Since Russia started its full-scale war of Ukraine, the European Union has decreased its consumption of Russian natural gas from 40% to 9%, even though it has hurt the European economy, Matti Maasikas, the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, told RBK-Ukraine. "The EU and its member states are making a purposeful effort to stop importing Russia's gas completely," said Maasikas.
Ukrainian armed forces recaptured two settlements in the north of Kherson Oblast, Arkhanhelske and Myroliubivka, amid their counteroffensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed on Oct. 2.
Russian authorities are "consulting with the local population" to define the "borders" of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, which Russia claimed to annex on Sept. 30, according to Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov. He said there are no plans, however, to hold new pseudo-referendums in these territories, reported Russian state-controlled news outlet TASS.
Ukrainian troops are making progress in Kherson Oblast due to their skills and strategic use of weapons supplied by Western countries, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told CNN on Oct. 2. Ukraine has "changed the dynamics, and it's created an opportunity for the Ukrainians to maneuver," said Austin.
U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that although Russia had the use of nuclear weapons in its doctrine, Putin is “highly unlikely” to use them in its war with Ukraine, because it would be unacceptable for Moscow's allies India and China, Evening Standard reported on Oct. 3. Putin’s actions, however, have been "totally irrational" so far, added Wallace.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has admitted his call-up isn't going well, and his "rapid acknowledgment of problems highlights dysfunction of the mobilization over its first week," the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 3.
In the past 24 hours, Russian forces have killed one civilian in Bakhmut and wounded eight in other cities of Donetsk Oblast, not including Mariupol and Volnovakha, reported Pavlo Kyrylenko, the oblast governor. Russian troops have also shelled Kharkiv Oblast, wounding two people.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Sept. 30 that Russia had also lost 2,380 tanks, 4,991 armored fighting vehicles, 3,811 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,405 artillery systems, 338 multiple launch rocket systems, 176 air defense systems, 265 airplanes, 228 helicopters, 1026 drones, and 15 boats.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the recapture of the town in Donetsk Oblast shows that the Ukrainians are making progress due to their "courage, bravery, and skills," as well as the advanced weapons provided by the U.S. and other allies.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in an interview with CNN that he had privately conveyed to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu not to “go down this path and conduct this type of irresponsible behavior.” "I don’t see anything right now that would lead me to believe that (Russian dictator Vladimir Putin) has made such a decision," Austin said. However, he added that Putin had made irresponsible decisions in the past, such as invading Ukraine.
On Sept. 30, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed treaties to illegally annex Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts after staging sham referendums in the areas. After the approval by the Kremlin-controlled Constitutional Court, the annexation is expected to be rubber-stamped by both houses of Russia's parliament by Oct. 4.
Denmark, Norway, and Germany have committed $90 million to finance the production of Slovak Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, Ukrainian newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda reported.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said that Russian forces likely experienced heavy casualties when they withdrew from the town of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 1. The ministry said that the withdrawal led to "a further wave of public criticism of Russia’s military leadership by senior officials," and further loss of its captured territory will "almost certainly" lead to intensified criticism.
The nine countries include: Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Slovakia. "All those who commit crimes of aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice," the joint statement reads. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 30 that Ukraine would file an application to join NATO.
Stanislaw Żaryn, head of Poland's National Security Department, said on Twitter that "illegal entry into Poland is currently impossible."
Russia failed to win enough votes to remain in the governing council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), according to the voting results. Russia was 86 votes short of being re-elected, Reuters reported.
Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim reported on Oct. 2 that Russian S-300 surface-to-air missiles had struck a hospital's territory and an area near two high-rise residential buildings overnight. Russian forces also shelled a village near Mykolaiv, killing two people, according to the official.
Lyman, a key logistics hub in Donetsk Oblast, was liberated by Ukrainian troops on Oct. 1.
A vehicle carrying four employees of telecommunications firm Ukrtelecom was blown up by a landmine near the town of Okhtyrka in Sumy Oblast, and the injured were hospitalized after the incident, Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi reported on Oct. 2.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported that another victim had died after a missile hit a humanitarian convoy in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Sept. 30. National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said on Oct. 1 that the attack had wounded 92 people.
Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Oct. 2 that Russia had also lost 2,377 tanks, 4,975 armored fighting vehicles, 1,405 artillery systems, 337 multiple launch rocket systems, 176 air defense systems, 264 airplanes, 227 helicopters, 1,015 drones, and 15 boats.
Ukraine's Air Force said that it had downed five out of seven Russian-operated Iranian drones attacking Mykolaiv Oblast overnight.
Ukraine's application for NATO accession came as a surprise to President Joe Biden's administration, Politico reported, citing two unnamed U.S. officials. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when talking to Politico, declined to explicitly endorse the bid, but said she supports a "security guarantee" for Kyiv. "We are very committed to democracy in Ukraine," Pelosi said.
Russian forces kidnapped Ihor Murashov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, when he was on his way home on Sept. 30, according to state nuclear company Energoatom. "(They) blindfolded him and took him in an unknown direction," Energoatom head Petro Kotin said on Oct. 1. "There is no information about Murashov's whereabouts and his fate."
Ukrainian authorities found a civilian convoy with about 20 people dead in their cars near Kupiansk, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. According to news website Suspilne, there were six cars in the convoy; the vehicles were found riddled with bullet holes, some burned. Ukraine's Security Service says 10 out of the 20 dead are children.
President's Office Head Andriy Yermak on Oct. 1 published a video of Ukrainian soldiers standing at the Lyman sign at the entrance to the city, holding a Ukrainian flag. Russian troops have been occupying this Donetsk Oblast city since May.
About 5,000 Russian soldiers are encircled by Ukraine's Armed Forces in Lyman in Donetsk Oblast, said Serhiy Haidai, the governor of neighboring Luhansk Oblast. According to him, Russian troops asked their commanders if they could retreat but the request was turned down.
The National Security and Defense Council has imposed new sanctions on over 3,600 individuals and entities. The list includes Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's children, Russia's military command, officials, artists, and propagandists, as well as Moscow-installed proxies in Donbas and Crimea.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled the draft to regular military service in Ukraine this autumn and postponed the demobilization scheduled for October-December, according to a decree published on Sept. 30.
Russian forces launched a missile attack on Mykolaiv on Oct. 1, wounding five people, including a 3-month-old baby, according to Oleksandr Sienkevych, the city mayor. Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim said Russia had attacked the city with S-300-type missiles. One of them hit a five-story apartment building in central Mykolaiv; its two last floors were destroyed.
Russian forces continued to withdraw from positions around Lyman, as Ukrainian forces continued to envelop Russian troops in the area, the Institute for the Study of War reported on Sept. 30. "Many military bloggers claimed that the Russian withdrawal from Lyman resembles the chaotic retreat from Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast, in its poor coordination and lack of artillery support," the ISW wrote.
Ukraine's General Staff reported on Oct. 1 that Russia had also lost 2,354 tanks, 4,949 armored fighting vehicles, 3,786 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,397 artillery systems, 336 multiple launch rocket systems, 176 air defense systems, 264 airplanes, 226 helicopters, 1,009 drones, and 15 boats.
