Ukraine war latest: Zelensky confirms first use of Flamingo and Ruta long-range missiles against Russia
Editor's note: This was the edition of Ukraine war latest for Oct. 28. Read Ukraine war latest for Oct. 29 here.
This is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,342 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The top story on Oct. 28:
Ukraine used its domestically produced Flamingo and Ruta long-range missiles in combat for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27, praising their effectiveness.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure that this year we try not just one, two, or three, but to make a serious attempt (to do more)," Zelensky said in a closed-door briefing, as reported by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
Zelensky did not elaborate where or when the Flamingo or Ruta missiles were used.
Outmanned and outgunned on the front, Ukraine has relied on its long-range capabilities, enabled by Western-provided weapons and its homemade drones, to hit deep in Russia's rear to disrupt its logistics and slowly grind down its fighting capability. With Western military aid running low each year, Ukraine has turned to producing its own long-range weapons and has asked for financial backing from its allies, insisting that it has "all the knowledge."
Zelensky admitted in the briefing that Ukraine's remaining supplies of European long-range missiles are running low, according to Ukrainian news agency Interfax. Ukraine only has the British Storm Shadow missiles in "normal quantities," in addition to "a smaller number" of the French long-range SCALP missiles, Interfax reported, citing Zelensky.
While Zelensky praised Flamingo as the "most successful" missile in Ukraine's arsenal in August, the maker of the domestically produced missile, a deep-strike drone company called Fire Point, is tainted with controversy.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has been investigating Fire Point over concerns that it inflated the components' value or the number of drones it delivers to the army, or both, sources with knowledge of the investigation, who include current and former govrnment officials and industry representatives, told the Kyiv Independent in August.
Weapon production has been kept a wartime secret, making it difficult for independent investigations to scrutinize money flows.
Fire Point confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the investigation exists but denied the accusations, downplaying its significance.
Allied forces shoot down unidentified drone near southern Estonia military base
Last updated 6:50 p.m. Kyiv time.
Two drones of unknown origin were spotted near a military base in southern Estonia, one of which was shot down by allied forces, Estonian media outlet Postimees reported on Oct. 28.
The incident occurred on Oct. 17 near Camp Reedo, a military base around 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Tallinn, which plays an important role in the rotation of U.S. forces stationed in Estonia.
According to Liis Vaksmann, a representative of Estonia's General Staff, efforts by the armed forces and the Police and Border Guard Board to recover the downed drone were unsuccessful.
"The armed forces do not comment in detail on security-related incidents," Vaksmann added.
This comes amid a surge in mysterious drone sightings across European countries, raising fears of Russian involvement in hybrid warfare and renewed concern about the alliance's security.
Russian troops outnumber Ukraine 8-1 in Pokrovsk sector, Zelensky says
Last updated 2:40 p.m. Kyiv time.
Russia outnumbers Ukrainian troops eight-to-one in their offensive to capture the semi-surrounded city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27.
"(Russian troops) have devoted such forces to the Pokrovsk (sector) that Ukraine cannot devote to one direction (of the front) — one to eight people," Zelensky told journalists in a briefing, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
"Imagine how many Russian forces are there. But at the same time, they have not achieved the planned result."
After capturing Avdiivka, a long-time Ukrainian stronghold located over 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, in February 2024, Russian troops have gradually advanced toward Pokrovsk, once a key Ukrainian logistics hub tucked away in a relatively safe part of Donetsk Oblast.
Russian troops have surrounded Pokrovsk from three sides, leaving about a 15-kilometer (about nine miles) gap for the Ukrainian military to bring in troops and supplies, according to the Ukrainian open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState.
Russian drone strikes German newspaper Die Welt team in eastern Ukraine, 3 wounded
Last updated 5:03 p.m. Kyiv time.
German newspaper Die Welt's chief reporter Ibrahim Naber and his team came under a Russian Lancet drone attack while working in eastern Ukraine on Oct. 13, injuring him and two other crew members.
Naber said in an Oct. 28 Instagram post that his team had just finished interviewing a Ukrainian soldier with an air defense unit around 25-30 kilometers from the front line when the Lancet struck — killing the soldier he had just interviewed. Another soldier suffered a serious injury that led to a leg amputation, he added.
The reporting team was a few meters away from the three-man air defense crew, who were on duty to down Russian long-range drones flying toward Ukrainian cities, according to Naber.
"They saved many lives — before the attack hit them," Naber said.
Death toll of Oct. 22 attack on Kyiv rises to 3, Klitschko says
The death toll of the Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv has risen to three, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Oct. 28.
A woman was hospitalized in serious condition following the attack. She died in a hospital on Oct. 28, according to Klitschko.
A large-scale missile and drone attack on energy infrastructure across Ukraine killed six people and injured at least 44 overnight on Oct. 22, according to authorities.
In Kyiv, three people were killed and 29 were injured, while four were killed in the Brovarsky district of Kyiv Oblast, regional authorities said.
Ukraine says it struck 2 Russian radar stations, launch pad for missile system, HUR releases video
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 28 that it struck two Russian radar stations and a launch pad for a Russian anti-aircraft missile system in the eastern Donbas region.
Attaching drone footage of the claimed attacks, HUR said in a Telegram post that its "Ghost" special forces unit "systematically" targeted Russian air defense systems in the Donbas over the past two weeks, destroying two 48Ya6-K1 Podlet low-altitude radar and a 9A82 launcher from the S-300V complex.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify HUR's claim. The Russian Defense Ministry has not reacted to the report on the recent damage its air defense systems took in the Donbas, as neither side rarely admits war setbacks.
HUR's statement comes as Ukrainian forces are slowly pushed back from their strongholds in the Donbas, outnumbered and overwhelmed by the relentless Russian small infantry assaults across the front.
At least 4 killed, 12 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Oct. 23.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 26 out of the 38 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Twelve strikes were recorded at four locations.
In Kherson Oblast, two people were killed, six were injured due to Russian strikes, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Critical and social infrastructure in residential areas of Kherson Oblast was targeted, according to Prokudin. One high-rise building and six houses, along with farm buildings, a garage, and several cars, were damaged.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was killed, 5 injured as a result of Russian attacks on several districts, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov.
In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed one civilian and injured one, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. According to Filashkin, 17 houses, three apartment buildings, one infrastructure facility, and two vehicles were damaged.
No injuries reported after Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,137,850 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,137,850 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Oct. 28.
The number includes 1,060 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,299 tanks, 23,508 armored fighting vehicles, 65,786 vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,044 artillery systems, 1,529 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,230 air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 346 helicopters, 75,054 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
