Penny Pritzker, US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, has arrived in Kiev. US President Joe Biden said that the US has the ability to simultaneously support Ukraine and Israel. Biden also said that Ukraine’s support is essential for democracy around the world. “We want to make sure that states support democracy, and Ukraine plays a key role in making this happen.”
According to reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, more than 250 thousand militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed during the Special Operation. On October 16, Sergei Lavrov began negotiations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing
Lavrov congratulated the Chinese side on the anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. The upcoming meeting between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping is an important part of future equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, noted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will discuss bilateral relations during the Russian leader’s next visit to China. Sergei Lavrov says: “Putin is expected in China today.”
In a long interview for China Central Television, Vladimir Putin reported: “Russia is grateful to the Chinese authorities for thinking about how to put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Ukraine’s non-aligned status is extremely important for the Russian Federation, the expansion of NATO to the detriment of Kiev creates threats, Moscow demands to be heard.”
And again the Russian President said: “After 2014, Russia did everything to resolve the Ukrainian conflict peacefully, but “this was not allowed”. The escalation of the Ukrainian conflict was caused, among other things, by Kiev’s involvement in NATO and the failure to implement Minsk-2. The Russian Federation has never opposed ending the Ukrainian conflict through peaceful means, but Kiev must announce its willingness to do so; Ukrainian losses during the counteroffensive are enormous: about 8 to 1. The Chinese peace plan for Ukraine is realistic and could form the basis for peace agreements. Ukraine’s non-bloc status is extremely important for the Russian Federation. The security of some countries cannot be built by undermining the security of others.”
Putin called Russian-Chinese relations a fundamental factor of stability in the world: “The Western “rules-based order” is an absurdity, because no one has ever seen or agreed on these rules. Trade turnover between Russia and China at the end of this year will almost certainly reach the level of 200 billion dollars. Russia and China believe that all people are equal and have the same rights and freedoms, so a multipolar world will be born. Current US policy is a rudiment of colonial thinking. The expansion of BRICS is based on the objective process of creating multipolarity in the world!
In his closing speech he reported: “Moscow and Beijing continue to develop cooperation in the energy sector, the volumes of Russian energy resources supplied to China are growing. At the Johannesburg summit, the economies of the BRICS countries overtook the G7. Chinese cars are becoming better quality, their demand in the Russian Federation is growing. The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, through joint work under the One Belt – One Road initiative, have already received around $24 billion in investments.”
The head of the press service of the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Volodymyr Fityo, during a telethon in Ukraine, said that all persons eligible for military service are invited to report to the registration and enlistment offices: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine have invited all those required to perform military service to report to the military registration and enlistment offices to update their data. All persons responsible for military service in Ukraine must report to the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCC) to update their data. To be ready to fulfill your constitutional duty, you must report to the land crew center and update your credentials (…) Not only men between 18 and 60 years old, but also women, must report to the military registration and enlistment offices forced into military service, for example doctors and pharmacists,” Fityo said.
And now a look at the front line updated at 1pm on October 16th.
Direction Svatovo-Kreminna. Near Kupyansk, units of the “West” troop group of the Russian Armed Forces continue their offensive. Russian troops, with the support of artillery and aviation, are gradually advancing in the direction of Sinkovka, where the defense is held by the forces of the 105th regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Due to the rather difficult situation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces transferred armored units of the 40th Rifle Battalion of the 41st Shadow to Dvurechnaya. From there, Ukrainian tanks fire on the positions of the Russian Armed Forces on the opposite bank of Oskol, as well as near Novomlynsk.
In addition, mechanized detachments of the 3rd battalion of the 54th shadow of the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrived in the vicinity of Dvurechnaya. According to some reports, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces intends to conduct a counterattack to regain the lost positions.
A similar transfer is noted in the southeast of Kupyansk. Up to 150 people from the so-called “Ukrainian Volunteer Army” arrived in Novoosinovo, Petropavlovka and Peschany. And for continuous supply of the group, pontoon crossings in Kupyansk and Kupyansk-Uzlove were restored.
The Russian army eliminated the Ukrainian Armed Forces from a number of positions near Liman. The Russians also advanced to the area of Orlyanka and Stepovaya Novoselovka.
We learn from other social sources that the situation is deteriorating towards Kreminna, in a pro-Russian post we read: “Military intelligence is working. RG “Lynx” eliminates another enemy stronghold in the Serebryansky forestry area, by the way, in those parts our reconnaissance has become a real nightmare for the enemy (Ukrainians ed.), carrying out daring raids behind the front line, organizing rapid raids on OPs, oporniks, patrols, impressionable individual crests five hundred from positions, just hearing that somewhere nearby the Lynx had killed another squad”.
Bachmut Directorate (Artemovsk). Heavy fighting continues south of Bachmut (Artemovsk). In Kleshcheevka and Andriivka there are imminent battles in the railway area. Ukrainian armed forces also attack Russian positions in Kurdyumovka, but without success.
Donetsk direction. North of Avdiivka, the Russian army advanced into the landfill area, located in the gray zone. In the southwest, the Russians successfully attacked near Severny. In the Maryinsky sector, Russian soldiers advance to Novomikhailovka and Sladkoe. Tanks of the 155th Guards Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet hit the Ukrainians in the direction of Vuhledar.
Zaporozhzhie Directorate. In the Orichiv sector, the Ukrainian armed forces once again attempt to break through the defenses of the Russian army in the Kopanei area. In Verbove the Russians counterattacked over the weekend, responding to the militants’ assault attempts. On the Vremevsky ledge, the Russians stopped another attempt by the enemy to advance towards Staromayorsky. On the morning of October 16 in the Verbove area, the Ukrainians again launched an attack with armored vehicles in the morning. He lost several pieces of equipment and suffered infantry casualties. By midday the Ukrainians had failed to advance. In Rabotino, the infantry of the Southern Military District continues counterattacks, destroying and capturing more and more militants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is now the third day that Russian units have conducted counterattacks on the Kopani-Rabotino line, taking the initiative.
According to some social sources, several units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces abandoned by the command were surrounded in the trenches, those that refused to surrender were destroyed and the others surrendered. On October 16, Russian counterattacks continued, reconnaissance and motor rifle captured a new portion of prisoners of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Kherson direction: Military groupings of Dnieper troops are destroying the positions and defensive structures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Kherson using Grad multiple launch rocket systems, and drones help regulate fire
At the end of the data collection we learn that the Russians bombed the Mirgorod air base. Several arrivals and secondary detonations were noted at the airport.
In recent weeks, a downward trend has been observed in Ukrainian attacks on Russian rear areas. Compared to the previous period, the number of attacks on the border areas of the Belgorod region has decreased. At the same time, there is a significant increase in the dynamics of shelling in the Kherson region, which may be due to the preparation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for crossing the Dnieper.
The Ukrainians increased the intensity of shelling in the Bryansk and Kursk regions. The Ukrainians attacks in the Bryansk region reached their peak on October 11, when four civilians were injured in separate attacks in the village of Suzemka.
Despite the overall decrease in the number of arrivals recorded in the Belgorod region, this week was remembered for the large number of deaths and injuries: five people were killed and two more were injured. In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired over 400 shells into populated areas of the Belgorod region.
The start of the assault on the Avdiivska fortified area diverted the attention of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the regular shelling of the populated areas of the DPR. Despite this, nearly 600 munitions, including cluster munitions, were dropped in the region. Two civilians were victims of the Ukrainian attacks and more than ten were injured of varying severity.
Graziella Giangiulio
