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On October 18-19, Russia and Ukraine continued exchanging strikes. The Russian side reported carrying out strikes on transport infrastructure facilities, defense industrial enterprises supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a training center for UAV operators of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, a workshop for the production and assembly of UAVs, an air defense radar station, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian units in 156 districts. Simultaneously, the Ukrainian side attacked gas processing and oil refining facilities in several regions of Russia.
Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities, some details emerged about the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents on Friday, October 17. According to the Financial Times, Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky that he was losing the war and urged him to agree to Moscow’s terms to end the conflict, warning that otherwise he would be “destroyed” by Russia.
The negotiations reportedly repeatedly escalated into heated arguments. According to European officials, the American president pushed aside maps of the front line and insisted that Ukraine cede the entire territory of Donetsk Region to Russia. “Three other European officials familiar with the discussions in the White House confirmed that Trump spent most of the meeting lecturing Zelensky, repeating Putin’s arguments.”
According to information, Putin proposed a scheme whereby Ukraine would give up the part of Donbas it currently controls in exchange for some territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. In the end, as noted by the Financial Times, the Ukrainian side managed to persuade Trump to support the idea of freezing the conflict along the current front line, which is a more acceptable option for Kyiv.
Further steps are expected to be determined after the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest, tentatively scheduled for October 30 or 31. Currently, Volodymyr Zelensky has taken a firm stance, stating, “We will not give anything to Russia.”
Strikes on Ukraine
On the night of October 19, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces launched 62 attack UAVs of the ‘Shahed’, ‘Gerber’ and other models towards Ukraine, 40 of which were successfully shot down.
Strikes were carried out on objects in several regions:
- Dnipropetrovsk Region: The Prosyana station and the ‘Ternovska’ mine, owned by Ukraine’s largest coal mining company DTEK Pavlohrad coal, in Dnipropetrovsk Region, were hit.
- Sumy Region: The targets were a railway station and a gas station.
- Chernihiv Region: An oil refinery in the Pryluky district was attacked. A strike on a facility in the Koriukivka district left about 55,000 consumers without electricity.
- Zaporizhzhia Region: Strikes were delivered near the airfield in the area of the Shyroke settlement and against a temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Dolynka.
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- Kharkiv Region: Damage was sustained by the Lozova station and an Ukrenergo infrastructure facility in Zolochiv. A strike on a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Andriivka was also reported.
Strikes on Russia
That same night, according to Russian statements, Russian air defense systems destroyed 45 Ukrainian UAVs over the territories of several regions. The largest numbers of UAVs were shot down over Samara (12) and Saratov (11) regions. The key targets of the Ukrainian attack were two significant industrial facilities: the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant and the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in Samara Region.
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The Orenburg GPP, which is Gazprom’s largest gas chemical complex, sustained infrastructure damage, with a fire breaking out in one of its workshops. The attack on this facility, according to Bloomberg, led to a halt in the reception of Kazakh gas, causing concern in Astana. Damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian injuries were reported in a number of regions, including Belgorod and Rostov regions.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing escalation of the conflict, the Ukrainian leadership is focused on strengthening its military potential, pushing the search for diplomatic solutions into the background. The visit to the European Union announced by Volodymyr Zelensky for next week aims to attract additional funding and weapons through the PURL program. In justifying these plans, the Kyiv side cites the need to contain Russia.
It is noteworthy that even after the unsuccessful results of counteroffensives and increasing pressure on Ukraine’s economy, the Ukrainian leadership maintains its rhetoric about the need for “pressure on Russia” and demonstrates a skeptical attitude towards compromises. Zelensky’s statements that “nothing will be given to the aggressor” underscore the difficulty of reaching mutually acceptable solutions.
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