October 1, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

The US Congress passed a stopgap funding bill Saturday that helped avert a government shutdown but did not include additional funding for Ukraine.

Speaking from the White House Sunday, President Joe Biden vowed the US “will not walk away” from Ukraine. A bipartisan group of leaders in the US Senate also promised to vote on more aid for the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that a drop in US support could have severe consequences for the war effort.

CNN spoke with Ukrainians in Kyiv Sunday to see how they feel about the situation:

Volodymyr Kostiak.

Volodymyr Kostiak, Ukrainian serviceman

“America’s strategic interests are so big that Ukraine is part of them,” he added. “And I think that the internal political struggle cannot affect the assistance to Ukraine that much. There will be some errors, but they will be insignificant.”

Kostiak said the fight over funding Ukraine is due to the political realities of the 2024 US presidential election, but he believes the possibility the US would actually stop helping Ukraine is slim.

“The US budget has been suspended 20 times in history, and never once has it led to any serious consequences,” the serviceman said. “So I don’t see this as a big problem for Ukraine.”

Tetiana Ostapchuk.

Tetiana Ostapchuk, logistician

Natalia and Serhii Krasnoshchoks.

Natalia, an English teacher, and Serhii Krasnoshchoks, an entrepreneur

“Yes, we have seen the news, but we think that there will be aid to Ukraine anyway. We hope so very much. And of course, we will be grateful for any help. The more, the better,” the pair said.

Mykhailo Chendei.

Mykhailo Chendei, store administrator

“I think it’s impossible (that the US will stop helping Ukraine). No one will leave us without aid,” Chendei said.

“Now it’s an internal American issue. But I believe that our government also needs to show changes,” he continued, alluding to Kyiv’s ongoing purge of corruption in the government.

“We need to show America, Republicans and Trumpists that we will change the country,” he said, referring to supporters of former President Donald Trump, who has expressed skepticism about aid for Ukraine. “Ukrainians already want to do this. We do not agree to live under these rules, with corruption. We need new rules. If we show a little bit of results — and our army is already showing them — then I hope everything will be fine.”

Yulia Mueller.

Yulia Mueller, chief accountant

“I think that, in general, there may be a situation where the aid will stop, because a large percentage of Americans are unhappy that their money is being sent to Ukraine, that Ukraine is far away, that there is no threat to the US,” Mueller said.

“On the other hand, it seems to me that all sane people who see the atrocities that have been and are happening here now — how entire cities are being wiped out — understand that this can spread to other countries as well,” she continued. “If America stops helping us, there will be very difficult consequences for everyone.”

Ukrainians descended on Independence Square in Kyiv on Sunday to mark Defenders Day, the holiday honoring the country’s veterans and war dead.

The observance has held particular importance in the last two years given Russia’s invasion.

This is what some of them had to say:

Kateryna Izotova.

Kateryna Izotova, originally from Zaporizhzhia, now living in Kyiv

Harry Hryhorian.

Harry Hryhorian, Kyiv resident

Liubov Smirnova, originally from Mariupol

Oksana Hrynko.

Oksana Hrynko, originally from Mariupol

Vadym Dzhuvaga.

Vadym Dzhuvaga, Ukrainian serviceman on the front lines in Donetsk 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “victory will come” in the country’s war against Russia in an event celebrating the country’s soldiers.

In an address marking Day of the Defenders, the national holiday honoring veterans and fallen soldiers, Zelensky stressed the of importance of unity and optimism as the fight continues.

The Ukrainian government is working with its partners in Washington to ensure that the budget Congress will work on over the next 45 days will include new funds to help Kyiv push back against Russia, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said.

Washington narrowly avoided a government shutdown with the passage of a stopgap funding bill on Saturday but it dropped funding for Ukraine.

A future shutdown could have a negative impact on Ukraine, the spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, said on Facebook on Sunday.

Nikolenko said that the US budget currently includes about $1.6 billion for the defense industry and $1.23 billion for direct budget support, as well as funds for humanitarian and energy projects. 

Chairman of SMER-Social Democracy party Robert Fico arrives at his party's headquarters day after an early parliamentary election in Bratislava, Slovakia, on October 1, 2023.

Slovakia’s former Prime Minister, Robert Fico, whose SMER party won parliamentary elections Saturday, said he will do everything he can to ensure peace talks between Russia and Ukraine start as soon as possible. 

Fico failed to secure enough votes to govern on his own but will have a chance to become PM again when coalition talks to begin.

He’s known for his pro-Russia stance and his suggestion of peace talks is unlikely to be welcomed in Ukraine, which does not want to engage in any negotiations that would mean ceding territory to Russia.

Asked about his stance on Ukraine, Fico said: “I will constrain myself to one sentence: Slovakia and people in Slovakia have bigger problems than Ukraine.”

“Ukraine is a huge tragedy, for everyone. If SMER is asked to form a government … I will do everything, also within the European Union, to see peace talks begin as soon as possible.”

“More killing is not going to help anyone. You know our opinion. I’d rather spend 10 years negotiating peace and compromises, than let people kill each other for 10 more years and then end up where we are now. We are not changing our stance as a peace party.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the “Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine” in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 1.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to the memory of Ukrainian soldiers “who gave their lives defending their homeland,” the president’s office said in a press release Sunday. 

Zelensky laid flowers at the “Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine” on Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. Soldiers also placed a wreath of flowers at the wall. 

The ceremony was also attended by several others, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell as well as representatives of the government and military command. 

The participants honored the memory of the fallen heroes with a minute of silence. 

Ukraine’s ability to rely on the European Union for unequivocal support in its fight against Russia has suffered a major blow on Sunday after a pro-Kremlin figure won election in neighbouring Slovakia. 

Slovakia’s former Prime Minister Robert Fico and his SMER party came top in the country’s parliamentary election after running an anti-Ukrainian and anti-American campaign.

Fico has pledged an immediate end to Slovak military support for Ukraine and promised to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.

Slovakia is a member of both NATO and the European Union. If Fico manages to form a government and become the Prime Minister, he could use his mandate to try and influence EU’s and NATO’s policies. He has in the past campaigned against Europe’s sanctions on Russia.

But it remains unclear whether Fico will be able to form a government. With 22.9% of the vote, SMER does not have enough seats in the parliament to govern on their own.

As the leader of the biggest party, Fico will get the first chance to build a coalition. However, the liberal PS party, which came second with 17.9% of the vote, said it would do “everything it could” to prevent Fico from forming a government. PS has pledged to continue supporting Ukraine.

Its leader Michal Šimečka said he will be speaking to other parties to see if there is an opportunity to create an anti-Fico coalition.

If that happens, it wouldn’t be the first time Fico has won an election but failed to form a government. He came first in 2010, but was sidelined by a coalition formed around the then-second biggest party. 

Flights were diverted at Sochi International Airport in Russia Sunday after a Ukrainian drone was shot down over Russia’s Krasnodar region, Sochi mayor Aleksey Kopaigorodsky said in a statement.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the drone used in the attack was an aircraft-type UAV.

As a precautionary measure, the Sochi International Airport – over 200 miles from the affected region – had a temporary restriction on their flights.

“Sochi airport imposed a temporary flight restriction. Six flights were diverted to alternate airfields,” the Sochi airport said in a statement on Sunday.

The restrictions were lifted at 8.20 a.m. (local time), with the airport resuming the arrival and departure of aircraft, the mayor and Sochi airport statements both said.

“Everything is normal in Sochi. The situation in the city is calm,” Kopaigorodsky said.

Ukraine has been stepping up its attacks beyond its borders using drones to target Russian infrastructure.

Ukraine will soon face its second winter at war, and the bold campaigns of a year ago that saw significant gains in Kharkiv and Kherson seem a distant memory.

The Ukrainian military is now waging a war of intense attrition against stubborn and larger Russian forces along a front of nearly 1,000 kilometers. It is still desperately short of air power, and offensive action will be disrupted by the deteriorating weather.

The Russians are likely to launch another campaign to cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging its people into a dark winter. On the battlefield, the Russians have adapted. Next year’s defense budget will be 70% higher than this year’s. They are in this for the long haul.

But the Ukrainians are also adapting, after a stuttering start to the counteroffensive.

Read the full story here.

Joe Biden leaves after attending mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden has reiterated support for Ukraine as the US narrowly avoided a government shutdown on Saturday.

Biden urged Congress to pass separate funding for assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia, after a stopgap funding measure dropped aid to the war-torn country.

Biden also praised bipartisan efforts to keep the government open and funded through November but added that the last-minute scramble by House Republicans was a “manufactured crisis” that could have been avoided months ago.

Some context: A government shutdown was prevented after Congress passed a stopgap funding measure ahead of a critical midnight deadline in a whirlwind day on Capitol Hill.

President Joe Biden signed the bill late Saturday night.

The stopgap bill originally included funding for Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the full-scale invasion from Russia, but the funds were dropped after some conservatives raised objections during negotiations.

Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet briefly held up the vote on the bill after he objected over concerns about the lack of funding in it. Bipartisan members of Senate leadership released a joint statement committing to vote on further funding for Ukraine aid “in the coming weeks.”

House Democratic leadership said in a statement that they expect McCarthy to bring a separate Ukraine aid bill to vote when the House returns. 

Russian forces launched around 40 drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine’s central and southern regions, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) said in an operational update early Sunday.

Ukraine’s air force destroyed 30 out of 40 Shahed drones launched from the south overnight in the central Vinnytsia region and over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions in the south, according to the AFU.

We will bring you more detail on these attacks – the latest wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine – as we get them.

Robert Fico, second from left, celebrates his victory in the general elections alongside party members in Bratislava on Sunday.

The party of Slovakia’s former Prime Minister Robert Fico, an openly pro-Russian politician, has won the country’s parliamentary election, although it will need a coalition partner to govern.

Preliminary results published by Slovakia’s Statistical Office early on Sunday morning showed that with more than 99% districts counted, Fico’s SMER party has secured 23.3% of the vote.

The liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) party came second, with 17% of the vote.

While not a landslide, SMER’s result is better than expected — last opinion polls published earlier this week showed SMER and PS neck and neck.

Hlas, a party that was formed as an offshoot of SMER following internal disputes, came third with 15% of the vote.

With seven political parties reaching the 5% threshold needed to enter the parliament, coalition negotiations will almost certainly include multiple players and could be long and messy.

Possible impact on Ukraine: Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Slovakia — which is part of NATO — has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies. The two countries share a border, Slovakia was the first country to send air defenses to Ukraine and it welcomed tens of thousands of refugees.

But all that could change. Fico makes no secret of his sympathies toward the Kremlin and has blamed “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” for provoking Russia’s President Vladimir Putin into launching the invasion, repeating the false narrative Putin has used to justify his invasion.

Fico has called on the Slovak government to stop supplying weapons to Kyiv, and said that if he were to become prime minister, Slovakia would “not send another round of ammunition.” He is also opposed to Ukraine joining NATO.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited the city of Odesa on Saturday as part of a push to express solidarity and support for Ukraine, on the one-year anniversary of the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia. 

Speaking from inside the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, Borrell said the city of Odesa should be in the news headlines for its beauty and rich history, but instead, it has been in the headlines “for the barbaric attacks by Russia.”

Borrell said the EU will continue supporting Ukraine in its fight to recover its territorial integrity and achieve a just peace.

Some background: On September 30, 2022, Vladimir Putin said Russia would annex the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The regions together account for 100,000 square kilometers (38,600 square miles) of Ukrainian territory, a fifth of the country’s land mass. It marked the largest forcible annexation of land in Europe since 1945.

The Kremlin’s decision to seize the territories in violation of international law came after referendums widely panned as a sham, as people were voting both figuratively and, in some cases literally, at gunpoint.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “vertical of power” – the way in which the entire structure of Russian political power rests on one man – has undergone profound stress testing in the wake of the Wagner mercenary group’s aborted march on Moscow in June.

But everything is now business as usual, and the remnants of Wagner are back in the government’s control, if Kremlin messaging is to be believed.

In a televised meeting Friday, Putin met with Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and former Wagner commander Andrey Troshev, according to a partial transcript published by the Kremlin.

The meeting was held in a long-familiar format. Putin was seated at the head of a conference table with briefing papers and notes, making some general remarks before settling down to official business. The language was sober, competent and relatively substance-free: It could have been a routine meeting with a regional governor to discuss economic plans, at least judging by the official readout.

But unpack the language, and Putin’s Friday meeting appeared to put a reassuring gloss on the Russian government’s attempt to bring the mercenary group to heel.

Read more.

Ukraine is ready to offer special conditions to companies that are willing to develop weapons production jointly with Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday. 

He made the comments as he met with representatives from defense companies from various countries, including the United States, United Kingdon, Germany, France, Turkey, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

“The sky shield and demining are the two biggest priorities for us today,” Zelensky said, adding this includes air defense means and the production of systems for warning and surveillance. “We have to do this. This will be useful not only for Ukraine, but also for Europe and our neighbors,” he said. 

Ukraine is also interested in the production of long-range missiles and artillery with new capabilities. The combination of advanced technologies and military tactics will help Ukraine prevail in the war against Russia, Zelensky said. 

“That is why we prioritize the development of defense production using modern technologies, production of shells, missiles, drones in Ukraine in cooperation with global leaders in the field and using our experience in their operation,” Zelensky said. 

“Ukraine has shown the whole world what actually works, and I think we can share this experience,” he added.

Some context: CNN has previously reported on Ukraine’s burgeoning home-grown weapons industry.

Kyiv has been developing its own arms in part as it allows it to strike Russia outside of Ukraine without using Western-supplied arms.