Day 950: Ukraine shoots down 67 of 73 drones, one of three missiles launched by Russia overnight

Ukraine shoots down 67 of 73 drones, one of three missiles launched by Russia overnight. Russian forces advance in Toretsk, capture a village near Pokrovsk. Ukrainian troops advance in Russia’s Kursk region, according to ISW. Putin signs a decree to call up 133,000 military conscripts in the autumn draft.

Ukraine shoots down 67 of 73 drones, one of three missiles launched by Russia overnight

The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 67 out of 73 drones and one of three missiles launched by Russia during the overnight attack on Monday. One more drone flew into Belarus with three more likely downed by electronic warfare systems, it added. Russia launched a total of 73 Shahed drones from Kursk, Yeysk, and Oryol. It also sent into Ukraine an Iskander-M ballistic missile from Crimea, a Kh-59/69 air-launched missile from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, and a Kh-31P anti-radar missile from aircraft flying over the Black Sea. A Kh-59/69 missile was intercepted.   

The Air Force and other branches of the Ukrainian military deployed aircraft, surface-to-air missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile groups to repel the attack.

The intercepts took place over the regions of Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv, Mykolayiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, and Zhytomyr.

The air defenses destroyed all drones directed at the capital, the head of the Kyiv city military administration, Serhiy Popko said on Telegram. According to preliminary information, no casualties or damage have been reported, he added.

“The loitering munitions targeted Kyiv in waves from different directions. The air alert in the capital lasted for more than five hours. Air defenses neutralized all the Russian drones that threatened Kyiv,” Popko said. 

Debris fell in six districts of Kyiv region, setting fire to a private home and damaging a cemetery.

Russian forces advance in Toretsk, capture village near Pokrovsk. Ukrainian troops advance in Russia’s Kursk region, according to ISW 

Russian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk and Pokrovsk directions, and likely seized the village of Krutyi Yar southeast of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian troops advanced in Glushkovsky district in Russia’s Kursk region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces recently advanced in Glushkovsky Raion west of the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast amid continued Ukrainian offensive operations in the area on September 29. Geolocated footage published on September 29 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced west and northwest of Veseloye (south of Glushkovo) and likely seized the northwestern part of the settlement.

Ukrainian troops broke through the border and began to advance in the area in early September. In a bold move on September 12, Ukrainian engineers supported by drones and tanks breached Russian defenses along the Russia-Ukraine border, 20 miles west of Ukraine’s 400-square-mile salient in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Forbes said. The Ukrainian Khorne drone group, which supported the breaching operation, posted a video depicting a Ukrainian armored column rolling through the breach and then speeding along the roads leading to the town of Veseloye, three miles from the border.

Putin signs decree to call up 133,000 military conscripts in autumn draft

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a call-up order for 133,000 conscripts in the autumn military draft. Military conscripts “who are not in reserve are subject to army draft from October 1 to December 31, 2024,” according to the decree. 

The decree also orders the discharge of Russian soldiers who have served their “established term of conscripted military service.” 

The term of military service under conscription will amount to 12 months, as before. The conscripts will be sent to their assigned duty starting from October 15, 2024, deputy head of the Organizational and Mobilization Department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsymlyansky said. 

Tsymlyansky said that conscription for military service would be carried out from 1 October to 31 December 2024. 

In some areas in Russia’s far north, conscripts will be drafted between November 1 and December 31, Tsymlyansky said, referring to the area’s climate.

About one third of the conscripts will be assigned to training units and military bases. “After completing their training, they will be sent to army units according to their skills,” Tsymlyansky added.

Russian crimes against cultural heritage and legislation. Ukraine in Flames #666

In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we’ll explore Ukraine’s efforts to enhance its cultural heritage protection laws in alignment with international standards while addressing the challenges posed by the absence of official registers for cultural property. It highlights the significance of tracking cultural losses and the impact of inadequate documentation on preserving Ukraine’s rich heritage. Watch UIF #666 to learn more about Russian crimes against cultural heritage and legislation

Guests:

  • Kateryna Busol, lawyer at the Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies
  • Olga Butkevych, President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law