Nato has begun annual and long-planned nuclear exercises, with unarmed training flights set to conduct drills over the UK, North Sea and Belgium, which is hosting the event until the end of October.
It came as Vladimir Putin’s forces targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with so-called kamikaze drones, with three people allegedly killed and 19 rescued from a residential building in the capital.
Ukraine’s air force claimed to have shot down roughly 85 per cent of the drones launched in the overnight bombardment by Russia.
Meanwhile, president Volodymyr Zelensky called upon Ukrainian civilians to capture any Russian soldiers they encounter in their neighbourhoods, to use as bargaining chips for the return of captured Ukrainians.
“This is extremely important – everyone who captures the Russian military provides us with the opportunity to release our heroes,” Mr Zelensky said.
There was also intense fighting overnight around two towns in the Donetsk region, a day after 11 Russian soldiers were shot dead by gunmen at a military training ground in Belgorod, prompting Moscow to call for a criminal investigation.
Key Points
- Three killed in Kyiv after kamikaze drone attack, Zelensky aide says
- Routine Nato nuclear drill under way, with flights expected over UK
- Capture Putin’s soldiers, Zelensky tells locals for a quid pro quo with Russia
- Russia facing logistical issues after Crimea bridge blast, claims UK
- Russia taking men from streets for Ukraine war – report
Nineteen rescued from residential building after Russian attack, Zelensky aide says
13:30 , Andy Gregory
Nineteen people have been rescued from a residential building hit by a Russian drone attack, a presidential aide to Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Three people were killed in the attack in Kyiv and rescue work was ongoing, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy chief of Mr Zelenskiy’s office.
EU announces mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian troops
13:07 , Andy Gregory
European Union foreign ministers have agreed to set up a mission to train some 15,000 Ukrainian troops from next month and to provide an extra €500m of funding for arms deliveries to Kyiv.
“Today, we step up our support to Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s illegal aggression,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement, following a meeting in Luxembourg.
The mission, initially set up to last two years, will “train the Ukrainian armed forces so they can continue their courageous fight”, he added.
It brings the total amount earmarked by the EU for arms to Ukraine to over €3bn.
Russia claims ‘massive’ attack on Ukrainian military targets and infrastructure
12:44 , Andy Gregory
Russia claims to have carried out a large-scale attack on military targets and energy infrastructure across Ukraine using high-precision weapons.
In its daily briefing, Russia’s defence ministry said it had hit “all designated targets” in the latest bombardment of Ukrainian cities and also thwarted an attempt by Ukraine to breach its defences in the southern Kherson region.
With reports of at least three casualties, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person in the capital had been killed and another trapped under rubble as the explosions set off air raid sirens. Several residential buildings also came under attack, he alleged.
Putin claimed to have lost more troops in Ukraine than US did in whole of Vietnam war
12:05 , Andy Gregory
Russia has lost around 65,000 soldiers in its war against Ukraine, military officials in Ukraine have claimed – a death toll which would rank well above the fatalities suffered by the US in the Vietnam War.
As of today, the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces has listed “about 65,320 (+320) persons eliminated” as among the “total combat losses of the enemy”.
While this is significantly higher than recent estimates given by UK officials and hugely above the 5,937 deaths conceded by the Kremlin a month ago, it would mean Moscow has lost close to 2,000 soldiers a week.
The Ukrainian estimate was up about 10,000 on the previous figure provided by the Ukrainian military on 21 September.
Putin has lost more troops in Ukraine than US did in whole of Vietnam war – report
Nato’s annual nuclear exercises begin
11:46 , Andy Gregory
Nato has started long-planned annual nuclear exercises over the UK and other parts of Europe, with 14 of the alliance’s 30 member states due to take part.
Training flights will take place over the UK, the North Sea and Belgium, the latter of which is hosting the manoeuvres, known as Steadfast Noon, which are set to run until the end of the month.
The bulk of the war games will be held at least 625 miles from Russia’s borders and were planned prior to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow typically holds its own annual exercises at roughly the same time, and Nato is expecting Russia to conduct manouevres involving its nuclear forces some time this month.
Fatal drone attacks are ‘true face of this war’, says Kyiv mayor
11:21 , Andy Gregory
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschsko has hit out at Russia for having killed civilians in a drone strike he described as a terror attack which is the “true face of this war”.
Multiple people killed in Russian drone attacks, says Ukrainian minister
11:01 , Andy Gregory
Several people have been killed in Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities, the country’s interior minister has said.
After the mayor of Kyiv said at least one person had been killed in the capital, Denys Monastyrskyi told reporters there had been “a few” deaths including in other cities, but gave no details.
Zelensky aide calls for Russia to be expelled from G20
10:46 , Andy Gregory
Russia should be expelled from the G20, a top aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said, in the wake of a series of Russian drone attacks.
Mikhail Podolyak said that those who “give orders to attack critical infrastructure to freeze civilians and organise total mobilisation to cover the frontline with corpses, cannot sit at the same table with leaders of G20”.
