[Korrespondent] 23:20 Permanent representatives of the EU countries have agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ceiling on prices for Russian oil, writes Politico. According to the publication, the agreement was agreed upon at a meeting of ambassadors on Tuesday, October 4. The final text is expected to be approved by ambassadors on Wednesday 5 October.
23:11 The United States considers it more appropriate to transfer Soviet, rather than Western tanks to Ukraine, said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.
22:37 Zelensky, in an evening video message, announced good news from the front line: "The Ukrainian army is making a fairly fast and powerful movement in the south of our country as part of the current defense operation. Since the Russian pseudo-referendum, dozens of settlements have already been liberated this week alone. This is in the Kherson region , Kharkiv region, Luhansk region and Donbass together.In particular, from military reports from the Kherson region: the settlements of Lyubimovka, Kreshchenovka, Zolotaya Balka, Belyaevka, Ukrainka, Bolshaya and Malaya Aleksandrovka and Davydov Brod were liberated from the occupier and stabilized. And this is still not a complete list ... Our warriors do not stop. And it is only a matter of time before we drive out the occupier from all our land."
22:22 Zelensky, by his decrees, formed 13 military administrations in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region.
22:10 Arakhamia said that four HIMARS, provided for by the new military aid package, will arrive in the near future: "Before our delegation left for the United States, I asked Valery Zaluzhny what result we should provide for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He replied that we would be satisfied with four additional HIMARS Reporting: The US today officially announced a new assistance package that includes, among other things, four more HIMARS systems, and we will receive them in the near future, and not within several years, as previously stated.
21:11 Over the current day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Mayorsk, Vyemka, Disputed, Ozeryanovka, Zaitsevo, Bakhmut, Bakhmutskoye, Veseloye, Pervomayskoye and Novomikhailovka, the General Staff said in an evening report . The enemy is demoralized, leaving positions, withdrawing to a safe distance, destroying ammunition stocks, trying to destroy bridges and crossings.
20:39 The new package of US military assistance to Ukraine includes four HIMARS, 32 howitzers, 200 armored vehicles, tens of thousands of shells and mines, the Pentagon reported.
20:33 Zelensky said that he had a telephone conversation with the leader of the Italian political force Brothers of Italy, George Meloni: "During the conversation, they noted the need to continue comprehensive support for Ukraine after the formation of the new Italian government. We discussed the need to introduce additional sanctions against Russia, in particular, strengthening the 8th sanctions package of the EU and the ban on the issuance of tourist visas by the EU states for Russian citizens. Thank you for your strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state."
20:16 Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris had a telephone conversation with Zelensky, the White House said. American leaders stressed that they would never recognize Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory. Biden pledged to continue supporting Ukraine and announced a new $625 million security assistance package. We are talking about additional weapons and equipment, in particular the HIMARS MLRS, artillery systems and ammunition, as well as armored vehicles.
19:50 The coordinating headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war reported that the first Russian mobilized began to surrender to the Defense Forces with the help of the project I want to live . So, 26-year-old Russian Mikhail Kulikov from Orsk was sent to the front in Ukraine five days after receiving the summons. While still in Russia, he called the project's hotline and received instructions on how to properly and safely surrender to the Ukrainians.
19:38 The head of the NBU, Kirill Shevchenko, said that he had resigned "due to health-related reasons."
19:04 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has officially received Ukraine's application to join the alliance , Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the OPU, said. The next stage is the discussion of the application with all NATO member countries.
18:41 The Ministry of Defense confirmed the release of Davydov Brod: "The Ukrainian flag is again flying over the village of Davydov Brod, Kherson region. Ukrainian marines are confidently moving towards the Black Sea."
18:37 Zelensky said that he had discussed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the so-called "referendums", food and nuclear security, cooperation within international organizations, primarily in the UN. "It is important to strengthen the Ukrainian-Indian partnership against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine. I thank India for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. We appreciate the significant humanitarian assistance provided by the Indian government and the private sector," the president said.
18:11 The first and second nuclear power units of the Zaporozhye NPP are mined, Grigory Plachkov, former head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, said: "We are receiving reports of Russia's attempts to transfer the ZNPP under the jurisdiction of the federation. It is also known that the first and second units are mined." According to him, at present, all nuclear units of ZNPP are in a state of cold shutdown.
Plachkov noted that it is difficult to predict the actions of the Russians: "The only thing that can be predicted is that they are trying to do everything so that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant works for the needs of Crimea or the unified system of Russia."
17:42 On Tuesday, October 4, Ukrainian defenders solemnly raised the state flag in Liman, Donetsk region, the Ministry of Defense reported. The commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, thanked the defenders for the liberation of the city from occupation and gave the order to solemnly raise the flag of Ukraine.
17:29 The "authorities" of occupied Kherson said that Ukrainian troops hit the Antonovsky bridge from HIMARS, three missiles hit the bridge, three more allegedly shot down air defense. Earlier, local publics reported about explosions in Kherson.
17:13 In one month, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated five times more territory than Russia seized in June, July and August combined, the UA War Infographics project calculated.
16:57 Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that on the issue of pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine, Tehran "emphasizes the need to fully comply with the principle of the territorial integrity of countries as a fundamental norm of international law and respect the principles and purposes of the UN Charter." He stressed that "any provocative actions that could disrupt the path to peace, stability and tranquility" should be avoided.
At the same time, Kanaani spoke about the "stormy fire of war caused by the provocative actions of NATO and the United States." According to him, Iran will support "any efforts" undertaken for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and "always declared its readiness to contribute to this process."
16:53 The Pentagon called Liman's liberation an outstanding event. About what prospects the city opens up for the Armed Forces of Ukraine - in the material De-occupation of the Liman .
16:49 In Vasilievka, Zaporozhye region, the invaders are building a "state border", said the head of the OVA Oleksandr Starukh: "The invaders are trying to equip the "state border" in the Vasilievka area, as they think, with all the crossing rules that they have come up with there. As a result of this men of military age are not allowed in."
16:26 Zelensky, by his decree, officially recognized Putin's decrees on the "independence" of Ukrainian territories as null and void.
15:57 The EU is working on the eighth package of sanctions against Russia, which should strike at the most painful points for the Kremlin, said German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock. According to her, first of all, the restrictions will affect the import of Russian oil. Burbock stressed that Europe will not leave unanswered Russia's attempts to illegally annex the territory of Ukraine.
15:46 At the enemy checkpoint in Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye region, the queue to leave the temporarily occupied territories has reached 4.5 thousand people. An elderly man died in line yesterday, Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said. An alternative exit route is towards Georgia through the Crimea, but there are also long queues.
15:31 Ukraine's official application for an accelerated entry into NATO has formalized a dialogue on future membership, and now the alliance will begin to discuss it at the official level, Ukrainian Ambassador to NATO Natalia Galibarenko said: "As for a specific plan of action, here, of course, the ball is on side of NATO. After the application has been submitted, the member countries should discuss it and express their position." One of the first discussions will be at the level of ambassadors, and the second will presumably take place within the framework of the meeting of defense ministers during the meeting in the Ramstein format on October 12-13.
15:22 The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council warns that Russia will continue to increase nuclear blackmail, so there is a high probability of various kinds of provocations. So, in recent days, foreign media have been spreading information from secret sources that the Kremlin may want to use nuclear weapons.
First, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the Russian "submarine with nuclear warheads went to the test." Then The Times wrote that "Putin orders to send a nuclear military train to Ukraine." Meanwhile, on Twitter, various users are spreading videos of the effect of Russia's targeted use of nuclear weapons along the front lines.
The JRC emphasizes that even at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine, Moscow brought nuclear forces to a state of special alert. A demonstrative demonstration of readiness to launch a nuclear strike on the territory of Ukraine at any time is another stage of information terrorism staged by the Russian Federation in order to persuade Ukraine to negotiate on the Kremlin's terms.
14:54 In Gostomel, Kiev region, the invaders tortured 50 people in refrigerators, the bodies of two tortured men were found, the police of the Kiev region reported. According to law enforcement officers, people had their ribs broken, their joints twisted, they were interrogated for weeks at the Gostomel airport, and then they were taken to Russia.
14:48 In the near future, residents of the Lugansk region will be asked to evacuate due to the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. He warned that large cities such as Rubizhne, Lisichansk and Severodonetsk would not be allowed to enter freely after the de-occupation: “It is impossible to provide a heating season there - everything is broken. the opportunity to return to check their apartments, but you can’t stay for the winter.” Gaidai clarified that the situation in Rubizhne is better, because several years ago decentralization of heating was ensured there.
14:33 The Ukrainian military publish videos on social networks, from which it follows that the settlements of Davydov Brod, Staroselye, Velyka Oleksandrivka, Novonikolaevka have been liberated in the Kherson region, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have also entered Dudchany. In addition, Boguslavka, Borovaya, Borovska Andreevka were liberated in the Kharkiv region. There is no official information yet. Yermak, in his Telegram channel, hinted that Ukrainian flags were installed in five settlements.
14:22 Russia deliberately escalates nuclear tension to sow fear, and Musk fell for this bait, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said: “After Putin waved flags about nuclear weapons, disinformation about allegedly “convoys” began to spread in the Western media This is not happening, but the Kremlin's rise in "nuclear temperatures" pays dividends in fear. Elon Musk was the first to fall for this trap."
14:05 Air defense forces shot down a kamikaze Shahed-136 drone over the sea, which was trying to attack Odessa, OK Pivden reported.
13:54 The winner of the beauty contest Mrs. Crimea-2022, Olga Valeeva, was fined 40 thousand rubles for singing the song Oy u luzi red viburnum .
13:51 The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security under the Ministry of Culture and Information, together with the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, have developed detailed recommendations on how to escape from a "dirty bomb", a nuclear attack or an accident at a nuclear power plant.
13:41 The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, said that summonses in Russia were issued to 100 thousand mobilized, who are sent to the most dangerous sectors of the front. According to him, Russian soldiers are surrendering en masse. So, over the past few weeks, the hotlines of the Want to Live project have received more than 2,000 appeals from Russian military personnel and their relatives about their desire to surrender.
13:19 Shoigu said that more than 200 thousand people arrived in the Russian armed forces as part of a partial mobilization. At the same time, he assured that the mobilized will be sent to the areas of the "special operation" after combat coordination: "The use of these units should be planned only in conjunction with those units that are already participating in a special military operation."
13:03 Peskov commented on Kiev's refusal to negotiate with Putin: "We will wait for a change in the position of Zelensky or the future president of Ukraine."
12:42 Lukashenka admitted participation in the war against Ukraine: "As for our participation in a special military operation in Ukraine, we are participating there. We do not hide this ... But we do not send our military anywhere ... Our participation is to to prevent the spread of this conflict to the territory of Belarus, firstly, and secondly, to prevent an attack on Belarus under the guise of a special military operation by Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.As I said, no one will shoot in the back of the Russians from the territory of Belarus. Here is our participation."
Lukashenka also said that at the end of the harvesting campaign, it is necessary "without any hubbub, without noise" to check those liable for military service - "to see their presence and clarify all our materials, lists and documents in the military registration and enlistment offices."
11:48 The SBU intercepted another Russian documents and established that the "DPR" terrorists "painted" foreign observers at the fake referendum retroactively. In particular, samples of invitations to "foreign observers" to participate in an illegal plebiscite in eastern Ukraine were found. It was established that the corresponding letters were signed by the so-called "head of the CEC" on September 29, that is, two days after the formal completion of the pseudo-voting.
11:19 Zelensky, by his decree, put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of September 30 on Ukraine's actions in response to Russia's attempt to annex the territories of Ukraine, which states the impossibility of negotiating with Putin: "To state the impossibility of negotiating with President of the Russian Federation V. Putin." The decree also approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on Ukraine's application to join NATO in an expedited manner.
11:16 Ukraine can achieve key military goals before winter, Pentagon international security spokeswoman Celeste Wallander said. In particular, according to her, the goal of Ukraine is to push back the Russian bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. According to Vollander, this will be a "big defeat for Russia" because it will become an even greater obstacle to the Kremlin's ambitions to seize Odessa.
11:10 Russia blocks the evacuation of Ukrainians on the border with Estonia. According to the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petr Andryushchenko, a critical situation has developed at the checkpoint near Ivangorod. The FSB carries out filtering before crossing the border - people have been waiting in line for the sixth day in inhuman conditions. They also report about detentions, facts of a ban on crossing the border by the Russian Federation. The situation is aggravated due to the large number of Russians who are trying to escape - the border guards and the FSB primarily "serve" the citizens of the Russian Federation.
11:05 Estonia handed over to the Ukrainian military the drones that the Russian tried to take out to the Russian Federation in July of this year, the embassy said: “Remember the Estonian-Russian citizen with dual citizenship who tried to smuggle drones for the Russian army? In addition to his arrest, the security police seized the drones and handed them over to the Ukrainian army."
10:38 The Federation Council unanimously ratified the agreements on "joining" the "DPR", "LPR", Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into Russia.
10:13 The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and its head Hakan Fidan contributed to the release of 215 Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity and provided conditions for the defenders of Azovstal in Turkey, Yermak said.
09:52 The invaders launched a missile attack on Kramatorsk at night, two people were injured, the city council said.
09:48 Natives of "new regions of the Russian Federation" who are abroad must decide within a month whether they want to change their citizenship, said Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov.
09:15 CNN writes that Russia claims the annexation of Ukrainian regions, which it does not fully control. Referring to ISW data, the agency showed what percentage of the territory in the occupied regions of Ukraine is controlled by the Russian Federation (as of September 30):
09:10 British intelligence notes that this year Russia starts the autumn conscription a month later, which indicates problems with training and arming a large number of new conscripts. Analysts state that Russia's problems with accommodating, training, equipping and deploying mobilized and conscripts are significant, and the shortcomings of the Russian administrative and logistical systems will continue to undermine these efforts.
09:04 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of October 4. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Kramatorsk and Bakhmut directions.
- personnel - about 60,800 (+370) people liquidated,
- tanks - 2424 (+44),
- armored combat vehicles - 5018 (+27),
- artillery systems - 1407 (+2),
- MLRS - 340 (+2),
- air defense systems - 177 (+1),
- aircraft - 266 (+1),
- helicopters - 228 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 1028 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 246 (+0),
- ships/boats - 15 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 3823 (+12),
- special equipment - 131 (+0).
08:58 In the Donetsk region, as a result of Russian shelling over the past day, one civilian was killed - in Krasnogorovka. Two more people were injured, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:46 Elon Musk said that he still supports Ukraine, "but he is convinced that the massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and, possibly, to the world." According to him, SpaceX's cost to launch and support Starlink in Ukraine is currently about $80 million, while "Russian support is $0." "It is clear that we are for Ukraine. But an attempt to return the Crimea will lead to mass deaths, possibly fail and could lead to a nuclear war - that would be terrible for Ukraine and the Earth," the billionaire believes.
08:39 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that Putin is trying to shift the blame for the recent and future failures of the Russian military in the Kharkiv region, using personnel changes in the Russian Defense Ministry. Thus, analysts recalled that a new commander was appointed in the Western Military District of the Russian Federation - Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov replaced Alexander Zhuravlev in this post.
The ZVO units over the past few months have mainly operated in the northeast of the Kharkiv region, but without a clearly defined commander. Zhuravlev has not been seen for some time, and Putin replaced two commanders of the western group of troops in two weeks.
Putin is likely trying to redirect his growing anger over the losses in the Kharkiv region and Liman by appointing a new person to the leadership of the ZVO. It could also be an attempt to shield the commander of the Central Military District, Colonel General Alexander Lapin, from criticism for the recent Russian setbacks around Liman. Putin may try to shift the blame for the upcoming Russian losses to Berdnikov - in the Kharkiv and, possibly, Luhansk regions, ISW experts say.
08:28 At night, the Russians hit the Nikopol and Sinelnikovsky districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region. In Nikopol, as a result of shelling from Gradov and heavy artillery, four people were injured, said the head of the UVA, Valentin Reznichenko. More than 30 high-rise and private houses were damaged, four apartments were destroyed in one of the high-rise buildings. The electrical networks of the water utility pumping station were damaged, and there is no water and electricity in part of the city. As a result of the shelling, a school, a pharmacy, an industrial enterprise, a grain elevator, shops and administrative buildings were also damaged.
07:59 Over the past day, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine have repelled enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Vyemka, Mayorsk, Disputed, Ozeryanovka, Bakhmutskoye, Kamenka and Ternovye Pody, the General Staff said in the morning report . The Russians are suffering colossal losses and, in order to make up for them, they are forced to transfer troops from distant borders, in particular from Siberia and Syria.
07:08 In Kharkiv, as a result of night rocket attacks, a fire broke out at an enterprise in the Kholodnogorsk district, critical infrastructure was damaged in the Novobavar district, a fire also broke out, one person died, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.
02:18 The DPRK Foreign Ministry welcomed the "entry" of the occupied regions of Ukraine into Russia.
01:46 Director General of the Zaporozhye NPP Igor Murashov was "expelled" to the territory controlled by Ukraine on charges of "carrying out activities aimed at discrediting the authorities of the Russian Federation," Russian media report. Murashov himself allegedly "confessed" to the propaganda media that he was transmitting information to Kyiv about what was happening at the station, "realizing that the shelling was coming from the Ukrainian troops." He also allegedly "confessed" that he forbade the team from publishing an appeal to the UN and the IAEA demanding to stop the shelling, since this "could hurt the state interests of Ukraine."
Earlier, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that Murashov "safely returned to his family."
01:10 Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov reported on the shelling of Kholodnogorsk and Novobavar districts of the city. Under attack in one case, industrial, and in the second - infrastructural facilities. Information about the victims and destruction is being specified.