Russian troops in the center of Kupansk. 1336th Day of War
Ukrainian sources confirmed the control by forces of the aggressor of the Kupansk centre. Groups of Russian soldiers effort to enter its confederate part. They will most likely prosecute further advancement south along the river Bench to take control of the crucial Kupansk-Wuzlová railway junction. The railway way there connects from the north of Wałajki in the Bielgorod region of FR – an crucial backdrop for the Russian army – with Swiatohirski located to the south and further with Siewierski and Słowianski, Kramatorski and Konstantinówka. The mastery of the Kupanśk-Wuzlova junction would not only cut off the anticipation of supplying the defenders' forces on the right bank of the Oskoł River, but besides importantly improved the logistical and commissioning capabilities of the Russian troops needed for the offensive on the previously unoccupied part of the Donetsk region.
The opponent continues to engage in the Pokrów direction, which remains the main theatre of the action. Russian assault groups managed to make advancement west of Nowo economics to the east suburb of Myrnohrad and south of the Senianski Tank to Kozaćke.
Pokrowsk is subject to persistent attempts to penetrate tiny diversion groups into the city, from the south and from the south-west (area on the Kotłyne – Łeontoweczi – Trojanda – Czunyszyne line). Their goal is to find gaps in the defence line. According to reports from Ukrainian units, respective enemy army soldiers managed to penetrate into the city center, kill respective civilians and occupy the railway station building, where they were then to be liquidated.
The tactics of the enemy show that the Russians seemingly do not want to take on the pokrovski frontal assault, as before Bachmutu and Awdijiwka, due to the fact that this would entail crucial losses. Instead, the aggressor seeks to cut the last supply routes, leading westwards from the city towards the Pokrowsk–Pawlohrad road and northwards towards Dobropol.. The attacks in the Myrnohrad region and the confederate part of Pokrovska service as ancillary actions to bind the forces and means of defenders.
Commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces General Alexander Syrian declared that the Russian Army's spring-year offensive was effectively stopped by Ukrainian forces. He besides stated that "at the price of massive losses, the opponent made only small progress". His message coincided with the assessment of Russian losses made by “The Economist“. From January to October 13, these increased by almost 60% from 2022 to 2024. From the outbreak of the full-scale war, the number of Russian casualties was to be between 984,000 and 1 million 148 thousand, of which between 190 1000 and 480,000 died. The weekly besides estimates that given the pace of the offensive from the last month, it would take Russia 4 more years to occupy the remaining area of the Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporosk regions, while the business of the full territory of Ukraine as much as 103.
The Russian Army continues air strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure facilities. On October 15, there were combined drone-missile strikes in the region of Dęciepropetrovsk (in Pawlohrad and Kamieński), Chernihowski (including Chernihov and Niżyna), Sumski (including Sumach) and Kharkiv (the aim was, among others, gas extraction infrastructure facilities), resulting in crucial areas Ukraine had a power outage. On 16 October, energy facilities were attacked in the Poltava region and in the Krzywy Horn, railway depots in Chernihov, and the Museum of National past and Culture home in Kherson.
On October 18, the targets of the attacks were Zaporoże, Sumy, Kharkiv (one of the drones hit the dormitory) and energy infrastructure facilities in the Chernihow region (as a result, more than 55,000 subscribers stay without power). On October 19, energy infrastructure in the Chernihow and Kherson circuits and railway infrastructure in the Sumi territory were again attacked.
On the night of October 20 on October 21, the targets of the attacks were the Kharkiv industrial district, energy facilities in the Cherkah, Chernihow, and dynepropetrovsk circuits. In total, according to the Ukraine Air Force Command, between 14 and 21 October, the aggressor utilized 887 different types of impact drones, including 550 Shahed-type drones, 7 X-59 guided rockets, 31 Iskander M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and 2 Iskander-K maneuverers, 2 Kindzarz hypersonic missiles, 7 S-300 missiles, and 9 unspecified types. 197 Russian drones hit target, while anti-aircraft defence disabled only 616 drones and 5 rockets.
Russia carried out a massive attack on the coal mine owned by the DTEK holding company in the Diepropetrovsk Oblast. There were 192 mine workers underground, who yet managed to get out. This has been the 4th consecutive attack on DTEK objects in the last 2 months.
In the morning of 16 October Russian ballistic missiles hit the training unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (SHU; most likely it's about the ground in the Kyroehrad Oblast). According to the press service of the General Staff of SZU, fatalities were reported among military personnel.
The SHU General Staff reported that on the night of October 15th, 16th, Ukrainian drones hit the oil refinery in Saratov. The circuit politician confirmed the attack, but according to the Ministry of Defense, all 12 drones were shot down. The Russian side did not notify any damage. A day later, Ukrainian drones were to hit a refinery owned by Łukoil company in Kstowo, in the area of Łukoil. However, the effects of this impact were not confirmed either.
On the night of 16 to 17 October, Russian troops most likely shot down their own Su-30SM aircraft During the repelling of Ukrainian unmanned attacks in Crimea. Drones hit a fuel depot belonging to the Atan gas station network in the town of Gwardejskoje close Symferopol.
On the night of 18 to 19 October, Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil infrastructure in the Samar and Orenburg circuits. SHU General Staff reported that the mark of the attack was oil refineries in Novokuybyszewski in the Samar region and the natural gas processing plant in Orenburg. According to the Reuter Agency in Nowokubyszewski 2 installations were stopped, and their repair may take until the beginning of November. In turn, the gas intake from Kazakhstan was temporarily stopped in Orenburg.
On 15 October, the 31st contact group of states supporting Ukraine in the format of Ramstein was held. Norway, Portugal, Lithuania, Estonia and Luxembourg have reported that under the precedence Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), they will supply EUR 170, 50, 30, 12 and 15 million respectively, while Finland and Slovenia have reported that no amounts have been given.
The same day Denmark and Finland have announced military aid packages worth 1.1 billion Danish krona (about EUR 150 million) and 53 million respectively.
On October 14, the British Ministry of Defence announced that The drone coalition headed by the United Kingdom, together with Latvia, delivered 85 000 unmanned systems in 2025, and London itself has invested £600 million this year to accelerate the supply of drones to Ukrainian armed forces.
On October 20, the Politico portal reported that Ukraine and the U.S. are working on a multi-year contract in which Kiev would acquisition 25 batteries of the Patriot mid-range air defence system, whose financing would come from a reparation debt of EUR 140 billion, repaid from frozen Russian assets. specified aid would be of a long-term nature and the first deliveries could not start until about 2 to 3 years after the contract was signed and would most likely last at least a decade.
On 15 October at the 31st Ramstein format meeting, Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that until the end of 2026. Ukraine needs at least $120 billion for defence spending, and half of it plans to be raised by global partners. The funds from abroad will be distributed between projects carried out by European arms manufacturers. 2 days later, Szmyhal pointed out that more than 40% of the weapons utilized on the front was produced in the country. The possible of the Ukrainian defence manufacture in 2025 was estimated at about 35 billion dollars, comprising about 900 companies – including about 100 state-owned and 800 private – and about 1,000 teams of engineers and programmers developing fresh military technologies.
On 20 October a fresh Collective Group was established within the Ukrainian Defence Force. The forces of which General Mikhail Drapatey was appointed as commander, acting at the same time as the commander of the Joint SHU Forces, liable for the full operational activities of the army. The work region of the fresh Group includes the Kharkiv region and adjacent territories. This sector of defence was entrusted to Drapatem for the second time – in 2024 he commanded an operational-tactical group of “Charks” troops during the active phase of the Russian offensive and the enemy's attack on Volchansk.
General Alexander Tarnawski, who resigned in mid-June as commander of the operational-tactic group ‘Donieck’ and commander of the 9th Army Corps (alleged for wellness reasons), was again appointed commander of that corps on 20 October (the Donetsk group was liquidated as part of the improvement of Ukrainian army structures). Tarnawski succeeded Major Viktor Nikolak in this position, who became commander of the 20th Army Corps operating on the border of the djepropetrovsk and Zaporosian circuits.
According to Ukrainian Military Intelligence (HUR) data from November 2024 to July 2025. more than 25,000 soldiers of the Central Military territory FR left their units voluntarily. The soldiers left service both straight on the front line and in places of permanent deployment. any of them did not return to service after taking leave or ending treatment. According to HUR, the main causes of desertion are dense conditions of service, brutal treatment of soldiers and mass dispatch of troops to attacks resulting in advanced losses. Ukrainian intelligence emphasizes that the Russian army's interior reports state as the origin of the death of part of the soldiers that they have been killed with “non-execution of an order”, which may mean that they are shot.
SHU General Staff reported on 16 October that Russian troops engage North Korean soldiers to conduct reconnaissance activities utilizing unmanned aircraft in the Sum Region. They are to be liable for identifying the positions of SHU units and correcting artillery fire.
16 October Volodymyr Zelenski appointed Olha Reshetylova as a spokesperson for military rights, while canceling her from her post as the President's Plenipotentiary for the Protection of Soldiers' Rights. The recently created office is to be a permanent supporting body of the president ensuring civilian control over the rights of active military personnel, volunteers from the territorial defence formation, reservists conducting exercises, opposition participants in the occupied areas and law enforcement officers active in the war.
