Air defence and evacuations: Ukraine on 13 October 2022

What did the war look like on 13 October 2022? Two developments stood out: Russia announced it would evacuate civilians from Kherson, and Russian forces again struck a residential area, this time in Mykolaiv.

Kherson and the southern front

Russia said on 13 October 2022 that it would move civilians out of Kherson to "other regions of the country". The announcement followed an appeal from Volodymyr Saldo, leader of the Kherson Military-Civilian Administration. It came during the Ukrainian southern counteroffensive, which is the context in which the announcement was made.

Missiles on Mykolaiv

On the same day Russian forces launched eight missiles at Mykolaiv and hit a five-storey residential building. An 11-year-old boy was pulled from the rubble with broken legs after hours trapped. He later died in hospital of heart failure. The day before, a Russian strike on a marketplace in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, had killed at least seven civilians and injured eight.

The infrastructure problem

The strikes in the preceding days were also hitting the energy system. On 11 October 2022 a Russian missile strike damaged critical infrastructure in Lviv and caused a major power outage. By 12 October 2022 Ukraine had suspended electricity exports because of the damage, and Moldova urged its citizens to use less electricity. The effects of the missile campaign were therefore reaching beyond Ukraine's borders.

Partners respond with air defence

The pledges made on 12 October 2022 were largely aimed at this threat:

• France's president, Emmanuel Macron, said France would send radar and air defence systems to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
• The UK Ministry of Defence said it would donate AMRAAM air-to-air missiles in the coming weeks. They can intercept cruise missiles. A further 18 howitzers were also promised.
• Canada said it would provide C$47 million in new military aid, including artillery rounds, winter clothing, drone cameras and satellite communications.

On the diplomatic side, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on 12 October 2022 condemning Russia's "attempted illegal annexation" of Ukrainian territory. Only Belarus, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Syria voted against.

Warnings from the north

The security picture also included Belarus. On 11 October 2022 thousands of Russian troops were reported entering Belarus by the trainload. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned G7 nations that Russia was planning another offensive against Kyiv with direct Belarusian involvement. The movements came a day after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accused Ukraine of planning an attack on his country.

Separately, Russia said on 12 October 2022 that it had arrested eight people, five Russians and three from Ukraine and Armenia, over the Crimea Bridge explosion. On 11 October 2022 it also added Meta Platforms to its list of "terrorists and extremists".

Why the date matters

Taken together, these reports show 13 October 2022 as a point where several pressures met: a Russian announcement of civilian evacuations in the south, continued strikes on residential areas, a damaged power system, and allied promises of air defence due within weeks.