Russia war - news: Pope Francis warns of ‘nuclear risk’ and demands Putin end war

Pope Francis has asked Vladimir Putin to bring the war in Ukraine to an end and warned about the “absurd” risk of nuclear escalation in Europe.

He also urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to be “open to serious proposals for peace.”

It comes as Ukraine has recaptured two more settlements in Kherson oblast, just days after Russia claimed the territory following a so-called referendum, Zelensky announced.

He added that the success of Ukrainian soldiers “are not limited to Lyman”  – the logistics centre in the country’s east which was also recaptured this week, marking a significant victory for Kyiv.

“This week, the largest part of the [battlefield] reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy as part of our defence operation,” Mr Zelensky said.

A Russian-installed official in the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, admitted in a video statement today that the Ukrainian forces “have broken through a little deeper.”

However, he insisted that “everything is under control” and that Russia’s “defense system is working” in the region.

Key Points

• Pope says world faces ‘atomic threat’ as he calls on Zelensky to be open to peace talks

• Ukraine takes back territory in two more regions claimed by Russia

• Ukrainian forces have made breakthroughs in Kherson region, says Russian official

• Russian city sends back half of mobilised men, commissar fired - governor

• Russia struggling to find officers to lead new units after mobilising - MoD

• At least 35 settlements shelled by Russia in 24 hours, says Ukraine

Monday 3 October 2022 05:15 , Arpan Rai

Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Monday, 3 October.

Ukraine takes back territory in two more regions claimed by Russia in ‘pseudo-referendums’, says Zelensky

Monday 3 October 2022 05:23 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky announced Ukrainian troops have reclaimed two settlements over the weekend in the Kherson oblast, which was claimed by Russia at the end of last week in an illegal land-grab.

“This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy as part of our defence operation. The story of the liberation of Lyman in the Donetsk region has now become the most popular in the media. But the successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman,” Mr Zelensky said in his late night address on Sunday.

He said that when the Ukrainian flag is returned to places where pseudo-referendums were held, “no one remembers the Russian farce with some pieces of paper and some annexations”.

“Except, of course, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Because everyone who is involved in any elements of aggression against our state will be accountable for it,” Mr Zelensky warned.

Ukraine marked a significant territorial success on Sunday after it fully cleared the Lyman city of Russian forces and claimed control over the territory.

Reclaiming Crimea ‘feels inevitable’, says top Ukrainian official

Monday 3 October 2022 05:44 , Arpan Rai

The top Ukrainian official for Crimea has said that she and her team are actively planning for the reversal of eight years of Russian rule on the annexed peninsula.

“This is moment X. Right now everything is happening in a way that it feels inevitable,” Tamila Tasheva, the permanent representative of the president of Ukraine in the autonomous republic of Crimea, told The Guardian.

“It may not happen tomorrow, but I think it will be much quicker than I thought a year ago,” she said.

There are currently no military indications that Ukraine is close to recapturing its former territory, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Russian city sends back half of mobilised men, commissar fired - governor

Monday 3 October 2022 05:56 , Arpan Rai

At least half of the freshly mobilised army personnel have been sent home in the Russian city of Khabarovsk as they did not meet the draft criteria, the regional governor said today.

Officials also fired the military commissar of the city, he added.

“In 10 days, several thousand of our countrymen received summons and arrived at the military registration and enlistment offices,” said Mikhail Degtyarev, the governor of the Khabarovsk region in Russia’s far east, in a video post on the Telegram messaging app.

He added: “About half of them we returned home as they did not meet the selection criteria for entering the military service.”

The removal of the commissar, Yuri Laiko, would not affect the mobilisation plan set out by Vladimir Putin, he said.

At least 35 settlements shelled by Russia in 24 hours, says Ukraine

Monday 3 October 2022 06:27 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have used missiles, air strikes and artillery in attacks on 35 settlements in the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian military officials said today.

Ukraine’s air force attacked a Russian command post, weapons caches and an anti-aircraft missile complex, and also brought down one helicopter, one attack aircraft and eight drones, the military officials said.

However, Russian offensive continued in the Zaporizhzhia city and its nearby villages overnight with at least 10 missiles, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region said.

Russia stealing Ukrainian grain to pay for Putin's war

Monday 3 October 2022 06:38 , Arpan Rai

Top Ukrainian diplomats have said that a bulk cargo ship owned by Syria which docked in Lebanon last summer was carrying tons of grains stolen by Russia in a bid to pay for the invasion and war on Ukraine.

An investigation by the Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” has discovered that the cargo ship Laodicea is part of Russia’s sophisticated smuggling operation which is stealing Ukrainian grain worth at least $530 million in cash to help generate funds for Moscow.

Moscow called the allegation “false and baseless”.

Satellite images and marine radio transponder data tracking three dozen ships show these vessels making more than 50 voyages carrying grain from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to ports in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and other countries.

Russia struggling to find officers to lead new units after mobilising - MoD

Monday 3 October 2022 06:51 , Arpan Rai

With reserve forces piling up in Russia’s training tents, top officials in the Kremlin are struggling to find officers to lead these new units, the British defence ministry said today.

Vladimir Putin last week addressed his National Security Council on the “partial mobilisation” and said “‘a lot of questions are being raised during this mobilisation campaign, and we must promptly correct our mistakes and not repeat them’,” the ministry said.

Mr Putin’s “unusually rapid acknowledgement of problems highlights the dysfunction of the mobilisation over its first week”, the defence ministry said.

Russia’s local officials are likely without a clue on the “exact scope and legal rationale of the campaign”, it added.

“They have almost certainly drafted some personnel who are outside the definitions claimed by Putin and the Ministry of Defence,” the MoD said.

“As drafted reservists continue to assemble at tented transit camps, Russian officials are likely struggling to provide training and in finding officers to lead new units,” it added.

Ukraine wants to join Nato but will that happen?

Monday 3 October 2022 07:00 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky’s application on Thursday to join Nato could be viewed as a symbolic step that keeps up pressure on Moscow rather than a sign of imminent Nato membership.

The wartime president announcement that he is to “accelerate” his country’s bid to join Nato was understandable as a swift and symbolic response to Vladimir Putin’s grandstand proclamation in Moscow that another four parts of Ukraine now “belong” to Russia.

To merely refute Putin’s claim, which rests on the supposed result of a sham referendum process, would have felt insufficient.

Arguably, Ukraine’s bid to join is further away now than before Russia’s February invasion; membership is not usually granted to countries involved in territorial disputes, which was already the case thanks to Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

This is because of Nato’s article V requirement for mutual defence in the event of an attack, which would effectively commit Nato members to direct military involvement in the Ukraine war, writes Alastair Jamieson:

Ukraine wants to join Nato but will that happen?

ICYMI: Key Donetsk town liberated and under full Ukrainian control, Zelensky says

Monday 3 October 2022 07:11 , Arpan Rai

A town in the Donetsk region of Ukraine crucial to Russia’s war plans has been liberated and is now under full Ukrainian control, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.

“As of 12.30pm (09.30 GMT), Lyman is fully cleared,” Mr Zelensky said in a short video clip on his Telegram channel. There was no immediate comment from the Russian armed forces on the status of Lyman, captured by Kremlin forces in May.

Russia on Saturday pulled its troops out of Lyman, which had a pre-war population of around 20,000, because Kyiv’s forces had closed in and threatened to encircle them amid ongoing counter-offensives in the north and east of the country.

Videos posted online at around 11.20am on Sunday - and shared by Mr Zelensky’s office - showed Ukrainian soldiers raising the country’s national blue and yellow flag at the entrance to the town.

Read the full story here:

Key Donetsk town liberated and under full Ukrainian control, Zelensky says

Russians fleeing the draft tell of three-day queues and bribes to cross border

Monday 3 October 2022 07:23 , Joe Middleton

Russian men desperate to avoid fighting in Ukraine following Vladimir Putin’s conscription order have told of three-day long border queues and bribing security officials with hundreds of pounds at makeshift “checkpoints”.

Bel Trew reports.

Russians fleeing the draft tell of three-day queues and bribes to cross border

Thousands of Russians mobilised for military service in Ukraine sent home

Monday 3 October 2022 07:42 , Joe Middleton

Thousands of Russians mobilised for military service in Ukraine have been sent home and the military commissar in Russia’s Khabarovsk region removed in the latest setback to president Vladimir Putin’s chaotic conscription of 300,000 servicemen.

Mikhail Degtyarev, the governor of the Khabarovsk region in Russia’s Far East, said several thousand men had reported for enlistment in 10 days but many were ineligible.

“About half of them we returned home as they did not meet the selection criteria for entering the military service,” Degtyarev said in a video post on the Telegram messaging app.

He said the region’s military commissar was removed but that his dismissal would not affect the mobilisation.

The mobilisation was billed as enlisting those with military experience but has often appeared oblivious to service records, health, student status and even age.

CPAC deletes tweet criticising support for Ukraine against Russian invasion

Monday 3 October 2022 08:05 , Joe Middleton

The Conservative Political Action Conference’s Twitter account deleted a tweet criticising Congress for passing aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion on Friday.

On Friday evening, the account for the popular conservative gathering tweeted about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of certain territories in Ukraine and Congress’s recent passage of additional aid to Ukraine.

“Vladimir Putin announces the annexation of 4 Ukrainian-occupied territories,” the tweet said. “Biden and the Dems continue to send Ukraine billions of taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, we are under attack at our southern border. When will Democrats put #AmericaFirst and end gift-giving to Ukraine?”

Eric Garcia reports.

CPAC deletes tweet criticising support for Ukraine against Russian invasion

Russia attacks 35 settlements with missiles and air strikes, claims Ukraine’s military

Monday 3 October 2022 08:27 , Joe Middleton

Ukraine‘s military said early on Monday Russian forces had used missiles, air strikes and artillery in attacks on 35 settlements in the previous 24 hours.

Meanhile, Ukraine‘s air force had attacked a command post, weapons caches and an anti-aircraft missile complex, as well as bringing down one helicopter, one attack aircraft and eight drones, it said.

The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said Russian forces had attacked Zaporizhzhia city and nearby villages overnight, with at least 10 missiles.

Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.

Ukraine forces advance south as Moscow yields further territory

Monday 3 October 2022 09:03 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian forces were reported to be recapturing towns along the west bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine on Monday, with Moscow forced to yield territory along a second major front line just days after claiming to have annexed it.

The scale of the Ukrainian advance was unconfirmed, with Kyiv maintaining all but complete silence about the situation in the area. But Russian military bloggers described a Ukrainian tank advance through dozens of kilometers of territory along the bank of the river.

In one of the rare comments by a Ukrainian official on the situation, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior ministry, posted what he said was video of a Ukrainian soldier waving a flag in Zolota Balka, downriver from the former front line.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute think-tank, cited Russian bloggers as reporting their forces falling back as far as Dudchany - 40 km (25 miles) downriver from where they had opposed Ukrainian troops a day earlier.

“When this many Russian channels are sounding the alarm, it usually means they’re in trouble,” he wrote on Twitter.

A Ukrainian advance along the Dnipro river could trap thousands of Russian troops on the far side, cut off from all supplies. The river is enormously wide, and Ukraine has already destroyed the major crossings.

The reports were the first to describe a rapid Ukrainian advance in the south of the country since the war began, and come just a day after Ukraine routed Russian troops in a major bastion, Lyman, on the opposite end of the front in the east.

Russian journalist faces investigation

Monday 3 October 2022 09:42 , Joe Middleton

Prominent Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak faces a criminal investigation over a story that police suspect was “fake”, state news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source in law enforcement.

Sobchak, whose late father was the mayor of St Petersburg in the 1990s and worked closely with Vladimir Putin, hosts a YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers. She also founded a popular Telegram account which regularly shares stories critical of Russia’s mobilisation efforts.

TASS reported that Sobchak’s story related to “state funding of festivals” and that she could be charged under an article of Russian law that provides for three-year jail sentences.

Neither Sobchak, 40, nor representatives of her news site immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment on the TASS report.

Sobchak has so far avoided prosecution, but authorities have scrutinised her in the past for sharing so-called “LGBT propaganda” and declaring that Crimea was still Ukrainian after its annexation by Russia in 201, reports Reuters

Since invading Ukraine in February, Russia has cracked down on independent media and prosecuted numerous journalists for spreading “fake” news about what it calls its “special military operation”.

Ukrainian forces have made breakthroughs in Kherson region, says Russian official

Monday 3 October 2022 10:10 , Joe Middleton

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 moved to annex four Ukrainian territories last week, including Kherson region, but none are fully under the control of Moscow’s forces and Ukraine continues to advance in the south.

MoD publishes latest map on Russia-Ukraine war

Monday 3 October 2022 10:46 , Joe Middleton

Kremlin says it favours ‘balanced approach’ to nuclear weapons

Monday 3 October 2022 11:19 , Joe Middleton

The Kremlin on Monday said it favoured a “balanced approach” to the issue of nuclear weapons, not based on emotion, after a key ally of president Vladimir Putin called over the weekend for Russia to use a “low-yield nuclear weapon” in Ukraine.

Asked about the comments by Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Chechnya region, who also criticised Russia’s military leadership over battlefield setbacks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had the right to voice his opinion, but that Russia’s military approach should not be driven by emotions.

Peskov said the basis for any use of nuclear weapons was set down in Russia’s nuclear doctrine.

Ukraine wants to join Nato but will that happen?

Monday 3 October 2022 11:49 , Joe Middleton

Kyiv is aleady a ‘de facto’ member, says Zelensky, so does it need Nato at all, asks Alastair Jamieson.

Ukraine wants to join Nato but will that happen?

Ukraine forces advance south and make gains in Kherson

Monday 3 October 2022 12:23 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian forces are continuing to advance south and have reportedly made breakthroughs in the Kherson region and taken control of some settlements.

Kyiv has stayed silent on details of the assault in the south of the country, but Russian military bloggers have described a Ukrainian tank advance through dozens of kilometres of territory along the bank of the Dnipro river.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior ministry, posted what he said was video of a Ukrainian soldier waving a flag in Zolota Balka, downriver from the former front line.

Ukraine forces advance south and make gains in Kherson

Lithuania’s declares Russia’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata

Monday 3 October 2022 12:45 , Joe Middleton

Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today declared Russia’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata.

“(His) 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.

The ministry did not detail alleged offences of the Russian charge d’affaires, who was told to leave the country within five days.

The Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA news agency that it would “give an appropriate response”.

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.

Chechen leader Kadyrov sends three teenage sons, one aged 14, to fight in Ukraine

Monday 3 October 2022 13:18 , Joe Middleton

Chechen leader and key Vladimir Putin-ally Ramzan Kadyrov has revealed that he has sent his three young sons to fight in Ukraine.

The warlord has been a vocal champion of the conflict in Ukraine, with Chechen forces forming part of the vanguard of the Russian army, and even advocated using nuclear weapons in the war over the weekend.

And now the Chechen forces will be joined on the frontline by his sons Akhmat, 16, Eli, 15, and Adam, 14, reports Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

Chechen leader Kadyrov sends three teenage sons, one aged 14, to fight in Ukraine

This map shows the state of affairs in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Monday 3 October 2022 13:35 , Joe Middleton

Czech Republic warns citizens to leave Russia

Monday 3 October 2022 14:02 , Joe Middleton

The Czech Republic widened a warning for its citizens to leave Russia today following Moscow’s mobilisation orders last month, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Czech government had already warned against travel to Russia and urged citizens there to leave in February after the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Today, the ministry expanded its warning, saying Czechs simultaneously holding Russian citizenship faced risks after a mobilisation call in September, a ministry spokeswoman said.

“Citizens of the Czech Republic who also hold Russian citizenship should bear in mind that if they are on the territory of the Russian Federation, they are perceived by Russian authorities primarily as citizens of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said on its website.

“The Czech Embassy in Moscow cannot provide them with adequate, full consular protection.”

The ministry also newly warned about the inability to use bank cards issued in the Czech Republic in Russia due to sanctions, Reuters reports.

The Czech Republic has been one of Ukraine‘s biggest supporters, sending military aid to Kyiv, and it has also taken in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Pope says world faces ‘atomic threat’ as he calls on Zelensky to be open to peace talks

Monday 3 October 2022 14:38 , Joe Middleton

Pope Francis has pleaded with Vladimir Putin to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, as he denounced the “absurd” risk of nuclear escalation in Europe and the potential for “uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide”.

Speaking on Sunday in the Angelus prayer, it was the first time Francis has called upon Mr Putin and cited his role in the war directly.

At the same time, he urged Volodymyr Zelensky to be open to serious peace negotiations, as he said that he is “saddened by the rivers of blood and tears spilled in these months.”

Arpan Rai reports.

Pope says world faces ‘atomic threat’, calling on Zelensky to be open to peace talks

Qatar urges Russia to respect Ukraine‘s sovereignty

Monday 3 October 2022 15:18 , Joe Middleton

Qatar said on today it was tracking with great concern the developments in the Ukraine-Russia conflict after Russia’s announcement on its annexation of a swathe of Ukrainian territory and called for a peaceful settlement.

“The State of Qatar is following with great concern the current developments in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis related to Russia’s announcement of the annexation of Ukrainian lands, and stresses the need to respect Ukraine‘s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and to adopt dialogue as a way to resolve the crisis”, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added it was ready to contribute to international or regional efforts for an immediate peaceful resolution.

‘Russia is in trouble’: Ukraine forces make more advances in Kherson

Monday 3 October 2022 16:09 , Joe Middleton

Ukrainian forces are continuing to advance south and have reportedly made breakthroughs in the Kherson region and taken control of some settlements.

Kyiv has stayed silent on details of the assault in the south of the country, but Russian military bloggers have described a Ukrainian tank advance through dozens of kilometres of territory along the bank of the Dnipro river.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior ministry, posted what he said was video of a Ukrainian soldier waving a flag in Zolota Balka, downriver from the former front line.

‘Russia is in trouble’: Ukraine forces make more advances in Kherson

Chechen leader Kadyrov sends three teenage sons, one aged 14, to fight in Ukraine

Monday 3 October 2022 16:45 , Joe Middleton

Chechen leader and key Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has revealed that he has sent his three young sons to fight in Ukraine.

The warlord has been a vocal champion of the conflict in Ukraine, with Chechen forces forming part of the vanguard of the Russian army, and even advocated using nuclear weapons in the war over the weekend.

And now the Chechen forces will be joined on the frontline by his sons Akhmat, 16, Eli, 15, and Adam, 14, reports Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.

Chechen leader Kadyrov sends three teenage sons, one aged 14, to fight in Ukraine

Russia sacks commander of its Western military district

Monday 3 October 2022 17:15 , Joe Middleton

Russia has sacked the commander of its Western military district, the news outlet RBC reported on today.

RBC said Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlyov will be replaced by Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov. 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 northeast Ukraine last month and the recapture by Ukraine on Saturday of Lyman.

Ukraine‘s seizure of the initiative in the seven-month war has prompted consternation from Kremlin allies and rare public ridicule of Russia’s top brass, including at the weekend by two allies of President Vladimir Putin.

Last week the defence ministry said that the deputy minister in charge of logistics, General Dmitry Bulgakov, had been replaced.

In August, the state-owned RIA news agency reported that the commander of the Black Sea fleet had been fired after a series of humiliations including the sinking of its lead warship and the loss of eight warplanes in an attack on a Russian base in Crimea.