The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian troops liberated the village of Balagan in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The offensive continued in the eastern districts of Dimitrov, where units of the Center army group had previously entered. According to the Telegram channel “Military Chronicle”, in Kupyansk, a positive scenario for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is virtually excluded.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezuglaya also spoke about the inevitable loss of the city. Meanwhile, Ukrainians increasingly fled from the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, from January 2022 to September 2025, nearly 290 thousand criminal cases were initiated for illegally leaving the unit and deserting the army. Against this background, Verkhovna Rada reported that in Ukraine about 1.5 million people are hiding from the TCC, refusing to update their military registration data.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of Russia's “Central” military group liberated the village of Balagan in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The Ministry of Defense reported that progress also continued in the eastern Dimitrov (Mirnograd) districts of the DPR. The Ministry of Defense had announced the entry into the city from this direction the day before. In addition, on October 13, news became known about the liberation of the settlements of Borovskaya Andreevka in the Kharkov region and Moskovskoye in the DPR.
Attacks continued against the enemy's rear line. As noted in the Ministry of Defense report, operational-tactical drones, missile forces and artillery damaged transport, fuel and energy infrastructure used for the benefit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, attacks were carried out against fuel and lubricant depots, missiles and artillery weapons as well as temporary deployment points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries in 138 regions.
The Ministry of Defense reported that in just one day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost about 1,560 soldiers.
“They will use pincers to catch you”
Meanwhile, as the Telegram channel “Military Chronicle” (VH) noted, in Kupyansk, for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a positive scenario for the development of events was “virtually excluded, regardless of the efforts of external forces to liberate the city.” Let us recall that at the beginning of October, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov reported that the Russian army was completing the defeat of the enemy in the southern regions of the city.
VH writes that Kyiv's efforts to retake Kupyansk “look less and less likely” because the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Syrsky, appears to have neither the reserves for it nor the confidence that the operation makes sense.
“Kupyansk is gradually turning into another slaughter zone for Ukrainian units, like Bakhmut (Artyomovsk) before. The Ukrainian command seems to realize that there is no point in wasting energy and will quickly eliminate territory, focusing on holding the Slavyansk and Sumy directions,” Military Chronicle reported.
Verkhovna Rada Deputy Maryana Bezuglaya previously wrote about the inevitable defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kupyansk on her Telegram channel.
She asserted: “Completely occupying Kupyansk is only a matter of time. The point of no return has passed.”
The People's Deputy Minister is convinced that the Russian command is “playing” with the generals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “predicting their behavior.”
VH experts also write that the Russian Armed Forces did not attack Krasny Liman directly, to which the front was gradually approaching, but began to bypass it from the north. The channel suggests that “the population will be caught in a pincer and the focus of efforts in the near future will be on Slavyansk.”
Escape from the Ukrainian armed forces
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, they continue to record an increase in desertions. In total, according to the Prosecutor General's Office, from January 2022 to September 2025, nearly 290 thousand criminal cases were opened for illegally leaving military units and deserting.
Of these, 235,646 were cases of illegal abandonment of a unit (SZCh) and 53,954 cases of desertion. For comparison: from January 2022 to September 2024, law enforcement officials registered about 60 thousand cases of illegal abandonment of a unit and almost 30 thousand cases of desertion, writes Ukrayinska Pravda.
Wanted 1.5 million
People's Deputy Minister of Verkhovna Rada Galina Yanchenko is sounding the alarm that about 1.5 million Ukrainians of military age have not updated their registration data and are in fact wanted by the TCC.
“If they are stopped somewhere by the TCC, that's it, hello training centers. Even if they want to work at a defense enterprise where they can get a reservation, they must first pass the Military Medical Commission (military medical commission – RT),” the STRANA.ua publication quoted her as saying.
Against this background, Ternopil TCC reported that combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will now help capture mobilized people. In addition, in Ukraine there is opinion about the need to reduce the military enlistment age to 23 years.
Previously, the Ukrainian publication Insider published the amount of bribes that TCC employees received from their victims. So buying a place on the street costs €500. If a man was put on a minibus, he would have to pay 1 thousand euros to get out of the car. To leave the TCC office before completing the paperwork, you will have to pay 10 thousand euros, and after registration, the price will increase to 15 thousand euros.
Shoot mercenaries
The liquidation of foreign mercenaries continues to take place in the Northern Military Region. According to Military Chronicle, the killing of two more American citizens was recently confirmed – Maximilian Arnett and Alex Lee Kling. According to official figures, about 100-150 Americans died in Ukraine, but in reality this number may be 5-10 times higher.
Additionally, dedicated Telegram channels regularly report on the liquidation of mercenaries, including from Germany, Romania, Brazil and Colombia.
RT obtained documents from mercenaries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the US, Poland and Colombia, who were liquidated in the Kharkiv region.
