Victorious news on 614th day of war: Ukrainian army hits air missile regiment in Crimea, targets Russian Su-25 aircraft near Avdiivka

Russian Su-25 targeted in the Avdiivka sector

Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed an enemy attack aircraft in the Avdiivka sector.

This was reported by the Commander of the Tavria Operational and Strategic Grouping of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi. He added that this is the sixth Su-25 destroyed in this area since October 10 this year. 

"Our soldiers are steadfastly holding the defense in the Avdiivka sector. Adversary's offensive actions in the areas of Novokalynove, Avdiivka, Opytne and Pervomayske were unsuccessful. Missile and artillery units from the Tavria grooping carried out 1,387 firing missions over the course of the day.

The total Russian enemy losses amounted to 527 people," said Commander Tarnavskyi. 

Overall, 49 units of military equipment were destroyed over the day. In particular, 5 tanks, 6 armored personnel carriers, 4 artillery systems, one aircraft, 23 UAVs and 8 vehicles were targeted. Four Russian ammunition depots were also destroyed.

Ukrainian Armed Forces strike at air missile regiment in Crimea

"At the same time, an offensive operation is underway in the Melitopol sector," added Colonel Tarnavskyi. 

On the night of October 30, the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully hit a strategic air defense facility on the western coast of the temporarily occupied Crimea. This was reported by the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Strategic Communications Committee.

According to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, it was a strike near the village of Olenivka, where an anti-aircraft missile regiment is stationed. On August 23, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed an S-400 Triumph air defense system, and it is not known what was installed to replace it.

"At least five vehicles were damaged and destroyed as a result of the missile strikes, including a KAMAZ, which is part of the air defense system maintenance, and a GAZ-66 with a radar system inside. More than 20 soldiers were injured, one of them is in a serious condition," the channel reported.   

Around noon, the Crimean social media again reported the sounds of explosions in Crimea, particularly in Sevastopol near the seaport. 

The first F-16s to train Ukrainian pilots will arrive in Romania in two weeks

The first F-16 aircraft will be delivered to a training camp in Romania in two weeks, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

"I hope that the missiles for the Patriot will be delivered in the near future to help Ukraine in the winter. And the same speed for F-16 aircraft. The first of them will be delivered to the training center in Romania in the next two weeks," Rutte said, adding that events in the Middle East should not distract the allies from the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian artists’ projects are among the top 5 in terms of EU funding

More than 100 Ukrainian artists have received grants for their creative projects, making Ukraine one of the top five countries in terms of cultural funding in the EU. This was stated by Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy for European Integration, in an interview with European Pravda.

Ukraine participates in Creative Europe, an initiative that helps finance and support artistic, cultural, and media projects. Ukraine is also waiting for the results of the European Cooperation Projects competition, where 99 projects with Ukrainian participation are competing for funding.

"So far, Ukraine's participation has been limited because we have not implemented the EU Audiovisual Directive. And since we have now done so by adopting the Law on Media, we have started negotiations to ensure that we are fully allowed to participate in all competitions and that even more EU funds are open to Ukrainian participants," Shevchenko explains.

Russia evacuated helicopters from Berdyansk airport, which was targeted by ATACMS 

As of October 29, 2023, the invading Russian forces have removed all their helicopters from the airport in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk. This is evidenced by satellite photos posted on his page by military analyst Brady Africk, Defense Express reports.

On October 17, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck at the airport, damaging some of the equipment that was there. It took less than 2 weeks for the occupying Russian forces to evacuate an entire helicopter regiment and accompanying support services. At the same time, it is debatable how many Russian Ka-52s and Mi-8s were able to leave the base on their own, and how many of these aircraft had to be delivered by ground transport.