According to a British intelligence report, Iranian drones are not making up for the weaknesses of the Russian air force. Belarus sends Putin first tanks. You can find all the latest news about the war in Ukraine in the ticker.
Thursday, October 13, 6:48 a.m.: The Russian army attacked a community in the Kyiv region with kamikaze drones. This was announced by the region’s governor, Oleksiy Kuleba, on Thursday morning. Rescue workers are on site. There is no information about casualties or damage, reports the Kyiv Independent.
7:53 p.m .: The Ukrainian general staff registered further Russian rocket and air attacks on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure on Wednesday. In the evening situation report from Kyiv, there was talk of three rocket attacks and four cases of shelling by aircraft. Multiple rocket launchers were used ten times. Of the ten targets hit, most were in the front-line areas of Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv to the south.
In addition, the Russian army continues to use Iranian-made combat drones, ten of which have been shot down. The Ukrainian military data were not independently verifiable. The civil administration reported from the central Ukrainian region of Vinnytsia that two such drones had been intercepted.
The Russian air strikes were less intense than on Monday, when more than 80 rockets and cruise missiles were fired. Although the Ukrainian air defense was able to intercept about half of them, according to their own statements, many power supply facilities and civilian objects were hit across the country. Bullets also fell in the middle of the capital Kyiv.
According to Kiev sources, Russian troops on the Donbass front in eastern Ukraine continued their attacks on the town of Bakhmut on Wednesday. But they were repelled, it said.
1:08 p.m .: Belarus has probably sent the first batch of T-72 tanks to Ukraine for Putin’s troops. This is reported by “Kyiv Independent” and refers to information from the Ukrainian General Staff.
In addition, the defense industry in Belarus is said to be already busy repairing some Russian war machines and equipment that were damaged in the Ukraine war.
10.37 a.m .: According to British information, Russia also used Iranian combat drones in its massive rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities. The Shahed unmanned missiles are slow and fly very low, making them easy for air defense to hit, the Ministry of Defense said in London on Wednesday. However, there is a “realistic possibility” that Russia has had some success with the use of several drones at the same time, it said, citing intelligence findings.
Russian troops have been using the Iranian drones, including Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, since at least August, the ministry said. “Despite a reported range of 2500 kilometers, the Shahed-136 has only a small explosive payload.” Therefore, it is unlikely that the drone will achieve the desired effect.
With Russian warplanes having limited effect because of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defenses, the Russians continue to lack an aerial attack weapon that offers a reliable, sustained, and accurate strike capability. This is one of the “most significant gaps” in the Russian war against Ukraine, it said in London.
The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the end of February, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
10:12 a.m .: After recruiting prisoners for Russian mercenary troops, the regular Russian army is now also recruiting soldiers for the Ukraine war in prison, according to civil rights activists and the media. “Since the end of September, the Ministry of Defense has started recruiting convicts,” said the Internet portal “Vashnye Istorii” on Tuesday. The Kremlin-critical medium reported on visits by the military to penal colonies in the Ryazan region near Moscow and in Stavropol in the North Caucasus. The civil rights activists from Gulagu.net had previously reported on poaching attempts in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
The “Wagner” mercenary group, financed by Putin confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been recruiting prisoners for use in Ukraine since the summer. A video shared on social networks presumably shows Prigozhin himself appearing in front of prisoners and promising them release if they commit to serving as mercenaries in Ukraine for six months.
According to Vashnye Istorii, the generals of the regular army also promise the prisoners that they will be released after the operation. These are to be used in a special unit called “Storm”. The Ministry of Defense is therefore specifically recruiting prisoners who have previously served in the security organs and may have combat experience.
Wednesday, October 12, 7:03 a.m .: According to Ukraine, Russian troops fired a total of 28 rockets at the country during attacks on Tuesday. “Since this morning, 28 enemy missiles have been launched, 20 of which were intercepted,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Tuesday evening. He also spoke of 15 drones, “mainly Iranian attack drones”. Almost all of them were shot down, said Zelenskyj.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian General Staff reported airstrikes, Russian cruise missiles and multiple rocket launchers. There have been attacks on more than two dozen towns and villages across the country.
The government in Kyiv had previously reported seven dead after an attack on the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia on Tuesday evening. Seven other people were injured in the attacks on the cities of Orikhiv and Stepnohirsk, said the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia fired a total of 83 rockets in a series of massive rocket attacks on Monday, 41 of which were reportedly intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses. For the first time in months, rockets also fell in Kyiv and in Lviv in western Ukraine. At least 19 people died in the attacks and 105 were injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of retaliatory attacks after an explosion on the Crimean bridge on Saturday.
11.47 a.m .: Yesterday, Monday, Belarus announced that it would set up a joint force with Russia. In Ukraine, this has fueled concerns that ruler Lukashenko could enter the war against Ukraine. According to the experts from the Institute for the Study of War, however, this will not be the case – at least not directly.
Instead, the army stationed in Belarus is supposed to ensure that Ukrainian troops are tied up in Kyiv and cannot be used in other theaters of war.
The “ISW” experts suspect that mainly inexperienced Russian recruits are transferred to Belarus. These could then be trained there and actively intervene in the war at a later point in time. The experts are certain that Lukashenko cannot afford to officially enter the war because of the consequences for his country.
11:30 a.m .: Russia again fired rockets and combat drones at several regions of the country during its war of aggression against Ukraine on Tuesday. The authorities in Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine reported attacks with Russian rockets. In the vicinity of the capital Kyiv and in the Khmelnytskyi region there were explosions and air defense was deployed, officials said. The authorities called on people to seek shelter in basements and bunkers. The areas of Dnipropetrovsk, Vynytsia, Mykolaiv and Rivne were also shelled.
In the Vynytsia region southwest of Kyiv, a thermal power station was attacked with combat drones. Plants were destroyed in the process. Fortunately, there were no casualties, the power plant’s press office said.
There was also an air alert in Kyiv. The people sought protection there, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported. Russian military bloggers close to the Kremlin confirmed the massive rocket fire in Ukraine. Ukrainian media reported that 20 rockets landed on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Ukrainian authorities counted more than 80 Russian attacks. Many were averted by the air defenses. According to preliminary information, 19 people died in the shelling across the country and more than 100 were injured.
You can read more reports on the Ukraine conflict on the following pages.
