Monday, October 21

Russia’s war against Ukraine

People walk past posters depicting portraits of Ukrainian servicemembers of the Azov Brigade and other units, who were killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at an open-air exhibition in Kyiv on Oct. 20, 2024. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine says it struck airfield and ‘largest explosives factory’ in Russia. The source told the Kyiv Independent the drones targeted the large state-owned Sverdlov Plant in the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, some 900 kilometers deep into Russia.

Russia has launched over 6,100 attack drones at Ukraine since start of 2024, Zelensky says. Russia has launched a total of 6,130 Shahed-type drones since the start of 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Oct. 20.

Ukraine’s new ‘Sting’ drone designed to hunt Shaheds, Telegraph reports. According to the drone’s developers, the Wild Hornets group, “Sting” will be able to fly at altitudes approaching 10,000 feet, with a speed of over 100 miles per hour. It is the first drone specifically developed to target Russia’s arsenal of Shaheds.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Russian attack in Kharkiv injures 12. “KABs were ‘scattered’ around the city chaotically, which indicates not a targeted attack on military facilities, but terrorism of the local population,” Volodymyr Tymoshko, head of the Kharkiv Oblast regional police, said of the Russian strike.

Belarus downs Russian drone over its airspace, monitoring group says. The Belarusian Air Force downed a Russian Shahed-type drone over Belarus’ Homel Oblast overnight on Oct. 20, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported. The incident marks just the third time a Belarusian aircraft has downed a drone that entered its airspace.

Watch our new investigative documentary: ‘Shadows Across the River’

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine says it struck airfield and ‘largest explosives factory’ in Russia

Ukraine said on Oct. 20 that it attacked Russia’s “largest explosives plant” and an airfield overnight, the latest in a series of long-range drone attacks in the rear to slowly grind down the bigger foe’s powerful war machine from afar.

Photo: Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian overnight missile strike on Kryvyi Rih injures 17. Eight of the injured are currently in the hospital, but their conditions are “moderate,” Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s military administration, said on Oct. 20.

General Staff: Russia has lost 677,180 troops since Feb 24, 2022. This number includes 1,340 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

In other news

Sandu leads in 1st round of Moldovan elections, voters split on EU referendum. If no candidate wins a majority, a second round of voting will take place on Nov. 3. Incumbent President Maia Sandu will likely face off against her main competitor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who captured approximately 26 percent of the vote in the first round.

Tens of thousands of Georgians rally in support of EU accession ahead of upcoming parliamentary election. A large rally in support of Georgia’s accession to the European Union was held in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square on Oct. 20, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for Oct. 26.

Navalny’s prison diaries to be published posthumously this week. The memoir, “Patriot,” is compiled from the Russian opposition leader’s prison diaries and was edited in part by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya. The book will be released in 22 languages, including Russian.

This newsletter is open for sponsorship. Boost your brand’s visibility by reaching thousands of engaged subscribers. Contact [email protected] for more details.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Liliane Bivings, Asami Terajima, Dmytro Basmat, and Abbey Fenbert.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.