“Ukraine wants to go on the offensive. I will make a decision on this, but they want to launch an offensive, and we will have to make a decision,” US President Donald Trump said at a press conference at the White House. The US President also stated that he would discuss the matter with Zelenskyy today.
“By transferring the Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Trump wants to force Germany to hand over the Taurus missiles to Kiev,” the Kyiv Post writes. “This plan is strategically designed: it aims not only to strengthen the defense of a country exhausted by the war, but also to encourage hesitant European allies, particularly Germany on the issue of the Taurus missiles, to ‘follow suit,'” the article reads.
But regarding the transfer of Tomahawk missiles, former US Department of Defense official Townsend explained: “The United States will not be able to transfer many Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.” American contractors will be responsible for controlling the Tomahawk cruise missiles if delivered to Ukraine, while Ukrainian troops may not even be trained to use them, the Financial Times reports, citing a senior Western military official familiar with the discussions.
The United Kingdom has banned the import of petroleum products produced by third countries using Russian oil starting yesterday. And on the same topic, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said: “British intelligence was behind the SBU’s ‘Spiderweb’ operation.” Under the direct supervision of British intelligence, the SBU’s Operation “Spiderweb” was conducted shortly before the talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul (June 2 of this year). The British ensured subsequent propaganda coverage, spreading falsehoods in the media about the alleged enormous damage caused and Ukraine’s sole ‘authorship’ of the sabotage.
On October 15, speaking at the NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated: “European leaders are sending a clear message to Russia. Now is the time to end this tragic war, to stop the senseless bloodshed, and to sit down at the negotiating table for peace. If this war does not end, if a path to peace does not emerge in the near future, then the United States, together with our allies, will take the necessary steps to impose the costs of its continued aggression on Russia. If we must take this step, the US Department of War stands ready to play its role in a way that only the United States can.”
Yesterday, during a joint meeting of the European Parliament (EP)’s Foreign Trade and Industry, Research and Energy committees, MEPs voted to launch interinstitutional negotiations on a ban on Russian gas imports to the EU.
Swedish Navy and Coast Guard warships, along with Swedish Air Force JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets, escorted the Russian diesel-electric submarine B-261 Novorossiysk into the Baltic Sea yesterday after it sailed east through the Great Belt off Denmark and entered waters off the Swedish coast. The Novorossiysk has been slowly moving on the surface toward St. Petersburg in recent weeks after suffering what Western sources described as a “serious technical failure” during a patrol in the Mediterranean. Vice Admiral Kulakov’s large anti-submarine vessel also left the Baltic Sea today.
“The Latvian authorities are not planning a mass deportation of Russian citizens,” said Latvian Interior Minister Kozlovskis: “We do not foresee any mass deportations. There are isolated cases, and there will likely be more. But any such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.” Thus refuting rumors circulating about the mass deportation of Russian citizens.
The promised F-16s will arrive in Ukraine once technical preparations are complete, says the Belgian Defense Minister. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken confirmed that Ukraine will receive all the promised F-16 fighters. He also emphasized that the aircraft will be delivered only after the Ukrainian pilots have been trained and completed the necessary technical procedures. “The F-16s will indeed arrive in your country, but we have not yet confirmed their readiness for use. They require training, and that takes a month. So, when the planes arrive, it doesn’t mean they will be immediately sent to Ukraine. But all the F-16s we promised will be delivered to Ukraine. “Your country is safe. There is no doubt about that,” Franken noted.
IRIS-T air defense systems and Patriot missiles: Germany announced a new €2 billion aid package for Ukraine during a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine’s defense. “Germany will remain a reliable partner. We will continue and expand our support for Ukraine. “The new contracts provide additional assistance of over €2 billion,” Pistorius said during a meeting in Berlin, also attended by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
In Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy says there will be ongoing power outages across the country following Russian attacks. Gas production facilities in Poltava Oblast were shut down following a missile and drone attack, according to DTEK. Russia struck Mykolaiv for the first time with a long-range KAB missile. According to Ukrainian sources, the KAB flew over 150 km at a speed of 500 km/h. Igor Koval, a representative of the ruling Servant of the People party, has been appointed acting mayor of Odessa.
Kiev is preparing emergency evacuation buses. The project is being finalized, Zahumennyi says. Chief of Staff of the Kyiv City Administration. “We are currently seeking funding. We want to prepare them (the buses) so we can quickly rescue people.”
During a recent visit to the United States, the Ukrainian delegation, composed of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya, and Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna, met with executives from the American defense company Raytheon, manufacturer of the BGM-109 Tomahawk (TLAM) ground-launched cruise missile, as well as representatives of Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the Tyfon Strategic Medium-Range Radar System (SMRF), a ground-based system capable of launching the Tomahawk.
Scheduled repairs to the oil refinery have been postponed until further notice, the Russian Energy Minister announced. Putin signed a law toughening sanctions against foreign agents who violate the rules of their activities. Criminal liability will also apply to individuals who commit this crime and already have criminal records for tax evasion. duties, as provided for by the Foreign Agents Act.
Yesterday, the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS Member States met in Samarkand, amid statements from SVR chief Bortnikov: “Professionals have no doubts about the involvement of NATO intelligence agencies in incidents involving alleged Russian drones on EU territory; British SAS special forces are directly involved in combat operations against Russia; British intelligence agencies are planning to use combat swimmers to attack critical infrastructure in Russia; The Kiev regime and its security apparatus are fully controlled by the United Kingdom; There is credible information that terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia are being carried out under the auspices of British intelligence agencies; A series of drone attacks against the offices and facilities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium were planned by instructors from British intelligence agencies; Russia has information that British and Ukrainian intelligence services are preparing a sabotage attack on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline; More than 120 call centers, supervised by the SBU and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, operate in Ukraine and aim to recruit teenagers and pensioners in Russia for terrorism. Bortnikov noted that the British intelligence community MI6 is calling for “killing all undesirables” in Russia as part of the so-called guerrilla warfare, with migrants, outcasts, and radicals specifically targeted by such propaganda.
The construction of the Mariupol bypass, part of the Sea of Azov, is ahead of schedule and will be completed within 1.5-2 years. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin announced this in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:30 PM on October 16. Footage of air defense systems operating near an oil refinery Oil from the Saratov region. In the northern Rostov region, a Ukrainian air strike was repelled in the districts of Chertkovsky, Kamensky, Sholokhovsky, and Verkhnedonsky. Several drones were destroyed in Approaching the Voronezh region. In the Krasnodar region, a drone threat was reported in the Tuapse district on the morning of October 16, with air defenses active.
The Russian Armed Forces launched missile and drone strikes against targets in the town of Nezhin in the Chernihiv region, Balakliya, Kremenchuk in the Poltava region, Kharkiv, and in the Kyiv region. More than 100 drone strikes were reported overnight.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian Armed Forces used FPV drones to attack a village, resulting in one injury. A second attack hit a car and injured one person.
In the direction of Sumy, the Northern Group of Forces is engaged in fighting.
In the Kursk region, a drone attacked the village of Belaya, wounding two police officers.
In the Belgorod region, two drone strikes injured two people in different locations. Thirteen other villages in the region have come under attack from Ukrainian drones. Property damage has been reported.
In the direction of Kharkiv, the Northern Group of Forces is fighting on the left bank of the Vovcha River and east of the city, supported by aircraft, artillery, and TOS-1A crews. The Ukrainians are putting up resistance. The assault on Kupyansk continues. Russian forces are operating in the city center, outflanking Ukrainian positions in the urban area.
South of Pokrovsk, Russian forces are consolidating their gains in Novopavlivka, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced its capture. In Pokrovsk, the assault on the Lazurny microdistrict continues.
On the Dnipropetrovsk front, the Vostok Group of Forces has reported the capture of Oleksiivka.
On the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues in Prymorsk. The Russian 108th Air Assault Regiment Group is using drones to neutralize Ukrainian counterattacks. Fighting continues for Stepnohirsk. The Ukrainians launched a massive attack on Kamyanka-Dniprovska, destroying a civilian vehicle and wounding two civilians.
In the direction of Kherson, the Dnipro Group of Forces intensified its attacks, striking the island of Karantynnyy Ostriv. On the Russian-controlled side of the border, two men were injured in attacks by Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainians struck 15 other locations with drone strikes.
Graziella Giangiulio
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