Russian war in Ukraine

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Russia's war in Ukraine

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Russia's war in Ukraine
By Kathleen Magramo, Adrienne Vogt, Sana Noor Haq and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 2:12 p.m. ET, October 4, 2022
What we're covering
Kyiv’s forces are pressing forward with territory gains in the south and east, including in regions Russia claims it is annexing in violation of international law.
Ukraine has continued its eastern counteroffensive and pushed into the Luhansk region, pro-Russian officials said, after recapturing a key Donetsk city. Forces are also breaking through Moscow's defenses in the southern Kherson region, with more areas liberated “every day," a Ukrainian official said Tuesday.
Russia’s defeats on the battlefield come as President Vladimir Putin is expected on Tuesday to sign laws on the annexation of four regions in Ukraine — despite Moscow not being in full control of the areas.
Meanwhile, the US is considering how to respond to a range of potential scenarios amid growing concerns Putin will escalate the war and use tactical nuclear weapons, according to sources.

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4 min ago
Zaporizhzhia plant director will be replaced following release from Russia detention, UN nuclear watchdog says
From CNN's Chris Liakos

Ihor Murashov, the director general of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, will not continue his duties at the facility following his release from Russian detention, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday.

Murashov was detained by a Russian patrol, the president of Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom, Petro Kotin, said on Saturday. Kotin said Murashov was in his vehicle on his way from the plant when he was stopped, taken out of the car, and driven in an unknown direction while blindfolded. The IAEA said Monday that it had received confirmation that Murashov had returned to his family safely.

“The IAEA understands that Mr Murashov is now with his family in territory controlled by Ukraine and will not be continuing with his duties at the ZNPP. It is not yet clear who will replace him in this role,” IAEA said in an updated statement on Tuesday.
The IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, said that Murashov’s “absence from duty in this way had an immediate and serious impact on decision-making in ensuring the safety and security of the plant.”

Key things to know about the plant: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear complex of its kind in Europe, was seized by Russian forces at the start of the war.

The plant and the area around it, including the nearby city of Enerhodar, have endured persistent shelling in recent months, with Ukraine and Russia trading accusations for the shelling.

The agency also said that “IAEA experts present at the ZNPP reported that repair work was completed today at the sprinkler pond in the area of Unit 5 and Unit 6, which had been damaged from shelling on 20 September.”

There has been no reported shelling in the vicinity of the ZNPP since Oct. 4, according to IAEA.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is due to travel to Kyiv and then to Moscow later this week for consultations “aimed at agreeing and implementing a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP as soon as possible.”

12 min ago
Ukrainian official: Russia is trying to establish a "state border" at line of control in Zaporizhzhia region
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv.

Russia is trying to establish a “state border” at the point that divides Russian and Ukrainian control in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, a regional Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.

The number of people crossing out of Russian-occupied territory through the Vasylivka checkpoint has dropped from several thousand per day last week — before Russia’s claimed annexations — to just a handful now, according to the Ukrainian government, which says that the crossing is effectively closed.

In establishing these borders, they are placing "rules to pass that they had come up with,” Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Authority, said on national television.

Zaporizhzhia is one four territories in Ukraine that Russia claims it is annexing.

“As a result, they are not allowing the men of the conscription age [to cross]. The day before yesterday only eight people managed to get out by some side and goat trails. Otherwise, one can say that transit in both directions has been stopped,” he said.
These actions replicate what Moscow "did with Crimea and Donbas,” Starukh said.

Ukraine is “trying to solve this issue through the international communities, and through addressing Russia, who are obliged to open the humanitarian corridors,” said Iryna Vereshchuk, the Ukrainian minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories.

The Kremlin does not appear to be clear on what territory exactly it has annexed, as large parts of the regions it says are Russia are still controlled by Ukrainian forces. On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “we will continue consulting with the population of these regions.”

39 min ago
Leader of Belarus says his country is "participating" in the war but is not an active military party
From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Chris Liakos

Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during an interview at his residence, the Independence Palace, in the capital Minsk, on July 21.
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during an interview at his residence, the Independence Palace, in the capital Minsk, on July 21. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images/File)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that his country has been caught up in the Russia-Ukraine war but that it is not an active military party to the conflict.

“As for our participation in a special military operation in Ukraine, we are participating. We do not hide it. But we are not killing anyone. We are not sending our military anywhere. We do not violate our obligations,” Lukashenko said during a military meeting, according to a video recording of the meeting by the state news agency Belta. Russia also calls its war in Ukraine a "special military operation."

He then said that his country is “participating” in the war by preventing its spread into Belarus and by preventing “a strike on Belarus under the guise of a special military operation from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.”

“As I said, no one will shoot Russians in the back from the territory of Belarus. That’s our participation," the Belarusian leader said.
He added that Belarus is also caught up in the conflict as a point of entry for refugees.

“Yes, treat people if necessary. Yes, we feed people. And not only Russians. We feed most of all those refugees, beggars, poor people who come to us from Ukraine," Lukashenko said. "... How not to feed them, how not to treat them? This is our participation in this military operation. There is no other way and there won’t be.”

He stressed that Belarus is not planning to announce any mobilization but that it intends to learn from Russia’s experience.

Lukashenko has been a close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Belarus was used as a launch point for Russian troops in February.

The Belarusian leader has previously said his country was “being dragged” into the war.

55 min ago
US secretary of state announces details of additional $625 million in military assistance to Ukraine
From CNN's Kylie Atwood

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US is giving an additional $625 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

He cited Ukrainian forces effectively using US support to push ahead with their “successful counter-offensive to take back their lands seized illegally by Russia.”

“Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our twenty-second drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since August 2021. This $625 million drawdown includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories,” Blinken said in a statement. “This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to more than $17.5 billion since the beginning of this Administration.”
Blinken committed the US to continuing support for Ukraine for as long as it takes, saying US President Joe Biden has already made that promise.

“At the UN General Assembly, President Biden made it clear yet again that we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Recent developments from Russia’s sham referenda and attempted annexation to new revelations of brutality against civilians in Ukrainian territory formerly controlled by Russia only strengthens our resolve,” Blinken said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the leaders discussed the new assistance package.

56 min ago
In call with Zelensky, President Biden and VP Harris said the US "will never recognize" Russia's annexations
From CNN's Arlette Saenz and Betsy Klein

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday morning — days after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Russia would annexed four Ukrainian territories following so-called referendums that were universally dismissed as “a sham” by Ukraine and Western nations.

Biden and Harris underscored “that the United States will never recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory” and Biden “affirmed the continued readiness of the United States to impose severe costs on any individual, entity, or country that provides support to Russia’s purported annexation,” a White House readout said.
Biden reiterated his country's commitment to supporting Ukraine and the leaders discussed a new $625 million security assistance package, which includes four more rocket systems, known as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as well as additional howitzers and ammunition, as CNN reported previously.

They also discussed a grain export agreement and “ongoing efforts of the United States to rally the world behind Ukraine’s efforts to defend its freedom and democracy, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter,” the readout said.

1 hr 14 min ago
Russian defense ministry map confirms significant losses in Ukraine’s Kherson region
From CNN's Mick Krever and Uliana Pavlova

A map used by the Russian Defense Ministry in its daily briefing on Tuesday confirmed significant Russian losses in Ukraine’s Kherson region, compared to a map of the same region used during its briefing on Monday.

The map confirms reports from Ukrainian and pro-Russian officials, as well as pro-Russian military analysts, of significant Ukrainian advances towards the occupied city of Kherson, down the western bank of the Dnipro River.

Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, who spoke while the map was shown full-screen, did not mention the losses. But he did say that the Russian military destroyed Ukrainian armor and killed Kyiv's forces in the area of several towns that are now understood to be under Ukrainian control – a tacit acknowledgement of Ukraine’s advance.

1 hr 25 min ago
Zelensky speaks with Indian Prime Minister Modi about security and Putin's so-called referendums
From Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Zelensky said in a statement on his official Telegram channel.

“We discussed the so-called referendums recently held by Russia on the temporarily occupied territories of our country with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi,” Zelensky said. “We also talked about food and nuclear security, interaction within international organizations, first of all in the UN. It is important to strengthen Ukrainian-Indian partnership against the background of Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

“I am grateful to India for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. We appreciate the significant humanitarian assistance provided by the Indian government and private sector,” Zelensky added.
More on India-Russia relations: Modi has publicly clashed with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his war in Ukraine, telling Putin last month that “today's era is not of war.” But the reality, analysts say, is less straightforward.

Rather than cutting economic ties with the Kremlin, India has undermined Western sanctions by increasing its purchases of Russian oil, coal and fertilizer – giving Putin a vital financial lifeline.

New Delhi has repeatedly abstained from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations – providing Moscow with a veneer of international legitimacy. And in August, India participated in Russia’s large-scale Vostok military exercises alongside China, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan – where Moscow paraded its vast arsenal.

The apparent contradiction exemplifies India’s position on the war: verbally distancing itself from Russia while continuing to maintain pivotal ties with Moscow.

CNN's Rhea Mogul contributed reporting in this post.

1 hr 35 min ago
Moscow's campaign is in "operational crisis" as it suffers losses in Ukraine, Russian correspondents say
From CNN’s Mick Krever in London. Translation by Olly Racz

Correspondents for Russian media are defending their dispatches on the performance of Russia's military in Ukraine as they report on Moscow's losses in the war.

“I’ve been told that I make people depressed with my news,” Alexander Kots from the pro-government tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote on Telegram. “Allegedly people need something positive. There won’t be any good news any time soon, the timing is wrong. Not from the Kherson frontline, not from the Luhansk one as it happens.”
Ukraine "is introducing well-prepared reserves, realizing its advantage in both personnel and intelligence data,” he said Tuesday, adding that Russia’s so-called "special military operation," meanwhile, is undergoing an “operational crisis.”

Kots, who was embedded with Russian troops in the Donetsk city of Lyman, wrote in the tabloid earlier this week that Russian forces suffered from lack of manpower, bad communications, and “mistakes” by commanding officers. Ukraine recaptured Lyman over the weekend.

“A certain tiredness crept in in many areas after a long attacking season during which we liberated large swathes of land. We didn’t have enough strength left after that to hold on to them,” he said. “Why so? Because we simply don’t have enough people. Although it might have looked different at some point. We needed this sucker punch to understand how things stand in real terms. That’s why they announced the partial mobilization.”
Kots reassured his followers that he saw neither “panic nor arrogance” among the Russian forces. Besides Kots, Russia 24's Evgeniy Poddubnyy is also writing similar reports.

Poddubnyy said Tuesday that “we’re going through the hardest time on the frontline” and that “for the time being it will become even harder.”

2 hr 38 min ago
Here's a look at the state of control in Ukraine right now
Ukraine's forces have continued their eastern counteroffensive and pushed into the Luhansk region, pro-Russian officials said, after recapturing the key city of Lyman in the Donetsk region over the weekend.

Kyiv's forces are also breaking through Moscow's defenses in the southern Kherson region, with more areas liberated “every day," a Ukrainian official said Tuesday.

Despite not being in full control of the areas, the three regions are territories Russia has claimed it is annexing in violation of international law.

Here's how the state of control on Ukrainian territory looks right now: