Russia launched no nighttime drone attacks on Ukraine for the first time in 48 days. A fire at the Russian Orenburg-2 airfield destroys a Tu-134 airliner, Ukraine’s defense intelligence says. NATO’s mistakes on Ukraine need to become a lesson, Stoltenberg says.
Russia launches no nighttime drone attacks on Ukraine for first time in 48 days
Russia launched no nighttime Shahed drone attacks on Ukraine overnight on Monday for the first time in 48 days. Acting head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Colonel Yuriy Ihnat corroborated the report to ArmyInform.
The Air Force did not comment on the reasons for the sudden pause.
Russia is increasingly using unidentified types of drones against Ukraine that often get jammed and fall down without causing any harm, Ihnat said earlier this month.
In a statement on October 9, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the military had struck a Russian base outside Yeysk where around 400 Shahed drones were stored. The strike caused multiple detonations. The operation was carried out by Ukraine’s Navy and Security Service.
Drone attacks were daily occurrences throughout September, marking the first such month since the invasion. Russia launched a total of 1,339 attack drones at Ukraine in September, of which the Air Force destroyed 1,107, ArmyInform said citing the official count. More drones were disabled by electronic warfare systems.
Fire at Russian airfield destroys a Tu-134 airliner, Ukraine’s defense intelligence says
A fire that broke out at the Orenburg-2 military airfield in Russia overnight on Sunday burnt down a Tu-134 airliner, the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The aircraft belonged to Russia’s 117th Military Transport Aviation Regiment.
The airliner was used to transport senior Russian defense ministry officials, Ukraine’s defense intelligence said without giving further details.
NATO’s mistakes on Ukraine need to become a lesson, Stoltenberg says
NATO’s insufficient military support for Ukraine made it easier for Russia to invade the country, former NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg told Spiegel in an interview published Sunday. We’ve translated some excerpts from how they appear in Ukrainian media.
It needs to become a lesson learnt for all allies, otherwise not just Russia, but other countries as well will not take the Alliance seriously, Stoltenberg said. NATO invests in its military might not to wage a war, but to avert one, he added.
Some allies supplied weapons to Ukraine, but it was not enough, he continues. At that time most of the allies took a more moderate stance on Russia. There was little understanding of the urgency of Ukraine’s need for weapons and financial assistance so that the country could bolster its armed forces and prevent a full-scale Russian invasion. It was a mistake, Stoltenberg said, adding that the allies need to admit it.
Russia’s increasing aggression did not go unnoticed by the Alliance. After Russia illegally annexed Crimea, the allies solidified common defense efforts. NATO has also launched its largest exercise since the Cold War and it took place on its eastern flank, Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg sees the strategy on Russia by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as correct. It was right of her to try to build the best possible relationship with Russia after the Cold War, he said.
“We could have provided military equipment [to Ukraine] to prevent the war,” Stoltenberg earlier told Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.
Stoltenberg will be the new chairman of the Munich Security Conference starting from February 2025. He was in office as NATO Secretary General for 10 years.
