Victory Chronicles-DAY 954

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has verified a strike on the Annanefteprodukt fuel and lubricants storage facility located in Russia’s Voronezh region. Russian air defense systems were active near the site, and at least one vertical tank was successfully targeted, igniting a fire. The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) coordinated the operation with other elements of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. An assessment of the damage is underway. This operation follows a preceding drone strike by the SSU on the Borisoglebsk military airfield, also in the Voronezh region.

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The European defense conglomerate KNDS has signed a contract with Ukraine for the supply of 12 CAESAR guns, as announced by French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The agreement was signed on October 3 during an industrial forum in Kyiv, aimed at increasing the production capacity of Ukraine’s defense industry. The financing for the contract will be provided by Ukraine. KNDS, a major arms conglomerate in Europe, was founded by German company KMW and French company Nexter. They offer a diverse portfolio of military equipment including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, and ammunition.

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Russian forces have devastated Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, reducing it to rubble. Continuous shelling has left no buildings standing in the city. Photographers Kostiantyn & Vlada Liberov captured the destruction, sharing images that starkly depict the extent of the damage. They poignantly noted, “Vovchansk no longer exists. There is nothing left. Only dust.”

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Despite sustaining significant losses, the occupying forces persist in their extensive offensive on the defense positions near the village of New York. Recent video footage captures the destruction of enemy infantry and equipment, along with scenes from the defenders’ positions. Over an hour, the attackers relentlessly dispatched additional forces to overwhelm the fortifications manned by the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade and allied units. Thanks to the coordinated efforts involving attack UAVs, artillery, tanks, and infantry, all assaults were successfully repelled, resulting in severe losses for the Russians in both personnel and equipment.

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Russian forces have recently made notable tactical gains but have not demonstrated a capacity to seize operationally significant objectives. ISW distinguishes between tactical gains, which are relevant at the tactical level of war in the near vicinity of the fighting, and operational gains, which are significant at the operational level of war and affect large sectors of the entire frontline. Russian forces seized Vuhledar in western Donetsk Oblast as of October 1, and the settlement will likely afford Russian forces an improved tactical position for pursuing their operational effort to advance towards the H-15 (Donetsk City–Zaporizhzhia City) highway and eliminate the wide Ukrainian salient in western Donetsk Oblast.

The Russian seizure of Vuhledar will not on its own radically change the operational situation in western Donetsk Oblast, however, and Russian forces will likely struggle to achieve their operational objectives in the area during the ongoing offensive operation in western Donetsk Oblast.

Russian offensive operations that are pursuing operationally significant objectives, like the Russian effort to seize Chasiv Yar or to push Ukrainian forces off the left (east) bank of the Oskil River, have either stalled or are resulting in particularly gradual gains over long stretches of time, respectively. Russian forces continue to prioritize their offensive push towards Pokrovsk, and the operational significance of seizing the city will likely in part depend on the Russian military’s ability to leverage the city in wider operational maneuver in Donetsk Oblast.

Russian forces have tried and failed to conduct wide operational maneuver across several axes throughout Donetsk Oblast on several occasions during the full-scale invasion and are currently conducting intensified offensive operations in pursuit of more limited objectives on only two mutually supporting sectors of the frontline in Donetsk Oblast (western Donetsk Oblast and the Pokrovsk direction).

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Senior Sergeant Oleksii Nedolia, with the call sign  Popeye, died on February 22, 2024, in a battle near the village of Ivanivske, Donetsk region. He received fatal injuries as a result of a mortar attack. The warrior was 53 years old.

Oleksiy was born in Kyiv. In 1986, he entered the Riga Maritime School. After graduation, he studied at the Odesa Institute of Naval Engineers. During his studies, he fell in love with the sea for the rest of his life. He dreamed of sailing around the world on a yacht. At the age of 50, he bought his own yacht. In civilian life, he was a private entrepreneur. He had many hobbies: hunting, skiing, hockey, sailing.

On February 24, 2022, the man joined the ranks of the defenders. He served in the 130th battalion of the 241st separate territorial defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a platoon sergeant.

He chose his call sign in honor of the comic book and cartoon character Popeye. Oleksii had a tattoo of an anchor on his arm, he was a sailor and loved spinach, just like Popeye the sailor.

“My dad was a conscious person with a capital C. He was always there for me, even if there were thousands of kilometers between him and his children. His boundless love was enough for all five children and even more. He adored this life. Dad’s life was like an immense chest of incredible fairy tales, but it was his reality, which he built himself and taught his family to live this way, to the fullest, giving 100%, as if it were the last time. In the army, in 2 years of fierce struggle, he rose from a private fighter to a senior sergeant. He gained iron authority and respect from his comrades. His cheerfulness, life and military attitude, courage and actions repeatedly saved the personnel from critical situations on the battlefield. He was not afraid to take initiative and responsibility. By his example of courage, steadfastness and combat experience, he taught the guys and led them. He was always the first to enter combat positions and the last to leave, saving the lives of his personnel. His comrades-in-arms always followed him confidently, without looking back. As a father and family man, he was very sensitive and loving. He always fostered in his children a love of life and values. He raised conscious Ukrainians. A lifetime would not have been enough to know him as a person and the depth of his soul. This is the most painful loss for the whole family,” said Anastasia Nedolia.

Oleksii was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Kyiv. He is survived by his father, wife and five children.

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

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