He welcomes the “good results” of his army in this strategic area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed further advances by Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Friday evening, October 21. According to the leader, who spoke in a video, more than 30 Russian tanks were captured there. An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, also reported “88 localities taken over” to Russian forces in the region. Follow our live.
Meeting between the Russian and American Defense Ministers. The Russian Defense Ministers, Sergei Shoigu, and American, Lloyd Austin, exchanged by telephone on Friday, the head of the Pentagon stressing the need to keep “communication channels” open. Lloyd Austin also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiï Reznikov, reiterating “the unwavering commitment of the United States to support Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian aggression”.
A strike in Kherson kills four according to Moscow, kyiv denies. The Russian authorities announced the death of four people, including two journalists, during a night bombardment on a bridge spanning the Dnieper river in Kherson. The Ukrainian military responded by denying targeting civilians: “We don’t touch critical infrastructure, we don’t touch peaceful settlements and local people”said a spokeswoman, Natalia Goumeniouk.
kyiv calls for an observation mission at the Kakhovka dam. Ukraine on Friday requested an international observation mission at the Kakhovka dam, upstream from Kherson, where it accuses Russia of “consciously preparing the ground for a large-scale catastrophe”. On Thursday, Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of having “mined the dam and units of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station”, which the Russian occupation authorities in Kherson deny. For the past ten days, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been seriously damaged by Russian forces as winter approaches.