Victory Chronicles-DAY 1029

Communication between Russian personnel captured by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) indicates that Russian units and their North Korean counterparts have sustained significant losses in the Kursk region. 

The SBU intercepted a conversation between a nurse in Moscow and her husband, who is fighting against Ukraine in the Kharkiv region. The nurse mentioned that more than 200 wounded North Korean soldiers had been brought to a hospital near Moscow within a few days of their deployment on the battlefield. 

The Pentagon has reported that the Ukrainian military may have killed or injured “several hundred” North Korean soldiers who were sent to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. 

According to Ukraine’s designated human rights ombudsman monitor, Dmytro Lubinets, there have been 177 confirmed cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

One-hundred nine cases were documented this year, indicating a systemic nature to the human rights violation phenomenon. Lubinets said that in previous years, it was challenging to confirm and document these cases since most of the information came from intelligence and law enforcement agencies. However, in 2024, many incidents were recorded on video, providing undeniable evidence of the executions. Ukraine’s ombudsman acknowledged that not all cases are officially documented, but the available evidence strongly suggests the occurrence of these events. 

Ukraine’s Rapid Operational Response Unit (KORD) of the Special Forces receives a modified BAD-2 robotic dog from its international partners. 

The robot, manufactured by Brit Alliance, is a ground drone with four legs that is remotely controlled by an operator. Its main function is to conduct reconnaissance in both open areas and various facilities, which helps to reduce the risks faced by police officers during dangerous tasks. The BAD-2 is equipped with a high-resolution video camera and thermal imager, and can be controlled remotely from a distance of more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). 

This robotic system, specifically modified for the needs of the National Police, was made possible through international assistance from Criscon 24. The use of this robotic dog in ground reconnaissance missions will enhance the safety of Special Forces personnel by minimizing their exposure to risks.

Ukraine’s Police Patrol releases a video showing the destruction of Russian occupiers’ equipment in the Toretsk sector of the front.  The video shows soldiers of the Khyzhak (predator) patrol police brigade destroying Russian vehicles. 

The Kremlin and Russian propagandists overwhelmingly attempted to frame Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov’s assassination as an unprovoked terrorist act, rather than a consequence of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the slain high-level officer’s responsibility for Russian chemical weapons attacks and information operations against Ukraine. 

Russian Investigative Committee official Svetlana Petrenko announced that Lt. Gen. Kirillov and Maj. Ilya Polokarpov’s deaths were designated as terrorist acts. 

Furthermore, Russian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova mentioned the Russian general’s prominent role in spreading numerous (false) narratives about Ukraine’s and NATO’s alleged use of chemical and biological weapons.

Over the year, Lt. Gen. Kirillov spread several false narratives, such as nonsensically claiming that the U.S. established “biolabs” in Ukraine and other countries around Russia and that the Pentagon deliberately destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) to spread contagious diseases via insects.

The Kremlin notably used the false claims as a pretext for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Federation Council Committee of Defense and Security Member Vladimir Chizhov, among other Russian officials and propagandists, claimed that Western and Ukrainian security officials hated Kirillov for “exposing” Western provocations in Russia.

Soldier Dmytro Rabyi, call sign Gonchyk, was killed in an enemy mortar attack near the town of Zalizne, Donetsk region. The soldier fought his last battle on his birthday of Aug. 25 at the age of 32 years. 

Rabyi was born in the northwestern city of Lutsk. He studied at the Kamen-Kashyr Higher Vocational School, where he received a degree in painting and plastering. In 2011-2012, he served in the 80th Air Assault Galician Brigade.  After being discharged, he worked in construction at home and abroad. 

He was interested in everything related to construction and repair work, everything that could be done with his own hands. He loved to drive. 

After the start of the full-scale war, on Feb. 28, 2022, he defended the country as part of the 100th Separate Mechanised Brigade, serving as an anti-aircraft gunner in the anti-aircraft missile platoon of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Division. 

“My angel, who gave the most valuable thing for us, for peace, for Ukraine — his life… Without waiting for birthday greetings from his family, he died, leaving me with our unborn child. A bright, kind, sincere man, a loyal friend, a loving husband and father who knew how to love and showed me what true love is, how to be friends, love, and forgive. I am grateful to God that I met Dima. The man was always in a hurry, travelling somewhere, it was hard to find him in one place, so it is not surprising that he received the nickname Racer. Dmytro during the war became interested in modelling, he could construct an exhibition tank from collected shell casings,” his widowed wife Natalia said.

The defender was buried in a new cemetery in the village of Rakiv Lis in the Volyn region. Rabyi is survived by his parents, brothers Ilya and Bohdan, and his wife Nataliia, who was pregnant at the time of her husband’s death.

*Rabyi’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• Reuters: NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Kyiv from U.S.
• Tusk urges not to speculate on Ukraine’s possible loss
• Gazprom shares fall to 16-year low
• EU is preparing 16th package of sanctions against Russia
• Zelenskyy: No world leader has the right to negotiate with Putin on behalf of Ukraine
• NYT: Biden Administration Running Out of Time to Send Allocated Aid to Ukraine
• Biden’s administration confident U.S. military aid allocated to Ukraine to be sufficient to fight until the end of 2025