Ukraine-Russia war – live: It is in Russia’s interests to inflame war in the Middle East, says Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that it was in Russia’s interests to stoke war in the Middle East to weaken global unity.

“Based on available information -- very clear information -- it is in Russia’s interests to inflame war in the Middle East to create a new source of pain and suffering that would weaken global unity, create divisions and help Russia in undermining freedom in Europe,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

It comes as Ukrainian forces have made small gains over the weekend along multiple points of the frontline as “heavy rain” threatens to slow down Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

Geolocated images showed Ukrainian infantry roughly 300 metres north of Novoprokopivka, south of Robotyne, which is the deepest they have been seen inside Russian-occupied territory as part of that attack.

This line has emerged as Ukraine’s main axis of the counteroffensive in the past month, though progress slowed after the liberation of Robotyne at the end of August.

The Ukrainian General Staff also claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had achieved “partial success” near Bakhmut, though that remains unconfirmed.

Key Points

• Record number of Russian drone attacks expected this winter

• Russian missile strike on Ukraine village kills over 50 during memorial service

• A community remembers its dead after heavy bombing kills 52 people

• Russian forces carried out 59 attacks on Kherson provence

• Zelenskyy accuses Russia of trying to incite war in the Middle East

UN members condemn village wake bombing

08:01 , Tara Cobham

UN Security Council members from around the world have condemned Russia’s bombing of a village wake that killed 52 people.

Hroza, in the northeastern Kharkiv region, lost over 15 per cent of its 300 population when a cafe holding a memorial service for a Ukrainian soldier was targeted by a Russian Iskander ballistic missile on Thursday.

"This is one of the deadliest strikes by Russia against Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion last year," said US deputy ambassador Robert Wood in Monday’s UN Security Council meeting, as he stressed his country’s support for investigators gathering possible evidence of war crimes.

Albania's UN ambassador Ferit Hoxha, this month's council president who presided at the meeting, said the missile strike and deaths in Hroza underscore again "the terrible price civilians are paying 20 months after the Russians invaded”.

He said Russia may deny responsibility, but it started and is continuing a war and committing "horrible crimes," and "it has also broken the universal ancestral law of absolute respect for those mourning”.

China's deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang, whose country is a close ally of Russia, said Beijing finds the heavy civilian casualties in the attack on the village "concerning”.

Russia sends dozens of drones into Ukraine in latest air strike

07:51 , Tara Cobham

Russia launched 36 Iranian-made attack drones against southern Ukraine overnight, damaging infrastructure in the Odesa region, authorities said.

The strikes targeted the Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, the Ukrainian military reported, adding that air defence systems destroyed 27 drones.

Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said unspecified "logistics infrastructure" had been struck but that no injuries were reported.

Reuters could not independently verify the information. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Russian forces have carried out regular missile and drone strikes on infrastructure in southern Ukraine in recent weeks and months, targeting port facilities in particular.

Putin to focus on ‘consolidating power’ at upcoming presidential election

08:08 , Tom Watling

Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely focus on “the theme of Russia as a separate civilisation” in the upcoming elections next year.

While Putin has not announced his intention to run in the election, which will take place next March, it is believed that he will not step down.

The British Ministry of Defence, in its latest intelligence update, said they expect the autocrat to focus his election efforts on further inculcating the “need of defence from external enemies” in Russia’s population.

You can read their full report below.

Russia missile strike hits northeast Ukraine

07:44 , Tom Watling

Three civilians have been injured after a Russian missile struck their small village in northeast Ukraine, the local governor has reported.

Two 45-year-old women and a 34-year-old man were injured following a strike on the village of Veliky Burluk in the Kupyan district, Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv Oblast, said.

The strike happened roughly 45 miles northeast of Hroza, where more than 50 civilians were killed by a similar Russian strike last week.

Ukrainians weep in front of coffins carrying victims of deadly strike

07:00 , Holly Evans

Relatives of victims killed in a strike on Groza earlier this month were pictured weeping and hugging during as coffins were made ready for collection.

A Russian strike on October 5, 2023, killed at least 52 people gathered for a wake for the reburial of a slain Ukrainian serviceman in the eastern Ukrainian village of Groza. Ukrainian Interior Minister said the victims had gathered to remember a deceased villager in Groza, some 30 kilometres west of Kupiansk.

Scale of deadly Russian strike in Kharkiv village shown in drone footage

06:00 , Holly Evans

Scale of deadly Russian strike in Kharkiv village shown in drone footage

Russian-born Swede accused of spying for Moscow is released ahead of the verdict in his trial

05:00 , Holly Evans

A Swedish court on Monday released a Russia-born Swedish citizen charged with collecting information for Russia‘s military intelligence service, the GRU, for almost a decade.

Sergey Skvortsov, 60, is accused of “gross illegal intelligence activities against Sweden and against a foreign power,” namely the United States.

Ahead of a verdict in his trial, which ended Sept. 28, Skvortsov was released with the Stockholm District Court saying that “there is no longer reason to keep the defendant in custody.” The verdict is due Oct. 26.

Read more here

A Russian-born Swede accused of spying for Moscow is released ahead of the verdict in his trial

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin resorts to old weaponry and reserves

04:00 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian forces beat attacks on five points across the war frontline on Sunday as Russia’s troops resorted to using old weapons and equipment while shelling the frontline, military officials said in the latest update from the battlefield.

At least two people were killed and a dozen more injured in Russia’s shelling of the southern Kherson region.

The attacks were repelled in five areas of the eastern front – Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka, and Marinka – along the 1,000km-long (600mile) front, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its evening report.

Read more here

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin uses old weaponry and reserves

Satellite images show spike in border activity as North Korea ‘supplies weapons to Russia’

03:00 , Holly Evans

The North Korea-Russia border is seeing a sharp increase in rail traffic in likely signs of Kim Jong-un helping Russian president Vladimir Putin by supplying munitions, a US think-tank claimed, citing recent satellite photos.

Satellite images from 5 October showed a “dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang rail facility, according to Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Approximately 73 railcars were visible in the images from last week, whereas previous satellite pictures over the past five years showed about 20 railcars at this facility at the most.

North Korea ‘sending weapons to Russia by train’, satellite photos suggest

Uefa torn over plans to reinstate Russian youth teams

02:00 , Holly Evans

The fall-out from Uefa’s plans to reinstate Russian underage teams to European competition is causing a huge split within the governing body, putting president Aleksander Ceferin under immense pressure to “revisit” the issue at this week’s Executive Committee meeting.

The controversy has already caused the confederation vice-president Karl-Erik Nilsson to resign as boss of the Swedish Sports Confederation and led Denmark to become the latest association to say they will not play Russian sides to go with England, Ireland and Ukraine.

The Independent has been told that there is tension within some national associations that didn’t immediately reject the idea out of hand.

Read more here

Uefa torn over plans to reinstate Russian youth teams

Former US general reminds GOP attacking Biden of time Trump leaked Israeli intel to Iran ally

01:00 , Holly Evans

A former US general took to Twitter on Sunday to remind Republicans laying blame on the Biden administration after Hamas militants launched the deadliest attack on Israel in decades that Donald Trump shared classified intelligence from Israel with Iran-allied Russia when he was president.

Retired army general Mark Hertling shared a story about allegations the former president told top Russian officials that Israel had successfully hacked Isis computers in order to gain intelligence about bomb plots against the West in a meeting at the White House in 2017.

At the time, the former president’s actions reportedly ignited fears by Israel that Russia could have passed the information to its ally Iran, which has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause.

Read more here

Former US general reminds GOP Trump leaked Israeli intel to Russians in White House

New Ukraine ambassador wore a kilt for first meeting with Zelensky

Tuesday 10 October 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

The UK’s new ambassador for Ukraine wore a kilt for his first meeting with President Vlodymyr Zelensky.

Father-of-three Martin Harris, 54, previously served from 2003 to 2008 in Kyiv as deputy head of mission and consul general, and raised his children in Ukraine.

Mr Harris, who grew up in Scotland, wore his family’s Ferguson tartan for his initiation into the role, which was admired by President Zelensky.

Read more here

New Ukraine ambassador wore a kilt for first meeting with Zelensky

David Lammy: We want to make UK the ‘anti-corruption capital of the world’

Monday 9 October 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

Whistleblowers who expose stolen assets and sanctions breaches would be rewarded under a future Labour government, according to David Lammy.

The shadow foreign secretary said Labour wants to make the UK the “anti-corruption capital of the world” as he criticised the Government’s approach.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Mr Lammy said: “When I visited Kyiv, anti-corruption campaigners told me Britain must stop (Russian president Vladimir) Putin’s cronies laundering their dirty money in our capital.

“Dictators’ stolen cash fuels crime on our streets and turns Londoners’ homes into the bitcoins of kleptocrats. Labour will turn up the fight against kleptocracy.

Read more here

Lammy: We want to make UK the ‘anti-corruption capital of the world’

Watch as Zelensky addresses Nato’s Parliamentary Assembly amid new Russian attacks

Monday 9 October 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

Watch as Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the Nato Parliamentary Assembly’s plenary session on Monday 9 October.

Last month, Mr Zelensky said it was only a “matter of time” before Ukraine becomes an official Nato member as he met the defence bloc’s chief in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian president has pushed to join the alliance despite threats from Russia, and Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg reiterated in September that the bloc would stand with Kyiv as long as it takes.

Watch: Zelensky addresses Nato’s Parliamentary Assembly amid new Russian attacks

President Zelenskyy to visit Romania

Monday 9 October 2023 21:30 , Holly Evans

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy will visit neighbouring Romania on Tuesday - his first visit to the country since Russia’s 2022 invasion, the Romanian presidency has said.

The trip to Romania - a NATO member - comes as Ukraine and the West looks to find a solution to safely export Ukrainian grain.

Russia quit a deal to offer a safe passage for the export of Ukrainian grain in mid-July.

US army official says more funding needed to support needs of both Israel and Ukraine

Monday 9 October 2023 20:43 , Holly Evans

A US army official says more funding will be needed to support the needs of both Israel and Ukraine simultaneously.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Congress will need to approve additional funding to ensure the Pentagon’s munitions production and acquisition plans can potentially meet the demands of both countries.

“One thing that is really important in terms of the munitions in particular and our ability to support both potentially the Israelis and the Ukrainians simultaneously is additional funding from Congress to be able to increase our capacity, in terms of our capacity to expand production and then to also pay for the munitions themselves,” she told reporters at an army event.

“We need additional support from Congress. So I hope we’ll see that soon.”

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of trying to incite war in the Middle East

Monday 9 October 2023 20:26 , Holly Evans

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of being “interested in inciting war in the Middle East” to assist them in “destroying freedom in Europe”.

In a video posted on social media, Mr Zelensky said: “All of this represents a much greater threat than the world is currently aware of. The world wars of the past were triggered by local aggressions.”

Satellite images show spike in border activity as North Korea ‘supplies weapons to Russia’ for Ukraine war

Monday 9 October 2023 20:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The North Korea-Russia border is seeing a sharp increase in rail traffic in likely signs of Kim Jong-un helping Russian president Vladimir Putin by supplying munitions, a US think-tank claimed, citing recent satellite photos.

Satellite images from 5 October showed a “dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang rail facility, according to Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Approximately 73 railcars were visible in the images from last week, whereas previous satellite pictures over the past five years showed about 20 railcars at this facility at the most.

North Korea ‘sending weapons to Russia by train’, satellite photos suggest

Biggest planes coming to Israel from US, Netanyahu says

Monday 9 October 2023 19:46 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“Every place where Hamas is active will be completely destroyed. We will continue to intensify the operation. I would like to thank the US for their support to Israel,” Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“We have the biggest planes coming from the US to our land. I would also like to thank many international leaders for expressing their support to Israel.”

‘It’s in Russia’s interests to inflame Middle East war’- Zelensky

Monday 9 October 2023 19:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was in Russia‘s interests to stoke war in the Middle East to weaken global unity.

“Based on available information -- very clear information -- it is in Russia‘s interests to inflame war in the Middle East to create a new source of pain and suffering that would weaken global unity, create divisions and help Russia in undermining freedom in Europe,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Zelensky said Russians propagandists were “gloating” at developments and that Iran, which he described as Moscow’s ally, was openly supporting those attacking Israel.

“All of this poses a much greater threat than the world currently perceives,” the president said.

“And we know how to counter this threat. We are preparing the necessary measures. Most importantly, we are advocating for the necessity of maximum global unity.”

In a call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Zelensky said Ukraine was in “solidarity with Israel, which is enduring a brazen, large-scale attack”.

Monday 9 October 2023 18:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Danil, a software engineer from the Russian city of Perm, said he left after President Vladimir Putin called up 300,000 men last year to fight in the war in Ukraine.

“I simply didn’t agree with the political agenda in the country and thought that it was dangerous to stay in Russia given my views,” he said.

Abastan was established as a charity with funds from an American-Armenian philanthropist who has chosen to remain anonymous. When Reuters journalists visited last month, there were a couple of dozen people in residence - three Iranians, two Ukrainians, an Armenian, a Georgian and the rest from Russia.

Some live on savings or money from relatives, others sell their art or work online - though one Russian said that source of income had dried up.

“At first I worked remotely. And then my company was told that it was undesirable for staff to work from abroad, so they rehired me as a freelancer. Since then I haven’t received any salary yet,” Danil said.

Russian and Iranian emigres find haven in old Armenian factory - continued

Monday 9 October 2023 18:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Arghavan Majd, a painter from Iran, said she found the atmosphere “more free” in Abastan and it was easier to make personal connections.

Since Majd left Iran, the country has been convulsed by protests over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody, and she said she had no intention of going back.

Torfeh Ekhlasi, a puppet maker also from Iran, said she had felt “completely paralysed by bad news” there, “but here all the people are so alive”.

Abastan was established as a charity with funds from an American-Armenian philanthropist who has chosen to remain anonymous. When Reuters journalists visited last month, there were a couple of dozen people in residence - three Iranians, two Ukrainians, an Armenian, a Georgian and the rest from Russia.

Russian and Iranian emigres find haven in old Armenian factory

Monday 9 October 2023 18:34 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A disused Armenian textile factory has become a sanctuary for artists and other emigres from Russia, Iran and Ukraine whose lives have been turned upside down by war or political turmoil.

Abandoned workshops that once produced Soviet knitwear have been turned into a creative space for painters, puppet-makers and photographers in a venture that is helping to revitalise a town in decline.

Launched in 2022, the project is called Abastan - “shelter” in Armenian - and is open to participants and guests from around the world.

Polina Ivanova, a co-founder of Abastan, said locals in the northern Armenian town of Tumanyan were at first bemused by the strangers in their midst.

“I think that for many people this was really incomprehensible: who are those people? Why are they here?...

“And slowly, sometimes through public events like theatre performances, sometimes through personal relationships, we get to know the people and people get to know us.”

Nuclear testing ratification explained

Monday 9 October 2023 18:11 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Ukraine war has raised tension between Moscow and Washington to its highest since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, just as China seeks to bolster its nuclear arsenal to match its status as an emerging superpower.

By revoking Moscow’s ratification of a landmark treaty banning nuclear tests, Russia is sending the United States a warning that Moscow can fundamentally change the assumptions of post-Cold War nuclear planning.

Signed by 187 countries and ratified by 178, the CTBT cannot enter into force until eight specific holdouts have signed and ratified it.

The United States, China, Egypt, Iran, and Israel have signed but not ratified it. India, North Korea and Pakistan have not signed.

The Soviet Union last tested in 1990 and the United States in 1992. Russia, which inherited most of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, has never done so. But signs have emerged that testing could resume.

Last month CNN said satellite images showed growing activity at nuclear test sites in Russia, China and the United States. In 2020, the Washington Post said the then-Trump administration had discussed whether to hold a nuclear test.

Ten nuclear tests have taken place since the CTBT. India and Pakistan conducted two each in 1998, while North Korea held tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 (twice) and 2017, according to the United Nations.

Nuclear-test-ban body chief concerned at move by Russian lawmakers

Monday 9 October 2023 17:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty Organization on Monday expressed concern at Russian lawmakers having been given 10 days to consider revoking Moscow’s ratification of the treaty to prohibit testing nuclear bombs.

“I am concerned that the Russian Federation is taking steps towards revoking its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT),” Robert Floyd said in a statement.

Ukraine's parliament registers bill that could lead to ban on Moscow-linked church

Monday 9 October 2023 17:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s parliament registered a draft law on Monday that would allow a ban on activities of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The church has been accused by Kyiv of undermining Ukraine‘s unity and collaborating with Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, charges that it denies.

The bill proposes amendments envisaging a court ban on religious organisations that include members convicted of war propaganda, violate an article that forbids what is dscribed as justification of Russian aggression against Ukraine, or violate citizens’ equal rights based on religious beliefs.

Registration of the draft bill is a first step in the process of becoming law. The bill now requires the approval of a parliamentary committee before it can be submitted for consideration by parliament.

UOC Metropolitan Pavel has been notified that he is suspected of inciting inter-religious hatred and distributing materials justifying Russian aggression. He has denied the accusations.

An explanatory note to the bill states that the UOC is seen as a structural part of the Russian Orthodox Church whose activities, it said, were “aimed at supporting armed aggression of the Russian Federation.”

The UOC accepted the authority of the patriarch of Moscow until after Russia‘s invasion last year but says it has now severed ties with Russia and is the victim of a political witch hunt. The Kremlin says that actions under way against the UOC are illegal.

Ukrainian villagers weep as they bury victims of Hroza missile strike- continued

Monday 9 October 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andrii Bilous said his brother Vitalii, 44, had not required the DNA testing because his body was not mutilated in the attack. He said he would have been there with his brother on Thursday if he had not had to go to work.

“Our friend, who was also our former neighbour, was being re-buried. He used to live in Hroza, for many years,” he said as he waited for his brother’s body in a morgue in Kharkiv, the nearest big city to Hroza.

“I was also going to go there but I had to go to work. Then a missile struck. I started calling Vitalii, but he didn’t pick up the phone.”

Before the war, Hroza had a population of about 500 people. The village was seized by Moscow in the early days of the February, 2022 invasion and recaptured by Kyiv the following September along with areas nearby.

A Kremlin spokesperson reiterated on Friday that Moscow does not attack civilian targets. A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said “the indications are that it was a Russian missile”.

Ukrainian villagers weep as they bury victims of Hroza missile strike

Monday 9 October 2023 16:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Residents of the Ukrainian village of Hroza wept beside coffins on Monday as they buried relatives and neighbours killed in one of the deadliest attacks in nearly 20 months of war.

The small community has been devastated by Thursday’s attack, in which Ukrainian officials said a Russian missile slammed into a cafe in Hroza as people gathered to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier.

A woman dressed in black cried over the closed coffin of villager Tetiana Kharbaka, 52, before several men lowered it into a freshly dug grave.

A blue and yellow Ukrainian flag flew over one grave. Mounds of earth stood beside other graves dug for victims who have taken longer to identify.

“As of this morning, 49 people had been identified with the help of external features and express DNA tests,” a spokesperson for Kharkiv regional prosecutors was quoted as saying by Interfax Ukraine news agency.

After the DNA tests, 11 bodies were handed out to family members on Monday, a Reuters reporter on the scene said.

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin resorts to old weaponry and reserves

Monday 9 October 2023 16:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian forces beat attacks on five points across the war frontline on Sunday as Russia’s troops resorted to using old weapons and equipment while shelling the frontline, military officials said in the latest update from the battlefield.

At least two people were killed and a dozen more injured in Russia’s shelling of the southern Kherson region.

The attacks were repelled in five areas of the eastern front – Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka, and Marinka – along the 1,000km-long (600mile) front, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its evening report.

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin uses old weaponry and reserves

Russian hackers involved in cyber attack on Israel, Ukraine claims

Monday 9 October 2023 16:00 , Tom Watling

Russian hackers assisted the terrorist organisation Hamas in conducting cyber attacks against Israel in the run-up to the Gaza conflict, Ukraine has claimed.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, claimed on X, formerly Twitter, that there was “some evidence” to suggest Russian hackers, including Killnet and Anonymous Sudan, had been involved with Hamas.

He claimed there had been a “three-fold decrease” in cyberattacks against Ukraine on 6 October compared to the previous three months as evidence suggesting the Russian hackers’ involvement.

“The participation of Russian hacker groups in supporting Hamas is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the number of cyber incidents in Ukrainian information resources and systems has sharply decreased on the eve of Saturday until now,” he wrote.

“On October 6, a three-fold decrease in the number of incidents was recorded compared to the average values ​​for the last three months. October 7 recorded the lowest number of cyber incidents in the last two years.

“This may indicate a temporary change in the vector of Russian cyberattacks in support of cyber operations within the framework of the Israeli conflict and the insufficiency of Russian resources for large-scale cyberattacks in several directions.

“Ukraine, in turn, is ready to provide assistance to the state of Israel and share its own experience in combating Russian cyber aggression.”

At least 2 women, including 83-year-old, injured in Russian attack in Kherson

Monday 9 October 2023 15:39 , Tom Watling

At least two women have been injured following another Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, according to local officials.

Roman Mrochko, Head of the Kherson MBA, said in an update on Telegram: “An 83-year-old woman was injured as a result of the recent enemy shelling of the Kherson city territorial community. She is receiving medical assistance. The preliminary diagnosis is a back injury.

“Another woman has a leg injury. At this hour, according to preliminary information, the Russian army has already injured four civilians in the Kherson community!”

The incident follows a report on Sunday that two Ukrainians were killed in another Kherson attack.

Russia considering revoking ratification of nuclear treaty, paving way for potential new tests

Monday 9 October 2023 15:30 , Tom Watling

Russian lawmakers were on Monday given 10 days to study the possibility of revoking Moscow's ratification of a treaty banning nuclear tests, the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, said in a statement.

The chamber's International Affairs Committee will need to conclude its work by Oct. 18, the statement said.

Israel ambassador thanks Ukraine for support as Russia baselessly claims Hamas using Nato weapons

Monday 9 October 2023 15:11 , Tom Watling

Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine has thanked Kyiv for their support as Russian officials made baseless claims about western entanglement with Hamas.

Ambassador Michael Brodsky posted a video to X, formerly Twitter, praising Ukraine for their help in such a “difficult time”.

Earlier today, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claimed weapons sent to Ukraine by Nato were being used by Hamas against Israel. He did not provide any evidence.

The Institute for the Study of War warned this morning that Russian officials were likely to use the conflict in Gaza as a means of trying to discourage support of Ukraine.

Russian victory in Ukraine would ‘double’ defence costs for the West, claims top US general

Monday 9 October 2023 14:24 , Tom Watling

The top US military official has issued a timely warning as hardline Republicans threaten to undermine continued military aid to Ukraine.

General Mark Milley, the outgoing chief of the US Armed Forces, spoke to CBS News as Congress remains paralysed without a speaker at the lower chamber, the House of Representatives.

Until a new leader is elected, decisions on fiscal budget for the next year cannot be made, meaning its military aid to Ukraine will run out without being topped up.

Speaking about the danger of a Ukrainian loss, Gen Milley said such a result would lead to an “increase if not doubling of defence budgets in the years ahead”.

He added: “And you will increase the probability of a great power war in the next 10 to 15 years. I think it would be a very dangerous situation if Putin’s allowed to win.”

Zelensky appoints new war commander

Monday 9 October 2023 14:15 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensy has replaced the commander of the Territorial defence forces.

A statement by the Office of the President announced the “release of Ihor Ivanovich Tanciura from the position of commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

Major-General Anatoliy Vladyslavovich Barhylevych, 54, who was instrumental in the liberation of Kharkiv last September, has been promoted to the commander position.

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

Monday 9 October 2023 13:50 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine, as posted by the Ukrainian MoD.

They show the 110th separate mechanized brigade, named after General-Corporal Marko Bezruchko.

Ukraine ‘grateful’ to Netherlands for F16 fighter jet coalition

Monday 9 October 2023 13:03 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov has said he spoke with his Dutch counterpart this morning ahead of the Ramstein meeting this week about the F16 fighter jet coalition.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “Discussed urgent Ukrainian needs– air defence systems, long-range missiles, and artillery.

“Touched on the experience of the Netherlands on procurement acquisition and sustainment that might be useful for Ukraine.

“Looking forward to meeting Mrs. Ollongren during #Ramstein16 & welcome in Ukraine soon.”

He added that he was “grateful” for their “leadership in the F16 Coalition, pilot training, readiness to provide aircrafts, and plans to establish the pilot training centre for F16”.

Russia planning to hold elections despite war in Ukraine, claims Kremlin

Monday 9 October 2023 12:30 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin believes Russia's presidential and parliamentary elections should be held on schedule irrespective of the "special military operation" in Ukraine, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted on Monday as saying.

“We proceed from President (Vladimir) Putin's statement... (where he) emphasised the need to comply with all the requirements of democracy, the constitution and, accordingly, to hold these elections,”Interfax news agency quoted Peskov as saying.

Peskov was responding to comments by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close Putin ally who was quoted on Saturday as saying that Russia should either postpone the presidential election due to the war in Ukraine or allow only one candidate - Putin.

Russia is scheduled to hold the next presidential election in 2024 and the next parliamentary election in 2026.

Ukraine launch investigation into possible death of three nationals in and around Gaza

Monday 9 October 2023 11:50 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian authorities are investigating the possible death of three nationals caught up in the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Ukrainian embassy is checking reports on the possible death of two citizens near the Gaza Strip and a further person inside the enclave.

He added that an operation to rescue a Ukrainian boy from Sderot, Israel, had been “successful”.

“He is now in a safe place under the care of the Embassy,” Mr Nikolenko added. “He has been provided with medical and psychological assistance.”

British Commandos train Ukrainian marines

Monday 9 October 2023 11:30 , Tom Watling

Images have shown British Commandos training up to 900 Ukrainian marines “to conduct beach raids and amphibious operations”.

Zelensky criticises Iranian involvement in Ukraine and Israel

Monday 9 October 2023 11:00 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Iran for its involvement in both Ukraine and Israel.

In a speech to the Nato parliamentary assembly in Copenhagen, he said: “Iran can’t say it has nothing to do with what is going on in Ukraine if it sells ‘Shaheds’ to Russia.

“Iran can’t say it has nothing to do with what is going on in Israel if its officials claim the support of it.”

You can read his full speech in the tweet below.

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin resorts to old weaponry and reserves

Monday 9 October 2023 10:12 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian forces beat attacks on five points across the war frontline on Sunday as Russia’s troops resorted to using old weapons and equipment while shelling the frontline, military officials said in the latest update from the battlefield.

At least two people were killed and a dozen more injured in Russia’s shelling of the southern Kherson region.

The attacks were repelled in five areas of the eastern front – Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka, and Marinka – along the 1,000km-long (600mile) front, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its evening report.

A total of 33 skirmishes were recorded during the day by Ukraine, the battlefield update added.

You can read the full story below.

Ukraine repels Russian attacks on five fronts as Putin uses old weaponry and reserves

Ukraine working to prevent Russian drone production

Monday 9 October 2023 09:25 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian attempts to prevent Russia from producing lethal drones are underway, according to a top official.

Andriy Yermak, the top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed that US sanctions against the military-industrial complex to prevent further drone production have been “strengthened”.

Russia drones, including the Lancet, ZALA and Orlan, have proved highly effective on the battlefield.

Denmark PM urges West to avoid ‘war fatigue’ with Ukraine

Monday 9 October 2023 09:02 , Tom Watling

The Danish prime minister has called on Kyiv’s western allies not to suffer “war fatigue” over Ukraine.

Leaders of Ukraine’s allies are meeting today in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, to discuss continued support for Kyiv, among other topics, as part of a Nato parliamentary assembly.

In her opening remarks, the prime minister of Denmark, called on her colleagues to stand with Ukraine “to the bitter end”.

She said: “Brave Ukrainian men and women are fighting on the battlefield. They are the face of right against wrong, of good against evil.

“This [invasion] is a threat to the ideas our alliance is built on – freedom, democracy, the rule of law.

“We must be with Ukraine to the bitter end. None of us can claim war fatigue while Ukraine continues its tireless fight. Let us decide that war fatigue will not take place in our transatlantic community.”

Her comments reflect a difficult point in Ukraine’s fight against Russia: while Kyiv’s counteroffensive looks to have slowed in the past fortnight (though marginal gains are still being made), the chaos in Congress last week has cast into doubt the continued military support of the US.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address those in Copenhagen later today.

Majority of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet no longer in main Crimean port

Monday 9 October 2023 08:48 , Tom Watling

Significant portions of Russia’s prized Black Sea Fleet (BSF) have been moved to secondary locations in Crimea and further afield, showing that Ukraine poses a “serious threat” on the peninsula.

The port of Sevastopol, on the southeastern tip of the peninsula, had been a main base for the BSF, but after months of heavy air and naval drone attacks, Russia has been forced to pull many of its vessels further back.

At least 70-80 percent of its fleet is now spread among other locations, Olga Korbut, an expert on military activity on the Black Sea, told The Independent.

Last week, satellite images showed at least 10 vessels in the port of Novorossiysk; they had been moved more than 200 miles west from Sevastopol after another week of Ukrainian attacks.

It was also announced that Russia would open a new naval base in the breakaway state of Abkhazia, further west still.

According to Ms Korbut, Russia is now operating, or intending to operate, bases in Novorossiysk, Kerch and Feodosiya (both in Crimea) and Abkhazia.

“It is worth noting that Ukraine has been very creative and successful in using the innovative concept of an army of drones (naval drones in this case) against Russia while having extremely poor traditional fleet capabilities,” Ms Korbut added.

“This again proves that an adequate response to Russian aggressive actions in the Black Sea is possible.”

Russian troops shell 8 regions of Ukraine, Kyiv claims

Monday 9 October 2023 08:30 , Tom Watling

Russian forces have shelled eight different regions of Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to the latest information from Kyiv’s military media centre.

In a statement on Telegram, the Military Media Centre wrote: “According to the information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, during the past 24 hours, Russian troops shelled the territory of 8 regions of Ukraine.

“In general, from various types of weapons - mortars, tanks, artillery, MLRS, UAVs and tactical aviation - 77 settlements and 54 infrastructure objects were attacked.

“There are dead and wounded among civilians, the number of victims is being specified.”