Ukraine – the most important events of recent hours

> On Saturday, Ukraine signed an agreement with… Germany on immediate actions to strengthen the Ukrainian air defense system. They are yet to join the project Belgium, Norway, Netherlands and Denmark – Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Facebook. “At the meeting of the defense ministers of the G7 countries, we signed an important agreement with Germany regarding immediate actions to strengthen the air defense system of Ukraine. According to the agreement, the signatory countries will contribute to joint projects or finance their own projects aimed at strengthening the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. “Umerov wrote on Facebook.

> The defense ministers of the G7 countries, meeting in Naples on Saturday, assured their unwavering support for Ukraine and, as they wrote in a joint declaration, for its “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.” “We reiterate our unwavering support for Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia's brutal and illegal full-scale aggression for almost three years. We condemn Russia, which has taken a confrontational, destabilizing position on a global scale, also waging hybrid warfare and irresponsibly using nuclear rhetoric.” – wrote the heads of the defense ministries USA, Canada, JapanFrance, Germany, Great Britain and Italy.

> In Shostka, Sumy Oblast, a man's body was found under the rubble of a building. As a result of a massive attack in the Cherkasy region, a woman died of her wounds, local authorities announced on Telegram on Saturday.

> Russia is maintaining pressure in the Kharkiv Oblast in eastern Ukraine, and in a small wedge approximately 20 km south of the city of Kupyansk, Russian armed forces are most likely several hundred meters away from the Oskil River, the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.

> Ukrainian air defenses shot down 42 of 98 drones and four Kh-59/69 missiles used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine on the night from Friday to Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. 46 enemy drones lost communication as a result of electronic warfare initiated by Ukraine.

> The Chief Military Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Telegram that Russian war criminal Major Dmitry Pervukha was killed in the center of Luhansk. “On October 18, 2024, a UAZ (Ulyanovskiy Avtomobilnyj Zavod) Patriot car exploded in the center of temporarily occupied Luhansk. The car contained an officer of the Russian occupation army, Major Dmitry Vladimirovich Perwukha,” the message reads.

> French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said at a joint conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kiev that Paris is open to the idea of ​​immediately inviting Ukraine to NATO, but talks on this topic will continue with allies. – When it comes to inviting Ukraine to NATO, we are open to it and this is a discussion we are having with our partners – said the French Foreign Minister. Barrot also stated that if it turns out to be true that North Korea sends troops to support Russia in Ukraine, this will be a serious escalation and will show that Moscow is struggling with the war.

> As a result of repatriation activities, the bodies of 501 fallen soldiers returned to Ukraine, the Coordinating Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced on Telegram. It was reported that, in particular, 382 bodies of defenders killed in the Avdiivka sector, 56 bodies of fallen soldiers from the Bakhmut sector, 45 bodies of defenders killed in the Marjinka sector, 6 bodies of fallen defenders in the Vuhledar sector, 4 bodies of fallen soldiers in the Zaporozhye sector and 7 bodies of defenders fighting in the Luhansk sector were repatriated .