On the front and in towns close to the fighting, strikes continue and continue to claim victims. At least six people were killed and 14 injured this Saturday, October 21, by Russian missile fire on a postal depot in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine, local officials reported. Additionally, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces have likely repelled an intensified Russian offensive toward Avdiivka in the east over the past few days.
On the diplomatic level, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that Turkey will participate in a meeting on peace in Ukraine, organized by Kiev in Malta next weekend, after an exchange with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Russian strike kills six at postal depot in Kharkiv region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video on social media of what appears to be a badly damaged warehouse next to debris and a container bearing the logo of Ukrainian postal operator Nova Pochta. “The six people killed and 14 injured in the attack by the occupiers were employees of the company who were inside the Nova Pochta terminal,” said the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegoubov. “The victims, aged 19 to 42, were injured by shrapnel and blast (from the explosions),” he added.
Fourteen people are hospitalized, including 7 in serious condition, according to Oleg Sinegoubov. “Analysis of the debris continues at the scene in order to establish the exact number of injured and dead,” office spokesman Dmytro Tchoubenko told state media Suspilne.
The Ukrainian Air Force destroyed six drones and an aerial guided missile
Over the past twenty-four hours, more than 80 fights have taken place, according to the last assessment of the Ukrainian General Staff. The Ukrainian army also continues to carry out an offensive operation in the direction of Melitopol. In total, Russian troops launched six missiles and carried out 53 airstrikes. “Russian attacks caused deaths and injuries among the population. Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed or damaged,” Ukraine said. In addition, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on its Telegram account that it had destroyed six drones and an aerial guided missile.
Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian offensive in the Avdiivka region
Ukrainian forces likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive toward Avdiivka in recent days and inflicted further heavy losses in personnel and equipment on Russian troops in the region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in her daily update on the situation. The report adds that Ukrainian and Russian sources indicated that Russian forces launched a new offensive on Avdiivka between October 19 and 20, and geotagged images released on October 21 confirm that Russian forces did indeed make marginal gains in northwest of Avdiivka, an industrial town in eastern Ukraine, which the Russians have been trying to seize for weeks.
Since Saturday, offensive operations have become rarer, according to the institute, which cites Ukrainian military sources. According to the latter, the Russian army lost 50 tanks, 100 armored vehicles and 900 men on October 19 in the Avdiivka sector. However, the document states that the fact that Russian forces continue to reallocate waves of personnel and equipment to offensive efforts in the Avdiivka region suggests that Russian command will continue to prioritize this axis, despite high losses. and the general low quality of Russian forces on the offensive.
Turkey to attend Ukraine peace meeting, Zelensky says
Malta announced on Friday that it would host a peace meeting, at the request of the Ukrainian presidency, on October 28-29. Other such events took place in Saudi Arabia and Denmark this year. “We discussed the next round of peace negotiations in Malta. Turkey will participate, adding its voice and position of authority,” wrote Volodymyr Zelensky on X (formerly Twitter). No Russian representative will take part in this meeting, according to the Ukrainian press.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about Ukrainian grain exports, according to the latter. “Ukraine remains committed to its vital role as guarantor of global food security and enables the functioning of the Black Sea grain corridor,” said the Ukrainian president. Turkey has posed for a year and a half as a mediator of the conflict in Ukraine, and it is under its aegis, alongside the UN, that Kiev and Moscow reached an agreement last year to allow the export of Ukrainian cereals, vital for global food security.
However, Moscow slammed the door on this agreement in mid-July, and Turkey has since tried to bring the parties back to the table, in the hope of leading to broader peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky also said he thanked Recep Tayyip Erdogan for “his tireless support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.