Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 961

Here is the situation on Sunday, October 13, 2024.

Fighting

• Kyiv said Russian attacks killed two people in the eastern Donetsk region: a 19-year-old travelling in a civilian car and an 84-year-old pensioner.
• According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, one person was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian village of Ustinka in the Belgorod region, close to Ukraine’s border.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, claimed that Kyiv was “holding the line” despite Moscow’s repeated attempts to repress Ukrainian positions in the Russian Kursk region.
• Zelenskyy also acknowledged that the situation in the southern Zaporizhia region and the eastern Donetsk region was “very difficult.”

Politics and diplomacy

According to reports from media and witnesses, Ukrainian military recruitment officers searched restaurants, bars, and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and holding men hostage while they were not in service. Observers said it is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for recruits. All Ukrainian men aged 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country.
• In elections on Sunday that are likely to lead to a change of government, Lithuanians will vote for the country’s constitution, which includes moves to strengthen defense policy and the NATO and EU member’s strong support for Ukraine.
• In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that he would partially revoke asylum rights for irregular migrants and accuse human traffickers and nations Belarus and Russia of using the system.