Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s Black Sea fleet ‘struggling with threats on southern front’

The Ministry of Defence has warned that Russia’s prized Black Sea Fleet is struggling to contend with threats to Ukraine’s southern flank.

In their morning briefing the UK ministry said: “In recent weeks, the Naval Aviation component of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has assumed a particularly important role in the Fleet’s operations as it struggles to deal with concurrent threats on the southern flank of the Ukraine war.

“Naval Aviation is emphasising maritime air patrol operations, highly likely with a primary mission of the early identification of uncrewed surface vessels.”

It came as one person is dead and six injured including two children as Russian shelling continues to hammer Ukraine‘s southern region of Kherson overnight.

On the Telegram messaging app the governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Russian forces had launched 71 attacks in the past 24 hours, “aimed at the residential districts”, as well as shops and medical infrastructure, among other establishments.

Twenty of the air and land attacks targeted the city of Kherson, the region’s administrative district, the governor added, while authorities promptly doused a fire sparked by shelling early on Monday.

Key Points

• Russian casualties near 250 in a day

• Moscow could annex more Ukrainian regions, says Medvedev

• Russia lauches huge drone strike on Ukraine from Black Sea

• Greenpeace raise major concerns over the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

• New video of ‘dead’ Russian Black Sea fleet commander raises doubts over Ukraine’s claim

Russia’s Black Fleet struggling to deal with ‘concurrent threats’ in south of Ukraine

10:03 , Barney Davis

The Ministry of Defence has warned Russians are struggling to deal with threats coming from Ukraine’s southern flank.

“The Naval Aviation component of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has assumed a particularly important role in the Fleet’s operations as it struggles to deal with concurrent threats on the southern flank of the Ukraine war,” the ministry posted on X.

“Russia is attempting to use naval air power to project force over the northwestern Black Sea.”

They added: “Su-24 FENCER and FLANKER variant combat jets conduct maritime strike operations, including at least one recent air strike on the strategically located Snake Island.”

Britain’s defence secretary says Musk remarks on Zelensky were ‘unhelpful'

15:05 , Andy Gregory

The UK’s defence secretary Grant Shapps has suggested recent social media posts by Elon Musk mocking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky were “unhelpful”.

Speaking at a ConservativeHome fringe event in Manchester about posts by the Twitter/X owner, Mr Shapps said: “I think it’s unhelpful, to be blunt.”

He declined to criticise Mr Musk directly, saying it’s a “free world”, and adding: “He can tweet or X what he likes. What Ukraine really needs is strong and steady friends who won’t waver.”

Irish minister says rifle training for Ukrainians is effectively ‘humanitarian’

14:39 , Andy Gregory

Ireland’s foreign minister Micheal Martin has defended the decision to allow Irish soldiers to provide rifle training to Ukrainian soldiers as being a type of non-lethal aid, arguing it is “humanitarian to defend your people”.

“Overall, by the way, can I say that our contribution relative to others is modest, to be frank, in terms of the training side. And up to now, it’s been primarily in casualty or combat casualty,” he said on RTE’s News at One.

When asked whether rifle training extended beyond non-lethal aid, Mr Martin said there was “a degree of overstatement” in some of the descriptions of Ireland’s assistance to Ukraine, adding: “It’s humanitarian to defend your people.

“I think there is a basic self-defence issue there that we have to be conscious of in terms of civilians and so forth, the people who have joined the Ukraine defence forces, and I wouldn’t overstate it at all, as some have endeavoured to do.

“In the context of the European [assistance], we do not provide lethal aid, that’s just a reality, that’s the factual position, we don’t.”

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

13:25 , Barney Davis

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.

Max Hunder reports:

Musk mocked by Ukraine’s parliament over tweet taunting Zelensky

German arms donations to Ukraine quadruple in last year

13:15 , Barney Davis

German exports of military equipment to Ukraine grew more than fourfold so far this year, making Kyiv the main recipient of German arms, the economy ministry said on Monday.

Ukraine accounted for 3.3 billion euros ($3.48 billion) out of Germany’s total value of authorised military exports of 8.76 billion euros in the first nine months of the year.

By contrast, for the same period last year, 775 million euros’ worth of equipment had been approved for Ukraine.

Germany has repeatedly promised to support Ukraine for as long as necessary following the Russian invasion in February 2022, which prompted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to speak of a turning point in Germany’s attitude towards defence.

US omission of Ukraine funding ‘a setback for Kyiv’ claims Kremlin

12:30 , Barney Davis

The Kremlin said on Monday it believed a decision by U.S. Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill that omitted aid for Ukraine was a temporary setback for Kyiv.

Congress passed legislation on Saturday which extended funding for more than a month to avoid a government shutdown but did not include any aid for Kyiv, despite Washington’s status as Ukraine’s biggest financial and military backer.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Obviously, this (the U.S. setback) is a temporary phenomenon. America will continue its involvement in this conflict, in fact direct involvement,” said Peskov.

“But we have repeatedly said before that according to our forecasts fatigue from this conflict, fatigue from the completely absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime, will grow in various countries, including the United States.

“And this fatigue will lead to the fragmentation of the political establishment and the growth of contradictions.”

US President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Washington last month that Washington would maintain strong support for Ukraine in the war despite opposition from some Republican lawmakers.

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

11:57 , Barney Davis

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

Two police officers among injured in Kherson blast

11:24 , Barney Davis

A Russian air strike on a transport office in Kherson has injured two police officers, it has emerged.

The strike which came early on Monday morning injured 4, Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

At least one of the victims is in serious condition, local officials reported.

According to the prosecutors, Russia carried out the attack at 10am most likely using artillery.

Russian forces targeted Kherson and the surrounding oblast 71 times over the past day, killing one person and injuring six others, including two children, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

UK believes US and Poland will keep up their support for Ukraine despite election pressures

11:18 , Barney Davis

Grant Shapps said he believed that the United States and Poland would maintain their strong support for Ukraine despite domestic pressures related to their upcoming elections.

Britain would continue to back Kyiv regardless of what happened elsewhere as it had since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, he said.

A weekend U.S. budget deal to avert imminent government shutdown did not include aid for Ukraine, while Poland, which elects a new parliament on October 15 has said it would no longer agree to new arms deliveries to Kyiv but rebuild its own stocks.

Shapps, who on Sunday announced Britain was sending 4 Typhoon jets to Poland, said it was understandable that any tensions over backing for Ukraine would surface during an election but Poland’s support had been “magnificent” so far.

“I very much hope and believe that when the elections happen there and things are more settled, a sensible, common sense approach will be taken,” he said at an event at the Conservative party conference.

‘Ukraine respects Slovakia election’ minister says as new leader Robert Fico promises ‘not a single round’ for war-torn nation

10:53 , Barney Davis

Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Monday it was too early to assess the impact on Ukraine from the victory of a pro-Russian candidate in Slovakia’s parliamentary election.

Robert Fico, whose SMER-SSD party won Saturday’s vote, was set to begin coalition talks on forming a government widely considered likely to join Hungary in opposing the European Union’s military aid for Ukraine.

“Ukraine respects the choice that the people of Slovakia made,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv.

“I think it’s too early to judge how these elections will impact the support of Ukraine. We have to wait until the coalition is formed,” he told reporters before greeting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Slovakia is a member of the NATO military alliance, which is backing Ukraine against Russia’s 19-month-old invasion, but many of its people are sympathetic to Moscow’s line that the West wants to annihilate it.

Fico, whose election campaign included a call of “Not a single round” for Ukraine, told a press conference on Sunday: “We are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine.”

Ukraine says US support not waning as Rishi Sunak denies plans to send military instructors

09:28 , Barney Davis

Ukraine’s top diplomat said the United States’ support for Kyiv was not weakening after a stopgap funding bill passed by U.S. Congress failed to include aid to Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “We don’t feel that the U.S support has been shattered... because the United States understands that what is at stake in Ukraine is much bigger than just Ukraine,” he told reporters as he greeted European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv.

“It’s about the stability and predictability of the world and therefore I believe we will be able to find necessary solutions.”

There are no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday, rowing back from comments by his defence minister who had suggested troops could carry out training in the country.

To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of a direct conflict with Russia.

British defence minister Grant Shapps, who was appointed to the role last month, said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he wanted to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries.

Russians launches wave of Robotyne counterattacks, US thinktank says

08:29 , Barney Davis

Russian forces are making headway with tactical counterattacks in the Robotyne area.

Intense fighting has seen significant field fortifications have changed hands several times, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Geolocated footage posted on September 30 shows Ukrainian forces striking Russian troops trying to enter a trench system near the T0408 Robotyne—Tokmak road.

Ukraine had previously held the interconnected system of trenches, firing systems, and dugouts that lie between Robotyne and Novoprokopivka.

Pavel Prigozhin’s son topped to take over Wagner Group

08:02 , Barney Davis

A US thinktank believes that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s 25-year-old son, Pavel Prigozhin, stands to inherit his deceased father’s millions and control of his mercenary fighters - the Wagner Group.

As he lay flowers at his dead father’s mural Pavel is already believed to be negotiating with the Russian national guard, Rosgvardia, over bringing the fighters back to combat in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Pavel emerges as an alternative Wagner commander to Andrey Troshev, who has already signed up with the defence ministry and was publicly embraced by Vladimir Putin.

It indicates “some Wagner personnel are interested in rallying around a Prigozhin-linked alternative to the Kremlin and MoD-aligned Troshev”, the ISW said.

“It is unclear what the Kremlin thinks the relationship[s] between Wagner elements and the Russian government are,” the thinktank said.

Governer warns Kherson to stay in shelters after one killed and two injured in Russian shelling

07:49 , Barney Davis

Kherson’s regional governor warned people to stay in their shelters after overnight Russian strikes killed at least one person and injured six, including two children.

On the Telegram messaging app the governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said Russian forces had launched 71 attacks in the past 24 hours, “aimed at the residential districts”, as well as shops and medical infrastructure, among other establishments.

He posted: “Kherson region, missile danger! Also, strike drones are moving towards the region! Stay in shelters!”

Twenty of the air and land attacks targeted the city of Kherson, the region’s administrative district, the governor added, while authorities promptly doused a fire sparked by shelling early on Monday.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

No plans to send British troops to Ukraine, says UK PM

06:00 , Joe Middleton

British prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday there were no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, rowing back from reported comments by his defence minister that he wanted to begin training Ukrainian troops in the country.

British defence minister Grant Shapps, who was appointed to the role last month, said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he wanted to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries.

Hours after that interview was published, Sunak said there were no immediate plans to send British troops to Ukraine.

“What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine,” Sunak told reporters at the start of the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester.

“But that’s something for the long term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict.”

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday said any British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces.

Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package, raising questions about future support

05:00 , Joe Middleton

Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won’t give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded Joe Biden’s request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation.

Still, many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress.

Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300m from a defence spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers.

Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package that averted shutdown

Zelensky urges Ukrainian victory over Russia at national event honouring country’s military

04:00 , Joe Middleton

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Ukrainian soldiers for their efforts in the war against Russia and said “ahead is our victory” in an event celebrating the country’s military.

The Ukrainian president made the comments on Sunday while marking the Day of the Defenders, a national event honouring the country’s veterans and those killed in battle.

In an address published by the Kyiv Post, he said: “Today we thank everyone who stood, stands and will stand strong. All those who were the first to take on a difficult battle.

Zelensky urges Ukrainian victory over Russia at event honouring country’s military

Russia ‘shoots down five Ukrainian drones’ in Smolensk and Krasnodar regions

03:00 , Joe Middleton

Russia said on Sunday that air defences had shot down five Ukrainian drones over the western Smolensk region and one over the southern Krasnodar region.

Air defences shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Krasnodar region at around 0500 GMT, Russia’s defence ministry said.

At around 0600 GMT, Russia shot down three drones over the Smolensk region and at 0700 GMT shot down two more over the region, Russia’s defence ministry said.

Ukraine needs more military aid, says top EU diplomat

02:00 , Joe Middleton

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday that Ukraine needed more military aid and he promised ongoing EU support.

“Ukraine needs more capabilities & needs them faster,” he said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He said he had discussed “continuous EU military assistance” during his first in-person meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

“We are preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine,” Borrell added.

This week the European Defence Agency said in response to questions from Reuters that seven EU countries had ordered ammunition under a procurement scheme to get urgently needed artillery shells to Ukraine and replenish depleted Western stocks.

Nothing will weaken Ukraine’s resolve in war against Russia, says Zelensky

01:00 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech released on Sunday that nothing would weaken his country’s fight against Russia, a day after the US Congress passed a stopgap funding bill that omitted aid to Ukraine.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said separately he had received reassurances about further military assistance in a telephone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“Secretary Austin assured me,” he wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, using flags in place of country names, that U.S. support to Ukraine “will continue” and that Ukrainian “warriors will continue to have a strong back-up on the battlefield.”

Zelensky, in a recorded speech marking the Defenders Day holiday, did not address the vote in Congress directly, but reiterated his determination to fight to victory.

No one could “shut down” Ukraine‘s stability, endurance, strength and courage, he said, echoing a Ukrainian verb often used to refer to power outages caused by Russian attacks.

He added that Ukraine would only stop resisting and fighting on the day of victory. “As we draw closer to it every day, we say, ‘We will fight for as long as it takes.’”

US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that Republicans had pledged to provide Ukraine aid through a separate vote and US support could not be interrupted “under any circumstances.”

Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package, raising questions about future support

Sunday 1 October 2023 23:59 , Joe Middleton

Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won’t give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded Joe Biden’s request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation.

Still, many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress.

Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300m from a defence spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons.

Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package that averted shutdown

Putin’s casualties near 250 in a day as Russian ammunition depots blown up in southern Ukraine

Sunday 1 October 2023 23:15 , Joe Middleton

Close to 250 of Vladimir Putin’s soldiers have been killed or injured in southern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, a Ukrainian military commander said.

Ukraine’s authorities said the casualties occurred on Saturday in Tavria, a village in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, just 23km from the major town of Tokmak, where Ukrainian forces are looking to advance for a strategic territorial advantage.

“Over the last day, the enemy lost 248 people (84 dead, 163 wounded and one captured),” Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who is in-charge of the strategic and operational group of forces in Tavriia, said in his Telegram channel on Sunday.

Putin’s casualties near 250 in a day as Russian depots blown up in southern Ukraine

PM insists no plan to send British troops for training in Ukraine ‘here and now’

Sunday 1 October 2023 22:15 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak has made clear that Defence Secretary Grant Shapps’ suggestion that British troops could train forces in Ukraine is not for the “here and now” during the war against the Russian invasion.

The Prime Minister on Sunday ruled out UK forces going to Ukraine and said that the recently appointed political head of the Ministry of Defence was discussing possible plans for the “long term”.

Mr Shapps had said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that “eventually” he would like to get Britain’s long-standing training of Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops “in country” rather than in the UK.

PM insists no plan to send British troops for training in Ukraine ‘here and now’

Medvedev warns UK military training could make them a ‘legal target'

Sunday 1 October 2023 21:15 , Lydia Patrick

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said any British soldiers training troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces, as would German factories producing missiles to supply Kyiv.

In a post on Telegram, Medvedev first directed his ire towards British Defence Minister Grant Shapps, who said in a newspaper interview that London wants to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain.

“(This will) turn their instructors into a legal target for our armed forces ... understanding perfectly well that they will be ruthlessly destroyed. And not as mercenaries, but namely as British NATO specialists,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rowed back from Shapps’ comments on Sunday, saying there were no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to Ukraine.

“What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine,” Sunak told reporters at the start of the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester.

“But that’s something for the long term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict.”

Medvedev also vilified those in Germany who want Berlin to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles that could strike Russian territory and try to limit Moscow’s supply to its army.

“They say this is in accordance with international law. Well, in that case, strikes on German factories where these missiles are made would also be in full compliance with international law,” Medvedev said.

“These morons are actively pushing us towards World War Three,” he added, repeating similar warnings he has made before. In July he said actions by the “completely crazy” West meant World War Three “is getting closer.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky remembers fallen Ukrainian soldiers

Sunday 1 October 2023 20:15 , Lydia Patrick

Zelensky took to Twitter to share his gratitude with Ukrainian troops.

The post comes as the country celebrates their ‘National Day of Defenders’.

To mark the occasion, Ukrainians joined together in a minute of silence to remember those who have lost their lives to the war.

The president also visited a memorial wall where he joined citizens in laying flowers.

Tweets by ZelenskyyUa

Biden says there's 'not much time' to keep aid flowing to Ukraine and Congress must 'stop the games'

Sunday 1 October 2023 19:45 , Lydia Patrick

President Joe Biden said Sunday that American aid to Ukraine will keep flowing for now as he sought to reassure allies of continued U.S. financial support for the war effort. But time is running out, the president said in a warning to Congress.

"We cannot under any circumstances allow American for Ukraine to be interrupted," Biden said in remarks from the Roosevelt Room after Congress voted late Saturday to avert a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding package that dropped assistance for Ukraine in the fight against Russia.

"We have time, not much time and there's an overwhelming sense of urgency," he said, noting that the funding bill lasts only until mid-November. Biden urged Congress to negotiate an aid package as soon as possible.

"The vast majority of both parties — Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House — support helping Ukraine and the brutal aggression that is being thrust upon them by Russia," Biden said. "Stop playing games, get this done."

But many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress.

Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300 million from a defense spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers.

ICYMI - Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package,

Sunday 1 October 2023 19:15 , Lydia Patrick

Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won’t give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded Joe Biden’s request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation.

Still, many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress.

Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300m from a defence spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers.

Then on Saturday, House speaker Kevin McCarthy omitted additional Ukraine aid from a measure to keep the government running until 17 November. In doing so, he closed the door on a Senate package that would have funnelled $6bn to Ukraine, roughly a third of what has been requested by the White House.

Both the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the stopgap measure, with members of both parties abandoning the increased aid for Ukraine in favour of avoiding a costly government shutdown.

Read the full story here

Ukraine aid left out of US government funding package that averted shutdown

Poland: Crowds gather to march against pro-Russian party

Sunday 1 October 2023 18:45 , Lydia Patrick

The protesters, who came from all over the country to participate in the demonstration dubbed ‘March of a Million Hearts’, was led by opposition leader and former prime minister Donald Tusk against Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Pictured: Ukraine Defender Day

Sunday 1 October 2023 18:15 , Lydia Patrick

Sunak says there are no plans for now to send British troops to Ukraine

Sunday 1 October 2023 17:45 , Lydia Patrick

There are no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, rowing back from comments by his defence minister who had suggested troops could carry out training in the country.

To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of a direct conflict with Russia.

British defence minister Grant Shapps, who was appointed to the role last month, said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he wanted to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries.

Hours after that interview was published, Sunak said there were no immediate plans to send British troops to Ukraine.

"What the defence secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine," Sunak told reporters at the start of the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester.

"But that’s something for the long term, not the here and now. There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict."

Pictured: Poland’s protests

Sunday 1 October 2023 17:30 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian drone hits Russian helicopter base, reports suggest

Sunday 1 October 2023 17:00 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian drone might have struck a helicopter base in Russia’s Sochi, according to reports. This strike came after social video video showed a drone hitting an aircraft factory in Smolensk.

Britain to send RAF Typhoon jets to Poland

Sunday 1 October 2023 16:45 , Alexander Butler

Britain will send RAF Typhoon jets to Poland, Defence Minister Grant Shapps said. The typhoo is an “agile multi-role combat aircraft” used for air policing, peace support and high-intensity conflict, according to the RAF.

EU foreign policy chief promises more support for Ukraine

Sunday 1 October 2023 16:30 , Alexander Butler

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday that Ukraine needed more military aid and he promised ongoing EU support.

“Ukraine needs more capabilities & needs them faster,” he said in a statement posted on X, formerly

Twitter. He said he had discussed “continuous EU military assistance” during his first in-person meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

“We are preparing long-term security commitments for Ukraine,” Borrell added.

Russian propagandist calls for ‘nuclear ultimatum'

Sunday 1 October 2023 16:15 , Alexander Butler

A Russian propagandist called for a ‘nuclear ultimatum’ after she claimed a Ukrainian drone fell in front of her family home.

“Tonight, an attack drone fell right in front of our family home in Adler, where I and my mother grew up, and where my relatives and their small children still live,” Margarita Simonyan said.

“The goals are ever further away, the stakes are ever higher, the nuclear ultimatum becomes increasingly uncontested.”

Slovakia’s pro-Russian party set to begin coalition talks

Sunday 1 October 2023 16:00 , Alexander Butler

Slovakia’s pro-Russian and anti-liberal election winner Robert Fico is set to begin coalition talks to form a government likely to join Hungary in opposing the European Union’s military aid for Ukraine.

The 59-year-old former prime minister’s party scored nearly 23 per cent in a recent poll, earning the president’s nod to start talks to replace a government that has been backing Kyiv against Russia’s invasion.

Russia paints sillouhete bombers

Sunday 1 October 2023 15:45 , Alexander Butler

Russia is painting the silhouettes of bombers on the tarmac of an airbase, satellite imagery suggests.

Two-dimensional decoy Tu-95MS ‘Bear H’ planes have been seen at the Engels Air Base, thought to be painted directly onto the airstrip or otherwise made of a low profile material such as tarpaulin, according to The War Zone.

Mourners visit Prigozhin’s grave 40 days after his death

Sunday 1 October 2023 15:27 , Alexander Butler

Dozens of mourners hailed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prighozin as a “patriot” who defended Russian interests abroad.

At his grave in St Petersburg, his mother, Violetta, and his son, Pavel, laid flowers. Supporters waved the black flags of Wagner which sport a skull and the motto “Blood, Honour, Motherland, Courage”.

Ukrainian photographer killed on the frontline in Donetsk

Sunday 1 October 2023 13:48 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian photographer has been killed on the frontline in Donetsk, the country’s parliament has said.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the Ukrainian parliament said: “Photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk, call sign ‘John’, died at the front near Kurdyumivka, Donetsk region.

“The Committee on Freedom of Speech expresses its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased!”

Nato deploys surveillance jets to Lithuania

Sunday 1 October 2023 13:31

NATO has deployed surveillance jets to Lithuania to monitor Russian activity near its border with the Baltic states, the organisation said.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, it said: “The AWACS surveillance jets will fly missions to monitor Russian military activity near the Alliance’s borders and can detect aircraft and missiles hundreds of kilometres away, making them a key early warning capability for NATO.”

Russia intercepts 37 Ukrainian drones

Sunday 1 October 2023 12:51 , Alexander Butler

Russian air defences intercepted 37 Ukrainian drones over Ukrainian territory in last 24 hours, its defence ministry said.

It said the interceptions happened on Ukrainian territory where Russia is fighting what it calls a “special military operation”.

Five ships sail to Ukrainian sea ports using new corridor

Sunday 1 October 2023 12:15 , Alexander Butler

Five ships are on their way to Ukrainian sea ports using a new corridor opened to resume agricultural exports, a Ukrainian official said.

“Five new vessels are waiting to be loaded in Ukrainian ports,” Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on X, formerly Twitter.

Moscow closed off Ukraine’s Black Sea ports after it invaded the country in February last year, but agreed to a Turkey-brokered deal re-opening the ports in July 2022.

But Russia later left the deal, claiming its own food and fertiliser exports were being ignored, boosting Ukraine’s farming economy.

Sunak insists no plans to send British troops to Ukraine ‘here and now'

Sunday 1 October 2023 11:35 , Alexander Butler

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps’ suggestion that British troops could train forces in Ukraine is not for the “here and now” during the war against the Russian invasion.

Mr Sunak ruled out UK forces going to Ukraine and said that the recently appointed political head of the Ministry of Defence was discussing possible plans for the “long term”.

On a visit to Burnley ahead of the Tory party conference getting under way in Manchester, Mr Sunak said he wants to be “absolutely clear” about the situation following “some misreporting”.

He said that Britain has been training Ukrainian citizens and soldiers “for a long time” within the UK. “And what the Defence Secretary was saying was that it might well be possible one day in the future for us to do some of that training in Ukraine,” the Prime Minister said.

Zelensky marks Defenders of Ukraine Day in Kyiv

Sunday 1 October 2023 11:17 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was seen in Kyiv this morning marking the Defenders of Ukraine Day.

He visited a memory wall in the capital, where he was joined by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

Ukraine in pictures

Sunday 1 October 2023 11:10 , Alexander Butler

IMF to hold meetings in Ukraine

Sunday 1 October 2023 10:54 , Alexander Butler

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will begin holding meetings in Ukraine today to discuss policy goals and challenges with government officials.

The IMF said last week its mission had begun its second review of a $15.6bn multi-year loan program for the country.

The four-year programme for Kyiv is part of a $115bn global package to support the economy as Ukraine battles Russia’s invading forces.

“An IMF team, led by Uma Ramakrishnan, Deputy Director of the Fund’s European Department, starts meetings today in Kyiv with the Ukrainian authorities and other stakeholders,” Ukraine said.

British troops ‘legal target’, Medvedev claims

Sunday 1 October 2023 09:41 , Alexander Butler

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested British soldiers training Ukrainian troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces, as would German factories producing Taurus missiles should they supply Kyiv.

In a post on Telegram, Mr Medvedev first directed his ire towards recently appointed British Defence Minister Grant Shapps, who said London wants to deploy military instructors to Ukraine, in addition to training Ukrainian armed forces in Britain or other Western countries as at present.

“This will turn their instructors into a legal target for our armed forces. Understanding perfectly well that they will be ruthlessly destroyed. And not as mercenaries, but namely as British NATO specialists,” Mr Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

Russia preparing for ‘multiple further years’ of fighting in Ukraine

Sunday 1 October 2023 09:13 , Alexander Butler

Russia is preparing for “multiple further years” of fighting in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.

The MoD said leaked documents show Russia’s defence spending is set to increase to 30 per cent of overall expenditure in 2024.

“These figures suggest that Russia is preparing for multiple further years of fighting in Ukraine”, it said.

One killed in Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia

Sunday 1 October 2023 08:53 , Alexander Butler

A 61-year-old man was killed by Russian shelling last night in Malaya Tokmachka, Zaporizhzhia, according to officials.

Yuriy Malashko, head of the region’s military administration, said a 66-year-old woman was also injured in the shelling.

There were also 16 reports of residential buildings and infrastructure facilities being destroyed, the administration said.

Russian casualties near 250 in a day

Sunday 1 October 2023 08:35 , Alexander Butler

Close to 250 of Vladimir Putin’s soldiers have been killed or injured in southern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, a Ukrainian military commander said.

Ukraine’s authorities said the casualties occurred on Saturday in Tavria, a village in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, just 23km from the major town of Tokmak, where Ukrainian forces are looking to advance for a strategic territorial advantage.

“Over the last day, the enemy lost 248 people (84 dead, 163 wounded and one captured),” Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who is in-charge of the strategic and operational group of forces in Tavriia, said in his Telegram channel on Sunday.

Arpan Rai reports:

Putin’s casualties near 250 in a day as Russian depots blown up in southern Ukraine

Ukraine says it shoots down 16 out of 30 Russian drones

Sunday 1 October 2023 08:05 , Tara Cobham

Ukraine's air defence systems shot down 16 out of around 30 drones that Russia launched on Ukraine's territory overnight, Ukrainian Air Forces said on Sunday.

It said on Telegram messaging app that drones were launched from the southern, southeastern and northern directions.

Authorities said the central Ukrainian Cherkasy region was under the attack.

"At night, the enemy massively attacked our Cherkasy region with attack drones. Unfortunately, there were hits on industrial infrastructure in (the city of) Uman," Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram.

"As a result, fires broke out in warehouses. In particular, where grain was stored," he said, adding that one person was injured.

The Ukrainian presidential office said in a statement that civilian infrastructure and warehouses were also damaged in the southern Mykolaiv region and eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Slovakia election pits a pro-Russia former prime minister against a liberal pro-West newcomer

Sunday 1 October 2023 06:00 , Lydia Patrick

Voters in Slovakia cast ballots Saturday in an early parliamentary election that pits a populist former prime minister who campaigned on a pro-Russia and anti-American message against a liberal, pro-West newcomer.

Depending on which of them prevails, the election could reverse the small eastern European country’s support for neighboring Ukraine in the war with Russia, threatening to break a fragile unity in the European Union and NATO.

Former Prime MInister Robert Fico, 59, and his leftist Smer, or Direction, party have vowed to withdraw Slovakia’s military support for Ukraine in Russia’s war, if his attempt to return to power is successful.

Read the full story here

Slovakia election pits a pro-Russia former prime minister against a liberal pro-West newcomer

Poland will continue Ukraine military support despite strained ties, Nato chief says

Sunday 1 October 2023 05:00 , Lydia Patrick

Poland will find ways to address disagreements with Ukraine without the recent differences impacting its military support, said Nato’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.

The two neighbouring nations have encountered friction in their ties after Poland – that has been one of Ukraine’s fiercest allies through the course of Russian invasion – decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports.

Last week, Poland said it would only carry out previously agreed arms deliveries to Ukraine and choose to focus on rebuilding its own weapons arsenal.

“I’m expecting and I’m confident that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to address those issues without that impacting in a negative way the military support to Ukraine,” Mr Stoltenberg said in an interview in Copenhagen on Friday.

The announcement coincided with tensions peaking between the two neighbours after Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said some countries were “feigning solidarity by indirectly supporting Russia” with a ban on grain imports.

Read the full story here

Confident Poland and Ukraine will mend ties to continue military aid, Nato chief says

Watch - Zelensky says Ukraine will welcome new era of defence

Sunday 1 October 2023 04:11 , Lydia Patrick

ICYMI - Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev to oversee Ukraine mercenaries

Sunday 1 October 2023 03:11 , Lydia Patrick

President Vladimir Putin recruited a former aide of late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to oversee mercenary fighter units in Ukraine.

The Russian president met Andrei Troshev, who is known by his nom de guerre “Sedoi” or “grey hair“, along with deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov on Thursday night, the Kremlin said in a statement.

“At the last meeting, we talked about you overseeing the formation of volunteer units that can carry out various tasks, first and foremost, of course, in the zone of the special military operation,” Mr Putin was quoted as saying to Mr Troshev. Special military operation is what Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine.

“You yourself have been fighting in such a unit for more than a year,” the president said.

“You know what it is, how it is done, you know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that the combat work goes in the best and most successful way.”

Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev

Ukraine urges other nations to boycott playing Russia after Uefa decision

Sunday 1 October 2023 02:11 , Lydia Patrick

The football association of Ukraine has written to Uefa’s member nations urging them to boycott matches against junior Russian teams.

Uefa announced earlier this week that it would be reinstating Russia at under-17 level.

The decision comes after a ban on all Russian sides by European football’s governing body after the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow in February 2022.

England’s Football Association (the FA) had been among the national bodies that had said that they would not allow their sides to play Russia despite Uefa’s decision.

And the Ukrainian footballing body has now urged all members to do the same.

Read the full story here

Ukraine urges other nations to boycott playing Russia after Uefa decision

Voices - ‘Keep an eye on Crimea’

Sunday 1 October 2023 01:11 , Lydia Patrick

Ukrainian troops have this week pierced formidable Russian defences of concrete “dragon’s teeth” and mines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, with Kyiv eager to play up the significance of the advances.

Some Ukrainian officials say the slow but steady gains made in the southern areas around Robotyne and Verbove are important developments in the eventual goal of the key road and rail route from Russia to Crimea, along the Azov coast.

But The Independent has spoken to military sources, including a senior officer involved in battlefield plans as well as officers and soldiers on the frontline, and some of them paint a less rosy picture.

While agreeing the counteroffensive is making gains, they told of large Ukrainian casualties and that the successes around Robotyne and Verbove have not resulted in a deep wedge into Russian forces, which are defending a triple layer of formidable defences.

However, there is an increasing amount of talk within Ukraine’s military, mostly privately, suggesting that Kyiv’s recent spectacular attacks on targets in Russian-occupied Crimea may be the prelude to a bold campaign to recapture the peninsula.Askold Krushelnycky

Askold Krushelnycky reports from Kyiv

Ukraine eyes ‘battle of Crimea’ after costly advances in Zaporizhzhia

Grant Shapps to send UK troops to Ukraine

Saturday 30 September 2023 23:54 , Lydia Patrick

British troops will be sent to Ukraine for the first time as the defence secretary reveals plans for the UK to offer on-the-ground training and naval support in the Black Sea.

Grant Shapps told the Telegraph: “I was talking today about eventually getting the training brought closer and actually into Ukraine as well.

“Particularly in the west of the country, I think the opportunity now is to bring more things ‘in country’ – not just training, but also we’re seeing BAE [the UK defence firm], for example, move into manufacturing in country, for example.

“I’m keen to see other British companies do their bit as well by doing the same thing. So I think there will be a move to get more training and production in the country.”

He also shared the possibility of the British navy offering support in the Black Sea.

“We’ve seen in the last month or so, developments – really the first since 2014 in the Black Sea, in Crimea – and Britain is a naval nation so we can help and we can advise, particularly since the water is international water.

“It’s important that we don’t allow a situation to establish by default that somehow international shipping isn’t allowed in that water. So I think there’s a lot of places where Britain can help advise. [I] did discuss it with President Zelensky and many others this week,” Mr Shapps told the Telegraph.

Russia is set to avoid a full ban from the 2024 Paralympics

Saturday 30 September 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russia appears to have avoided a full ban from next year’s Paralympics in Paris after the International Paralympic Committee‘s members voted Friday against suspending the country’s membership.

The IPC wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that members voted 74-65 against a motion to fully suspend Russia “for breaches of its constitutional membership obligations.” Thirteen more members abstained.

Another vote is scheduled later Friday on whether to “partially suspend” Russia. That could mean Russia sends competitors to the Paralympics but that they have to compete as neutral athletes without national symbols.

Similar votes were also planned concerning Russia ally Belarus.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus arrived at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing in March 2022, about a week after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. They were excluded a day before the opening ceremony.

Read the full report here

Russia is set to avoid a full ban from the 2024 Paralympics in Paris

How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia

Saturday 30 September 2023 22:30 , Lydia Patrick

Men in a poverty stricken Cuban community have been seduced to fight for Russia through Whatsapp, report Reuters.

Yamidely Cervantes, a seamstress from the small town of La Fedreral tells Reuters of how her husband Enrique Gonzales, left their home for Russia.

According to the seamstress, her husband was struggling to make ends meet do decided to join the Russian army to fight against Ukraine, report Reuters.

The bricklayer was paid 200,000 roubles in pesos ($2,040) days after he left on July 19 and now his wife is enjoying their new bump in wealth with a new mobile phone, a refrigerator and a sewing machine, say Reuters.

The Cuban government say they had arrrested 17 people for their involvement in a human trafficking ring luring Cubans to fight for Russia.

The seamstress says her partner could not take another day below the breadline and told Reuters: “One day, he said to me, ‘Mami, I just can’t take it anymore’.”

According to the report, atleast three men have left the 100 metre dirt road where Ms Cervantes lives since June.

How potential US government shutdown could affect Ukraine

Saturday 30 September 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick

The U.S. is on the brink of a federal government shutdown after hard-right Republicans in Congress rejected a longshot effort to keep offices open as they fight for steep spending cuts and strict border security measures that Democrats and the White House say are too extreme.

But even if the Senate can rush to wrap up its work this weekend to pass the bill, which also includes money for Ukraine aid and U.S. disaster assistance, it won’t prevent an almost certain shutdown amid the chaos in the House. On Friday, a massive hard-right revolt left Speaker Kevin McCarthy‘s latest plan to collapse.

Read the full story about the Senate chaos here

On the brink of a government shutdown, the Senate tries to approve funding

Just in - Ukrainian drone hits Russia

Saturday 30 September 2023 21:30 , Lydia Patrick

A Ukrainian drone attack in the southern Russian region of Bryansk injured one person and damaged windows and the roof of an administrative building, the region’s governor said.

The governor, Alexander Bogomaz, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the incident occurred in the town of Trubchevsk. Bogomaz earlier reported that a village in the region had been shelled by Ukrainian forces, damaging three homes.

Moscow could annex more Ukrainian regions, says Medvedev

Saturday 30 September 2023 21:02 , Lydia Patrick

Russia’s former leader has warned that Moscow could annex more Ukrainian regions as the country marks one year since they claimed Donetsk, Lugansk and, Zaporizhia and Kherson last September.

Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council said to RTE: “"The special military operation will continue until the complete destruction of the Nazi regime in Kyiv," said Mr Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council.

"Victory will be ours. And there will be more new regions within Russia."

Russia does not have total control of any of the annexed regions and they face a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Ukraine call for a minute of silence

Saturday 30 September 2023 20:30 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence have called for everyone to partake in a moment of solidarity through one minute of silence tomorrow at 9am.

They shared on X that the first day of October will mark a new anniversary called ‘Day of Defenders’.

ICYMI - Putin launches overnight drone and missile attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine

Saturday 30 September 2023 20:00 , Lydia Patrick

Vladimir Putin’s forces launched overnight drone and missile attacks that targeted Ukraine’s eastern and southern parts as the war-hit country’s officials ordered the evacuation of an infrastructure site that was targeted.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia’s forces launched a swarm of Shahed drones from Crimea and the Black Sea in an overnight offensive on Saturday.

One of the strikes targeted an infrastructure site in the Vinnytsia region as the air force warned of the threat of ballistic missiles.

Authorities asked people to stay in shelters and said a general evacuation was not yet necessary apart from the immediate area where the strike occurred.

“At this time there is no need for a general evacuation, apart from the immediate area around the site of the hit,” said Vasyl Polishchuk, head of administration for the town of Kalynivka, according to the town’s website.Read the rest of the report here

Putin launches overnight drone and missile attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine

Ukraine say exact number of drones they have downed

Saturday 30 September 2023 19:30 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukrainian Minisitry of Defence claims they have downed 5000 Russian drones in post on X.