Hi, this is Tania Myronyshena reporting from Kyiv on day 1,332 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story so far:
Russia shot down its own military aircraft over Crimea while its air defense was trying to intercept Ukrainian drones flying to the occupied peninsula and deep inside Russia overnight, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said on Oct. 17.
"They repelled Ukrainian attacks so much that they were able to shoot down their own plane today over Crimea," Pletenchuk said on Ukrainian national television.
The Ukrainian drone attack appears to have hit a facility near the Gvardeyskoye airbase in Crimea, and the footages appear to show the oil depot nearby on fire, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported.
The Russian occupational administration in Sevastopol has stayed silent on the possible consequences of the Ukrainian attack.
In Russia, cities including Sochi, about 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, were under attack.
Ukraine halts Russian spring-summer offensive, Syrskyi says
Last updated 13:30 pm Kyiv time.
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the spring-summer offensive campaign of the Russian army has been successfully stopped by Ukrainian forces.
"I can state with confidence: Ukrainian warriors have ceased the enemy’s spring-summer offensive campaign and continue to disrupt the Kremlin’s further plans by employing asymmetric measures to neutralize the adversary’s advantages in personnel and armaments," he wrote on Facebook on Oct. 17.
In a statement, Syrskyi said that despite Russia’s continued attempts to seize territory, it has failed to achieve strategic goals.
“At the cost of enormous losses, the adversary has achieved only minor advances,” he said, citing nearly 29,000 Russian troops killed in September alone.
Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back Russian troops across all directions, while conducting “active defense” and local counteroffensive operations.
He admitted particular success in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as ongoing efforts to push Russian troops out of Sumy Oblast.
Ukraine has also intensified deep-strike operations on Russian military and energy infrastructure, targeting over 45 key facilities since the beginning of 2025. These strikes are among the most effective in the war to date, Syrskyi said.
At least 1 killed, 12 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day
At least one person has been killed and 12 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Oct. 17.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 35 out of the 70 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Thirty-one strikes were recorded at 10 locations.
One person was killed and four were injured in various strikes in Sumy Oblast, according to the regional military administration.
In Kharkiv oblast, four people were injured in a Russian attack, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
In Kherson Oblast, two people were injured, regional military administration. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian attack injured two people, according to the regional military administration.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,128,030 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
Russia has lost around 1,128,030 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 Oct. 17.
The number includes 730 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
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