s attacks on civilian areas has increased in recent weeks as its military lost ground in multiple occupied regions of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin illegally claimed as Russian territory Putin’s supporters urged him to escalate the campaign further after the Crimea bridge attack It wasn’t clear whether the explosive-packed drones caused any casualties. Ukrainian officials said dozens of people died this week after the Russian military ramped up the scope of its attacks, including at least two killed Thursday in a missile strike that destroyed an apartment building in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said Thursday that Iranians in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine were training Russians how to use the Shahed-136 drone systems, which can conduct air-to-surface attacks, electronic warfare and targeting. Their deployment may indicate that the Russian military is running out of its own drones. The low-flying aerial devices help keep Ukraine’s cities on edge, but the British Defense Ministry has said the Iran-made drones were unlikely to be fulfilling their purpose of providing strike options deep into Ukrainian territory, with many reportedly destroyed before they hit their targets. World & Nation Moscow’s barrage of missile strikes on cities across Ukraine has elicited celebratory comments from Russian officials and pro-Kremlin pundits Ukraine’s air force command said Thursday that it had shot down six Iranian drones over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions during the night Russia resumed widespread attacks in Ukraine on Monday following the explosion that damaged the Kerch Bridge. The 12-mile-long bridge carries military supplies to Ukraine and is important as a symbol of Russia’s power. The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament Thursday said Russian forces struck more than 70 energy facilities in Ukraine this week and threatened an “even tougher” response to future attacks by “the Kyiv regime,” although Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility for the bridge bombing. “All the organizers and perpetrators of the terrorist attacks must be found; those who resist must be destroyed,” State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on Telegram. In numbers comparable to the size of Putin’s 300,000-strong mobilization Russian officials said Thursday that Ukrainian forces shelled Russia’s Belgorod region the shelling damaged a multistory residential building in the city of Belgorod while a projectile that landed on a school sports ground did not explode Putin said the massive barrage of missile strikes across Ukraine that started Monday was carried out in retaliation for what he called Kyiv’s “terrorist” actions targeting the Kerch Bridge Putin vowed a “tough” and “proportionate” response to Ukrainian attacks that he said threatened Russia’s security Kyiv was hit at least four times during Monday’s massive strikes, which killed at least 19 people and wounded more than 100 across the country. Russian forces have made early-morning attacks a daily occurrence in southern Ukraine as the Ukrainian military wages a counteroffensive aimed at recapturing occupied areas. The war in Ukraine and Russia’s willingness to cut off gas exports have left European countries scrambling to find alternative sources of energy In the southern city of Mykolaiv, overnight shelling destroyed a five-story apartment building as fighting continued along Ukraine’s southern front Vitaliy Kim said that an 11-year-old boy was rescued from under the rubble and rescuers Thursday morning were searching for seven more people Kim said the building was hit by an S-300 missile, a weapon ordinarily used for targeting military aircraft but Russian forces have apparently been increasingly using them for imprecise ground strikes Some NATO member states this week pledged to send more weapons to Ukraine, including air-defense systems and weapons Kyiv has said are critical to defeating the invading Russian forces. Britain said Thursday that it would provide missiles for advanced NASAM anti-aircraft systems that the Pentagon plans to send to Ukraine in coming weeks. It’s also sending hundreds of additional aerial drones for information-gathering and logistics support, plus 18 more howitzer artillery guns. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that “these weapons will help Ukraine defend its skies from attacks and strengthen their overall missile defense alongside the U.S will provide medium- to long-range defense against missile attacks The pledge came as NATO defense ministers led a meeting in Brussels of the Western military alliance’s secretive Nuclear Planning Group NATO plans to hold a nuclear exercise next week amid concerns over Putin’s insistence that he would use any means necessary to defend Russian territory including the illegally annexed regions of Ukraine NATO is keeping a wary eye on Russia’s movements, but has so far seen no change in its nuclear posture Russia is expected to hold its own nuclear exercises soon possibly at the same time as NATO or just after Putin met Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a regional summit in Astana United Nations officials had expressed hope a day earlier that the meeting would lead to an extension of agreements that led to the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports and Russian fertilizer exports “We are determined to transport Russia’s grain and fertilizer to underdeveloped countries through Turkey,” Erdogan said adding that Ankara and Moscow could jointly designate the countries the products would go to The war in Ukraine has created food shortages and price increases by slowing shipments of agricultural products. Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map highly relevant issue briefs and reports that break new ground with a focus on advancing debates by integrating foundational research and analysis with concrete policy solutions the Atlantic Council’s experts have you covered—delivering their sharpest rapid insight and forward-looking analysis direct to your inbox New Atlanticist is where top experts and policymakers at the Atlantic Council and beyond offer exclusive insight on the most pressing global challenges—and the United States’ role in addressing them alongside its allies and partners A weekly column by Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe Inflection Points focuses on the global challenges facing the United States and how to best address them UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders and activists from Ukraine and the global community MENASource offers the latest news from across the Middle East and independent analysis from fellows and staff Econographics provides an in-depth look at trends in the global economy utilizing state-of-the-art data visualization tools As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is keeping a close eye on Russia’s movements across the military With more than seven years of experience monitoring the situation in Ukraine—as well as Russia’s use of propaganda and disinformation to undermine the United States and the European Union—the DFRLab’s global team presents the latest installment of the Russian War Report.  Ukraine recaptures territory as Russia uses Iranian drone near Kyiv Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia announces call for military service Russian court fines TikTok for ‘LGBT propaganda,’ Twitch for ‘fakes’ Mass grave uncovered in Lyman as rocket attack hits Zaporizhzha Russian Telegram channels praise “pro-Russian” coup in Burkina Faso likely to prevent Ukrainian forces from capturing equipment as they advance.   In addition, Putin deferred mobilization for all students in Russia, including part-time and masters’ students. Putin’s motivations are not clear, but this could be the result of increasing domestic resistance to the mobilization. Putin criticized the defense ministry for difficulties with the mobilization’s roll-out.    Meanwhile, police in Russia’s major cities appear to be using surveillance software to search for men who have failed to report for military service. According to Astra Press at least ten men suspected of “evading mobilization” were captured by surveillance cameras in Moscow Four of them were detained by the police and sent to a military enlistment office.    Further, according to the United Nations the humanitarian situation in Izium and Kupiansk “is extremely concerning following months of intense hostilities that have left behind a path of destruction.” In Izium leaving as many as 9,000 people in the town completely dependent on humanitarian aid shelling and hostilities have forced more than 4,000 people to spend most of their time in bunkers and basements with extremely limited access to vital items —Ruslan Trad In South Ossetia, the de facto defense ministry denied reports circulating on Telegram that claimed servicemen of the 4th Russian military base stationed in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali were handing out draft mobilization notices.  On September 29, the South Ossetian defense ministry recommended that its staff both military servicemen and civilian personnel cross the Russian border using their South Ossetian passports “Most citizens of the Republic of South Ossetia are also citizens of the Russian Federation those registered on the territory of the Russian Federation are subject to the partial mobilization and draft notices will be handed to them,” the statement said —Sopo Gelava A Russian court on Tuesday fined TikTok for not removing “LGBT propaganda” that violated Russian laws.   Kremlin-owned media outlet RIA reported that a court in Moscow fined TikTok three million rubles (USD $50,000) “for refusing to remove LGBT propaganda.” Russia’s internet censor Roskomnadzor also accused TikTok of “promoting non-traditional values and a distorted representation of traditional sexual values.”  the livestreaming platform Twitch faces fines for publishing content about the war in Ukraine that Russia deems “fake.”  On October 18, the same court will examine two cases against Twitch, which is owned by Amazon. According to RIA, Twitch is accused of refusing to remove “fakes about the Russian army during a special operation in Ukraine.” The cases were initiated after Twitch hosted an interview with Oleksiy Arestovych a military reporter and adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.   The latest legal actions are a continuation of Russia’s assault on Western technology companies. In July, a Russian court fined Google 22 billion rubles (USD $360 million) for failing to remove unfavorable content about Russia’s war in Ukraine —Eto Buziashvili A new mass grave was uncovered in the city of Lyman after it was recently liberated by Ukrainian forces. According to Ukrainian reports as they may have been left on the streets for a long period of time before burial.   In Zaporizhzhia, several people were killed in a rocket attack launched by the Russian army on October 6. Rescue operations continued throughout the day as people were believed to be buried under the wreckage For the second time in eight months, Burkina Faso was the scene of a military coup d’état Captain Ibrahim Traoré overthrew Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba who himself ousted the country’s democratically elected president in January after urging the then-president to hire Wagner Group to fight Islamist insurgents.  Social media sites in Burkina Faso saw an uptick in pro-Russian messaging before both the most recent coup and the January coup.  Notably, many Telegram channels stated that “Niger and its uranium mines are next in line.” On September 19, a protest in the capital of Niger saw Nigerien citizens calling for France’s removal while carrying Russian flags —Tessa Knight Image: Footage shows the aftermath of the morning shelling in Zaporizhzhia according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Rescue workers are now combing through the shattered remains of one elegant five-storey apartment building Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said one woman was killed The Ukrainian-held city is the capital of the eponymous Zaporizhzhia region which Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week declared annexed along with three other Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east Ukraine and its Western allies condemned the move Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions and in recent weeks Ukrainian troops have made significant advances in the the country's north-east and south (State Emergency Service of Ukraine via EYEPRESS) Sign up to receive expert analysis from our community on the most important global issues © 2025 Atlantic CouncilAll rights reserved If refreshing the page doesn't resolve the issue you could try clearing the sites browser cache (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)Key developments on Oct 4Ukraine advances around 30 kilometers in Kherson OblastRussian troops withdraw from Kharkiv OblastRussian parliament approves annexation of 4 Ukrainian regionsRussia fires five missile strikes one airstrike across UkraineEditor's note: Shortly after this story was published President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine liberated dozens of settlements this week Ukraine continues to make substantial gains in Kherson Oblast Ukrainian soldiers have published videos from previously occupied settlements – Arkhangelske The Russian Defense Ministry officially confirmed a significant retreat in the northeastern part of Kherson Oblast over the past 24 hours The map also suggests that Russian forces were pushed out of the northeastern Kharkiv Oblast As Russian forces were retreating in several regions, Russia's parliament on Oct. 4 unanimously ratified the illegal annex of four Ukrainian regions it doesn't control Moscow is yet to formally draw its own borders signed a decree to formally rule out negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that talks with the current Russian leader are "impossible." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also said peace talks with Russia are impossible warning that Putin's proposal was – "we will rob your country "Putin is lonely and isolated like never before," Baerbock said in an interview with the German newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung published on Oct deputy head of the President's Office 4 that Ukraine had liberated 483 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast so far In neighboring Luhansk Oblast, authorities may soon ask remaining residents to evacuate as Ukraine is planning to enter the occupied region, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said The Russians are trying to strengthen their defense near Sievierodonetsk – in Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast – Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman of the Eastern Operational Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces, told Channel 24 Ukrainian forces appear to be pushing east of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, and "may have broken through the Luhansk Oblast (administrative) border in the direction of Kreminna," the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S. defense think-tank, said on Oct U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC News that Ukrainian forces are pushing into the Luhansk Oblast while also advancing in the south "And like you've heard President (Joe) Biden saying we're going to continue to make sure we can give them the weapons and capabilities so they can continue that sign of progress," Kirby said Biden announced a new $625 million security assistance package to Ukraine The security assistance package includes four HIMARS Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that 200,000 people had been drafted since Putin announced a so-called "partial mobilization" of 300,000 new conscripts on Sept over 700,000 people have fled Russia since Putin's announcement Ukrainian and Western intelligence assessments say Moscow is facing challenges in drafting more soldiers Putin has admitted that his mobilization isn't going well, the U.K. Defense Ministry's intelligence said on Oct as he is struggling to properly train drafted reservists arriving at military camps Russian forces launched five missile strikes and one airstrike across Ukraine on Oct Overnight, Russian missiles hit a residential area in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, damaging houses and a school and wounding two people, Mayor Oleksandr Honcharenko said In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said Russian shelling continued in Nikopol and surrounding areas along the Dnipro River Nikopol's power grids were damaged as a result of the attack cutting more than 7,000 families from electricity In Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Synehubov said an overnight missile strike hit an industrial site in the western part of Kharkiv Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023 She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine • The ETC has secured a new frequency license to enable the Very High Frequency (VHF) network expansion in Shostka the cluster assessed the site for VHF repeater installation in Shotska the cluster installed and integrated a NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) radio communications channel into the existing ETC VHF infrastructure at the Kramatorsk remote sites and reliable Security Communications System (SCS) for humanitarian responders • The cluster established the Ukraine transition phase and exit strategy task force committee to outline and discuss the process flow and timeline of strategies Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the Odesa and Ternopil regions was targeted in one of the largest attacks to date including the central areas of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad where Ukraine agreed to a United States of America (USA)-proposed 30-day ceasefire with Russia The United Nations (UN) humanitarian community led by Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale is preparing an operational readiness plan for a potential 30-day ceasefire prioritizing aid delivery to inaccessible areas with field inputs consolidated into a one-month action plan for humanitarian coordinator review and coordination with partners just before scheduled ceasefire discussions and Donetsk regions of Ukraine resulted the damages to civilian multi apartment houses Dnipro in the southeast and Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine were attacked by drones and missiles The Biden administration will send Ukraine a new $725 million package of weapons and other military assistance added to a flurry of aid announcements from European allies this week Officials said there are no major new weapons in the U.S aid is largely aimed at restocking thousands of rounds of ammunition for the weapons systems Ukraine has been successfully using in its counteroffensive against Russia as the war stretches into its eighth month The new package includes rounds for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems a critical weapon that has improved Ukraine’s ability to strike ammunition depots bridges and other key targets that erode Russia’s ability to resupply troops and has promised 18 more that would be delivered in the coming years “Russia’s latest assaults have only deepened the determination of the Ukrainian people and further united countries of goodwill from every region on Earth,” said U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a meeting of defense leaders this week “Our resolve and steadiness of purpose has only been strengthened.” A senior defense official told reporters at the Pentagon that Ukraine’s immediate needs continue to be additional air defenses Russia fired more than 80 missiles at Ukrainian targets during one recent 24-hour period and Ukrainian air defenses were able to intercept about half of them The British government said last week it would provide missiles for advanced NASAM anti-aircraft systems that the Pentagon plans to send to Ukraine. Britain also is sending hundreds of drones and 18 howitzer artillery guns. Germany has sent the first of four promised IRIS-T air defense systems, France pledged more artillery, anti-aircraft systems and missiles, the Netherlands said it would send missiles, and Canada is planning to send winter equipment, drone cameras and satellite communications. Russia has intensified its attacks, hitting the Kyiv region with kamikaze drones and firing missiles elsewhere at civilian targets, including a hospital, a kindergarten and other buildings in the town of Nikopol, across the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The strikes have been described as Russian payback for the bombing of a strategic bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea. Kremlin war hawks have urged Putin to escalate the bombing campaign even more to punish Ukraine for Saturday’s truck bomb attack on the landmark Kerch Bridge. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack. The surge in Russian attacks also represents an urgent effort by Moscow to regain its footing as Ukraine's fierce counteroffensive has taken back towns and territory that Russia had overrun in the earlier days of the war. Since the war began on Feb. 24, the U.S. has committed more than than $17.5 billion in weapons and other equipment. Logout Gateway to the world of smart farming This Premium article is exclusively available for subscribers Obtain insights from exclusive interviews Make the right purchasing decisions with our buyers guides Dive into articles covering innovative developments Already subscribed? Click here to login An updated service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs №6542 was opened in Velyka Oleksandrivka The old premises of the state institution at ul 14 B was destroyed by the troops of the Russian army during the occupation of the city But thanks to the cooperation of the service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the deputy head of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Volodymyr Baranets and the head of the Regional Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kherson region Alexander Khomenko visited the opening of the new stationary service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs “The opening of the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs №6542 in the Kherson region is an important marker of de-occupation Ukraine returns quality state service to Velykoalexandrivska hromada This is not just an event of local significance This is a really important indicator that everything is and will be Ukraine,” said the deputy head of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs a mobile service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to provide services here It is worth recalling that since March 10 of last year the urban-type settlement of Velyka Oleksandrivka and the village of Velykoalexandrovskaya hromada were occupied by Russian troops Bolshoi Oleksandrivka was liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Immediately after the de-occupation in agreement with the military administration — as soon as this became possible a mobile service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was sent to Velikaya Oleksandrivka We understood that it was important for people to recover documents lost due to war And in the beginning and in general it was important to charge the phone from the generator and get in touch thanks to Starlink services have already been provided here in the mobile service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs 176 registration operations with vehicles were carried out and 241 national driver's licenses were exchanged or renewed,” Volodymyr Baranets recalled in the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs №6542 you can now get the following services: — exchange or renewal of driver's license; — renewal of the vehicle registration certificate; — disposal of the vehicle (if it was damaged by the war and is not subject to restoration for the management of public roads); — all other types of registration actions with vehicles; — issuance of certificates and extracts from the Unified State Register of Vehicles And soon there will be an opportunity to pass a theoretical exam Main service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine We use cookies to provide you with better navigation on our website you automatically agree to the use of these technologies.