On October 14, the EU Foreign Ministers discussed the extension of the European Union Military Assistance Mission, which trains Ukrainian forces.
Josep Borrell is the top diplomat of the European Union. He stressed the enormous pressure on Ukraine‘s armed forces, saying that “we must give them more capabilities and strengthen the training mission.”
He confirmed that he plans to extend the EUMAM for another two-year period, pending the approval of the EU Council.
EUMAM was established in 2022 and conducts training in Poland and Germany.
Borrell has promised to visit Ukraine as soon as a final decision was made.
He also spoke about the progress made in unblocking the frozen European Peace Facility Funds, which reimburse EU nations for military aid provided to Ukraine.
Hungary, widely regarded as the EU member closest to the Kremlin, has repeatedly blocked aid for Ukraine, claiming that it “prolongs” the war and “escalates”. Since Robert Fico, the Ukraine-skeptic prime minister, took office in Slovakia last fall these views have been repeated often.
A proposed reform to the European Peace Facility would make financial contributions optional, in order to bypass Hungary’s objection to military aid to Ukraine. This has led to a backlog of 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion).
On Oct. 14, hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses and media outlets including the Kyiv Independent received bomb threats by email. This prompted evacuations. The threats were linked to a recent Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty investigation into Russian security services sabotage of Ukraine.
Andrii Kostin, the prosecutor general of Brazil, said that “in light of information that Putin may attend G20 in Brazil I would like reiterate that the Brazilian authorities are required to arrest him as a party to the Rome Statute if he dares visit.”
According to Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, Russia’s fall and winter plans include “the actual participation of North Korea in war”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 14.
The treaty stipulates that both countries must provide military support to each other in the event of an attack. The first treaty was signed by Putin in June 2024 with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl, Moscow‘s ultimate goal is to “push” the U.S. “out of Europe,” to roll back NATO borders to the 1990s and to create a Russian sphere of influence that will cement a new world order.
Russian investigators claimed Laurent Vinatier, in addition to violating the registration of foreign agents, had pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining military information.
According to the regional prosecutor, an FPV drone targeted a civilian vehicle with five passengers inside, killing two women, aged 72 and 56. It also injured a man, 72, and a woman, 63, and injuring a woman, 72.
Pavlo Rozlach said that the commander of Ukraine’s 80th air assault brigade, Pavlo, had reported that a Ukrainian company had sneaked into Kursk Oblast and hidden in the forest in groups of six soldiers.
According to an analysis published on October 14 by the Kyiv Institute of Economics (KSE), 70% of Russia’s seaborne exports are transported by its “shadow fleet” – older and poorly insured tanks.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that “there can be no appeasement of Russia when it continues to try and solve the ‘problem,’ of Ukraine’s existence.”
The EU’s new sanctions list includes individuals and entities that are responsible for the transfer of drones and rockets to Russia.
Oleh Kiper, Governor of Odesa Oblast, said that the attack damaged two civilian ships — NS Moon flying a Belizean flag and the Palauan flagged OPTIMA. The Russians targeted the latter on October 7 last week.
Voloshyn, when asked by the Kyiv independent about the alleged seizure Levadne said that the situation is “developing quite dynamically”, and each side can regain the leadership.
The official told Argumenty i Fakty (a Kremlin-controlled outlet) that the number includes 12,328 people who are placed in temporary facilities throughout Russia, and around 100,000 people who live with family and friends.
Mykhailo Podolyak, the presidential advisor to the Wall Street Journal, told them in an article published on October 14 that Ukraine’s victory plans include a request for more ATACMS missiles and Storm Shadows as well as permission to launch them against military targets in Russia.
The lull was caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine in September with over 1,300 Shahed Kamikaze drones, which targeted settlements all across the country every day for a month. This daily pattern has continued into the first days in October.
Over 2,000 military personnel will be involved in the two-week exercises, as well as 60 aircraft from eight bases. The drills will take place over the airspace of Denmark, the U.K. and the North Sea in Belgium and the Netherlands. Thirteen NATO countries will send aircraft to participate.
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