Sweden, on the advice of the so-called air coalition, has decided to hold off on delivering Gripen multi-role fighters to Ukraine for now. The minister does not rule out such a possibility in the future and reported on Ukraine's interest in them, writes Militaryi."I think it would be difficult to introduce three types of combat aircraft at the same time. Now it is the F-16 and also the Mirage," said the Swedish Minister of Defense.
18:58 The British government on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two of Russia's largest oil companies—Lukoil and Rosneft—as well as 51 tankers from the so-called Russian shadow fleet. The 90 new sanctions, according to the government's statement,"hit the heart" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war financing.
The government in London says Lukoil and Rosneft together export 3.1 million barrels of oil a day. It says the sanctions demonstrate its determination to cut off Putin's sources of income, with the moves targeting Russian companies and global backers.
"At this critical moment for Ukraine, Europe is stepping up its efforts. Britain and allies are working together to put pressure on Putin—we are targeting his oil, gas and shadow fleet—and we will not rest until he abandons his failed war of conquest and takes peace seriously," said British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
According to Cooper, the security of Ukraine is important for the security and stability of all of Europe and Britain. Wednesday's step is another step towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and a safer Britain."The steps we are taking against Russian aggression together with our partners across Europe also strengthen us at home," the British foreign minister added.
Britain's finance minister, Rachel Reeves, said the sanctions also targeted seven specialist liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers and China's Beihai LNG terminal. Britain will also ban imports of petroleum products processed in third countries from Russian-origin crude.
The latest sanctions target companies supplying electronics essential for Russian drones and missiles used by Russia to attack neighboring Ukraine, in countries such as China, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey.
18:27 Almost all over Ukraine, energy companies had to resort to emergency power cuts due to previous Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported this evening.
"Given the difficult situation in the unified energy system of Ukraine, emergency shutdown schedules have been introduced in all regions, with the exception of Donetsk and part of Chernihiv Oblast. The reason for the introduction of restrictions is the consequences of previous Russian attacks on energy infrastructure," the ministry wrote on the social network, urging consumers to save electricity if they have it.
Reuters noted that in the Donetsk and Chernihiv regions, authorities had already introduced planned power cuts.
18:06 According to the North Atlantic Alliance, it is still premature to decide whether NATO could replace the Czech Republic in ensuring the supply of artillery ammunition to Ukraine within the framework of the so-called ammunition initiative. The alliance is waiting for the decision of the incoming Czech government, an unnamed NATO representative told ČTK.
"The ammunition initiative plays a very important role in providing support to Ukraine. At this stage, however, we have to wait for the decision of the incoming Czech government," said the alliance official, who wished to remain anonymous."As I understand it, no decision has been made yet. It will depend on whether NATO will act on this matter. It is a bit premature at this stage," the source added.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský recently stated that NATO does not have the appropriate apparatus to deal with the initiative. Representatives of the ANO movement, which won the recent parliamentary elections, say that the ammunition initiative should be sponsored by the North Atlantic Alliance and not by Prague.
16:48 The number of young Ukrainian men applying for a residence permit in Germany has increased tenfold since August, when Kiev lifted a ban on them traveling abroad, German authorities announced on Wednesday. TASR reports, according to a report by the DPA agency.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced in August this year that young Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 22 would be allowed to cross the country's borders without restrictions, despite martial law in force in connection with the war in Ukraine.
A spokesman for the German Interior Ministry said that the number of asylum applications among Ukrainian men in this age group had increased from around 100 per week before the regulation came into force to around 1,000 per week now.
14:46 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday appointed former Dnepropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhiy Lysak as head of the newly established military administration of the port city of Odessa. This came after the president stripped former Odessa mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov of his citizenship, which automatically leads to the loss of his post. TASR reports this according to a Reuters report.
The president appointed Lysak just a day after Trukhanov resigned from his post over his alleged possession of a Russian passport. Lysak will head the city's newly created military administration. Martial law gives the president greater powers over local authorities, but some opponents criticize it as undemocratic, Reuters writes.
Trukhanov was first elected to office in 2014. The politician has denied holding Russian citizenship and said he would take the matter to court. The election is currently suspended under martial law.
14:35 The Ukrainian military has hit a Russian naval oil terminal on the occupied Crimean peninsula in the port city of Feodosia. As reported by the website Ukrainska Pravda, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed this on Wednesday.
The attack, which took place on Monday night, damaged 16 fuel tanks. A large fire is still burning at the facility. The Feodosia terminal serves as a key logistics hub for supplying Russian forces with fuel and lubricants. The total volume of petroleum products that may have been stored in the tanks is approximately 193,000 cubic meters.
In addition, on Tuesday night, Ukrainian defense forces attacked the P-18 radar station in Krasnaya Polyana in Crimea, a drone command post in the town of Oleshky in the occupied part of the Kherson region, and an ammunition depot near the town of Makiivka in the occupied part of the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian UJ-26 drones attacked deep in occupied Crimea
14:14 Sweden, on the advice of the so-called air coalition - a group of countries that help Ukraine with combat aircraft - has decided to hold off on delivering Gripen multi-role fighters to Ukraine for now. This was announced by the head of the Swedish Ministry of Defense, Paul Jonson, at a briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels, reports the Militarnyi portal.
The minister does not rule out such a possibility in the future and reported on Ukraine's interest in it, writes Militaryi.
Paul Jonson justified the temporary delay in the delivery of the fighters by infrastructural and technical difficulties."I think it would be difficult to introduce three types of combat aircraft at the same time. Now it is the F-16 and also the Mirage," said the Swedish Minister of Defense.
He explained that"the air coalition advised us to forgo this step for now and instead focus on our DRLV (early warning and control) aircraft."
The issue of delivering Gripen aircraft to Ukraine has been raised repeatedly. Journalists also asked the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Ivan Havrylyuk, about the types of aircraft expected in his recent interview.
13:19 Since the beginning of the war, the Czech Republic has provided Ukraine with military aid worth 17.4 billion crowns (716.8 million euros). The amount includes unnecessary material from warehouses, purchases or training of soldiers. On the contrary, the Czech Republic has received 25 billion crowns back, for example from European Union funding or technology from the United States and Germany. Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) said this today after a government meeting.
According to the Prime Minister, from 2022 to the end of September, the Czech Republic has supplied Ukraine with over 3.7 million pieces of large-caliber ammunition through all financial mechanisms, including the ammunition initiative, bilateral cooperation, and with Ukraine's money."This year, we have already supplied 1.3 million pieces of large-caliber ammunition. We expect that by the end of the year we will be able to fulfill the promise of 1.8 million pieces of ammunition," said Fiala. The Czech ammunition initiative is criticized by representatives of the parties and movements of the nascent new government coalition ANO, SPD, and Motorists.
Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS) said today after a government meeting that foreign donors have so far donated 93.3 billion crowns (3.84 billion euros) to the ammunition initiative."As part of the ammunition initiative, the Czech Republic financed the purchase of ammunition from the Czech manufacturer STV Group," she said. The total value of the Czech contribution to the initiative was 1.7 billion crowns, she said.
1:00 PM When Russian drones struck a railway station in Shostka in northeastern Ukraine earlier this month, they killed a 71-year-old man, wounded at least eight people and left behind train cars twisted by fire and riddled with shrapnel holes.
12:33 Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak, during a visit to Washington on Wednesday, reported on a meeting with representatives of American arms manufacturers, including Raytheon, which produces Tomahawk missiles. Kiev is interested in them and the US has indicated that it will consider supplying them, TASR reports, citing an AFP report.
A Ukrainian delegation is holding talks with senior US officials during a two-day visit ahead of a planned meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US leader Donald Trump on Friday.
Yermak said he met with representatives of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, along with other members of the delegation, including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Raytheon makes Tomahawk missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, which would allow Kiev to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. Russia has warned that supplying the missiles to Ukraine would damage its relations with Washington.
"Our cooperation continues to grow," Yermak wrote on social media, highlighting the American F-16 fighter jets that European countries provided to Ukraine last year.
12:00 Moscow today rejected claims by US President Donald Trump that the Russian economy is on the brink of collapse and that the country is facing a fuel shortage. It said the situation was stable, Reuters reported.
Trump on Tuesday expressed disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was unwilling to end the war in Ukraine. Trump, however, did not know why Putin was continuing it when it was bad for him. According to the White House chief, people in Russia are standing in long lines for gas and the economy could collapse.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, on the other hand, stated today that the situation regarding the supply of fuel to the Russian market is stable.
"We have stable supplies on the domestic market, we don't see any problems in this regard," Novak said."The balance between production and consumption is maintained and the government, together with the relevant ministries, is doing everything to ensure that it remains that way," he added.
11:28 The discussion about the supply of American Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine has a significant historical precedent. In 2017 and 2018 these missiles were already confronted by Russian and Syrian air defense systems (ADF), including the modern S-400 and Pantsir complexes. Conclusion? According to independent analyses, as well as Ukrainian experts, Russian defense has failed miserably.
10:00 The Russian army has recently increased the intensity of attacks against energy facilities in Ukraine. Its residents therefore fear that the coming winter could be very difficult. Unfortunately, this scenario is almost certainly being considered in Kharkov, the second largest Ukrainian city.
9:03 British Defense Secretary John Healy announced on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels, that British fighter jets will fly over Poland until the end of this year. London has extended its commitment to the Eastern Sentry mission, which was a response to the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones.
"We are also increasing the production of drones for Ukraine," Healey added. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said his country plans to allocate 90 million euros to purchase drones for Ukraine.
Iron Defender: After Russian Drone Attack, Poland Demonstrates Military Strength
Brekelmans called on allies to increase contributions to the military aid package for Ukraine under the PURL (Priority Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism, through which the United States sells weapons to NATO partners, who then deliver them to Kiev.
The Dutch minister said that the North Atlantic Alliance must learn from recent cases of Russian drones entering the airspace of EU countries and find a more effective way to neutralize them than deploying F-35 fighters.
Amsterdam supports the Alliance's efforts to unify the currently divergent regulations and rules of engagement of allies for missions on the eastern flank, Brekelmans said."It is very important that we work on these regulations and unify them," he stressed.
NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the alliance's security priorities. The Ramstein-format Ukraine Defense Contact Group, jointly convened by Britain and Germany, is also scheduled for the day. According to Politico, EU ministers are also expected to meet with the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, to discuss the bloc's upcoming defense readiness plan. (Reuters, Tasr)
5:00 Influential Ukrainian parliament member Mariana Bezuhla criticizes the army command, claiming it is embellishing the situation on the front.
"The complete capture of Kupjansk is a matter of time. The point of no return has been crossed. The Russians are already in the city. But the General Staff and bloggers under control continue to tell tales about the 'Dobropil counterattack', which does not exist, except for individual stabilization actions after the lie in the reports about the breakthrough," she wrote on the social network.
"In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russia continues its offensive and is approaching the city of Pokrovsk, from which it is possible to advance further to Pavlohrad and Dnipro.
Why do you think Pokrovsk is not ready for defense??? U Syrsky thought that Russia would not cross the administrative border of the Dnepropetrovsk region?…
So, they are already completely inside the area. Where is the outrage that was at my posts about such a danger? Ukrainian forces are scattered in the Dobropil direction, and at that time Russia occupies Kupyansk, which is the gateway to the recapture of the Kharkiv region liberated in 2022; Kostiantynivka, which is the gateway to the Kramatorsk agglomeration; Pokrovsk— a key node for further advancement in three areas: Zaporizhzhia, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk. And they are already going to Pavlograd from an additional direction…
"Unfortunately, the Russians are playing with our generals, anticipating their behavior, and they are trying to act using symmetrical Russian methods, which for us with limited resources means slow... (fill in the word yourself)," Bezuhla said.
Bezuhla also calls for the establishment of a new line of Ukrainian defense in today's rear - the hinterland behind the front - that would stop Russian troops.
"It is necessary to finally determine where we are ready to really STOP RUSSIA, where to have the future front line. There we need to build a new stable line of defense. Where there is still a rear, but soon there will be a front. Build barriers, deploy sensors, establish communications, means of radio-electronic warfare, etc.; evacuate the population; finally model a real drone line for reconnaissance, attack and logistics. No more statements about the drone line and victorious reports from individual operations. Thousands of kilometers of the front. Turn it into a continuous"kill zone" IN TIME. Planning according to reality! But such a project of a line of defense, you would not believe, still does not exist. Our generals still cling to the idea of 'we will repel the attack'. Where? With what? By whom? With human lives??? This is continuous self-deception. Killing dozens of Ukrainians in an attack on one village and losing entire cities in other directions. Cities, people, minerals, arable land," said Bezuhla.
"PLAN, FINALLY BUILD A REAL LINE OF DEFENSE IN THE REAR! LISTEN!" she added urgently.
Bezuhla was a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction, but later left it, but said she would continue to support the president. She is a strong critic of the military high command, including the previous army chief Valery Zaluzhny, as well as the current Oleksandr Syrsky. Last year, Bezuhla was added to the Myrotvorets database for discrediting the Ukrainian government and armed forces, as well as"actions aimed at demoralizing the army."
5:00 Ukrainian authorities have ordered new evacuations of civilians around the city of Kupyansk. Reuters reported on Wednesday night, citing the deteriorating security situation in the area. Kupyansk, located in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine, is under heavy attack by the Russian army.
The evacuation order affects about four hundred households living in several dozen villages and settlements."The decision was made due to the deteriorating security situation on the front near Kupyansk," Oleh Synehubov, the head of the military administration in the Kharkiv region, was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media on Tuesday evening.
The Russian military sees Kupyansk as a strategic point and the city faces heavy Russian attacks because of this. The Russian army occupied the city at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the Ukrainians managed to recapture Kupyansk during the first year of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Ukrainian forces were defending key areas along the frontline, including Kupyansk. In recent days, he has also spoken of a Ukrainian counteroffensive near the town of Dobropil in the Donetsk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, said last week at a meeting of Russian military commanders that Moscow holds the full strategic initiative on the battlefield and that Russian troops have already captured almost 5,000 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine this year.
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