Victory Chronicles-DAY 961

Germany, in collaboration with Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, is preparing a military aid package worth €1.4 billion for Ukraine. The package is expected to be delivered by the end of 2024 and includes various defense systems such as IRIS-T, Skynex, and Cheetahs, as well as howitzers, artillery systems, armored vehicles, combat drones, radar, and ammunition. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made this announcement ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin. 

Scholz emphasized that Germany is the second-largest donor of military aid to Ukraine and is actively involved in strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. Furthermore, he mentioned that Germany has allocated €4 billion for direct bilateral assistance to Ukraine next year. Additionally, the G7 countries and the European Union are preparing a multi-year loan of $50 billion for Ukraine, to be repaid from frozen Russian assets. Chancellor Scholz expressed confidence that Ukraine can rely on this support.

The Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Sergii Marchenko, has signed a fourth additional agreement with the Government of Canada for an additional loan of CAD 400 million (about USD 300 million). The funds from this loan will be used to cover the state budget’s priority expenditures. This loan is part of Canada’s ongoing support for Ukraine as a strategic partner, with direct budget support exceeding $5 billion since February 2022. The loan has a term of 10 years with an annual interest rate of 1.5% and a grace period of 4.5 years. The funds are expected to be transferred to the state budget’s general fund in the near future.

Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Odesa region, destroying a two-story building and resulting in the deaths of four people, including a teenager. According to Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, the attack trapped people under the rubble. Rescuers were able to save four individuals, but three others died at the scene and another woman passed away later due to her injuries. In addition, ten people were injured and nine of them needed hospitalization, with four in serious condition. Psychological assistance was provided to ten people on-site. The Prosecutor General’s Office later confirmed that the attack was carried out by Russian troops using an Iskander-M ballistic missile. 

The civil defense system in Ukraine recently conducted large-scale tactical and special training exercises aimed at mitigating the impact of enemy missile strikes on chemical and energy facilities as well as high-rise buildings. The training took place from September 16 to October 10 and involved various agencies including the State Emergency Service, National Police, National Guard, and regional military administrations. Each region had an average of 2,000 to 4,000 participants. Specific areas like Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy focused on training related to handling the aftermath of damage to chemically hazardous facilities and high-rise buildings caused by enemy missiles. The training in Khmelnytskyi region focused on addressing the consequences of enemy strikes on energy facilities and the emergence of a radiation threat. 

Russian forces have reportedly struck three civilian vessels docked in Ukrainian ports since October 5, likely as part of intensified Russian military, political, and economic pressure to undermine confidence in Ukraine’s grain corridor, Western support for Ukraine, and push Ukraine into premature negotiations. Ukrainian Odesa Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper stated on October 9 that Russian ballistic missiles struck port infrastructure in Odesa Raion and that Russian missiles struck a civilian container ship under the flag of Panama.

Kiper noted that this was the third Russian strike on a civilian vessel in the last four days and stated that these strikes are an attempt to disrupt Ukraine’s grain corridor, kill civilians, and destroy Ukrainian infrastructure. Ukrainian officials reported that a Russian ballistic missile struck a civilian vessel under the flag of Palau in Odesa’s port on October 7 and that Russian missiles damaged a civilian cargo ship on the night of October 5 to 6 near Odesa City. Russian sources have attempted to justify the recent Russian strikes against civilian ships by claiming that the ships were carrying weapons, but ISW has not observed independent confirmation of these claims.

Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces conducted a cruise missile strike against a civilian cargo ship under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis transporting Ukrainian wheat to Egypt as it was leaving Ukrainian territorial waters in the Black Sea on the night of September 11.

Russian forces have previously heavily targeted Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure in southern Ukraine and have engaged in threatening military posturing in the Black Sea in an effort to damage Ukrainian grain exports and undermine international confidence in Ukraine’s grain corridor.

Russian strikes against civilian vessels in the grain corridor are almost certainly intended to undermine confidence in Ukraine’s ability to enforce and defend the corridor, influence ongoing Western discussions about long-term Western support for Ukraine, and negatively impact Ukraine’s efforts to economically recover amid the ongoing war.

Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna died in Russian captivity in September 2024. According to official information from the Russian authorities, her death allegedly occurred during her transfer from Taganrog to Moscow. She was captured in August 2023 while reporting from the occupied territory. 

Victoria Roshchyna, who was only 27 years old at the time of her death, had embarked on her journalism career at the young age of sixteen. She contributed her talents to Ukrainian Radio and UA:Pershyi channel before joining Hromadske. Her work was also featured in Ukrainska Pravda and Radio Liberty. In recognition of her bravery and commitment to the field, she was honored with the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award in 2022.

Victoria Roshchyna was in the town of Shchastia in the Luhansk region when the full-scale invasion began. She continued her journalistic work even as Russian troops entered the area. She also prepared reports on the hostilities in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. During this period, she was detained by the Russian FSB and taken to the Berdiansk colony. After being held captive for ten days, Victoria was released. Following her release, she resumed her journalism career in Ukraine, steadfast in her dedication to reporting the truth.

In July 2023, Victoria Roshchyna traveled to Poland with plans to enter the occupied territories in eastern Ukraine through Russia within three days. The last communication her family had with her was on August 3, 2023. During this call, Victoria mentioned she had endured several days of border checks but did not disclose her exact location. Following that conversation, all contact with her ceased. It was not until May 2024 that Russian authorities finally disclosed that she had been detained.

“It was Victoria’s birthday recently, and I was afraid to write her anything because I knew she was probably in Russian captivity. I didn’t want to harm her… I remember her very well among thousands of journalists because of her courage and thirst for the profession,” wrote Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy.

“It was not easy with her. If Vika thought a word needed to be corrected in the text, she would call the editors at 12 am and 4 am. Nothing could stop Vika when an idea was born in her head. There was nothing more important to her than journalism. Vika was legendary at the Game. She was an element that we could not tame. Vika was always there, where the most important events for the country took place. And she would continue to do so for many more years…” said her colleague Yevhenia Motorevska.

“Everyone who has worked with you has a story of how you broke down in court, or at protests, or at the seizure of Ukrposhta in Kharkiv on New Year’s Eve. Everyone has a story about coming to the office and not leaving. There was nothing more interesting and important to you than journalism. It’s not about your ability to work, it’s about the fanaticism with which you worked and lived,” added colleague Angelina Karyakina.

The Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reported that Victoria Roshchyna was to be included in one of the next prisoner exchanges.

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

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