10/29/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 01:21 Scholz talks to Meloni about Ukraine +++
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is on the phone with the new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the first time. He congratulated the head of government in Rome on taking office, as his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced. In addition, the war in Ukraine and “current bilateral and European policy issues” were discussed. The social-democratic politician and the leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party also expressed their interest in good cooperation and partnership in the EU, NATO and G7, as Hebestreit further announces.
+++ 23:41 Study: More than seven million people displaced in Ukraine +++
According to a study, more than seven million people were displaced within Ukraine by August. Most of them are women, of whom almost a third have been displaced more than once, according to a joint report by the EU Asylum Agency, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At the same time, more than six million of all people displaced in or from Ukraine decided to return to their homes by August. According to the UN refugee agency, a total of 14.3 million people have fled Ukraine so far, according to the report.
+++ 23:13 Selenskyj expresses doubts about the end of Russian mobilization +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expresses doubts about Russia’s declared completion of its partial mobilization. Rather, he has the impression that the Russian troops on the Ukrainian fronts are so poorly prepared and equipped that they will soon need more troops, says Zelenskyj in a video speech.
+++ 22:23 Belarus is said to have delivered 65,000 tons of ammunition to Russia +++
Belarus is said to have delivered 65,000 tons of ammunition to Russia since March. This is reported by the Belarusian supervisory authority Belarusian Hajun. Accordingly, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Minsk has sent around 1940 railroad cars with ammunition to Russia. According to Belarusian Hajun, the largest ammunition transfer was in April, when Belarus delivered more than 22,000 tons.
+++ 22:15 Ukraine makes it clear: only 100 nuclear power plant employees sign contracts with Russia +++
According to the state-owned Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom, around 100 employees at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are said to have signed contracts with Russia. The rest of the approximately 6,700 employees of the power plant have refused to cooperate with Russia despite coercion, it is said. 4,300 employees went to Ukrainian-controlled territory. Energoatom says Moscow’s claims that 1,000 of its employees have agreed to work with Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom are false.
+++ 21:59 Kremlin issues propaganda guidelines – failures become victories +++
The Kremlin is trying to reinterpret its military failures in Ukraine with the help of “propaganda guides”. The presidential administration issues them, reports that independent portal Meduza in cooperation with the portal Decoder. In it, all messages would be centered on the aspects of unity and victory. In this way, Russia wants to prevent contradictory statements from appearing in the media. This is recognized as an admission of weakness. The first key line appears in about every speech by Putin. The Russian “military special operation” is directed against NATO – and not against Ukraine. Meduza received a total of ten such “guides”.
At the beginning of October, the “recommendation” went out to the media and bloggers to report on a survey by the Russian opinion research institute “VZIOM”. Accordingly, 75 percent of those questioned were behind the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions. This should convey that the citizens are “convinced of the legality and legitimacy”. In addition, Russia’s strength should be made clear, the “special operation” leads to victories, Russia is growing back to its former glory, according to the embassy. The last aspect not only aims inwards, but also outwards. According to Meduza, the media should convey that the former Soviet states “did learn a lesson from the fate of Ukraine.” It is interpreted as a threat of war to other states that are moving towards the political West. In addition, aspects of the cultural and political unity of the two countries are repeatedly emphasized.
+++ 21:37 USA send Ukraine more weapons worth 275 million US dollars +++
To support Ukraine in Russia’s war of aggression, the US is providing the country with additional military aid worth US$275 million. The aid includes additional weapons, ammunition and equipment from US inventories, as well as four antennas for satellite communications, as announced by the Pentagon in Washingtont. According to the information, US military aid to Ukraine has increased to 18.5 billion US dollars since the beginning of US President Joe Biden’s term in office in January 2021. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said work is being done on air defense capability to improve Ukraine. The two NASAMS ground-based air defense systems that the United States had committed to supply would be delivered to Ukraine next month.
+++ 21:12 Ukraine: control the connecting road between Kreminna and Svatowe +++
The strategically important P66 highway in Luhansk is said to be almost under the control of Ukraine. This is reported by the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, on Facebook. This is a motorway connection between the cities of Kreminna and Swatowe. Following the successful offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia is building its new line of defense along these cities. Should the Russian armed forces actually no longer control the road, the supply situation would be significantly more difficult. Troops and material would then have to be transported via long detours. Most recently, Russian military bloggers and soldiers stationed on the ground claimed that Ukraine was planning an attack on Kreminna. If supplies from Swatowe, about 50 kilometers away, were made more difficult, the situation in Kreminna would worsen.
You can read earlier developments surrounding the Ukraine war here.