Russian troops are advancing in Bakhmut, where the Ukrainian army is protecting its positions

• 4:00 a.m.: Strengthening EU military support for Ukraine

The European Union is stepping up its military support for Ukraine, launching a mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory on Monday and allocating 500 million euros for arms supplies.

“This is a big first for the EU,” commented one European official. “We have never conducted a mission of this scale.

The foreign ministers of the 27 member countries will approve the two decisions at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday and the mission will begin immediately, a diplomatic source said.

• 2:01: War and inflation in Ukraine are pushing millions of children into poverty, UNICEF says

The war in Ukraine and the resulting rise in living costs have pushed millions of children into poverty in recent months in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the United Nations Development Fund (UNICEF) said in a study published on Monday.

In these regions, the study says, “The war in Ukraine and rising inflation have pushed an additional 4 million children into poverty, an increase of 19% since 2021.” conflict.

Although children make up 25% of the population, they account for nearly 40% of the 10.6 million additional people living in poverty this year, the study covers 22 countries.

Interestingly, with 2.8 million additional children in poverty, Russia accounts for almost three-quarters of the total increase measured by UNICEF. Two factors explain this situation: Russia has a large population, and UNICEF estimates that the country’s GDP will decrease by 8%, which is the second largest decrease among the countries included in the analysis.

• 16:33: Moscow announced that it has defeated the Ukrainian army in several regions

The Ministry of Defense of Russia claimed that the Russian forces repelled the attempts of Ukraine to advance in the regions of Donetsk (east), Kherson and Mykolaiv (south) and, according to him, inflicted significant losses on the enemy.

Russia further stated that it continues to bomb military and energy facilities in Ukraine using long-range precision missiles. Reuters could not confirm these claims.

The Ukrainian military headquarters said on Sunday that Russian forces shelled more than 30 towns and villages in Ukraine, launched 5 missile strikes, 23 airstrikes and up to 60 missile strikes in the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian Air Force carried out 32 strikes against 24 Russian targets.

• 16:33: Russia has launched an investigation into a shooting at a military base that killed 11 people

Russia has opened a criminal investigation into a shooting at a military training center near the Ukrainian border that left 11 dead and 15 injured, Russian officials said.

Governor of Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that there were no residents among the dead. However, independent Russian media reported that the death toll was higher than official figures.

Two witnesses in the city of Belgorod told Reuters that they saw Russian anti-aircraft defense forces firing to repel airstrikes. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that two people were injured during these aerial bombardments.

• 14:08: New strikes in the Belgorod region of Russia, which borders Ukraine

New bombings were carried out in the Belgorod region of Russia, bordering Ukraine, and at least 4 people were injured, the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said.

In Telegram, he noted that three members of the same family were injured during the bombing in Belgorod, the capital of the region of the same name. Two of the wounded who were hit by shrapnel were taken to the hospital.

According to this source, there was “minor damage” to houses and cars. According to the governor, the fourth injured is an elderly man who received “bruises” during the bombing near Belgorod.

“About 16 explosions” were heard on Sunday in the city of 330,000 residents, which has rarely come under fire since the start of the offensive in Ukraine, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.

• 10:13: Russian troops are advancing in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut

On Ukraine’s eastern front, Bakhmut is one of the last towns still advancing as Russian forces retreat elsewhere. With the Russian army in retreat everywhere, the small town of Bakhmut (population 70,000 before the war) has become the “most difficult” point for the remaining Ukrainian forces in the sector, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. in a defensive position.

AFP journalists noted on Saturday that Ukrainian soldiers still control the western and northern half of the city.

• 5:50 am: 11 people died as a result of the “attack” on the Russian military territory

According to the information of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, which called the incident “attack”, at least 11 people were killed and 15 people were injured as a result of the shooting that took place at the Russian military base in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine on Saturday.

“On October 15, two civilians from CIS countries carried out an attack at the training ground of the Western military district in Belgorod region,” the ministry said, referring to the Commonwealth of Independent States, an alliance of several former Soviet Unions. republics.

“Terrorists opened fire on members of the unit from automatic weapons during shooting training with those who volunteered to participate in a special military operation (in Ukraine),” the ministry continues.

• 2:50: Ukrainian forces capture Bakhmut, says Vladimir Zelensky

Ukraine’s president says Ukrainian forces are still in control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, despite repeated attacks by the Russian army.

Speaking during his daily address, Vladimir Zelensky said that the Russian army continues to bomb Ukrainian cities using drones and missiles. “Fighting continues in various areas of the front. A very difficult situation continues in Donetsk region and Luhansk region.” “The most difficult (situation) is in the direction of Bekhmut, as in previous days. We are protecting our positions.”

• 10:22 p.m. Saturday: France vows to “train up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers” on its soil

France will train “up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers” on its territory, French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Parisien on Saturday.

These soldiers “will be assigned to our units within a few weeks,” he explained, stressing that the training would include three levels: “general combat training,” “then on the specific needs of the Ukrainians, such as logistics,” and “a. the third phase of training on the materials provided level”.

“We do this respecting the rules of law and never entering into a joint conflict, because we are not at war. We are helping a country at war,” he defends after the Russian invasion.

With Reuters and AFP