Russian losses double near Dobropillya, ISW says. A Russian drone attack kills a family of four in Sumy region, the mother was pregnant with twins. The EU pledges 2 billion euros for drone production in Ukraine.
Russian losses double near Dobropillya, ISW says
Only one out of every 10 attacking Russian soldiers in the Novopavlivka direction reach Ukrainian positions. Russian forces operating in the Dobropillya tactical area are suffering an average of 10 personnel casualties every day – up from an earlier average of two to five at an unspecified time, according to Ukrainian service members cited by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in an update on Monday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the report.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on September 29 that Ukrainian forces have “surrounded” some Russian units in the Dobropillya direction. Syrskyi stated that Ukrainian forces have liberated roughly 175 square kilometers and cleared almost 195 square kilometers of Russian sabotage groups.
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Dobropillya area reported that the number of Russian assault groups and the number of soldiers moving in each group have increased.
The NCO stated that Russian forces are suffering an average of 10 personnel casualties every day – up from an earlier average of two to five at an unspecified time. The NCO stated that Russian naval infantry elements, including elements of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade (Pacific Fleet), recently entered combat in the brigade’s area of responsibility (AoR), after which the number of Russian assaults and losses increased. The NCO reported that Russian forces in the area are having issues with fuel and lubricant supplies due to Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries.
Russian forces advanced near Velykyi Burluk, Lyman, Siversk, Novopavlivka, and Velykomykhailivka and in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.
Ukrainian Dnipro Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Viktor Trehubov stated that Russian forces are trying to advance into Pokrovsk in small groups. Trehubov stated that Russian forces in the area are poorly trained and are mostly Russian citizens who signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the financial incentives.
A Ukrainian servicemember operating in the Novopavlivka direction reported that Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian attacks and beginning to push Russian forces back in the brigade’s AoR.
Russian drone attack kills a family of four in Sumy region, the mother was pregnant with twins
A married couple and their two young sons were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack in the village of Chernechchyna in Sumy region on Tuesday. Twenty-six-year-old Alyona Lesnichenko was pregnant with twins, local news site Kordon.Media said after speaking with neighbors of the woman and with the village head.
The Lesnichenko family moved to Chernechchyna from the Town of Krasnopillya, which is also in the region of Sumy, the village head Oksana Chernova told Kordon.Media. Russia has been pounding Krasnopillya with attacks, and in November 2024, the Sumy regional military administration ordered a mandatory evacuation from the town.
The Lesnichenko family’s house in Krasnopillya was damaged. The family went to live in Chernechchyna, Alyona’s native village, where she had her parents’ house.
Her husband, 35-year-old Oleksandr was a service member. Their sons, Denys and Yehor, were 4 and 6.
The Russian attack occurred at around 2:40 a.m., the Sumy regional military administration said. The house was almost completely destroyed, with only a wall and part of a fence still standing. Children’s clothes were still drying outside on the ropes, the news piece said.
Twelve families in Chernechchyna lost their homes in the attack. Four apartment buildings were severely damaged, the head of the village said.
EU pledges 2 billion euros for drone production in Ukraine
The EU will commit 2 billion euros to supply drones to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday during a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.
“If we continue to believe that Ukraine is our first line of defense, we need to step up our military assistance to Ukraine. Concretely, we have agreed with Ukraine that a total of EUR 2 billion will be spent on drones. This allows Ukraine to scale up its drone production capacity and will allow the EU to benefit from this technology,” von der Leyen said.
“Europe must deliver a strong and united response to Russia’s drone incursions at our borders. That is why we will propose immediate actions to create the drone wall as part of Eastern Flank Watch [project]. We must move fast forward — together with Ukraine and in close coordination with NATO,” she added.
The EU is rushing to spend billions on setting up a “drone wall” with technology that has been battle-tested in Ukraine, after Russia’s recent forays into NATO’s airspace, the Financial Times said earlier this month.
EU Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius told Ukriform in an interview earlier this month that the EU eyes establishing a “drone wall” on the bloc’s eastern borders and engaging Ukraine in the project given its extensive experience in countering Russian drones.
