Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Kyiv’s forces claw back in Kherson
Russia says Ukraine’s troops have managed to ‘penetrate into the depths of our defence’.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing into Kherson, one of the four regions Russia formally annexed days ago despite widespread condemnation.
- The gains come after Kyiv’s forces recaptured Lyman over the weekend in Donetsk, another region annexed by Moscow.
- Ukrainian forces are advancing into Kherson, one of the four regions Russia formally annexed days ago despite widespread condemnation.
- The gains come after Kyiv’s forces recaptured Lyman over the weekend in Donetsk, another region annexed by Moscow.
- Meanwhile, thousands of newly mobilised Russian troops have been sent home as they were deemed unfit for duty.
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Monday, October 3:
US has not seen large-scale Russian reinforcement in Ukraine, official says
The United States still has not seen a large-scale Russian reinforcement of its troops in Ukraine, even as it moves ahead with a mobilisation, a US military official has said.
“Broadly speaking, we’ve seen relatively small numbers [of Russian reinforcements] … but nothing large-scale at this stage of the game,” the official said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.
US to send mobile rocket launchers to Ukraine
The Biden administration’s next security assistance package for Ukraine is expected to include four High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, munitions, mines and mine-resistant vehicles, two sources briefed on the $625m package told the Reuters news agency.
The package, expected to be announced as soon as Tuesday, is the first aid package since Russia’s most recent declared annexation of Ukrainian territory and the second Presidential Drawdown Authority since Ukraine made large battlefield gains in mid-September.
By using drawdown authority, the four HIMARS launchers and associated rockets, some 200 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, ammunition for Howitzers, and mines can be sent to Ukraine in the coming days.
Italy freezes real estate owned by two Russian oligarchs, sources say
Italy has frozen some real estate properties owned by two Russian oligarchs in the luxurious seaside resort of Portofino, in Sirmione on Lake Garda, and in Rome, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter have said.
Guardia di Finanza police seized Villa Altachiara, a mansion with a park on the Portofino promontory on the Ligurian Sea, and a property and a car in Rome from Eduard Khudainatov, the former chief of Russian energy giant Rosneft.
Khudainatov was placed on the European Union sanction blacklist following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the sources said, adding that his assets are worth approximately 57 million euros ($56m).
In a separate operation, police froze a complex property in Sirmione, a town on Lake Garda in northeastern Italy, worth more than 15 million euros ($14.74). One of the sources said it belongs to Grigory Berezkin, the chairman of “ESN”, a Russian private equity group.
Ukraine estimates $35bn in environmental damage from Russia invasion
Environmental damage in Ukraine caused by Russia’s invasion was estimated at around 36 billion euros ($35.3bn), with millions of hectares of natural reserves under threat, Ukraine’s environment minister has said.
One-fifth of protected areas in Ukraine are at risk of destruction and about 2,000 cases of environmental damages have already been recorded, the environment minister, Ruslan Strilets, said, showing slides to European Union lawmakers at a hearing in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
According to estimates from the Ukrainian government, the bill from air pollution caused by the war in Ukraine is so far about 25 billion euros ($24bn) and another 11.4 billion euros ($11bn) are needed to address damage to soil.
Citing a new methodology developed by the Ukrainian government to calculate the damages, Strilets said the seven-month-old war alone had caused 31 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, roughly the amount produced by New Zealand annually.
He said another 79 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions could be produced for the reconstruction of infrastructure and buildings destroyed during the war.
Poll: Record 83 percent of Ukrainians want NATO membership
A record 83 percent of Ukrainians would like their country to join NATO, a Kyiv-based opinion pollster said, citing a survey it conducted after Ukraine applied to join the military bloc.
The poll of 2,000 people by Rating Group was conducted on Saturday and Sunday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine was submitting an application for expedited NATO membership.
Rating Group said the percentage of those supporting NATO membership was the highest ever recorded by a survey in Ukraine. Four percent said they would vote against joining the bloc and nine percent said they would not vote.
In November, a poll found 55 percent of Ukrainians supported joining NATO, illustrating how sharply public opinion has changed on the question of the military alliance since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started in February.
The new poll indicated that support for NATO membership had risen seven percentage points since June.
Report: Russian commander fired after setbacks in Ukraine
Russia has sacked the commander of its western military district after a string of defeats in Ukraine have called into question the country’s tactics.
The Russian news outlet RBC said Colonel General Alexander Zhuravlyov would be replaced by Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov, but there was no official confirmation of the change.
The western military district is one of five that make up Russia’s armed forces.
The reported departure of Zhuravlyov follows dramatic Russian losses in northeastern Ukraine last month and the recapture of Lyman by Ukrainian forces. The city had been an important logistics hub for Russia in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive has prompted criticism from Kremlin allies and rare public ridicule from allies of President Vladimir Putin.
Qatar following Ukraine war ‘with great concern’
Qatar says it’s monitoring the Russia-Ukraine war “with great concern” after Russia moved forward with annexing four regions following referendums denounced as a “sham” by Ukraine and its Western allies.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “[Qatar] stresses the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and to adopt dialogue as a way to resolve the crisis.”
Doha said it was ready to contribute to international or regional efforts for an immediate peaceful resolution.
Head of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant released, says IAEA chief
The head of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been released, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.
Russian soldiers detained Ihor Murashov on Friday in what Ukraine called an act of terror.
“I welcome the release of Ihor Murashov, Director General of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant; I have received confirmation that Mr Murashov has returned to his family safely,” Grossi said on Twitter.
I welcome the release of Ihor Murashov, Director General of #Ukraine’s #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant; I have received confirmation that Mr Murashov has returned to his family safely.
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) October 3, 2022
After Russia’s defeat in Donetsk, what’s next?
Ukraine’s recapture of the eastern city of Lyman exposed the holes in Russia’s military. But as Kyiv’s forces look to Kherson as their next target, what will this mean for Russia?
Read more on the next steps and how the defeat in Lyman is perceived in Russia.
Russia acknowledges Ukraine’s Kherson advance
Ukrainian forces have broken through Moscow’s defences in the strategic southern Kherson region, the Russian military acknowledged on Monday.
Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in his daily briefing that “with superior tank units in the direction of Zolotaya Balka, Aleksandrovka, the enemy managed to penetrate into the depths of our defence.”
“Russian troops have occupied a preprepared defensive line and continue to inflict massive fire damage” on Kyiv’s forces, Konashenkov said.
Kherson is one of the four regions illegally annexed by Moscow last week after a hasty “referendum” orchestrated by the Kremlin that Western nations have derided as a sham vote held at gunpoint.
Kherson has been one of the toughest battlefields for the Ukrainians.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of the Kherson region, said on state television: “It’s tense. Let’s put it that way. … Where the Kakhovka [reservoir] is, there is a settlement called Dudchany. … It is in this area that there is a breakthrough and there are settlements taken by Ukrainian troops.”
Dudchany is about 30km (20 miles) south of where the front line stood before the breakthrough. It’s become the fastest advance of the war so far in the south.
Serhiy Khlan, a Kherson regional council member, listed Osokorivka, Khreschenikvka, Mykhailivka, and Zoloto Balka as recaptured villages or where Ukrainian troops had been photographed.
“It means that our armed forces are moving powerfully along the banks of the Dnipro nearer to Beryslav,” Khlan said.
“Officially, there is no such information yet, but the [Russian] social media pages, which are panicking, … absolutely confirm these photos,” he said.
Annexation approval will ‘change constitution’: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Vall, reporting from Moscow, said constitutional changes approved by the Russian Duma and expected to be approved by the Senate on Tuesday will mean Russia will “officially have 89 entities that make up its federation”.
“They’re [the Russian government] already talking about the border and how it is going to be traced,” Vall said. “For Luhansk and Donetsk, the Kremlin spokesman said the border would be the same as that of 2014 when those two self-declared republics announced their independence from Ukraine.
“For Zaporizhia and Kherson, there will be consultations with residents. We understand that Russia doesn’t control all those territories right now and that they are even losing ground there, so it will be a very difficult battle for the Russians to reach the border they are talking about.”
“The Russians have celebrated this,” Vall added, “but there is a difference between what is being said and the situation on the ground.”
EU trade chief signs agreement to provide 5 billion euros ($4.9bn) to Ukraine
European Union trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis has signed a second agreement with Ukraine to provide 5 billion euros ($4.9bn) to pump up the cash it has on hand and pay salaries and pensions.
In a tweet, Dombrovskis said: “Pleased to sign second Memorandum of Understanding with Ukraine since Russia began its brutal war.
“This time: the EU will provide €5 bln for immediate liquidity needs, pay salaries & pensions. We will deliver first part mid-October, next two parts to follow later in year.”
Pleased to sign second Memorandum of Understanding with #Ukraine since Russia began its brutal war.
This time: the EU will provide €5 bln for 🇺🇦 immediate liquidity needs, pay salaries & pensions. We will deliver first part mid-October, next two parts to follow later in year. pic.twitter.com/Jxb9pVoduQ
— Valdis Dombrovskis (@VDombrovskis) October 3, 2022
Swedish coastguard: No more large gas leaks from Nord Stream pipelines
Sweden’s coastguard has said it can no longer see large gas leaks from the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
“The larger leak is now no longer visible on the surface while the smaller one instead has increased slightly,” it said.
The coastguard said the observations were made during an overflight about 8am (0600 GMT).
“At that time, the smaller leak was approximately 30 metres in diameter,” the coastguard said.
Czech Republic urges citizens to leave Russia
The Czech Republic has urged its citizens to leave Russia as the security situation worsens.
“With regard to the ongoing military invasion by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and the possible threat of worsening security in the country, especially for citizens of EU and NATO states, the Czech Foreign Ministry strongly urges against travel to Russian Federation territories,” the ministry said on its website.
“The Czech Foreign Ministry calls on citizens of the Czech Republic to leave the country.”
Russia’s lower house approves annexation
The lower house of Russia’s parliament approved laws on annexing four Ukrainian territories into Russia, following a referendum that was denounced by Ukraine and the West and referred to as a “sham”.
No lawmakers in the State Duma voted against the resolutions, which were on incorporating Ukraine’s Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions into Russia.
Chechen leader to send teenage sons to front line
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he was sending three of his teenage sons to the front line.
“It’s time to prove themselves in a real fight, I can only welcome this desire,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram, posting a video of the young boys firing missiles in a shooting range.
“Soon they will go to the front line and will be on the most difficult sections of the contact line.”
He said Akhmat (16), Eli (15) and Adam (14) have been trained for combat “almost from their youngest years” and insisted he was “not joking”.
Who controls what in Ukraine?
After Ukrainian forces have recaptured Lyman, Al Jazeera has updated three maps daily outlining the current state of Ukraine and who controls what.
Lithuania declares Russian diplomat as persona non grata
Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday declared Russia’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata.
“[The diplomat’s] recent actions and statements are incompatible with a diplomat’s status and should be seen as interference in the host nation’s domestic affairs,” the ministry said in a statement.
However, the ministry did not detail the alleged reasons for the Russian diplomat’s latest status, and he was told to leave the country within five days.
Lithuania expelled Russia’s ambassador in April and recalled its own, lowering its diplomatic ties to the level of charge d’affaires after Ukraine accused Russian forces of killing civilians in the town of Bucha.
Nord Stream pressure stabilised, says Gazprom
Russia’s Gazprom said pressure in the Nord Stream gas pipelines has stabilised following leaks that caused gas to spill into the Baltic Sea.
A statement said the leaks had stopped and the energy giant was working to reduce environmental risks.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the United States had increased prices and sales of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after discovering the leaks.
“There is a party or a party that, in the absence of the functioning of these gas pipelines, is able to sell more LNG at a higher price. This side is well known, it is the United States,” Peskov said.
He added, without specifying a country: “There are also countries that have the military-technological capabilities to carry out such sabotage.”
Russian shelling in Zaporizhzhia kills two, says Kyiv
Russian shelling in eight Ukrainian regions over the past 24 hours has killed two civilians and injured 14 more, Ukraine’s presidential office reported Monday.
A missile strike was carried out on the city of Zaporizhzhia, the capital of the Zaporizhia region, parts of which are under Russian control and have been illegally annexed by Moscow.
Russian forces fired 10 S-300 anti-aircraft missiles at the city and two nearby villages, according to the presidential office.
The strike destroyed a rehabilitation centre for children with special needs, and one person was injured.
No casualties were reported in the villages.
Deemed unfit, thousands of mobilised Russians sent home
After Putin announced the partial mobilisation of troops and called on 300,000 reservists, thousands were sent back home after being deemed unfit for military service.
Read more on another military setback for Russia.
Kremlin responds to Kadyrov’s nuclear weapons call
After the leader of the Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, called for Russia to use a “low-yield nuclear weapon” over the weekend, the Kremlin says it favours a balanced approach.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the comments by Kadyrov, who has also criticised Russia’s military leadership over battlefield setbacks, and said he had the right to voice his opinion but that emotions should not drive Russia’s military strategy.
Peskov said the basis for any use of nuclear weapons was set down in Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
Residents in Kherson, Zaporizhia will be consulted on borders: Kremlin
The Kremlin says it would consult residents living in Kherson and Zaporizhia on how their borders should be defined after last week’s annexation announcement.
“We will continue to consult with people who live in these areas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Lyman’s recapture allows Ukrainian forces to strike deeper: Think-tank
The recapture of Lyman, hours after Putin declared his annexation, allowed Kyiv’s forces to strike deeper into Russian-held territory and cut off supply routes, according to Ukraine’s Centre for Defence Strategies think-tank.
Reserve colonel Viktor Kevlyuk at the think-tank said: “Thanks to the successful operation in Lyman we are moving towards the second north-south route … and that means a second supply line will be disrupted.”
Meanwhile, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said retaking Lyman was a key factor in reclaiming lost territory in the region.
“The liberation of this city in the Donetsk region is one of the key factors for the further de-occupation of the Luhansk region,” Haidai wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine making gains in Kherson: Russian-installed official
Ukrainian forces have made some breakthroughs in the southern Kherson region and taken control of some settlements, a Russian-installed official said on Monday.
“It’s tense, let’s put it that way,” Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine’s Kherson region, said on state television.
Russia formally annexed four Ukrainian territories last week, including Kherson.
However, none is fully under the control of Moscow’s forces, and Ukraine continues to advance in the south.