Over the past 24 hours, several critical developments have shaped the Ukraine-Russia war, highlighting both military and economic challenges as winter approaches, News.Az reports.
Ukraine is expecting between $3.5 and $3.6 billion via the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) fund by October. The fund, supported by NATO member states excluding the United States, is designed to secure U.S. weapons systems and munitions. Deliveries have already begun, with more than $2 billion received and upcoming shipments of Patriot missile system munitions and HIMARS rockets seen as vital for air defence and long-range strike capabilities.
On the battlefield, Russian forces have turned to underground gas and water pipelines to infiltrate Ukrainian positions near Kupiansk, using the tunnels for troop movement, supply transport, and drone staging. Ukraine has responded by flooding and fortifying these pipelines, disabling three out of four routes, and keeping the fourth under constant surveillance.
Meanwhile, Russia’s top military commander General Valery Gerasimov claimed advances on multiple fronts, including Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and near Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, and Yampil. Ukrainian officials, however, dispute the scale of these gains, insisting that several assaults were repelled and describing Russian statements as exaggerated. Local Ukrainian counter-attacks are reported to have captured enemy soldiers near Kupiansk.
Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. Oil refineries and energy facilities have been struck, sparking fires and threatening already fragile energy supplies. With storage at 11–12 billion cubic meters of gas, Ukraine may still need to purchase up to $1 billion worth of imports to meet its winter target, as repeated Russian attacks put critical infrastructure under strain. Railway and fuel transport routes in Kharkiv and Sumy have also come under attack, disrupting supply chains.
Internationally, NATO and European contributors to PURL are stepping up deliveries, with a growing focus on bolstering air defence and counter-drone systems. Analysts say the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Ukraine’s new defensive tactics and incoming Western supplies can offset Russia’s intensified pressure across the front.
