Weekly Ukraine war summary: Russia loses Mi-28 and Su-34 aircraft as its forces advance north of Vuhledar, Ukrainian drones reach Chechnya

The Ukrainian Telegram channel Military Journal has published statistics on aerial targets neutralized by Ukrainian air defense in October. According to these calculations, the interception rate was 90%, with 1,795 out of 1,992 targets shot down. The breakdown includes:

Shaheds and other drones: 1,785 out of 1,914 (93%)
Kh-59 guided air-to-ground missiles: 0 out of 13 (0%)
Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air-to-ground missiles: 7 out of 20 (35%)
Iskander-K cruise missiles: 1 out of 1 (100%)
Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles: 0 out of 23 (0%)
Kinzhal missiles: 2 out of 3 (67%)
Kh-22 anti-ship missiles: 0 out of 2 (0%)
Kh-31P air-to-ground missiles: 0 out of 4 (0%)
Kh-35 anti-ship missiles: 0 out of 1 (0%)
S-300/S-400 SAMs: 0 out of 11 (0%)

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) the interception of 223 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs over Russia, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea. The following targets were hit by Ukrainian forces over the week:

Losses

Pro-war Telegram channels linked to the Russian Aerospace Forces reported (1, 2) the crash of a Mi-28 helicopter in the Kerch Strait, resulting in the death of its crew. Additionally, several posts speculated on the loss of a Su-34 fighter-bomber and the deaths of its crew (1, 2, 3). Other sources also mentioned the crash of a Su-25 attack aircraft near an airfield, with indications that the pilot sustained injuries.

Analyst Naalsio has updated the counts of visually confirmed military equipment losses in the Kursk sector. From Oct. 15-28, an additional 36 Ukrainian and 68 Russian pieces of equipment were recorded as lost. Amid the ongoing Russian counteroffensive in the region, Russian equipment losses have reportedly outpaced those of Ukraine. Overall, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost at least 287 pieces of equipment in this sector, while Russian forces have lost at least 249.

The Telegram channel Spy Dossier reported two incidents of “friendly fire” within the Russian army. According to the channel, on Oct. 25, near the settlement of Kremyanoye in the Kursk region, Private Aleksandr Ryabov fatally shot Captain Dmitry Slepnev, deputy commander of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Battalion of the 810th Marine Brigade, following a verbal altercation. On Oct. 26, near Novopokrovka in the Zaporizhzhia region, serviceman Maksim Fedorchenko of the 2nd «V» Assault Company, 38th Motorized Rifle Brigade, reportedly shot and killed ten sleeping comrades before fleeing; a search for him is ongoing.

Weapons and military vehicles

During the week, the following packages of military assistance from Ukraine's Western partners were announced:

Croatia will supply Ukraine with 30 M-84 tanks and 30 M-80 infantry fighting vehicles of Yugoslavian production through Germany, in exchange for Germany's order of 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks.
France will equip and train an additional brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in addition to the brigade named after Anna of Kyiv, whose personnel are currently undergoing training in the country.
Canada has sent a medical variant of ASCV armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
Northern European countries will procure equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Ukrainian defense industry using a «Danish model,» with Sweden and Norway already announcing investments.
Norway will also partially finance Romania's transfer of Patriot air defense systems, as well as the procurement of armaments and spare parts for F-16 fighters. Additionally, Norway will provide Ukraine with 130 inflatable boats.
Lithuania has delivered electric generators, artillery ammunition, mortar shells, and winter preparation equipment to Ukraine.
Previously supplied Sea King helicopters will be equipped with modern missiles, potentially including Brimstone and Marte ER anti-ship missiles.

Ukraine plans to make a large-scale request to South Korea for arms supplies due to the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the front. According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has already supplied Russia with 8 million 152-mm and 122-mm artillery rounds. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that artillery munitions from North Korea account for 60% of what Russian forces are using on the front, with another 10% coming from Iran, and only 30% from Russian domestic production.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also equipping their vehicles with foldable anti-drone «canopies,» recently seen on the American M2 ODS Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Meanwhile, the Russian frontline defense industry has introduced a Mavic 3 quadcopter equipped with a cope cage, fitted a T-72B3 tank with rebar «dreads» on its turret, come up with a bizarre engineering construct based on the T-62M tank, and modified a «humpbacked» Zaporozhets known as «Zhorik.»