Hello, this is Chris York from a cloudy fall day in Kyiv on day 1,350 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today’s top story so far:
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on Nov. 4 released footage of what is said was an ongoing special operation in the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast.
The video shows both drone and on-the-ground footage of drone strikes, tanks, infantry, helicopters, and artillery, providing an insight into the scale of the battle to save the city from encroaching Russian forces.
HUR said the footage showed the work of the Timur Special Unit. “Fierce battles are taking place with the Russian occupiers,” it added.
Ukrainian forces said on Nov. 3 that they stopped a Russian attempt to advance north of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in Donetsk Oblast, which is semi-circled by Russian forces and the site of fierce fighting.
Reports over the weekend suggested that HUR launched a special operation involving airborne assault units in Pokrovsk under the command of HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov.
Reuters reported on Oct. 31 that the raid began earlier this week, when Ukrainian special forces landed from a Black Hawk helicopter in areas compromised by Russian drone activity.
A video seen by the agency appears to show at least 10 soldiers disembarking in an open field. The location and date of the footage have not been independently verified.
Explosions rock Russian ammunition depot, oil refineries, petrochemical plant amid mass Ukrainian drone strike
Last updated 12:27 pm Kyiv time.
Explosions rocked a Russian ammunition facility in occupied Luhansk Oblast, and a petrochemical plant and oil enterprises across Russia, media reported overnight on Nov. 4.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that it shot down 85 drones overnight across Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod, Kursk, Lipetsk, Volgograd, and Sverdlovsk oblasts, as well as in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
The blasts occurred amid a reported drone attack on the site in the city of Dovzhansk, Luhansk Oblast. The city is located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of the city of Luhansk and has been occupied by Russian forces since 2014.
Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
Explosions rock Russian ammunition depot, oil refineries, petrochemical plant amid mass Ukrainian drone strike
Explosions were reported at a petrochemical plant in Sterlitamak, a city in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan.
Kramatorsk, Ukraine’s iconic front-line rail stop, closed for ‘indefinite period’
Last updated 11:49 a.m. Kyiv time.
A key train route iconic for being a meeting and departure point for Ukrainian soldiers and their loved ones has been reduced for an “indefinite period” due to safety concerns amid Russia intensifying strikes on railway infrastructure, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) told the Kyiv Independent on Nov. 4
Trains that ran from Kyiv and Lviv to Kramatorsk, a city in Donetsk Oblast located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the front line, will now have their final destination in the city of Husarivka in Kharkiv Oblast.
Kramatorsk train station, the last stop before the front lines in Ukraine’s east, became well-known as a place where people saw off soldiers heading to the front, as well as greeting those returning.
According to Ukrainian Railways, the Donetsk Regional Military Administration provides buses to further transfer passengers from Husarivka to frontline cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
“We continue to operate wherever possible from a safety perspective and appreciate your understanding,” Ukrainian Railways said.
Kramatorsk, Ukraine’s iconic front-line rail stop, closed for ‘indefinite period’
Trains that ran to Kramatorsk will now have their final destination in the city of Husarivka in Kharkiv Oblast.
At least 3 killed, 23 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least six people have been killed and 30 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Nov. 3.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 92 out of the 130 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys launched by Russia overnight. Russia also launched six missiles, none of which were intercepted, according to the Air Force. As of the morning of Nov. 3, 31 drone and missile hits were recorded at 14 locations.
In Donetsk Oblast, two people were killed and two others injured, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kherson Oblast, six people were injured, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 65-year-old woman was killed, and eleven people, including two children were injured, Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia targeted seven settlements, injuring four people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,145,670 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,145,670 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 Nov. 4.
The number includes 840 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,326 tanks (+5), 23,532 (+1) armored fighting vehicles, 66,504 (+93) vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,249 (+42) artillery systems, 1,535 multiple launch rocket systems (+1), 1,235 air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 346 helicopters, 77,860 (+425) drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
These people just escaped Russian-occupied Ukraine — but some say they need to go back
Editor’s note: The names of those coming from Russian-occupied territories have been changed for security reasons. On the Ukraine-Belarus border, the wind cuts to the bone. Olena, a retiree from the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has just crossed the Volyn humanitarian corridor after nearly four years of living in fear. Dressed in the thickest, warmest overcoat she owns, Olena is still shivering from the cold. Yet she still vividly recalls the summer heat and drought in her nati
