Victory Chronicles-DAY 1318

At least 60 Russian conscripts were eliminated during a Ukrainian military operation in Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024, with another 60 still missing , according to an investigation by independent Russian outlet iStories. 

The outlet analyzed media reports, inheritance records and social media posts from families to confirm the losses. Most of the conscripts were around 20 years old and came from 34 regions across Russia., iStories reported. 

Nearly half of the deaths occurred within the first week of Ukraine’s surprising offensive, which began on Aug. 6. Losses continued into September, when at least 20 more conscripts were eliminated.

The findings undercut Kremlin ruler President Vladimir Putin’s repeated claims that conscripts would not be sent into combat in Ukraine. On the first day of the operation alone, five conscripts from an artillery unit were eliminated in the village of Novoivanivka, while four more from the same platoon remain missing.

BBC’s Russian service previously documented at least 159 conscript deaths before the Kursk offensive. Taken together, the number of conscripts eliminated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 could exceed 200.

Ukraine says Russia lost nearly 30,000 troops, 10 aircraft in September. Ukraine’s military reported on Oct. 3 that Russian forces lost more than 28,000 soldiers and significant hardware, describing the toll as the equivalent of  of nearly three motorized rifle divisions.The figures, released by Ukraine’s General Staff, also claimed the elimination or damage of more than 1,000 Russian artillery systems – about 60 battalions’ worth.

According to the report, Ukrainian forces downed five Russian aircraft and five helicopters over the past month. They also destroyed 11 air defense systems, 68 tanks, 29 multiple rocket launchers and nearly 2,900 vehicles.

The figures couldn’t be verified independently. Both Ukraine and Russia routinely release reports of heavy enemy losses while keeping their own casualty numbers classified. 

Russian double-tap strike puts rescue crews in Poltava  danger. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Oct. 3 that its crews came under a repeat Russian strike while responding to overnight aerial attacks in Poltava Oblast, a central region of the country. A fire truck was damaged, but no first responders were hurt.

The combined missile and drone strike hitenergy facilities, industrial sites and single-family homes. Local officials said windows were shattered, roofs torn open and power lines knocked down across several communities. More than 140 rescue workers and 40 units of equipment were dispatched to extinguish fires and clear the debris.

Russian drone strike kills 13,000 pigs at Ukrainian farm. A Russian drone attack on Oct. 3 ignited a massive fire at an agricultural complex in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, killing about 13,000 pigs, local emergency officials said. The strike hit facilities in the Novovodolazka community, where eight livestock buildings covering more than 13,000 square meters (140,000 square feet) were destroyed.

One farm worker was injured. Thirty-two firefighters and nine emergency vehicles, including bomb disposal teams, were deployed to contain the blaze. Photos from the scene showed charred structures and smoke billowing above the site.

Key Takeaways

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin continued to threaten Europe as part of a multi-pronged informational effort to deter the West from responding to hostile Russian actions.
• Putin attempted to discourage the United States from selling Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine by downplaying their effectiveness and indirectly threatening the United States.
• Putin is attempting to exaggerate Russian advances in Ukraine to support the Kremlin’s false narrative that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.
• The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that U.S. President Donald Trump approved intelligence sharing with Ukraine for long-range strikes against legitimate military targets within Russia.
• To mitigate domestic panic over Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign against Russian oil refineries, Russian officials attempted to downplay the reported U.S. decision to increase intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
• Russian military intelligence is likely conducting hybrid operations in Poland, Germany, and Lithuania to sow fear and discord within NATO states, following indications of a possible future Russian false-flag operation within Poland.
• Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner of war (POW) exchange in accordance with agreements reached during the June 2 bilateral negotiations in Istanbul.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Lyman and in the Dobropillya tactical area. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman, Siversk, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka, and in northern Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Zaporizhia Oblast, and western Zaporizhia Oblast.

• Germany investigates links between drone flights and Russian shadow fleet ship
• Reuters: US Tomahawk missile shipments to Ukraine unlikely
• Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry says Russia deliberately cuts power to Zaporizhzhia plant to connect it to its own grid
• Putin responds to Trump’s ‘paper tiger’ remark by claiming Russia is fighting all of NATO
• Russia wants Denmark to stop supporting Ukraine – Danish defense intelligence
• The Telegraph: Fears US shutdown will delay weapons shipments to Ukraine
• Drones strike chemical plant in Russia’s Perm region