As the war enters its 957th day, these are the main events.
Here is the situation on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
Struggle
- At least two people were killed and more than 30 wounded in a series of Russian attacks on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials said. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said Russian forces dropped about four guided bombs on Ukraine's second-largest city.
- At least one person was killed and five wounded after Russia bombed the village of Antonivka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
- The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 18 of 19 Russian drones involved in a night attack in the southern Odessa region and the last drone returned to Russian territory. Odessa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said the drone attack on the city of Chornomorsk caused a fire in an apartment building, but there were no casualties.
- Russian forces entered the outskirts of the frontline city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine. Anastasiia Bobovnikova, spokesperson for the Luhansk Operational Tactical Group, told Ukraine's national broadcaster: “The situation is unstable, fighting is taking place literally at every entrance. [to the city].”
- Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of Zolota Nyva and Zoryane Pershe, two villages in eastern Ukraine, each with a population of a few hundred people.
- The Defense Ministry also said Russian air defense units destroyed 16 Ukrainian drones overnight, 14 of them over the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine. He gave no further details about damage or casualties.
- South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said North Korean soldiers appeared to be fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine and that it was “very likely” that six of the country's officers would be killed in a Ukrainian missile attack. near Donetsk on October 3.
Politics and diplomacy
- US President Joe Biden canceled a planned trip to Germany, throwing into doubt the weekend conference of Ukraine's key Western allies. The leaders were due to meet at Ramstein Air Base with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to detail their “victory plan.” Biden canceled the visit because of Hurricane Milton, which threatens Florida with record storm surge.
- The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Federation and its leader Igor Kirillov, alleging that they were involved in the use of chemical weapons on the Ukrainian battlefield and accusing Moscow of “cruel tactics.” and inhuman.”
- Ukraine's SBU security service said it arrested Dmytro Chystilin, a dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen extradited from Moldova, and charged him with “high treason” and “justification” of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Chystilin faces life in prison if convicted.
- Several Russian regions, including Belgorod and the oil-rich Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk, have announced significant increases in salaries and bonuses to encourage people to sign up to fight in Ukraine.
- The European Union established a system to impose sanctions against people accused of cyberattacks or acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia to undermine EU support for Ukraine.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Russia's closest ally in the EU, said Ukraine could not win the war against Russian forces on the battlefield and that a “new strategy” was needed.
- Russia's telecommunications watchdog announced it would ban messaging platform Discord, saying the site was “actively used by criminals” and in violation of Russian law as Moscow tightens its control over the Internet.
Arms
- In his late-night video address, Zelenskyy said he had held a meeting with Ukraine's top commanders on developing domestic weapons supplies. He said Ukraine needed to secure and deploy advanced missiles and achieve faster results with them on the battlefield.
- NATO chief Mark Rutte warned that this winter could be the most difficult for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022 and called on allies to increase weapons supplies. “NATO must and will do more to help Ukraine,” Rutte, who took over the alliance this month, told reporters.
