Victorious news of 593rd day of war: Russian commander captured near Bakhmut, Ukrainian developers get over $1 million for defense technologies

Ukrainian forces have partial success near Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region

The commander of the Tavria Operational and Strategic Grouping of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said that Ukrainian troops had neutralized 147 Russian soldiers over the past 24 hours and had partial success in the area of Verbove.

"Ukrainian defense forces continue offensive operations in the Melitopol sector. We have partial success west of Verbove," he said. 

The missile and artillery units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the Tavria Operational and Strategic Grouping carried out 795 firing missions over the last day, neutralizing 147 soldiers and destroying 6 units of Russian military equipment, including 2 tanks, 3 armored personnel carriers and one artillery system. Ukrainian troops also targeted three Russian ammunition depots.

Russian volunteer battalion’s commander is captured near Bakhmut

The 3rd Detached Assault Brigade has captured a commander of a Russian army volunteer battalion. This was reported in the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian brigade.

Photo: Screenshot of the 3rd Brigade video.

"As a result of a unique operation in the Bakhmut sector, the 3rd Assault Brigade captured an enemy major, commander of the Alga volunteer battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Russian Army. Now he is one of the representatives of the exchange fund among the senior officers of the occupiers," the brigade said. 

Record buckwheat harvest in Ukraine

Ukrainian farmers are harvesting a record buckwheat crop this year. This was announced by the First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky, the ministry's press service reports.

 "This year, thanks to favorable weather conditions and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, buckwheat harvesting is going faster than last year. We have already harvested 86% of the area, compared to 49% at the same date last year. In terms of yields, we also have better results: the current figure is 1.42 t/ha, while last year's figure was 1.22 t/ha from about the same share of the area. In fact, it is these factors that together gave us the opportunity to harvest a record buckwheat crop," the official said

Buckwheat is a traditional grain base of Ukrainian cuisine.

As of the first week of October, farmers have already harvested 173.8 thousand tonnes of buckwheat, but the harvest is still ongoing. Last year, the total harvest was about 148 thousand tonnes.

Ukrainian developers received over USD 1,000,000 in grants for defense technology

Ukrainian developers have received more than USD 1,000,000 in grants for defense technology from Brave1. This was announced by Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

"These are 57 unique developments that have been thoroughly tested by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 500 military experts have recognized them as important for our victory. Some technologies are already saving the lives of our soldiers at the front and helping to destroy the enemy," he said. 

These include turreted combat robots, AI drones, maritime drones and electronic warfare systems.

Brave1 is a joint initiative with the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the National Security and Defense Council, the Ministry of Strategic Industries and the Ministry of Economy. The cluster brings together hundreds of top developers and the military for the best possible interaction. The defense forces can set specific tasks for developers, and companies can receive specialized support and grants for product development.

In total, Brave1 has received 583 projects, 305 of which have already passed defense expertise. Another 19 projects are at the stage of concluding contracts for USD 315,000. I am convinced that Ukrainian solutions will help us gain a technological advantage on the battlefield.

Another 9 children returned from the temporarily occupied territories to Ukraine

Ukraine has returned 9 children who were in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. This was announced by the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin.

"From now on, five girls and four boys will live in comfortable conditions and psychological security. The children are aged from 5 to 14 years old," he wrote.

Prokudin noted that since the beginning of 2023, a total of 121 children from the Kherson region have been returned to the government-controlled territory.