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Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberated an additional 96.2 square kilometers of territory from Russian occupation in October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He noted that this was 10.4 square kilometers more than Russian forces captured during the month.
Zelenskyy also said the Russian military suffered its highest personnel losses since the start of the full-scale invasion in October. Ukrainian forces killed or wounded 54,400 Russian troops over the month.
“Daily losses also reached a record: the Russian army lost 2,250 troops on Oct. 21,” he added.
The president compared the monthly figure to the population of Russia’s Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the capacity of 200 Moscow Metro train cars, or the number of soldiers participating in nine military parades on Red Square.
Recently, Ukrainian forces completed the fourth phase of Operation Vivaldi in the Lyman direction, liberating 16 settlements and reclaiming 277 square kilometers of territory. The operation helped thwart Russian plans to encircle Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, according to reports.
Ukraine’s Defense Forces also carried out Operation Veles near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, advancing more than 15 kilometers through underground infrastructure. Zelenskyy described the operation as “well-planned and technologically advanced.”
Ukrainian troops blocked Russian infantry from infiltrating Kupiansk through a gas pipeline.
