‘For Russian Strikes to Stop, It Is Important to Be Decisive’ – Ukraine at War Update – Oct. 3

Russian air attack hits residential building in Kharkiv

On the evening of Oct. 2, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with guided aerial bombs. One of the guided bombs hit a residential building. As a result, ten people were wounded, among them a three-year-old child.

In the wake of the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Western leaders for more defense equipment.

“For such Russian strikes to stop, Ukraine must receive the required and, above all, sufficient support from the world, from partners. Every leader knows exactly what needs to be done. It is important to be decisive,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

Olaf Scholz says Ukraine will get loan against frozen Russian assets

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has guaranteed that Ukraine will receive a $50 billion loan at the expense of frozen Russian assets, adding that the support for Kyiv from its allies will not weaken.

Scholz spoke during a citizen's dialogue event in the German city of Schwerin, Ukrinform reported.

He called the $50 billion loan “a very deliberate promise of stability for Ukraine,” enabling the nation to retain the required support in the short term.

“This also sends a message to the Russian president that he should not expect that at some point the support [for Ukraine] will simply be gone, and that he will be able to devour the entire country,” the Chancellor said.

Other Topics of Interest

Switchblade and Caesar Howitzers – More Defense Companies Come to Ukraine

The US AeroVironment and Europe’s KNDS defense companies are the two latest Western companies preparing to establish a presence in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for the federal government, commented on the reports about Sholz’s alleged readiness to have a phone call with Putin and guaranteed that the head of the government would do it once it is appropriate.

Jewish pilgrims celebrate Rosh Hashanah in Uman

Thousands of Jewish pilgrims, descended on the Ukrainian city of Uman this week for Rosh Hashanah, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar, celebrated on Oct. 3 this year.

The city is home to the burial place of Hasidic Jewish leader Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) and has been a site of worship for over 200 years. But with Russia’s ongoing invasion and airlines canceling flights due to rising tensions in the Middle East, the journey has become even harder.

This year, more than 30,000 Orthodox Jewish pilgrims reportedly congregated in Uman.

A large number of police and ambulances were dispatched for the two-day holiday.

For the third year running, authorities had asked the pilgrims not to come, pointing out that their gatherings violate the war-time restrictions that Ukrainians have to follow.

This year 16 Israeli police officers arrived in Uman to help maintain order, police spokesperson Zoya Vovk told AFP.

“They help translate and convey information from the Ukrainian police to the pilgrims,” she said.

“This includes information about compliance with curfew rules, compliance with air raid siren rules, and other issues that need to be communicated to pilgrims,” she added.

In April last year, a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the city killed 23 people.

Poland praises Ukraine’s decision to exhume Volhynia massacre victims

Poland on Wednesday lauded Ukraine’s decision to pave the way for the exhumation of some World War II-era victims of massacres by Ukrainian nationalists after the dispute over the issue soured ties between the neighbors, AFP reported

Discord over the 1943-1945 Volhynia massacres has led to diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw, otherwise allies as Ukraine battles Russia’s invasion.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities said they would greenlight the exhumation of some of the victims, a move that Warsaw has long campaigned for.

The announcement came during the first visit of newly appointed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha to Poland.

“This is good news and a step in the right direction,” Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski told the national news agency PAP.

The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, a state body, announced it planned to authorize field research in 2025 into the Volhynia massacre in western region of Rivne, a necessary step before exhumations.

The Polish government estimates that around 100,000 Poles and 5,000 Ukrainians were killed between 1943 and 1945 in the regions of Rivne and Volyn of what is now western Ukraine.

The main objectives of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) were to win Ukraine’s independence by ousting Nazi and later Soviet occupiers and to clear Poles from territories that it claimed were historically Ukrainian land.

Official Ukrainian estimates put the death toll at up to 40,000 Poles and 20,000 Ukrainians.

In recent months, several prominent Polish officials have stated that Ukraine would not join the European Union until the Volhynia dispute has been settled, demands that have drawn on the Ukrainian side.