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What the first days of October 2023 showed
Summary
A look back at the security picture around 11 October 2023, from the Hroza strike to new Western air defence pledges and a Russian missile test.
What was the security picture in Ukraine on 11 October 2023? The days just before that date brought a deadly strike on civilians, new Western military support and a Russian announcement about a nuclear-powered weapon.
Hroza strike
On 5 October 2023, Ukraine said Russia had hit a store and cafe in Hroza, in Kharkiv Oblast, with a ballistic missile. The initial Ukrainian statement put the death toll at no fewer than 51 civilians. Later accounts of the attack gave a higher figure of 59 dead and at least 7 injured. They described an Iskander missile striking people gathered for a memorial service, and said a six-year-old boy was among the dead.
Western support
The same day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a second Patriot air defence system to Ukraine. The pledge added to the air defence support Kyiv was seeking as Russian strikes continued.
The United States also transferred 1.1 million rounds of Iranian ammunition to Ukraine on 5 October 2023. The US Navy had seized the ammunition in December from a shipment en route to Yemen.
Russian missile claim
Also on 5 October 2023, Russia announced a successful test of the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile with a potential range of thousands of miles.
Taken together, these reports from the days before 11 October 2023 showed several strands of the war: strikes on civilian targets, efforts to strengthen Ukraine's air defences and supplies, and a Russian announcement about a new strategic weapon.
