Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin suffers loss of 261 troops in 24 hours as Kyiv offensive gains momentum

Ukraine has made gains in the south, one of the country’s top generals has said. General Oleksander Tarnavskyi said in a Telegram post that Ukraine forces had advanced in the Tavria sector.

Tarnavskyi, head of the southern group of forces, said his troops had conducted 1,198 assignments in the past 24 hours and that Russian forces had sustained losses of 261 men and a further 10 being taken prisoner.

Earlier, a UK defence minister said Russian navy ships have been forced to disperse to ports where they “cannot have an effect on Ukraine” inwhat he described as a “functional defeat” for the Kremlin.

James Heappey, speaking at a security event in Warsaw, said the Russian navy had been forced to disperse to ports from which “it cannot have an effect on Ukraine”.

He added that, despite the disappointment among Ukraine’s Western allies about the pace of Kyiv’s land offensive, the naval success was “every bit as important” as the land breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast region.

Key Points

• Putin’s navy has suffered ‘functional defeat’ in Black Sea, says UK

• Putin ‘sends drunk soldiers’ to frontline to die in punishment squads

• Ukraine strike Russian village with cluster munitions

• Ukraine downs dozens of Russia-launched drones and one cruise missile

• Inside the dark ‘Storm-Z’ Russian punishment batallions

• Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

Ukraine makes gains in the south - top general

Tuesday 3 October 2023 20:01 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has made gains in the south, one of the country’s top generals has said.

General Oleksander Tarnavskyi said in a Telegram post that Ukraine forces had advanced in the Tavria sector.

Tarnavskyi, head of the southern group of forces, said his troops had conducted 1,198 assignments in the past 24 hours and that Russian forces had sustained losses of 261 men and a further 10 being taken prisoner.

Ukraine targets Crimea coast with Neptune missiles

10:15 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine trained its Neptune missiles on Russian targets in the illegally-occupied Crimean peninsula on Tuesday in a fresh attack, according to reports.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said in an update that a Ukrainian Neptune missile was shot down over the northwestern part of the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimean peninsula. The attack was carried out around 8.30pm local time.

A Ukrainian drone also targeted Russia’s Black Sea port city of Sevastopol.

Debris from the drone landed on the roof of an apartment building but there were no injuries, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-appointed governor of Sevastopol.

Russian emergency services were determining how to remove explosive materials from the site, Mr Razvozhayev said.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine targets Crimea coast with Neptune missile and drones

Russia to conduct emergency public warning tests

09:30 , Tara Cobham

Russia will conduct a nationwide test of its emergency public warning systems on Wednesday, blaring out sirens and interrupting television broadcasts to warn the population of an impending danger.

The test, first conducted in 2020, is part of a new initiative that requires authorities to conduct tests twice a year, starting from 1 September.

At 10:43 am Moscow time (0743 GMT), sirens will wail and stern announcements demanding "Attention everyone!" will alert the public, mimicking what would happen in a true disaster or catastrophe.

"When you hear the sound of a siren, you need to remain calm and not panic, turn on the TV - any publicly accessible channel or radio - and listen to the information message," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement.

"The warning system is designed to timely convey a signal to the population in the event of a threat or emergency of a natural or man-made nature."

Ukraine advances on southern front

08:45 , Tara Cobham

Ukrainian forces were advancing in the southern front and inflicted more than 260 losses on the battlefield, a top general said on Tuesday.

"In the Tavria sector, there has been an advance by the defence forces," Ukrainian general Oleksander Tarnavskyi said in a Telegram post, using the military’s name for the southern front. He did not provide more details of the territorial feats.

This came as president Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops on one of the hottest fronts of the war with Russia and discussed the situation with the leading commanders in the country’s northeast.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine advances on southern front as Zelensky assesses preparations for winter

Moscow says it downed 31 Ukraine-launched drones over Russian territory

08:00 , Tara Cobham

Russia downed 31 Ukraine-launched drones overnight over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk bordering Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.

There was no information about potential casualties or damage.

Separately, Ukrainian forces fired cluster munitions at several villages in Russia's southern region of Bryansk, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on the Telegram messaging app. There were no casualties in the attacks, although several homes were damaged, he added.

The reports could not be independently verified. There was no immediate comment from the government in Kyiv.

Ukraine has received cluster munitions from the United States and pledged to use them only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers. However, Russian officials in Bryansk and other regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly accused Ukraine's armed forces of indiscriminate shelling.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode can pose a danger for decades.

ICYMI: Ukraine to build its first underground school in Kharkiv, official says

07:00 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s eastern metropolis of Kharkiv will build the country’s first fully underground school to allow children to continue their education even in the face of Russian fire, the city’s mayor said.

“Such a shelter will enable thousands of Kharkiv children to continue their safe face-to-face education even during missile threats,” mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram.

Full report:

Ukraine to build its first underground school in Kharkiv, official says

ICYMI: Shapps slams Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

06:00 , Matt Mathers

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested recent tweets by Elon Musk mocking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are “unhelpful”.

The senior Cabinet minister made the comments at a Conservative Party conference fringe event in Manchester, hours after the billionaire entrepreneur used Twitter, now known as X, to take aim at Mr Zelensky’s repeated requests for western support in the battle against Russian troops.

Full report:

Shapps slams Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

ICYMI: Elon Musk’s mockery of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky ‘unhelpful’

05:00 , Matt Mathers

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested recent tweets by Elon Musk mocking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are “unhelpful”.

The senior Cabinet minister made the comments at a Conservative Party conference fringe event in Manchester, hours after the billionaire entrepreneur used Twitter, now known as X, to take aim at Mr Zelensky’s repeated requests for Western support in the battle against Russia.

Mr Shapps, an avid social media user himself, expressed reservations about the owner of X’s recent attitudes to the war.

Full report:

Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

Armenia's parliament votes to join the International Criminal Court, straining ties with ally Russia

04:00 , Matt Mathers

Armenia’s parliament voted Tuesday to join the International Criminal Court, a move that further strains the country’s ties with its old ally Russia after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over events in Ukraine.

Moscow last month called Yerevan’s effort to join the the ICC an “unfriendly step,” and the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Armenia’s ambassador. Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC are bound to arrest Putin, who was indicted for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine, if he sets foot on their soil.

Full report:

Armenia's parliament votes to join the International Criminal Court, straining ties with ally Russia

Putin’s ‘punishment battalions’ full of convicts and drunk recruits: ‘They’re just meat’

03:00 , Matt Mathers

Drunk recruits. Insubordinate soldiers. Convicts.

They’re among hundreds of military and civilian offenders who’ve been pressed into Russian penal units known as “Storm-Z” squads and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine this year, according to 13 people with knowledge of the matter, including five fighters in the units.

Few live to tell their tale, the people said.

Full report:

Putin’s ‘punishment battalions’ full of convicts and drunk recruits

ICYMI: A deal to expedite grain exports has been reached between Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania

02:00 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have agreed on a plan they hope will help expedite Ukrainian grain exports, officials said Tuesday, with needy countries beyond Europe potentially benefitting from speedier procedures.

The deal means that grain inspections will shift from the Ukraine-Poland border to a Lithuanian port on the Baltic Sea, according to a statement from the Ukrainian farm ministry.

Full report:

A deal to expedite grain exports has been reached between Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania

ICYMI: Biden tries to reassure allies of continued US support for Ukraine after Congress drops aid request

01:00 , Matt Mathers

President Joe Biden convened a call Tuesday with U.S. allies and partners to coordinate future support for Ukraine after Congress passed — and he signed — legislation that kept the U.S. government funded but dropped his request for billions of dollars to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Details on specifics of the discussion and whether any decisions were made were not immediately available.

Seung Min Kim reports:

Biden tries to reassure allies of continued US support for Ukraine after Congress drops aid request

Former VP Pence to talk national security and foreign policy at AP-Georgetown University forum

Wednesday 4 October 2023 00:01 , Matt Mathers

Former Vice President and GOP candidate Mike Pence will take questions on national security and foreign policy Tuesday afternoon at Washington’s Georgetown University.

The appearance will be the first in a series of conversations with 2024 Republican presidential candidates on the topic co-hosted by The Associated Press and Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.

Full report:

Former VP Pence to talk national security and foreign policy at AP-Georgetown University forum

Shapps should help end dispute at depot that supplies arms to Ukraine, says SNP

Tuesday 3 October 2023 21:17 , Matt Mathers

The Defence Secretary has been urged to intervene in strikes taking place at a Scottish munitions depot after it was suggested missiles held there could help Ukraine win the war.

In a letter to Grant Shapps, the SNP called for him to resolve an ongoing dispute at DM Beith, North Ayrshire, which has led to a series of ongoing strikes.

It comes as another two-week walkout begins in the row over pay.

Ryan McDougall reports:

Shapps should help end dispute at depot that supplies arms to Ukraine, says SNP

ICYMI:Elon Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

Tuesday 3 October 2023 19:27 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s parliament and its speaker have taunted billionaire Elon Musk after he posted a meme on his social media platform mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s pleas for assistance from the West against Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine’s defence effort, but his statements have sometimes angered Kyiv since the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February last year.

Full report:

Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

Tuesday 3 October 2023 19:00 , Matt Mathers

The European Union (EU) promised Ukraine £4.3bn in military aid as its continuous support in the war against Russia.

The 27-nation bloc remained committed to help defeat a “brutal and inhumane” Moscow, said Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative for foreign affairs. It comes after US Congress left Ukraine war aid out of its spending bill and a pro-Russian candidate won an election in Slovakia.

Full report:

EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

ICYMI: Putin’s ‘punishment battalions’ full of convicts and drunk recruits: ‘They’re just meat’

Tuesday 3 October 2023 18:30 , Matt Mathers

Drunk recruits. Insubordinate soldiers. Convicts.

They’re among hundreds of military and civilian offenders who’ve been pressed into Russian penal units known as “Storm-Z” squads and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine this year, according to 13 people with knowledge of the matter, including five fighters in the units.

Few live to tell their tale, the people said.

Read the full report below:

Putin’s ‘punishment battalions’ full of convicts and drunk recruits

Burger King still open in Russia a year after promising to leave

Tuesday 3 October 2023 17:52 , Matt Mathers

Burger King remains open across Russia more than a year after the fast food chain’s owner promised to leave.

Restaurant Brands International (RBI), which owns 15 per cent of the fast-food’s franchise business in Russia, told the BBC it had "no new updates to share at this time" on its exit.

The company said in March 2022 that it had started the process of leaving Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

McDonald’s, Burger King’s biggest rival, has already left Russia.

Western allies running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine

Tuesday 3 October 2023 17:35 , Matt Mathers

Western countries are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine, Nato and the UK have warned.

Admiral Rob Bauer, Nato’s most senior military official, called on governments and their defence manufacturers to “ramp up” production to help Kyiv’s war effort.

“We need large volumes,” the BBC quoted him as saying. “The just-in-time, just-enough economy we built together in 30 years in our liberal economies is fine for a lot of things – but not the armed forces when there is a war ongoing.”

Polish president says Biden assured partners of continued support for Ukraine

Tuesday 3 October 2023 17:20 , Matt Mathers

United States President Joe Biden assured leaders of G7 and European states of Washington’s continued support for Ukraine during a video conference, the Polish president said on Tuesday.

"He assured us that support for aid given to Ukraine continues, especially military aid.

He said he would secure this support in Congress," Andrzej Duda told a news conference.

UK tells G7 and NATO leaders: We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes

Tuesday 3 October 2023 17:04 , Matt Mathers

Prime minister Rishi Sunak told G7 and NATO leaders on Tuesday that Britain was prepared to support Ukraine with military, humanitarian and economic assistance "for as long as it take," his office said in a readout of a call.

"He ( Sunak) outlined the UK’s ongoing military, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine and stressed that this support will continue for as long as it takes," a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden convened the call amid concerns that support for Kyiv’s war effort against Russia was fading, especially in the United States where Congress excluded aid to Ukraine from an emergency bill to prevent a partial government shutdown.

UK minister hails ‘functional defeat’ of Russia in Black Sea

Tuesday 3 October 2023 16:16 , Matt Mathers

A UK government defence minister has hailed Ukraine’s “functional defeat” of Russia in the Black Sea over the past few weeks.

James Heappey, speaking at a security event in Warsaw, said the Russian navy had been forced to disperse to ports from which “it cannot have an effect on Ukraine”.

He added that, despite the disappointment among Ukraine’s Western allies about the pace of Kyiv’s land offensive, the naval success was “every bit as important” as the land breakthrough in Kharkiv Oblast region.

Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

Tuesday 3 October 2023 15:33 , Matt Mathers

Defence secretary Grant Shapps has suggested recent tweets by Elon Musk mocking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are “unhelpful”.

The senior Cabinet minister made the comments at a Conservative Party conference fringe event in Manchester, hours after the billionaire entrepreneur used Twitter, now known as X, to take aim at Mr Zelensky’s repeated requests for western support in the battle against Russian troops.

Mr Shapps, an avid social media user himself, expressed reservations about the owner of X’s recent attitudes to the war.

Full report:

Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

Two more vessels head to Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa - lawmaker

Tuesday 3 October 2023 14:54 , Matt Mathers

Two vessels sailing under the flags of the Marshall Islands and Cameroon are heading towards the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, a local Ukrainian lawmaker reported on Tuesday.

The lawmaker, Oleksiy Honcharenko, did not provide any details other than names - EQUATOR and MARANTA but posted images of vessels on the Telegram messaging app.

A senior member of the government said on Sunday that five other ships were on their way to Ukrainian Black Sea ports using a new corridor opened for predominantly agricultural exports following Russia’s decision to quit a U.N.-brokered wartime deal on safe shipments.

Zelensky visits troops fighting in northeastern Ukraine

Tuesday 3 October 2023 14:35 , Matt Mathers

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops fighting in northeast Ukraine on Tuesday and met commanders to discuss the battlefield situation on one of the hottest fronts of the war with Russia.

Zelensky did not give the exact location of his visit but said he had met brigades fighting in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector in the northeast, where the Ukrainian military says Russian forces have been staging attacks.

"We met with brigade and battalion commanders to discuss the battlefield situation, pressing issues, and needs," he said on X, formerly known as Twitter, above photos of him meeting soldiers in a poorly lit room.

"Each of our combat brigades, each warrior who destroys the occupiers with every step forward, asserts that the Ukrainian victory will surely come. They are the power. I thank them for their service!"

A deal to expedite grain exports has been reached between Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania

Tuesday 3 October 2023 14:15 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have agreed on a plan they hope will help expedite Ukrainian grain exports, officials said Tuesday, with needy countries beyond Europe potentially benefitting from speedier procedures.

The deal means that grain inspections will shift from the Ukraine-Poland border to a Lithuanian port on the Baltic Sea, according to a statement from the Ukrainian farm ministry.

Illia Novikov has the full report:

A deal to expedite grain exports has been reached between Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania

Zelensky thanks Europe for support as he marks EU day in Ukraine

Tuesday 3 October 2023 13:47 , Matt Mathers

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked European countries for their support during the war in an address to mark EU day in Ukraine.

In a message posted on his X/Twitter account, Zelensky said international law can “win now in Ukraine”.

“All of the support for Ukraine and every step done to assist us will return to those who support us with global security,” he added.

“When Russian aggression fails on our soil, the very idea of aggression will be defeated.”

Watch a clip from his video message below:

Armenia’s parliament has voted to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Tuesday 3 October 2023 13:40 , Lydia Patrick

The move adds further strain to the country’s ties with its old ally Russia after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over events in Ukraine.

Moscow last month called Armenia’s effort to join the ICC an “unfriendly step” and the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Armenia’s ambassador.

Countries that have signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the ICC are bound to arrest Mr Putin, who was indicted for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine, if he sets foot on their soil.

Armenian officials have argued the move has nothing to do with Russia and was prompted by Azerbaijan’s aggression towards the country.

Politicians voted to ratify the Rome Statute by a vote of 60-22. Armenia’s president must sign off on the decision, which will come into force 60 days after the vote.

A rundown of recent events

Tuesday 3 October 2023 13:20 , Lydia Patrick

• Kyiv inches forward in counteroffensive

The Ukrainian counteroffensive makes advances in the south east as footage shows forces making progress in the northwest of Novomayorse, 18km southeast of Veylka Novosilk.

• Ukraine downs dozens of Russia-launched drones and one cruise missile

Ukraine destroyed 29 of 31 drones launched by Russia and one cruise missile, most of them targeting the regions of Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk, report the Ukrainian airforce.

• Brussels on the verge of unlocking billions in aid to Budapest

The EU is considering unlocking billions of euros for Hungary that were frozen over rule-of-law concerns as it seeks to win Budapest’s approval for aid to Ukraine including a start to membership talks for Kyiv, according to senior officials.

• Russia say they don’t need more fighters

Russia has no plans for an additional mobilisation of men to fight in Ukraine as more than 335,000 have signed up so far this year to fight in the armed forces or voluntary units, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said today.

• Armenia’s parliament has voted to join the International Criminal Court

Armenia’s parliament signed the founding statute of the ICC, subjecting itself to the jurisdiction of the court in The Hague, Russian state news agencies said.

Drunk Russian soldiers sent to their deaths on front line as punishment

Tuesday 3 October 2023 13:14 , Matt Mathers

Drunk and mutinous Russian soldiers are being sent to their deaths on the front line as punishment for their bad behaviour, it has been reported.

The soldiers are being used in Storm-Z human shield squads in the most dangerous battles on the front line.

They are often sent over the trenches in waves ahead of regular soldiers and heavy armour.

“If the commandants catch anyone with the smell of alcohol on their breath, then they immediately send them to the Storm squads,” one soldier told a Reuters investigation.

ICYMI - Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son ‘set to be next mercenary boss’

Tuesday 3 October 2023 13:00 , Lydia Patrick

The 25-year-old son of Yevgeny Prigozhin is set to take over from his father and become the next boss of the Wagner group.

Pavel Prigozhin appears to be inheriting the vast majority of his father’s riches – including the mercenary group, properties, and about £100 million – according to a photograph posted on social media of what seems to be Prigozhin’s will.

He is now negotiating with the Russian national guard, Rosgvardia, over having the mercenary organisation rejoin combat in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Wagner succession: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son ‘set to be next mercenary boss’

ICYMI - Elon Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

Tuesday 3 October 2023 12:40 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine’s parliament and its speaker have taunted billionaire Elon Musk after he posted a meme on his social media platform mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s pleas for assistance from the West against Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine’s defence effort, but his statements have sometimes angered Kyiv since the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February last year.

Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

ICYMI - EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

Tuesday 3 October 2023 12:20 , Lydia Patrick

The European Union (EU) promised Ukraine £4.3bn in military aid as part of its ongoing support in the war against Russia.

The 27-nation bloc remained committed to help defeat a “brutal and inhumane” Moscow, said Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative for foreign affairs. It comes after the US Congress left Ukraine war aid out of its spending bill and a pro-Russian candidate won an election in Slovakia.

Monday’s meeting in Kyiv was touted by Mr Borrell as a historic first for the EU but it comes at an awkward time for the Western countries backing Ukraine.

With summer drawing to a close, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed to produce the victories that Kyiv’s allies had hoped to see before mud clogs the treads of donated tanks.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted by his website, said he was sure “Ukraine and the entire free world are capable of winning this confrontation. But our victory depends directly on our cooperation with you”.

EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

Brussels on the verge of unlocking billions in aid to Budapest

Tuesday 3 October 2023 12:00 , Lydia Patrick

The EU is considering unlocking billions of euros for Hungary that were frozen over rule-of-law concerns as it seeks to win Budapest’s approval for aid to Ukraine including a start to membership talks for Kyiv, according to senior officials.

Hungary cultivates closer ties with Russia than other EU states, and is seen as the key potential opponent to a decision due in December on whether to open accession talks with Kyiv, which would require unanimous backing of the union’s 27 members.

At stake also is a bid by the EU executive Commission to have member states contribute more to the bloc’s joint coffers, to help fund more aid to Ukraine. That decision is also expected later this year and requires unanimity.

A senior EU official told Reuters that to sway Hungary’s vote, the bloc expects to look at the status of billions of euros worth of EU handouts now frozen over concerns that Prime Minister Viktor Orban has restricted the independence of courts.

“I can’t imagine Hungary agreeing without there first being a solution to the blocked funds,” said the official.

A second EU official confirmed there was a link between releasing funds to Hungary and EU plans requiring unanimity, including enlargement and budget talks.

Sources stressed, however, a deal was not a foregone conclusion and much also depended on Orban, who is faced with economic stagnation and a widening budget deficit at home.

“Hungary needs the money urgently, which is an incentive for reform. The Commission needs Hungary to lift its vetoes on a number of issues in return,” said an EU diplomat.

“But I don’t think the Commission will or can move without any movement on reforms from Budapest.”

Russia say they don’t need more fighters

Tuesday 3 October 2023 11:40 , Lydia Patrick

Russia has no plans for an additional mobilisation of men to fight in Ukraine as more than 335,000 have signed up so far this year to fight in the armed forces or voluntary units, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said today.

“There are no plans for an additional mobilisation,” Shoigu was shown telling top generals on state television. “The armed forces have the necessary number of military personnel to conduct the special military operation.”

Shoigu, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, hailed the patriotism of those who had signed up.

“Since the start of the year, more than 335,000 people have entered military service under contract and in volunteer formations,” Shoigu said. “In September alone, more than 50,000 citizens signed contracts.”

Those figures indicate that Russia has made significant progress both in signing recruits and in absorbing many fighters from the Wagner mercenary force into “voluntary formations”.

Putin ordered a “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 reservists in September last year, prompting hundreds of thousands of young men to flee Russia to avoid being sent to fight.

‘It’s a survival issue’ - Ukraine taking weaponary into their own hands

Tuesday 3 October 2023 11:20 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine worries their weapon supplies are running out- meaning they might have to take matters into their own hands, report Politico.

At the International Industries Defence Forum in Kyiv last week, the country found supporters are running out of weapons to send to Ukraine whilst others are sceptical of sending more as their own supplies dwindle, say Politico.

The managing partner at COSA Inteligence Solutions in Kyiv said: “It’s a survival issue.”

Kyiv are now working on securing deals for countries across the globe to back them to produce weapons on their own soil and become self-sufficient.

Armenia ratifies statute to accept International Criminal Court jurisdiction

Tuesday 3 October 2023 11:00 , Lydia Patrick

Armenia’s parliament signed the founding statute of the International Criminal Court, subjecting itself to the jurisdiction of the court in The Hague, Russian state news agencies said.

A spokeswoman for parliament said 60 deputies had voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC, and to adopt a statement on retroactive recognition of ICC jurisdiction, and 22 had voted against.

The plan had been strongly opposed by Russia, Armenia’s formal ally, with which ties have become badly strained over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Azerbaijan’s recapture of a region controlled for three decades by ethnic Armenians.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds or more children from Ukraine, a claim dismissed by the Kremlin as meaningless. Joining the ICC means Armenia will be obliged to arrest Putin if he sets foot there.

Armenia says it has been discussing its plans with Russia, after Moscow warned it in March of “serious consequences” if it submitted to ICC jurisdiction.

Yerevan has said the move was always intended to address what it says are war crimes committed by Azerbaijan in a long-running conflict with Armenia, and is not aimed at Russia.

Moscow has nevertheless voiced increasing frustration with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has publicly said Armenia’s policy of solely relying on Russia to guarantee its security was a mistake, and pointedly hosted joint manoeuvres with U.S. forces.

Russia facing ‘functional defeat’ in the Black Sea – but Kyiv allies warn they are running out of ammunition

Tuesday 3 October 2023 21:48 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine has achieved the “functional defeat” of Vladimir Putin’s prized Black Sea fleet with intensified attacks in recent weeks, a UK defence minister has suggested – but warned that Western allies are running out of ammunition to help Kyiv repel Russia’s invasion.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum from the Polish capital on Tuesday, James Heappey said the kneecapping of the major Russian naval force – including the recent strike on its Crimean headquarters – was “every bit as important” as Ukraine’s gains in Kharkiv last year.

Andy Gregory reports:

Putin’s prized Black Sea fleet ‘functionally defeated’ by Ukraine

What did Elon Musk say about President Zelensky on X?

Tuesday 3 October 2023 10:40 , Lydia Patrick

Early on Monday, Musk posted a meme on his platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showing Zelensky and the caption: “When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t asked for a billion dollars in aid.”

The Ukrainian leader and his top lieutenants have appealed to their allies throughout the war to secure billions of pounds of military aid to weather and push back Russia’s invasion.

The speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, hit out at Musk’s jibe with his own post on X.

“The case when [Elon Musk] tried to conquer space, but something went wrong and in 5 minutes he was up to his eyeballs in s***,” an apparent reference to SpaceX’s failed rocket launch in April.

Read the full story here

Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

Ukraine to transfer controls of agricultural cargo to Lithuania's Klaipeda-minister

Tuesday 3 October 2023 10:20 , Lydia Patrick

Veterinary and sanitary controls of Ukrainian agricultural cargo bound for the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda will in the next two days be transferred from the Polish-Ukrainian border directly to Klaipeda under a deal reached by Kyiv, Warsaw and Vilnius, the Ukrainian farm ministry said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement quoted Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky as saying the move was aimed at speeding up transit.

Inside the dark ‘Storm-Z’ Russian punishment batallions

Tuesday 3 October 2023 10:00 , Lydia Patrick

Hundreds of military and civilian offenders are forced to the frontlines as part of Russian penal units called ‘Storm-Z’ squads.

"Storm fighters, they’re just meat," said one regular soldier from army unit no. 40318 who was deployed near the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine in May and June.

He said he’d given medical treatment to a group of six or seven wounded Storm-Z fighters on the battlefield, disobeying an order from a commander - whose name he didn’t know - to leave the men. He said he didn’t know why the commander gave the order, but claimed that it typified how Storm-Z fighters were considered of lesser value than ordinary troops by officers.

The soldier, who requested anonymity because he feared prosecution in Russia for publicly discussing the war, said he had sympathy for the men’s plight: "If the commandants catch anyone with the smell of alcohol on their breath, then they immediately send them to the Storm squads."

The squads also combine convicts who volunteer to fight in exchange for the promise of a pardon with regular soldiers being punished for disciplinary breaches, the people interviewed said.

The Storm-Z squads are useful to the Russian defence ministry because they can be deployed as expendable infantry, according to Conflict Intelligence Team, an independent organisation that’s tracking the war. "The Storm fighters are just sent to the most dangerous parts of the front, in defence and in attack," the group, which was founded in Russia, told Reuters.

Storm-Z is an unofficial term used by Russian troops, combining a term for assault troops with the letter Z, adopted by the military as a symbol of their invasion of Ukraine.

Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

Tuesday 3 October 2023 09:40 , Lydia Patrick

Defence SecretaryGrant Shapps has suggested recent tweets by Elon Musk mocking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are “unhelpful”.

The senior Cabinet minister made the comments at a Conservative Party conference fringe event in Manchester, hours after the billionaire entrepreneur used Twitter, now known as X, to take aim at Mr Zelensky’s repeated requests for western support in the battle against Russian troops.

Mr Shapps, an avid social media user himself, expressed reservations about the owner of X’s recent attitudes to the war.

Grant Shapps slams Elon Musk’s ‘unhelpful’ Ukraine commentary

ICYMI - EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

Tuesday 3 October 2023 09:20 , Lydia Patrick

The European Union (EU) promised Ukraine £4.3bn in military aid as its continuous support in the war against Russia.

The 27-nation bloc remained committed to help defeat a “brutal and inhumane” Moscow, said Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative for foreign affairs. It comes after US Congress left Ukraine war aid out of its spending bill and a pro-Russian candidate won an election in Slovakia.

Monday’s meeting in Kyiv was touted by Mr Borrell as an historic first for the EU but it comes at an awkward time for the Western countries backing Kyiv.

With summer drawing to a close, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed to produce the victories that Kyiv’s allies had hoped to see before mud clogs the treads of donated tanks.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted by his website, said he was sure “Ukraine and the entire free world are capable of winning this confrontation. But our victory depends directly on our cooperation with you”.

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EU promises £4.3bn in military aid to Ukraine during unprecedented Kyiv meeting

Ukraine to build underground school in Kharkiv

Tuesday 3 October 2023 09:00 , Lydia Patrick

Children in eastern Kharkiv will attend classes underground in a bid to protect them from Russian attacks.

Mayor Ihor Terekov said on the Telegram messaging app: “Such a shelter will enable thousands of Kharkiv children to continue their safe face-to-face education even during missile threats.”

According to Unicef, only a third of Ukraine’s schoolchildren currently study in-person, amid deadly Russian missile and drone attacks as well as shelling.

Ukraine to build its first underground school in Kharkiv, official says

More than 360 educational facilities have been destroyed while 3,417 suffered bombing and shelling in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February last year, the latest release from the country said.

Persistent attacks meant that only about a third of school-age children were fully attending classes in person and many were forgetting what they have already learnt, the Unicef said in its release last month, whose official figure of school destruction from the attack were four times higher.

It found that more than 1,300 schools have been totally destroyed in the 19 month-long-war.

It is not yet clear when the school will be built.

Ukraine strike Russian village with cluster munitions

Tuesday 3 October 2023 08:40 , Lydia Patrick

Kyiv hit the Russian village of Kilmovo with cluster munitions - damaging several houses.

The governor Alexander Bogomaz says there were no casualties, however the statement has not yet been verified and Ukraine have not commented.

Ukraine’s use of cluster munitions has stirred controversy as the powerful bombs are banned in over 100 countries, they release smaller bomblets that can kill over a wide spread area, with the explosive potential of unexploded weapons lingering for decades.

Kyiv inches forward in counteroffensive

Tuesday 3 October 2023 08:25 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukrainian counteroffensive makes advances in the south east as footage shows forces making progress in the northwest of Novomayorse, 18km southeast of Veylka Novosilk.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in the Melitopol (western Zaporizhia Oblast) and Bakhmut direction to Russian counterattacks between September 13 and 30, says the Institute for the Study of War.