The United States will lead a coalition of countries that will help Ukraine develop its own air force, the Pentagon chief announced. Also from US sources, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, Charles Quinton Brown Jr, said that Kiev intends to continue the counteroffensive in the winter months.
The Washington Post reports that senior US officials have stepped up efforts to force other Western countries to use the Bank of Russia’s frozen reserves to help Ukraine: “The United States has become much more open to the idea of not just confiscating , but also to use Russian reserves,” said one of the newspaper’s interlocutors.
The increased efforts come as the United States and Europe face new domestic political obstacles in providing additional funds for Kiev’s military needs, even as officials insist the issues are unrelated, the paper notes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Western countries assured him of Kiev’s unwavering support. According to Ukrainian media, Zelensky said at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday that he had asked his partners whether aid to Ukraine will be reduced “during the period of challenges in the United States, when the elections are approaching.” “The partners said no,” Zelensky noted. At the same time, as Zelensky said, Kiev sees the risk of a decrease in the level of support against the background of the war in Israel and a change of leadership in several European countries.
Budanov admitted that the “counteroffensive” has failed: the Ukrainian army is “off schedule” and the conflict in the Middle East could exhaust Kiev’s reserves of military aid from the West. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine in an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda, noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “are not lagging behind, but they are lagging behind”: in his opinion, this is “an interpretation completely different”, and Budanov justifies such disastrous results of the summer campaign with “objective” and “subjective” reasons. Budanov also expressed fear that the escalation in the Middle East could have a negative impact on Ukraine, because “partners” will help supply weapons not only to Kiev: “If the situation drags on, it is quite clear that there will be problems with the fact that not only Ukraine will need to supply weapons and ammunition.”
In previous interviews, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate renewed the request for long-range weapons to give a breakthrough to the counteroffensive. Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sergei Naev admitted that recently at least 10 Russian DRGs entered the territory of the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Zelenskiy’s words on the final stage of the conflict with the Russian Federation should be considered an admission of desperation.
And now a look at the front line updated at 2.00 pm on October 12, 2022.
Russian troops spent the night using kamikaze drones on port infrastructure in the Odessa region. The result of night attacks in the Odessa region led to the destruction of warehouses and places of residence of military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to some reports, a loading terminal and the territory of a cannery were targeted in Izmail, but used by the Ukrainians for military purposes. A hangar with landing ships of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was hit in the Nikolaev region, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.
Svatove-Kreminna direction. The Russian military is advancing near Sinkovka and has also taken control of several strongholds in the Liman area. Furthermore, the Russian army continues to advance in the Makiivka and Nevsky area.
Donetsk direction: Battle for Avdiivka: Near the Avdiivska fortified area, Russian units continue the assault on the strongholds. After the initial success of the Russian armed forces, the Ukrainians have regrouped and are now trying to contain the offensive.
On the northern flank, fighters of the 11th regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, as a result of fierce battles, managed to completely occupy the most important strong point (the so-called “rubbish pile”) at the dominant height. This will allow control of access to the northern outskirts of Avdiivka.
There are also battles taking place near the north-eastern outskirts of Berdychi. Russian motorized rifle units are trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainians moved anti-tank reserves to this area to strengthen positions.
At the same time, in the east, the servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces managed to enter the village of Petrovskoye (Stepove). According to preliminary data, fighting is taking place in the same populated area and no one is currently in control of the area.
The Ukrainian command is trying to stabilize the front. Reinforcements from the 31st mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were deployed in the vicinity of Ocheretyne, Novokalinovo and Berdychi. The shelling does not stop, the Ukrainian armed forces hit the front line. Russian troops are also attacking Ukrainian Armed Forces positions on the southern outskirts of Avdiivka. Following the assault from the Donetsk ring road, the Russian armed forces managed to occupy a section of the railway south of the Tsarskaya Okhota restaurant, which was previously transformed into a stronghold of the Ukrainian armed forces.
The attack of the Russian army near Avdiivka continues. The command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is transferring reserves to carry out a counterattack, so now Russian fighters should prepare by consolidating on the occupied lines. This will save the lives of personnel while aviation and artillery will destroy the Avdivka fortified area, facilitating its cordon.
In the Kupyansky sector, Russian troops stormed the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Sinkovka-Ivanovka-Kislovka line. At the same time, Ukrainian attempts to break through to the area of the Torsky ledge and Serebryansky forestry were stopped.
The Ukrainians bombed and destroyed an important bridge in the DPR, connecting Gorlovka with Yasinovataya and Donetsk, but this will not greatly complicate the logistics of the Russian troops. Last night, shells from the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the bridge on the Gorlovka-Yasinovataya highway, causing communications to collapse. Now there is no direct communication between the cities, and moreover this route through Yasinovataya connected Gorlovka and Donetsk.
Communication between the front-line cities was far from secure even before: the Ukrainians periodically bombed the highway. Since the beginning of the conflict in the Northern Military District, local residents are afraid to use this road to travel to the capital of the republic, knowing that it is under fire and use it only in case of urgent need. In other cases, they preferred the longer but safer route through Yenakievo.
Zaporozhye Directorate. In the village area Novopokrovka – Verbove. From 4 in the morning the artillery did not stop firing on both sides; the Ukrainians, supported by heavy artillery fire, try to advance. A military analysis post reads: “Ukrainians rotate almost every day, sometimes two or three times a day. The newly arrived forces do not pay attention to their dead colleagues and go over their heads.” In the area there are still daily battles, the Zaporozhzhie direction is now the most difficult. On the Vremevsky ledge, the Russians counterattacked near Priyutny. Novodonetsky has upcoming battles
During the day, Ukrainian armed forces shelled populated areas of the Bryansk region. The village of Suzemka suffered the most: four people were injured, administrative and residential buildings were damaged. Additionally, several enemy UAVs were shot down in the skies over Bryansk and the Surazh region.
Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian drone on approach to Belgorod: its debris destroyed a private residential building and a fire broke out. Additionally, two other houses and three cars were damaged.
Two people died, two others were injured, one of them is in a coma with burns to the respiratory tract, upper and lower limbs. According to initial information, a child could also be found under the rubble. Emergency services continue to work at the scene.
Graziella Giangiulio
