Russia steps up offensive actions near Lyman and Porkovsk,- Ukrainian General Staff
Source: Ukraine’s General Staff /Telegram
In its Friday update, Ukraine’s General Staff said that Russian troops appear to be stepping up offensive operations in the Lyman and Pokrovsk directions, with 84 combat clashes reported along the front line positions.
The Kharkiv region has faced relentless bombardment, with at least five airstrikes launched from the Russian cities of Belgorod and Shebekino. Nine guided bombs targeted the towns of Vovchansk, Hlyboke, and Ruska Lozova.
Ukrainian forces successfully repelled two enemy assaults near Hlyboke, although two combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy launched two unsuccessful assaults near Synkivka. The occupiers targeted Ukrainian positions near Stepova Novoselivka with unguided air rockets, and two guided bombs were dropped near Kurylivka.
The Lyman front saw 17 enemy attacks near Nevske, Makiivka, Hrekivka, Terny, and in the Serebryansky Forest. Eleven assaults were thwarted, while six battles continue. A third of all combat engagements were reported near Terny.
Russian troops are also trying to push at Siversk, with six attacks repelled near Spirne, Bilohorivka, and Vyiimka. Fighting is currently ongoing near Spirne, where the situation remains stable.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy launched three unsuccessful assaults on Ukrainian positions near Kalynivka, Klishchiivka, and Ivanivske. Additionally, two air attacks targeted Chasiv Yar.
In the Toretsk direction, Ukrainian troops dealt with nine enemy attacks. Supported by air force, the enemy made two attempts to advance near New York and Toretsk, and four more attempts near Pivnichne. Fighting is still ongoing in three communities that experienced five airstrikes over the day.
Pokrovsk continues to see the highest number of combat clashes. The invaders have attempted 29 assaults, trying to push back Ukrainian defenders from positions near Kalynove, Novooleksandrivka, Yevhenivka, Novoselivka Persha, Yasnobrodivka, and Netailove. Nearly half of the attacks occurred near Novooleksandrivka and Novoselivka Persha, backed by three airstrikes.
Ukrainian forces have repelled 17 enemy assaults, with 12 clashes still ongoing.
Fighting continues near Kurakhove. Ukrainian defenders have repelled six attacks as the enemy shifts its offensive towards Krasnohorivka. Russian troops dropped guided bombs near Maksymilianivka and Kostyantynivka.
In the Vremivka direction, three enemy assaults were repelled near Kostyantynivka and two more near Vodiane, while two air bombs targeted Yelyzavetivka.
In the Orikhiv direction, Russian troops faced fierce resistance near Mala Tokmachka, where they launched 32 unguided air rockets targeting Lugove.
The General Staff stated that Ukrainian defenders are holding the defensive lines and inflicting “maximum losses” on the enemy.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.