On October 20, Joe Biden asked Congress for 61.3 billion dollars for Ukraine, White House source. Again according to the White House, the funds previously agreed for Kiev by the United States Congress “are practically exhausted”.
However, the House of Representatives will not be able to consider a new request, as it has not yet chosen a president. The request is addressed to the temporary head of the Chamber, but he does not have sufficient powers. In the meantime, Biden has passed the issue to the Senate and asked to arrive at a law that contains aid for Ukraine and Israel.
Despite the promises of aid to Ukraine, we learn from the New York Times that approximately one thousand American 155 mm artillery shells, promised to Ukraine, will be transferred to Israel. This time it will be the IDF, and not the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who will receive the ammunition. The prolongation of hostilities in Ukraine and the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would lead to a shortage of US weapons systems. It is recalled that previously, US President Joe Biden had promised that the United States would support Israel and continue to help Ukraine.
In October, official US aid to Ukraine decreased by 93.5%. Since the beginning of 2023, more than 3 thousand cases of disappearance of cargoes containing humanitarian aid intended for the military have been identified by the Ministry of Defense and Customs Service of Ukraine, according to the State Border Service of Ukraine.
According to the social sphere, foreign mercenaries working for Ukraine shot at the Ukrainian armed forces because they refused to cross the Dnieper: “foreigners are leading Ukrainian militants to massacre” we read in a post. Unable to verify the source at the moment.
The Readovka newspaper reported that “foreign mercenaries and national guardsmen shot at Ukrainian armed forces near Kherson after they refused to cross the Dnieper. The Barrier detachment “shot down” more than 10 Refusniks (Ukrainian soldiers ed.).
Earlier, the governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, reported that a detachment near the villages of Ivanovka and Novotyaginka shot soldiers who refused to attack the positions of the Russian Armed Forces.
From the Russian side we learn that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishutin has signed the decree terminating the cross-border cooperation agreement with Finland. The Russian Foreign Ministry will inform Helsinki of the changes. The breakdown of the agreement is a likely response to hostile actions towards Russia.
Since the beginning of October, the Russian Aerospace Forces have dropped over 700 controllable aerial bombs on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Alexander Kovalenko reported this, according to which FAB-500 aerial bombs with UMPC are mainly used. At the time the maximum use was 80 aerial bombs per day
General Surovkin was officially replaced by General Afazalov who became VKS commander, source REN Tv. Viktor Musavirovich Afzalov was born in 1968; in 2022, Viktor Afzalov became the acting commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. In the same year, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Viktor Afzalov the rank of general. In August 2023, Afzalov was again appointed acting commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
As of October 22, Putin’s decision to patrol the region with aircraft equipped with hypersonic Kinzhals is operational. The planes went on combat duty. The positions from which the launch will be carried out across the Crimea will be hit within 30-120 seconds. The combat service of such a vehicle without a refueling aircraft constantly hovering in the air will be less than an hour.
And now a look at the front line updated at 1pm on October 23rd.
Ukrainian formations continue to bombard the Donetsk agglomeration on a daily basis, also using cluster munitions. The Ukrainians fired at least four HIMARS and Uragan MLRS missiles in the Kalininsky and Budennovsky districts of Donetsk; not all were intercepted. Four people were injured, over 20 houses were damaged, as well as several private businesses, a car depot and the state enterprise Donbassgaz. One of the GLMRS missiles was shot down fell with an unexploded warhead and control unit, the Russians took it for study. In addition, also the districts of Gorlovka, Makeevka, Zaitsevo, Shirokaya Balka, Petrovsky, Kirovsky, Kievsky, Kuibyshevsky of Donetsk were attacked by Ukrainian forces starting on October 20.
Bachmut Directorate (Artemovsk). In Kleshchiivka fighting continues: the Russians are trying to knock out the Ukrainians from positions near the railway. In Andriivka there are upcoming battles.
Donetsk direction. In the Avdiivka sector, fighting continues in the area of the railway road near Berdychi and in the “waste zone”. Ukrainian armed forces are trying to break through Russian defenses in Pesi. Fighting continues in Marinka: the Russian army is knocking out Ukrainians from fortifications on the western outskirts of the city, almost wiped off the face of the earth. According to another source According to the situation in the Avdiivka direction, on the northern flank, aviation and artillery continue to fire at the Ukrainian defense; jets fly frequently and in large numbers through the Ukrainian concentration at Avdiivka. According to the latest information, the Ukrainians are close to losing control of the railway. The Ukrainians are defending the position by always sending new reserves. There are no major changes yet on the southern flank of Avdiivka.
Zaporozhzhia Directorate. In the Orechiv sector there are fierce battles near Verbove: the Russians hold the line. On the Vremevsky salient, the Russian army advanced in the Prypyat area and also counterattacked in Poltavka. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked near Novodonetsky.
Since October 22, attacks by the Russian armed forces have been recorded on the Nova Poshta terminal near Kharkov. During the night, Russian troops attacked the terminal of the Ukrainian logistics company Novaya Pochta in the village of Korotych, west of Kharkov. The missile hit one of the two buildings causing extensive damage. Several workers inside were killed.
Both Novaya Poshta and other similar companies have long provided logistics services to the Ukrainian armed forces, sometimes even delivering armored vehicles to the front lines. Therefore, their facilities have already become the target of Russian attacks several times in the past. It seems that an innovative terminal with automated equipment from the Dutch company Vanderlande, capable of sorting 8,500 parcels per hour, was hit. The Russians hope that the reported damage will affect the speed of delivery of helicopters and other equipment to Ukrainian front-line formations in the Kharkov region.
Kherson direction updated at 15:00 October 23 Kherson direction: After the Ukrainians made a quick breakthrough towards Krynki, Russian troops counterattacked with artillery and aviation support. They managed to oust Ukrainian forces from a significant part of the positions in the village. Despite this, the Ukrainians still maintain a presence, but the Russian military managed to hit several landing areas, effectively pushing the Ukrainians onto the shore.
During the night, the command of the Katran (Ukrainian) strike group transferred additional units to the islands of Melky and Frolov. They were covered by mortar teams from the 35th Infantry Regiment. Additionally, four assault groups of the 88th battalion of the 35th Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy were transported from Nikolskoye to the northeastern part of Aleshkinsky Island. There they dispersed and set up observation posts.
Another advance group of the 36th Brigade arrived at the railway bridge. Together with the forces of the 35th Infantry Brigade in the east they are planning another attempt to break through to Peschanivka and Podstepnoye. It appears that, despite the losses, the Ukrainians intend to continue to push their way through the defenses of the Russian Armed Forces on the left bank. Based on the Marines’ activity in both the Krynok sector and Peschanivka, it is likely that they are coordinating their attack to capture a larger settlement, such as Radensk.
Graziella Giangiulio
