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   From: patriot1@protonmail.com   
      
   Russian War Report: Russia just lost the most troops in a single battle so   
   far in 2023   
      
   As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, the Atlantic Council’s Digital   
   Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is keeping a close eye on Russia’s   
   movements across the military, cyber, and information domains. With more   
   than seven years of experience monitoring the situation in Ukraine—as well   
   as Russia’s use of propaganda and disinformation to undermine the United   
   States, NATO, and the European Union (EU)—the DFRLab’s global team   
   presents the latest installment of the Russian War Report.   
   Security   
      
   Russian forces suffer losses in attempt to break through Ukrainian line at   
   Avdiivka   
   International response   
      
   Ramped-up Russian propaganda machine targets the Armenian government   
   Russian forces suffer losses in attempt to break through Ukrainian line at   
   Avdiivka   
      
   During a press briefing on October 26, John Kirby, coordinator for   
   strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White   
   House, confirmed that, according to US reports, Russian army officers are   
   shooting soldiers for refusing to obey orders to attack. He also confirmed   
   high losses for the Russian troops at Avdiivka, although he added that the   
   Russian Armed Forces retain offensive capabilities and can achieve   
   tactical successes. Though largely in ruins because of the fighting,   
   Avdiivka is a strategically important town, and it could open the way to   
   the southern parts of Donetsk Oblast for Ukrainian forces.   
      
   In a Telegram post on October 28, the commander of Ukraine’s Tavria   
   operational-strategic group, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said that Russian   
   losses had increased. Also, on October 28, British intelligence said it   
   believed the Russian command threw at least eight brigades into the   
   assaults on Avdiivka. This resulted in the most significant losses for the   
   Russian Armed Forces in a single battle in 2023 so far. At the same time,   
   the Russian army launched four Iskander-K cruise missiles at Ukrainian   
   territory. The Ukrainian Air Force intercepted three of them, while the   
   fourth missile reportedly missed its target.   
      
   On October 29, the Ukrainian army reported that the Russian army continued   
   its offensive actions in the area around Kupiansk, Avdiivka, and Marinka   
   and tried to regain lost positions near Andriivka and Robotyne. A   
   resumption of Russian attacks in all regions except Lyman, where the   
   regrouping of Russian Armed Forces units is underway, was reported by   
   Ukraine’s army on October 28. The most intense fighting took place in the   
   region around Avdiivka and Marinka.   
      
   In the evening of October 30, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of   
   Ukraine (AFU) noted a reduction in the intensity of Russian attacks   
   compared to the previous days. In particular, there had been no attacks in   
   the regions of Lyman or Zaporizhzhia, though five battles took place near   
   Avdiivka and ten near Marinka.   
      
   The AFU Air Force has reported the shooting down of all twelve Shahed   
   drones, as well as both Kh-59 missiles fired at Ukraine on October 29–30.   
   On October 30, the Russian army hit the Odesa region with Onyx anti-ship   
   missiles. According to the regional administration, a ship repair plant   
   was damaged, and two enterprise employees were wounded.   
      
   Elsewhere, the commander of Ukraine’s Eastern Group troops, Oleksandr   
   Syrskyi, said that Russian forces had brought reinforcements to the   
   Bakhmut region and had transitioned from defense to offense, trying to   
   regain lost positions. In particular, Russian airborne troops and the so-   
   called “Storm Z” units, which are made up of former prisoners recruited in   
   lieu of imprisonment, are being actively used.   
      
   The situation is also complicated in the region of Kupiansk, where Russian   
   units are trying to advance in several directions simultaneously. On   
   October 30, locals reported that explosions were heard and smoke seen   
   overhead in occupied Sevastopol after missiles flew over. The occupation   
   authorities reported that the strikes were carried out with Storm Shadow   
   cruise missiles. On its Telegram channel, the Strategic Communications   
   Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief’s Office   
   confirmed that an air defense facility of the Russian occupation forces in   
   Crimea was hit on October 30. In the same Telegram post, the department   
   also confirmed that, on October 25, it had destroyed an S-400 air defense   
   missile system in occupied Luhansk, which had only been rumored up to that   
   point.   
      
   Meanwhile, on the international engagement front, Ukrainian officials   
   continued to engage with officials from allied countries, including the   
   United States and the United Kingdom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr   
   Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan US congressional delegation on October 30,   
   when he briefed them on the situation at the front and discussed further   
   assistance needed for the Ukrainian armed forces. A few days earlier, on   
   October 28, the New York Times reported that US experts had modified a   
   Soviet-made Ukrainian Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system to fire Patriot   
   missiles. Such “hybrid” SAMs will assist Ukraine in defending itself   
   against Russian missile strikes.   
      
   Elsewhere, on October 26, the commander-in-chief of the AFU, Valerii   
   Zaluzhnyi, held a meeting with Commander of NATO in Europe General   
   Christopher Cavoli, as well as with Admiral Tony Radakin, chief of the   
   British defense staff. Together, they discussed the situation on the   
   front, supplies of ammunition, and air defense equipment for Ukraine. A   
   few days later on October 30, the British defense secretary said that his   
   government would provide more military aid to Ukraine and would not let   
   other countries forget about the war.   
      
   Finally, Azerbaijan sent a large shipment of humanitarian aid to Ukraine,   
   including cables to repair the power grid, a critical need before winter   
   arrives.   
      
   —Ruslan Trad, resident fellow for security research, Sofia, Bulgaria   
   Ramped-up Russian propaganda machine targets the Armenian government   
      
   In an October 25 interview with the Wall Street Journal, two days after   
   signing defense cooperation agreement with France, including an   
   unprecedented agreement on buying French weapons, Armenian Prime Minister   
   Nikol Pashinyan made a resounding call for diversifying Armenia’s security   
   alliances, shaking the traditional (i.e., Russia-favored) balance of power   
   in the region.   
      
   The Wall Street Journal quoted Pashinyan as saying the post factum   
   realities of Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan’s seizure of the   
   territory brought the Armenian government to a decision to diversify   
   relationships in the security sector. Notably, Pashinyan also said he sees   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)