Victory Chronicles-DAY 1344

Russian forces have deployed about 11,000 troops in an attempt to encircle the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, according to the 7th Rapid Response Corps of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Oct. 27 that Russian forces outnumber Ukrainian defenders by a ratio of 8-1 there. In a statement, the military unit said Russian infiltration groups inside the city are trying to push northwest and north of the Donetsk regional town of Pokrovsk. Overall, the corps estimates that about 27,000 Russian personnel, 100 tanks, up to 260 armored vehicles, and 160 artillery and mortar systems are operating in its area of duty.

Ukrainian troops continue defensive operations, the corps said, reporting that over the past two days they eliminated 90 Russian soldiers and wounded 42 more. The defenders also destroyed one armored personnel carrier, three infantry fighting vehicles, three transport vehicles and a motorcycle, and downed or disabled 158 drones of various models.

US expects PURL initiative to raise another $2 billion for Ukraine weapons procurement. The United States expects the multinational PURL initiative, which coordinates purchases of American-made weapons for Ukraine, to generate an additional $2 billion by the end of this year, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

Whitaker said the “commitments are rolling forward” under the Pooled Ukraine Resource and Logistics (PURL) initiative, which allows allied countries to jointly fund and buy critical defense equipment for Ukraine. “We have probably another $2 billion or more to bring in through PURL in the next several months,” he said, adding that the goal is to reach between $12 billion and $15 billion in 2026.

He praised NATO members for increasing their contributions, calling the effort “another example of Europe stepping up” to support Ukraine and strengthen the continent’s collective defense.

Russian pounds Kherson children’s hospital, injuring kids and medical staff. Russian artillery struck a children’s hospital in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Oct. 29, injuring nine people, including four children and three medical staff workers, Ukrainian officials said.

The Kherson regional prosecutor’s office said the attack occurred around 9:20 a.m. while patients, parents and hospital staff were inside. A 9-year-old girl suffered shrapnel wounds and a blast injury to her leg, while one hospital employee is in critical condition after undergoing surgery. Two other medics are in stable condition.

The blast shattered windows, ripped doors off their frames and partially destroyed the hospital’s walls. Nearby buildings also sustained damaged by the shock wave. 

High-level Russian officer linked to Kyiv war crimes killed in car explosion, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence says. A Russian lieutenant colonel who is accused of committing war crimes near Kyiv in February-March 2022 has been killed in a carexplosion inside Russia, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said on Oct. 29.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) reported that 45-year-old Lt. Col. Veniamin Mazherin, who served in the Obereg special unit of Russia’s OMON riot police, died when his car exploded in the Kemerovo region on Oct. 25.

Mazherin’s unit was among those accused of atrocities against civilians in the Kyiv region during the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened criminal proceedings against members of the Obereg unit for war crimes and violations of international law.

Ukrainian intelligence said it had identified Mazherin and other perpetrators in 2022 and carried out “measures to ensure just punishment for those listed.” Separately, Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, said on Oct. 29 that it has opened more than 160,000 investigations into alleged Russian war crimes. 

Key Takeaways

1. Russian forces recently advanced in southeastern Myrnohrad (east of Pokrovsk), but these advances are unlikely to cause an immediate collapse of the Ukrainian pocket in the Pokrovsk direction.
2. Russian tactics in Pokrovsk have entrapped civilians within the city, intensifying the risk of indiscriminate civilian harm.
3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on October 28 that Ukraine and Sweden agreed to localize production of Swedish Gripen fighter jets in Ukraine.
4. The Kremlin is resurrecting Soviet-era narratives of Russia’s perpetual victimhood in the face of perceived external aggression in a dual attempt to justify Russia’s future aggression against both Europe and the Asia-Pacific and the longer-term mobilization of Russian society.
5. Russian officials also appear to be setting conditions to justify further militarization and full-scale mobilization of Russian society.
6. The Russian State Duma approved a bill on Oct. 28 allowing Russian authorities to recruit members of Russia’s “human mobilization reserve” to protect Russian critical facilities and infrastructure.
7. European authorities recently reported unidentified drones near airports in Spain and a military base in Estonia.
8. European officials continue to report on Russian hybrid operations in Europe over the past several years.
9. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area. Russian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area and the Pokrovsk direction and marginally advanced in the Dobropillya tactical area.

• Ukrainian drones strike Pantsir-S2 air-defense system, two oil depots and two Russian radars in occupied Crimea
• Belgium vows to “wipe Moscow off the map” in case of an attack on NATO
• Former military instructor from UK detained in Ukraine on suspicion of working for Russia’s FSB
• US vows to ensure compliance with sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil
• Russian military train blown up in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian intelligence reports
• NBC News: US intelligence sees no signs Russia is ready for peace as Putin remains determined to win on battlefield
• Ukrainian press officer shoots down Russian FPV drone targeting foreign film crew