General Staff: Russia attacks in multiple directions on eastern front.

Russian forces are launching heavy attacks in many sectors of the eastern front, including in the Avdiivka, Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, and Marinka directions, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Oct.

23. There have been over 90 skirmishes with Russian forces recorded over the course of Oct.

22 on all fronts, the report said. The past few days saw an unusually high daily number of clashes, sometimes double the mid-October numbers.

Russia continues in its attempts to encircle the front-line town of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast while suffering heavy losses, the General Staff said. According to Vitalii Barabash, the head of the Avdiivka military administration, Russian forces are heavily shelling a vital road connection to the town. This complicates both the evacuation of civilians and the import of humanitarian aid, the official told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Russia launched attacks in multiple vectors along the Lyman-Kreminna-Kupiansk line, including at Synkivka, Ivanivka, Nadiia, and the Serebriansky Forest, according to the General Staff. Moscow has been concentrating a large force in the Lyman-Kupiansk direction in Ukraine's northeast at least since the summer, likely in an attempt to divert Kyiv's attention and resources from other sectors. Russian troops have also been reportedly trying to "cut off" Mariinka, another front-line town of Donetsk Oblast that has long been a flashpoint of hostilities on the eastern front.

"They are coming down; they want to cut Mariinka off," the Border Guard soldier with the call sign "Lion" said on the Border Guard's Telegram channel. "We are all ready, we are waiting for... we have to persevere, we have no other choice."

'She needs armor.' Female Ukrainian soldiers call for equality Many passersby raise their heads when walking past the Princess Olga monument in downtown Kyiv.

Some even stop, gazing at the statue with surprise. Although it has been there for years, it seems the monument has never gotten as much attention as it has in recent weeks. In early September,

News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent.

He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press.

He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukrainer.

Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.