Page 16 - UKRRptOct22

damage caused by military means,” the IAEA said in a statement.
Kyiv most polluted city in the world due to peat fires. Fires started in Kyiv Oblast's Vyshgorod District and Brovary District, engulfing the city in heavy smoke and putting Kyiv in front of Bogota, Colombia in terms of air pollution on the morning of Sept. 5, according to the QiAir air quality index.
There will be no diplomacy if Russia holds pseudo-referendums. Russia's plans to hold sham referendums on occupied territories will not affect the position of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukraine's Armed Forces, Zelenskiy's spokesman Serhii Nykyforov told Liga.net on Sept. 20. These "referendums," instead, will negate the slightest possibility of ending the war through diplomacy, according to him. "All internationally-recognized Ukrainian territories will be liberated," Nykyforov added.
Macron calls Russia’s sham ‘referendums’ in occupied Ukrainian areas cynicism and provocation. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Russia’s plans to hold pseudo-referendums on Sept. 23-27 to annex occupied Ukrainian territories. He said that “referendums” in regions that have been bombed by Russian troops are "a signature of cynicism."
Zelenskiy rebukes Israel for 'zero' military support, slams China's 'ambiguous' position on war. In an interview with Ouest-France, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Israel "has not given anything" to Ukraine since Russia launched its al-out invasion on Feb. 24. "I am stunned," he said. "I don't understand. Why not give us an air defense system?"
About 1.5mn Ukrainians in Russia unable to return home, contact relatives. Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European integration, said that about 1.5mn Ukrainian citizens, mostly women and children, are currently in Russia without the possibility of returning home, and their relatives can’t contact them. “Today, more than ever, it is important to use all available international instruments to protect fundamental human rights and double our joint efforts to prevent the violent exploitation of Ukrainian citizens,” she said during an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Russia keeps 2,500 Ukrainian POWs. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told BBC that Russia holds civilians alongside the military. Russians didn't agree to free civilians during the latest prisoner swap. On Sept. 21, Ukraine returned 215 POWs, including Azovstal defenders, from Russian captivity.
Ukraine has captured more of the enemy’s equipment than it has received from its partners. Since the beginning of the war, according to official statistics alone, Ukraine has taken possession of about 400 tanks, 700 armored vehicles, and 170 artillery systems as trophies. This is more than has been provided by the largest partner countries, writes Forbes. At the same time, it is noted that the true number of captured enemy equipment may be even greater. According to data from Oryx, Ukraine has seized about 750 tanks from Russia. This is almost as much as the total amount in the armed forces at the beginning of the war. According to The Military Balance for 2021, Ukraine had 858 tanks. The number of captured and received armored vehicles has reached about 2,300, the equivalent of how many there were before the start of the war. In addition, Russia has abandoned more than 167
16 UKRAINE Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com