What happened
Russia has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving its war objectives in Ukraine, regardless of the cost. According to the Estonian Defense Forces, Russia has intensified its long-range strikes to deter Ukraine, despite losing over 10,000 troops per week. The number of combat engagements decreased this week compared to the previous week.
Ukrainian forces have been successful in downing up to 50-60% of Russia's jet-propelled drones and are developing countermeasures. Russia's long-range strikes have targeted critical infrastructure, homes, and institutions in at least 15 Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi stated that data and technical infrastructure are being protected by moving some infrastructure underground and using cloud services.
Russia has also tried to disrupt Ukraine's energy system, with a large-scale attack on Kyiv's energy infrastructure on September 30. Ukrainian strikes have hit military and strategic targets in occupied areas and Russian regions, destroying 76 air defense systems in September. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law classifying information on companies' exports as confidential, likely to reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian long-range strikes.
The Estonian Defense Forces reported that front-line fighting averaged 220 engagements per day last week, with the most intense fighting in the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka areas. Ukrainian counterattacks took place mainly in the Lyman, Sloviansk, and Kostiantynivka directions. Russian forces lost an average of 1,700 personnel per day, with losses remaining above 10,000 fighters per week for the fifth consecutive week.
