Ukraine-Russia war – live: Missile strike kills four in Ukrainian school, say Kyiv officials

A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.

“As a result of the Russian strike, four people died: a 72-year-old man and three women aged 69, 67 and 60,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

Two people who were injured were receiving medical assistance, he added. Klymenko said earlier that the victims were employees at the school.

Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, said 50 private homes and two infrastructure facilities had been damaged.

It comes as Vladimir Putin is set to visit Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, the presidential office of the Central Asian country said, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Meanwhile, Russia has failed in its bid to return to the United Nations’ top human rights body on Tuesday, in a sign Moscow will continue to be isolated on the international stage.

Key Points

• Putin travelling on first trip abroad since ICC arrest warrant

• Russian bid to return to UN rights body fails after vote

• Russia sends dozens of drones into Ukraine in latest air strike

• Ukraine makes advances near Bakhmut

• UN members condemn village wake bombing

• Record number of Russian drone attacks expected this winter

Ukraine says it prevented Russian saboteurs crossing border

10:17 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine thwarted an attempt overnight by a Russian saboteur group to cross its northeastern border in the Sumy region, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday.

"The saboteurs tried to cross the state border of Ukraine and intended to move further towards one of the civilian critical infrastructure facilities," Lieutenant General Serhiy Naev wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The eight-member group was repelled by Ukrainian fire, and there were no losses among Ukrainian troops, he said.

The group was detected by members of a territorial defence brigade, Naev said.

"Having suffered combat losses, the saboteur group retreated towards the state border," he said.

In a video posted with his message, Naev said there had been more than 10 attempts to cross the Ukrainian border in the last two months. All had been prevented and the enemy retreated after suffering losses, he said.

Russia did not immediately comment on Naev's Telegram post.

Putin arrives in Kyrgyzstan on rare trip abroad

09:00 , Tara Cobham

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday on a rare trip abroad for the Russian leader who was indicted earlier this year by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine.

Putin was to meet with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov on Thursday. He will take part on Friday in the Commonwealth of Independent States summit, which Kyrgyzstan is hosting. The leaders of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will also attend the summit. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will skip it, as Yerevan's relationship with Moscow has frayed amid mutual accusations.

It is the first time this year that the Russian president has traveled outside Russia and Russian-held territories of Ukraine. Earlier this year, Putin visited the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson, as well as the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the deportation of children from Ukraine. Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, are now bound to arrest the Russian leader if he sets foot on their soil.

The Kremlin has said that Russia doesn't recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and considers the warrant null and void.

Death toll from Hroza missile strike rises to 59, Ukraine says

13:03 , Tara Cobham

The death toll from a missile strike on the village of Hroza in northeastern Ukraine has risen to 59 after police finished identifying the victims, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Thursday.

Ukraine said a Russian missile hit a cafe in the village in the Kharkiv region last week as people gathered to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier. Moscow denies targeting civilians in its full-scale invasion, a position it repeated in response to a question at a Kremlin briefing about the strike on Hroza.

"The Russians killed 59 people with a direct hit with an Iskander (missile) on the village of Hroza," Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app.

"All victims are local residents. They were pensioners, medics, farmers, teachers, entrepreneurs. All were civilians. Entire families of several generations died."

The toll is one of the biggest among civilians in any single Russian strike in nearly 20 months of the war.

Czech ministry ‘summons Russian envoy over Hroza attacks'

13:00 , Tara Cobham

The Czech Foreign Ministry will summon Russia's ambassador over Russian attacks on the Ukrainian hamlet of Hroza this month, CTK news agency reported on Thursday.

An air strike on Hroza in northeastern Ukraine earlier this month killed dozens. The Kremlin said after the attacks that the Russian military does not strike civilian targets in Ukraine.

Czech Republic and Denmark to supply military equipment to Ukraine

12:30 , Tara Cobham

The Czech Republic and Denmark will jointly supply heavy military equipment to Ukraine in the coming months, the Czech Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

It said the Czech-made supplies, financed from the Danish budget, would include tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, hand guns and ammunition.

Ukrainian troops 'holding ground' in eastern town of Avdiivka

12:00 , Tara Cobham

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian troops were holding their ground in the eastern town of Avdiivka, where fighting with Russian forces has intensified this week.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have redirected large numbers of troops and equipment to Avdiivka after months of besieging it, and are making their largest attack on the town since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian accounts also indicate the fighting has intensified around Avdiivka as Moscow pushes back on the eastern front, more than four months after Kyiv began a counteroffensive in the east and south.

"Avdiivka. We are holding our ground. It is Ukrainian courage and unity that will determine how this war will end," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app alongside photos from the area.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of the town's administration, has described the Russian push as "the largest-scale offensive action in our sector since the full-fledged war began."

Avdiivka is home to a large coking plant to the southwest of the Donetsk region. Much of the town has been reduced to rubble.

Russian parliament to vote on de-ratifying nuclear test ban treaty

11:43 , Tara Cobham

Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will vote next week on withdrawing Moscow's ratification of the global treaty that bans nuclear tests, lawmakers said on Thursday.

The Duma said it would hold a first reading on the bill on Oct. 17. Leonid Slutsky, head of the parliament's international affairs committee, said he expected it to complete its passage two days later.

All 450 members of the Duma would sponsor the motion, Slutsky said.

President Vladimir Putin said last week that the Duma should look at withdrawing Russia's ratification of the treaty in order to "mirror" the position of the United States, which has signed but never ratified the pact.

Putin said he was not ready to say whether Russia should actually resume tests involving nuclear explosions for the first time since 1990.

Russia hits grain storage facility in Ukraine’s Odesa, says military

11:30 , Tara Cobham

A Russian drone strike hit a grain storage facility in the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa overnight, and some grain was damaged, a military spokesperson said on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, there was a hit on port infrastructure. A grain storage facility was damaged, there is damage directly to the grain itself," Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern military command, told an online briefing.

She did not say how much grain had been damaged.

Putin scales up attack on key town in eastern Ukraine

11:00 , Tara Cobham

Vladimir Putin’s forces have launched the “largest-scale offensive action” in eastern Ukraine’s Avdiivka town since the start of Russia’s invasion.

The major push on the battlefield comes after Avdiivka witnessed two days of intense fighting as Russian tanks and equipment were seen moving towards Ukrainian lines. Major attacks, including hundreds of rocket and artillery strikes on the town, have been underway since Tuesday.

“This is the largest-scale offensive action in our sector since the full-fledged war began,” said Vitaliy Barabash, the head of Avdiivka administration.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin attacks key town in eastern Ukraine as three dead in drone strikes on Russia

North Korea releases letters from Jong-un and Putin

10:00 , Tara Cobham

Kim Jong-un wrote to Vladimir Putin promising to boost ties as North Korea and Russia marked the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations.

The North Korean leader congratulated the Russian president on his victory over what he called “hegemony and pressure from imperialists”. He also wished his Russian ally luck in resisting pressure from their common nemesis West over Ukraine.

"I hope that the Russian people, who have set out to build a strong nation, will always achieve only victory and glory in their struggle to protect the country’s sovereignty, dignity, security and peace by crushing the imperialists’ persistent hegemonic policy and anti-Russia scheme to isolate and stifle it," the North Korean leader said, as reported by Pyongyang’s state media KCNA.

Arpan Rai reports:

North Korea releases letters from Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin exchange

Ukraine making gains on frontline, says US war think tank

08:31 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine is making gains on the frontline, according to a US war think tank.

Ukrainian forces have had successes as they continue with their counteroffensive near Bakhmut, in western Zaporizhia Oblast, east of Klishchiivka, Andriivka near Bakhmut, and west of Robotyne, said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

In its assessment on Wednesday of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it stated: “Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia Oblast and reportedly advanced in both sectors of the front on October 11.

“The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces were successful east of Klishchiivka and Andriivka near Bakhmut.

“The Ukrainian General Staff and Tavriisk Group Commander Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi reported that Ukrainian forces improved their tactical positions west of Robotyne.”

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘hit by staff shortages'

08:27 , Tara Cobham

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been hit by staff shortages, according to a US war think tank.

Russian occupation authorities are “suffering staff shortages” at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Wednesday.

In its assessment on Wednesday of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it reported Ukrainian Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov said only about 2,000 of the 11,000 staff who worked at the ZNPP prior to Russia’s occupation of Enerhodar continue to work there.

Shapps: No chance of losing focus on Ukraine despite conflict in Israel

06:00 , Joe Middleton

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said there is “no chance” of losing focus on the war in Ukraine despite conflict in Israel and Gaza.

The Cabinet minister said it would be a “massive mistake” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to think the world’s attention is “in any way distracted and that should somehow give him a free hand”.

Mr Shapps is in Brussels for a meeting with his Nato counterparts, where he is also due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attend his first Nato-Ukraine Council.

Shapps: No chance of losing focus on Ukraine despite conflict in Israel

Former Australian PM had ‘China in mind’ when arming Ukraine

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he also had Beijing on his mind when he decided to help arm Ukraine given Western concern about the global expansion of authoritarianism.

Morrison, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, had repeated disputes with China, including in 2020 when Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, first identified in central China in 2019.

China responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities, including wine and barley, and limited imports of Australian beef, coal and grapes, moves described by the United States as “economic coercion”.

Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Mr Morrison said his decision to fund lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion had a broader message.

“When my government took the decision for Australia to swiftly provide lethal aid to support and assist Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia, that decision was taken with as much of having Beijing in mind as Moscow,” Mr Morrison said.

“We did it certainly to support Ukraine in their time of need and to defend democracy there, but we also did it to demonstrate our alignment with a global Western resolve to resist the aggression of authoritarianism, especially given the tacit endorsement of that invasion by Beijing,” he added.

“As I said, I was as concerned about Beijing as I was about Moscow.”

Russian missile strike kills four in Ukrainian school, say officials

04:00 , Joe Middleton

A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.

“As a result of the Russian strike, four people died: a 72-year-old man and three women aged 69, 67 and 60,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app, alongside video of emergency officials digging through ruins.

Two people who were injured were receiving medical assistance, he added.

Klymenko said earlier that the victims were employees of the educational institution.

Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, said 50 private homes and two infrastructure facilities had been damaged.

Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

Putin travelling on first trip abroad since ICC arrest warrant

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Vladimir Putin will visit Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, the presidential office of the Central Asian country said, in what would be the Russian leader’s first known trip abroad since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Putin has rarely travelled abroad since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and is not known to have left Russia since the ICC issued in March a warrant for him on suspicion of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin denies those allegations.

“At the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov, on October 12 of this year, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, will make an official visit to the country,” the Kyrgyz presidential administration said in a statement on its website.

Putin agreed in May during talks with Japarov to visit Kyrgyzstan, but there has been no official confirmation yet from the Kremlin that the Russian president will travel there on Thursday.

The Russian leader is also due to travel to China next week for the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Neither Kyrgyzstan nor China are members of the ICC, which was established to prosecute war crimes.

Moscow denies the ICC allegations and the Kremlin said the warrant was evidence of the West’s hostility to Russia, which opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and the judges who issued the warrant.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy at NATO defense ministers meeting seeking more support to fight Russia

02:00 , Joe Middleton

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at NATO for Wednesday’s meetings with alliance defense ministers to further drum up support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

The U.S. is hosting a meeting of the Ukraine contact group to seek more weapons and ammunition for the war-ravaged country. NATO allies and partner countries will be waiting to hear precisely what kinds of military equipment Kyiv needs.

Following that meeting, the 31 allies and Ukraine will take part in the first NATO-Ukraine Council at this level. The forum was formally established in July as part of efforts to bring Kyiv closer to the alliance. It allows NATO and Kyiv to discuss issues of common interest and concern.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy at NATO defense ministers meeting seeking more support to fight Russia

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks near Avdiivka as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled attacks along the war frontline at Avdiivka on Tuesday as a new offensive from Russian soldiers erupted near the eastern Ukraine town, officials said.

“I can add that our defenders on the Avdiivka front repelled all the attacks of the enemy, no losses of lines and positions were sustained,” colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson of the joint press centre of defence forces, said.

He confirmed an escalation of Russian military offensive actions on the same front. He said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in Keramika, Ocheretyne, Berdychiv, Stepove, Lastochkyne, Tonenke, Avdiivka, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk oblast.

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks in east as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN’s top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive with stolen grain

Wednesday 11 October 2023 23:30 , Joe Middleton

Russia’s desperate bid to rejoin the UN’s top human rights body with a charm offensive involving stolen Ukrainian grain and arms was defeated by a significant majority in a General Assembly vote on Tuesday.

Russia received 83 votes from the 193-member UN, significantly more than the 24 countries who supported Moscow when it was booted out of the Human Rights Council in another vote more than one year ago.

Russia was competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats on the Geneva-based UNHRC, representing the East European regional group. Bulgaria secured 160 votes, Albania received 123, while the Vladimir Putin-led nation managed only 83.

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive

Belgium's prime minister says his country supports a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions

Wednesday 11 October 2023 22:30 , Joe Middleton

Belgium’s prime minister said his country, which has the biggest interest in the global diamond trade in the European Union, is supporting a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions targeting President Vladimir Putin’s government for its war against Ukraine.

This came during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyya’s visit to Brussels on Wednesday. He has repeatedly asked for such a move since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

For months, the Group of Seven advanced economies and the EU have been working on a way to trace and restrict the trade in Russian diamonds to prevent it from skirting the sanctions. Russia exports about $4 billion worth of rough diamonds a year, nearly a third of the world’s total, according to various estimates.

Belgium's prime minister says his country supports a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions

US Treasury Secretary tells Zelensky anti-corruption fight is key to Ukraine’s future

Wednesday 11 October 2023 21:37 , Joe Middleton

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday pledged continued US support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” and urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stay focused on fighting corruption and strengthening governance.

Yellen said the fourth meeting of a high-level roundtable on Ukraine, taking place during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, reflected “continued condemnation of Russia’s aggression and of the robust international support for Ukraine from its allies and partners.”

She said the United States would continue to provide robust economic support to Ukraine, but countries affected by Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian food exports also needed more help.

She welcomed Zelensky’s clear focus on fighting corruption and strengthening accountability and good governance, adding, “Continuing to address these difficult issues will be key to delivering the future that Ukrainians deserve.”

She said Ukraine‘s economic team had delivered sound policies and solid results in an unbelievably challenging situation, citing what she called the country’s “positive” performance on its $15.6 billion loan program from the IMF.

Russian missile strike kills four in Ukrainian school, say officials

Wednesday 11 October 2023 20:13 , Joe Middleton

A Russian missile struck a school in the town of Nikopol in the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk on Wednesday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.

“As a result of the Russian strike, four people died: a 72-year-old man and three women aged 69, 67 and 60,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app, alongside video of emergency officials digging through ruins.

Two people who were injured were receiving medical assistance, he added.

Klymenko said earlier that the victims were employees of the educational institution.

Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, said 50 private homes and two infrastructure facilities had been damaged.

Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN’s top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive with stolen grain

Wednesday 11 October 2023 19:24 , Joe Middleton

Russia’s desperate bid to rejoin the UN’s top human rights body with a charm offensive involving stolen Ukrainian grain and arms was defeated by a significant majority in a General Assembly vote on Tuesday.

Russia received 83 votes from the 193-member UN, significantly more than the 24 countries who supported Moscow when it was booted out of the Human Rights Council in another vote more than one year ago.

Russia was competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats on the Geneva-based UNHRC, representing the East European regional group. Bulgaria secured 160 votes, Albania received 123, while the Vladimir Putin-led nation managed only 83.

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks near Avdiivka as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

Wednesday 11 October 2023 18:30 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled attacks along the war frontline at Avdiivka on Tuesday as a new offensive from Russian soldiers erupted near the eastern Ukraine town, officials said.

“I can add that our defenders on the Avdiivka front repelled all the attacks of the enemy, no losses of lines and positions were sustained,” colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson of the joint press centre of defence forces, said.

He confirmed an escalation of Russian military offensive actions on the same front. He said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in Keramika, Ocheretyne, Berdychiv, Stepove, Lastochkyne, Tonenke, Avdiivka, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk oblast.

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks in east as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

Shapps: No chance of losing focus on Ukraine despite conflict in Israel

Wednesday 11 October 2023 17:30 , Joe Middleton

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said there is “no chance” of losing focus on the war in Ukraine despite conflict in Israel and Gaza.

The Cabinet minister said it would be a “massive mistake” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to think the world’s attention is “in any way distracted and that should somehow give him a free hand”.

Mr Shapps is in Brussels for a meeting with his Nato counterparts, where he is also due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attend his first Nato-Ukraine Council.

Shapps: No chance of losing focus on Ukraine despite conflict in Israel

Belgium's prime minister says his country supports a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions

Wednesday 11 October 2023 16:27 , Joe Middleton

Belgium’s prime minister said his country, which has the biggest interest in the global diamond trade in the European Union, is supporting a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions targeting President Vladimir Putin’s government for its war against Ukraine.

This came during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyya’s visit to Brussels on Wednesday. He has repeatedly asked for such a move since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

For months, the Group of Seven advanced economies and the EU have been working on a way to trace and restrict the trade in Russian diamonds to prevent it from skirting the sanctions. Russia exports about $4 billion worth of rough diamonds a year, nearly a third of the world’s total, according to various estimates.

Belgium's prime minister says his country supports a ban on Russian diamonds as part of sanctions

Returning Russians who backed Ukraine must be sent to mines, says Putin ally

Wednesday 11 October 2023 15:18 , Tara Cobham

Russians who fled the country to side with Ukraine should be charged with treason and sent to work in mines in parts of Russia where there is no summer if they return home, the chairman of Russia's parliament said on Wednesday.

Russia's war in Ukraine, something it calls a "special military operation", and a subsequent mobilisation campaign, prompted several hundred thousand Russians to leave their homeland, though it is unclear exactly how many.

Moscow has tried to encourage some specialists, such as IT workers, to return and says some Russians have come back.

But Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, made it clear on Wednesday that the authorities were less keen to see Russians whom he and others regard as traitors returning.

"If they start returning now but have made statements against the country and financed the armed forces of Ukraine then of course we must choose a place to send them immediately," Volodin told parliament.

"Such actions relate to article 275 of the criminal code - state treason. We're probably... talking about mines and we need to find territories where the weather is more constant, where there's no summer."

Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, had suggested on Monday that such people, known in Russian as "relokanty", should be sent to the far eastern region of Magadan known for its Stalin-era Gulag camps.

Former Australian PM had ‘China in mind’ when arming Ukraine

Wednesday 11 October 2023 14:22 , Tom Watling

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he also had Beijing on his mind when he decided to help arm Ukraine given Western concern about the global expansion of authoritarianism.

Morrison, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, had repeated disputes with China, including in 2020 when Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, first identified in central China in 2019.

China responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities, including wine and barley, and limited imports of Australian beef, coal and grapes, moves described by the United States as “economic coercion”.

Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Mr Morrison said his decision to fund lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia's invasion had a broader message.

“When my government took the decision for Australia to swiftly provide lethal aid to support and assist Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia, that decision was taken with as much of having Beijing in mind as Moscow,” Mr Morrison said.

“We did it certainly to support Ukraine in their time of need and to defend democracy there, but we also did it to demonstrate our alignment with a global Western resolve to resist the aggression of authoritarianism, especially given the tacit endorsement of that invasion by Beijing,” he added.

“As I said, I was as concerned about Beijing as I was about Moscow.”

Belgium to supply Ukraine with F-16s to Ukraine

Wednesday 11 October 2023 13:24 , Tom Watling

Belgium has announced that it hopes to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2025.

Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, said this during a meeting in Brussels for the Ramstein discussions.

Mr Kroo said: “We joined the F-16 coalition from the beginning. And we said from the beginning that we would provide training, training personnel, and our own F-16 aircraft, including 2-seat F-16s, that would participate in the training mission in various locations in Europe in the next few months.

“We will be providing maintenance for the aircraft that you will receive and training Ukrainian workers to be able to maintain the aircraft.”

Russian military facing mental health crisis, says MoD

Wednesday 11 October 2023 12:43 , Tara Cobham

The Russian military is facing a mental health crisis, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said in its latest intelligence update.

In December, 100,000 military personnel were found by Russian psychologists to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the MoD, with this number expected to have risen since.

Consequently, the MoD said: “Russia’s combat fighting effectiveness continues to operate at sub-optimal levels.”

Ukraine accuses two villagers of helping deadly strike on Hroza

Wednesday 11 October 2023 12:28 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine's domestic intelligence service on Wednesday accused two villagers who fled to Russia of helping guide a missile strike that killed dozens of people, mostly civilians, at a soldiers' wake in the Ukrainian village of Hroza.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that the two suspects, who were brothers, worked for Russian occupation authorities when Moscow controlled the village for several months in 2022.

The SBU said the men fled to Russia shortly before Ukraine regained control of the village in September last year. After this, the agency said the men continued to work for Russia by building a network of informants in Ukraine.

When Reuters visited the village last Friday, two residents said that SBU officials had visited the village and checked residents' phones after the attack.

According to the SBU, the brothers started gathering information on the wake in Hroza at the beginning of October.

"Under the guise of friendly conversations and correspondence in the messenger (service), the traitors asked people for information about the deployment of the Defence Forces and mass events in the region," the SBU said.

The agency posted images which appeared to show Russian passports and other documents belonging to the men, as well as screenshots of messenger conversations where the men obtained information about the wake.

NATO boss says Putin planning to use winter as 'weapon'

Wednesday 11 October 2023 12:18 , Tara Cobham

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin was "preparing once again to use winter as a weapon of war" by attacking energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

"We need to prevent that, with more advanced and increased capabilities for air defence, we can make a big difference," Stoltenberg said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday asked NATO allies for more weapons and air defences to tide his country through another wartime winter as it braces for a barrage of Russian attacks on power stations and other infrastructure.

Denmark to send Ukraine F-16 fighters jets by March or April next year

Wednesday 11 October 2023 11:42 , Tom Watling

Denmark expects to make its first delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in March or April next year, national broadcaster TV2 reported on Wednesday, citing Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

Geolocated footage shows destroyed Russian military vehicle near Avdiivka

Wednesday 11 October 2023 11:27 , Tom Watling

Geolocated footage has shown the Ukrainian destruction of a Russian BMP-1, an infantry fighting vehicle, near the frontline in Avdiivka.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine was “repelling” Russian attacks in the area as they launched an offensive.

“I can add that our defenders on the Avdiivka front repelled all the attacks of the enemy, no losses of lines and positions were sustained,” colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, Kyiv’s spokesperson of the joint press centre of defence forces, said.

US says it will support Ukraine for as long as it takes

Wednesday 11 October 2023 11:26 , Tara Cobham

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday the United States would continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, amid political chaos in Congress and the crisis in the Middle East.

"The United States will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Austin said at the start of a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Brussels.

"We’re here to dig deep to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs, especially for air defence and ammunition," Austin said, sitting alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Zelensky expresses solidarity with Israel

Wednesday 11 October 2023 11:15 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed solidarity with Israel, saying that it is “important not to be alone” during times of violence.

Speaking in Brussels ahead of the 16th Ramstein meeting to discuss military aid to Ukraine, he said of Israel and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: “We are in the war, so we understand these terrorist attacks.”

Russia says it will maintain contact with both sides of Israel-Palestine conflict

Wednesday 11 October 2023 10:48 , Tom Watling

Russia will maintain contacts with both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and will remain involved in its settlement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Moscow’s top priority is the safety of its citizens who are present on territories controlled by both parties, Peskov told a briefing.

The Kremlin finds itself in a “tricky position” over the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, according to Pavel Luzin, a Russian foreign policy expert.

He told The Independent that Russian officials are struggling to find a balance between maintaining its well-known alliances with Iran and Hamas, as well as Hezbollah, without jeopardising its “vulnerabilities in the region”, namely military bases in Syria, that Israel could target.

Russia and Israel may be allied with opposing sides of the wider geopolitical conflict but they have maintained a “deconfliction mechanism” in Syria.

Russian air defences are not allowed to be used in Syria to strike Israeli air forces, which have been tasked with preventing Iranian weapons making it to Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

Footage shows Zelensky’s meeting in Brussels as US pledges $200m

Wednesday 11 October 2023 10:36 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has released footage of his meeting with US defence secretary Lloyd Austin in Brussels.

It came as the Pentagon announced a new $200 million package to Kyiv.

The package includes weapons for air defense such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, artillery munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds, according to a US official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the package prior to its announcement.

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks near Avdiivka

Wednesday 11 October 2023 10:10 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled attacks along the war frontline at Avdiivka on Tuesday as a new offensive from Russian soldiers erupted near the eastern Ukraine town, officials said.

“I can add that our defenders on the Avdiivka front repelled all the attacks of the enemy, no losses of lines and positions were sustained,” colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson of the joint press centre of defence forces, said.

He confirmed an escalation of Russian military offensive actions on the same front. He said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in Keramika, Ocheretyne, Berdychiv, Stepove, Lastochkyne, Tonenke, Avdiivka, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk oblast.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks in east as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

Ukraine ‘improve tactical position’ on main axis of attack

Wednesday 11 October 2023 09:01 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian forces have “improved their tactical position” along their main axis of the ongoing counteroffensive, a commander has said.

Brigadier General Alexander Tarnavsky, in an update on Telegram wrote: “The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Melitopol direction - they have improved their tactical position west of Robotyne.”

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN’s top human rights body

Wednesday 11 October 2023 08:30 , Tara Cobham

Russia’s desperate bid to rejoin the UN’s top human rights body with a charm offensive involving stolen Ukrainian grain and arms was defeated by a significant majority in a General Assembly vote on Tuesday.

Russia received 83 votes from the 193-member UN, significantly more than the 24 countries who supported Moscow when it was booted out of the Human Rights Council in another vote more than one year ago.

Russia was competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats on the Geneva-based UNHRC, representing the East European regional group. Bulgaria secured 160 votes, Albania received 123, while the Vladimir Putin-led nation managed only 83.

Arpan Rai reports:

Russia loses vote to rejoin UN top human rights body despite Putin’s charm offensive

Zelenskiy arrives for talks with senior NATO officials

Wednesday 11 October 2023 08:14 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy underlined the importance of a visit to Brussels on Wednesday after arriving for talks with senior NATO officials on security cooperation.

"A visit to NATO headquarters that will be critical to our resilience this winter," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app. He said he would also hold talks with Belgium's prime minister.

Britain pledges £170m in military aid to Ukraine

Wednesday 11 October 2023 07:39 , Tom Watling

Grant Shapps has announced an additional £170 million in aid to Ukraine ahead of a meeting of Kyiv’s allies in Brussels later today.

Speaking to BBC, the defence secretary said the UK would supply Ukraine with £100m-worth of military equipment that can be used to breach minefields.

He noted that Ukraine is “probably now the most mined country in the world”.

He added that the provision of the multi-use MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin, a remote-controlled air-defense system that also has the capability to defend against ground threats, will make up part of an additional £70m budget.

He spoke in Brussels ahead of the 16th Ramstein meeting, otherwise known as the Contact Group on Defence Matters for Ukraine.

Defence ministers in support of Kyiv will gather to discuss how best to militarily support Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend.

Putin travelling on first trip abroad since ICC arrest warrant

Wednesday 11 October 2023 07:35 , Tara Cobham

Vladimir Putin will visit Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, the presidential office of the Central Asian country said, in what would be the Russian leader's first known trip abroad since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Putin has rarely travelled abroad since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and is not known to have left Russia since the ICC issued in March a warrant for him on suspicion of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin denies those allegations.

"At the invitation of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov, on October 12 of this year, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, will make an official visit to the country," the Kyrgyz presidential administration said in a statement on its website.

Putin agreed in May during talks with Japarov to visit Kyrgyzstan, but there has been no official confirmation yet from the Kremlin that the Russian president will travel there on Thursday.

The Russian leader is also due to travel to China next week for the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Neither Kyrgyzstan nor China are members of the ICC, which was established to prosecute war crimes.

Moscow denies the ICC allegations and the Kremlin said the warrant was evidence of the West's hostility to Russia, which opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and the judges who issued the warrant.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits neighboring Romania to discuss security and boost ties

Wednesday 11 October 2023 06:00 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to neighboring Romania on Tuesday for talks with his counterpart on regional security and strengthening bilateral ties against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of his country.

Zelenskyy met with President Klaus Iohannis in the capital, Bucharest. The two are also expected to discuss security cooperation in the Black Sea region, Zelenskyy said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

After he arrived in Romania, Zelenskyy described the NATO and European Union member country as “a friend who came to our help on our darkest day and whose support gets stronger with time.”

Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits neighboring Romania to discuss security and boost ties

Uefa backtracks on plans to reintegrate Russia to Under-17s competition

Wednesday 11 October 2023 05:00 , Joe Middleton

A controversial plan to admit Russian under-17 teams to Uefa competitions amid the invasion of Ukraine has been shelved.

In late September, a motion passed by Uefa’s executive committee had asked the organisation’s administrators to look at a “technical solution” to enable the under-17 boys and girls teams to enter qualification for finals tournaments due to take place in Cyprus and Sweden next year.

A number of associations, including the English Football Association, had announced their opposition to the plan, insisting that England teams would not line up against Russian opponents under any circumstances.

Uefa backtracks on plans to reintegrate Russia to Under-17s competition

Russia claims it will try to help resolve Israel-Palestine conflict

Wednesday 11 October 2023 04:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia will try to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kremlin claimed.

Moscow has long-standing historical ties with the Palestinians but also “a lot in common” with Israel, including the fact that many Israelis are former Russian citizens, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“Therefore, we maintain relations with both sides of this conflict,” he said.

“We conduct contacts and take part in all the - unfortunately few - formats that are looking for common ground for a settlement and which do not work very effectively, as recent practice has shown.

“But nevertheless, we intend to keep making efforts and play our role in terms of providing assistance to seek ways to a settlement.”

NATO to support allies affected by alleged pipeline attack

Wednesday 11 October 2023 03:00 , Alexander Butler

NATO is ready to support allies affected by an alleged attack on a key gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, NATO general-secretary Jens Stoltenberg said: “Spoke with President Sauli Niinisto on damage to undersea infrastructure between Estonia & Finland. NATO is sharing information & stands ready to support Allies concerned.”

Estonia and Finland taking alleged attack ‘very seriously'

Wednesday 11 October 2023 02:00 , Alexander Butler

Estonia and Finland are taking an alleged attack on a key gas pipeline connecting the two countries ‘very seriously’ the Estonian prime minister said.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, prime minister Kaja Kallas said: “I convened ministers and relevant authorities to discuss incidents regarding Baltic Connector and an undersea communication cable.

“While there’s no threat to our security of supply, both Estonia and Finland are taking the incidents very seriously.”

Estonian prime minister to remain in ‘close contact’ with NATO

Wednesday 11 October 2023 01:00 , Alexander Butler

The Estonian prime minister has said she will remain in ‘close contact’ with NATO after an alleged attack on a key gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “I called Jens Stoltenberg to brief him on the incidents related to Baltic Connector and a submarine communications cable between Estonia and Finland.

“We discussed how to increase the protection of critical infrastructure in light of this. We agreed to remain in close contact.”

Ursula von der Leyen condemns alleged pipeline attack

Wednesday 11 October 2023 00:00 , Alexander Butler

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the alleged attack on a key gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “I held calls with Prime Ministers Kaja Kallas and Petteri Orpo on the on-going investigations into the damage on the gas pipeline and data cable connecting Estonia and Finland. I strongly condemn any act of destruction of critical infrastructure.”

NATO Secretary-General says organisation is ready to support Finland

Tuesday 10 October 2023 23:00 , Alexander Butler

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to Finland’s claim that one of its pipelines to Estonia had been attacked.

He said the alliance was sharing its information over the damage to underwater infrastructure between the two member countries - and that it stood ready to support the allies concerned.

Russia accuses US of nuclear testing

Tuesday 10 October 2023 22:00 , Alexander Butler

Russia accused the United States of carrying out preparations at its nuclear test site in Nevada but said that Moscow would not restart its own nuclear testing programme unless Washington did.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the charge as Russia’s lower house of parliament urgently studies how to revoke Moscow’s ratification of a landmark treaty banning nuclear tests and as tensions with the West are at their highest level since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson rejected Ryabkov’s allegation, calling it “a disturbing effort by Moscow to heighten nuclear risks and raise tensions in the context of its illegal war in Ukraine.”