Ukraine-Russia live: Leaked video shows North Korean soldiers being kitted out for war, Kyiv claims

Putin’s forces have not “managed to gain a foothold” in the war-town city of Chasiv Yar despite claims of Russian advances.

Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the operational tactical group Luhansk, told the Kyiv Independent: “I do not confirm the fact that Russian troops have managed to gain a foothold in the canal ... or anywhere in the direction of Chasiv Yar.

“The overall strategic position of the city remains under the control of Ukraine.”

It comes after the crowd-sourced war-monitoring website DeepState reported on October 17 that Russian forces had made advances.

Bobovnikova explained that groups of Russian soldiers had occasionally crossed the canal and carried out assaults on Ukrainian positions, adding: “However, such manoeuvres are accompanied by significant losses for the Russians. Ukrainian forces quickly repel such attacks, pushing Russian units back.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has shared a video of the moment Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) returned home to their families.

In a post on X, he said: “95 of our people are home again. These are the warriors who defended Mariupol and ‘Azovstal’, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson regions.

“Each time Ukraine rescues its people from Russian captivity, we bring closer the day when freedom will be returned to all those still held in Russian captivity.

“I thank the team involved in finding and liberating prisoners. We are doing everything to bring back all of our people held by Russia. I am grateful to the warriors who replenish the exchange fund and to all our partners who help us.”

Russia and Ukraine exchanged 95 prisoners of war on Friday, in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, reported Agence France-Presse.

“As a result of the negotiation process, 95 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,” the Russian defence ministry said.“In return, 95 Ukrainian army prisoners of war were handed over,” it said.

The human rights centre Zmina confirmed that Ukrainian journalist and rights advocate Maksym Butkevych was also freed in this exchange. Butkevych was serving a 13-year sentence on charges of wounding two civilians while firing an anti-tank grenade launcher in the eastern city of Severodonetsk.

Butkevych told Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske that the exchange came without warning.

“No, I didn’t know, it was unexpected,” he said. “Yesterday morning, after the inspection, they told me that I was leaving in half an hour, but they didn’t tell me where. Accordingly, I packed my things because I thought I was being transported, not for an exchange. We found out about the exchange by accident on the way. It was a double surprise.”

Moldovans were voting on Sunday in a presidential election and referendum that could determine whether the small country continues its path to European Union membership, amid ongoing allegations of Russian election meddling.

With the war in Ukraine raging to the east, the former Soviet republic has accelerated its push to escape Moscow’s orbit and embarked on the long process of EU accession talks.

Polls show pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu has a lead over her 10 rivals on the ballot, though the race will go to a November run-off if she fails to reach the 50% threshold to win outright.

Voters will also choose “yes” or “no” in a referendum on whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution its path towards the 27-nation EU. Polls by WatchDog, a Chisinau-based think tank, show a clear majority of more than 50% support the EU path. The referendum needs a one-third turnout to be valid.

Read the full report by Alastair Jamieson:

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot pledged his support for Ukraine’s plan for ending the 2 1/2-year war with Russia, telling reporters in Kyiv on Saturday that he will work with Ukrainian officials to secure other nations’ backing for the proposal.

Unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week, Kyiv’s so-called “victory plan” hopes to compel Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine through negotiations.

The proposal is being considered by Ukraine’s Western partners, whose help is vital for Kyiv to resist its bigger neighbor. A key element would be a formal invitation into NATO, which Western backers have been reluctant to consider until after the war ends.

Read the full report:

Igor Pushkarev, the former Vladivostok mayor who was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for corruption in 2019, will join the war in Ukraine.

The mayor signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry to permit his release and join the war, Ukrainska Pravda cited Nastoyashcheye Vremya as saying.

It is not clear if and when Pushkarev will be deployed into battle.

He is the second former mayor of the south east Russian city to enlist in the war, following in the footsteps of Oleg Gumenyuk, who was mayor from 2019 until 2021 when he was also sent to prison for 12 years in a bribery case.

Pushkarev was imprisoned for large-scale bribery, commercial bribery, and abuse of power, receiving 15 years in a max-security jail.

Russia launched major air strikes on Ukraine overnight, targeting Kyiv and the western region of Lviv. At least 17 have been injured, including a rescue worker in the city of Kryvyi Rih in the eastern part of the country, officials said.

Ukraine’s interior ministry said on Telegram that Russia’s strikes also targeted the city of Kryvyi Rih, some 400 km southeast of Kyiv, injuring 17, including a rescue worker. Eight of the wounded were hospitalised.

A city administration building in Kryvyi Rih was left partially destroyed while multiple residential buildings and cars were damaged. A fire also damaged emergency services equipment.

Kyiv’s military administration said on the Telegram messaging app that around 10 drones were destroyed near the city. They added that there were no reports of destruction or injuries.

Ukraine’s capital saw two air alerts during the night, lasting about three hours in total.

G7 ministers are arriving in Naples for a defence summit today (19 October), amid rising global tensions.

Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto claims to have initiated the summit, and it’s the first of its kind.

“I found it surreal that the seven largest economies in the world have met to talk about all the issues, from tourism, to culture, to energy... and they didn’t find themselves talking together about defense in a historic moment like the one we’re experiencing,” Crosetto said of the annual G7 summit which took place in June.

Ukrainian troops are engaging in street battles with Russian forces as they defend the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove in the Donbas region, according to pro-Russian bloggers.

Open source data suggests that in September, Russian forces advanced at their fastest rate since March 2022.

“Street by street fighting is going on in the town,” says Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born and pro-Russian military blogger. “The assault on Selydove has intensified.”

Videos of intensive shelling in Selydrove were published by other pro-Russian bloggers, Reuters reported. These videos have not been independently verified.

Putin says he wants full control over the Donbas region, around 80 per cent of which Russia currently holds.

Russian forces continue their gradual but steady approach towards the strategically important towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, west of Donetsk city.