NATO official warns of low ammo as Zelensky heads east. Catch up on the latest here
From CNN staff
NATO and UK officials have warned that Western military ammunition stockpiles are reaching "the bottom of the barrel," and production needs to be increased to assist Ukrainian fighters.
"The bottom of the barrel is now visible," Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee and the alliance's most senior military official, said Tuesday during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum. "We need the industry to ramp up production in a much higher tempo," he said.
Meanwhile, the White House reiterated its confidence that Congress will approve new Ukraine aid after funding for Kyiv was not included in a last-minute deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Here's what else you need to know:
Strong east: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kharkiv is of crucial importance for keeping "our entire east strong" following his furthest visit to the eastern frontline since the start of Russia's invasion. "Especially given the constant Russian terror against Kharkiv, against the region and the occupiers' attempts to intensify assaults on our positions," Zelensky said after meeting regional officials.
Grain movement: Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have agreed to move some border checks for Ukrainian grain from the Polish border to a Lithuanian port to speed up exports, Kyiv said. Meanwhile, more ships have used Ukraine's self-declared humanitarian corridor through the Black Sea, Ukrainian and US officials said. Kyiv set up the route after Moscow withdrew from a UN-brokered grain deal in July.
Crimea missile: Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near Crimea, the Russia's Defense Ministry claimed. The ministry didn't provide additional details. Ukraine has ramped up strikes on the occupied peninsula in recent weeks.
Southern spy ring: The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claimed it cracked a large Russian spy ring in the south of the country. The SBU alleged that 13 informants had been detained in the Mykolaiv region, all of them local residents. Four of the 13 had already been found guilty and sentenced to prison, it said.
European aid: EU lawmakers have approved a four-year budget that would provide up to 50 billion euros ($52.3 billion) for Ukraine to tackle the crisis caused by Russia’s war, the European Parliament said. The funding, separate to financing for military assistance, will provide direct budgetary support for Kyiv to support reforms, create a favorable investment climate and conditions for attracting private investors to the country's recovery, the statement said.
Corruption concerns: The US is increasingly urging Ukraine to do more to combat corruption, multiple US officials told CNN. US officials have made clear recently that some forms of non-military aid are potentially in jeopardy if Kyiv does not do more to tackle graft.
Kyiv's blacklist: Ukraine has added three Chinese oil and gas companies to its list of international companies sponsoring Russia's war. The Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) said the firms "continue to develop joint projects with Russia and to fund Russia's strategic industry by paying substantial taxes."
4 min ago
Ukraine seizes nearly $5.5 million in Russian defense company's assets
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Radina Gigova
Russian Mi-8 and Mi-26 military helicopters are seen during flight testing conducted by the Russian Air Force of the Southern Military District at an aerodrome in the Rostov region, Russia on January 19, 2022. Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters/File
Ukraine has seized nearly $5.5 million in assets belonging to the Russian defense company Rostvertol PJSC, which include components for combat helicopters, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement Tuesday.
"The case concerns a batch of components for combat helicopter control systems, which one of the Lviv factories manufactured for the Rostov company [Rostvertol PJSC] under a contract of 2011," SBU said. "It is known that Rostvertol PJSC is one of the key enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, which produces helicopters for the occupation groups."
The Russian company had hoped to receive its order from the Ukrainian plant in Lviv in 2014, but "SBU counterintelligence officers blocked the transfer of helicopter components to Russia," after Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of Donbas by Russia-backed rebels.
A Ukrainian anti-corruption court upheld a claim from the Ministry of Justice to transfer the assets of the Russian enterprise to Ukraine, the SBU said.
After the confiscation of the seized products, the SBU will transfer the technological components to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it said.
CNN has reached out to Rostvertol PJSC for comment.
Rostvertol PJSC is a Russian helicopter manufacturing company located in the city of Rostov-on-Don that produces Mi-26 series commercial and military helicopters, as well as Mi-35M and Mi-28NE Night Hunter military models, according to its website.
Its holding company Russian Helicopters is part of the Russian conglomerate State Corporation Rostec, according to the website.
3 hr 28 min ago
Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania agree on corridor for Ukrainian grain transit to Baltic port
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have reached a deal that would shift some of the border checks for Ukrainian grain from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda in order to speed up exports, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry announced Tuesday.
"Over the next two days, veterinary, sanitary, and phytosanitary control will be transferred from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania) for all agricultural cargoes heading to this port. This will speed up transit through Poland," the Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
The agreement was reached during a virtual meeting on Tuesday between Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi, Poland's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Robert Telus, and Lithuania's Minister of Agriculture Kęstutis Navickas.
Poland and Lithuania's agriculture ministers "noted that their governments supported such a control mechanism and considered it a constructive step," the statement said.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also praised the agreement.
"Russia destroys food, Lithuania delivers it. A corridor for grain transit to Baltic ports has been accepted and agreed, relieving pressure at the Ukrainian border and increasing supply to Africa and beyond. Cooperation gives results," Landsbergis said in a post on social media Tuesday.
3 hr 29 min ago
Kharkiv crucial for keeping "our entire east strong," Zelensky says
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Svitlana Vlasova
The city of Kharkiv and the wider region are of crucial importance for keeping "our entire east strong" amid ongoing Russian attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday in his evening address, following a visit to the region.
"There are many issues that are important for the region. Especially before the winter. Especially given the constant Russian terror against Kharkiv, against the region and the occupiers' attempts to intensify assaults on our positions," Zelensky said, after holding meetings with regional authorities and military officials. "It is extremely important that Kharkiv is not just holding on against all odds, but is helping to keep our entire east strong. It is a proud and bright city that will always be a city of strength for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe."
Protection from Russian shelling, demining and rebuilding efforts, humanitarian help, and the protection of energy infrastructure were among the topics Zelensky discussed with officials. He also met with soldiers and commanders, and gave awards to members of the military and combat medics.
"As always, I talked to battalion commanders. Specific needs of the units. We talked about weapons and supplies, and about manning the brigades. There are things that need to be done, in particular, to ensure that our brigades have more motivation, more combat capabilities," he said. "Thank you all for defending Ukraine, for your confidence in Ukraine!"
On Tuesday, Zelensky traveled to the eastern frontline areas near the Kupiansk-Lyman direction, then visited the city of Kharkiv, he said. It is the furthest east in Ukraine Zelensky has traveled since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
31 min ago
Western militaries are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine, officials warn
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Western militaries are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine — and therefore, production needs to increase, NATO and United Kingdom officials have warned.
"The bottom of the barrel is now visible," Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee and the alliance's most senior military official, said Tuesday during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum.
"We need the industry to ramp up production in a much higher tempo," he said.
Allies had increased budgets before the start of the war, but production capacity didn't increase, and that in turn led to higher prices even before the war began, he said.
"That was exacerbated by the fact that we give away weapons systems to Ukraine, which is great, and ammunition, but not from full warehouses. We started to give away from half-full or lower warehouses in Europe, and therefore the bottom of the barrel is now visible," Bauer said.
Speaking alongside Bauer, UK Armed Forces MinisterJames Heappey said the "just-in-time" model "definitely does not work when you need to be ready for the fight tomorrow," and that aid for Ukraine should continue.
"We can't stop just because our stockpiles are looking a bit thin," Heappey said. "We have to keep Ukraine in the fight tonight and tomorrow and the day after and the day after. And if we stop, that doesn't mean that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin automatically stops."
That means "continuing to give, day in day out, and rebuilding our own stockpiles," he added.
3 hr 37 min ago
Russia says its air defenses shot down Ukrainian Neptune missile near Crimea
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"On October 3, at about 8:30 pm Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using the Neptune anti-ship missile against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped," the ministry said in a post on social media. "Air defense systems detected and destroyed a Ukrainian missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimean peninsula."
The ministry didn't include additional details about the alleged incident.
3 hr 39 min ago
Pentagon warns of depleting funds for Ukraine support and urges Congress to act
From CNN's Haley Britzky
The Pentagon on Tuesday cautioned that while there are enough funds for the time being to continue supporting Ukraine, funding could run out without action from Congress.
“We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs for just a little bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure there is no disruption in our support, especially as the department seeks to replenish our stocks,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said.
“As [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin said on Saturday, we urge Congress to live up to America's commitment to provide urgently needed assistance to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their own country against forces of tyranny,” she added.
Singh said it was unclear how long the $1.6 billion left from previously allocated funds for Ukraine would last, saying it depends “how that funding is used to replenish our stocks.”
“It really depends on what Ukraine requests,” she said. “And again, we know that their priorities are air defense and artillery and also mine-clearing equipment. So that's what our focus is on to that, of course, is what we're inevitably going to be refilling as well.”
Ammunition stockpiles are reaching "the bottom of the barrel," and production needs to be increased to assist Ukrainian fighters, NATO and UK officials said. The Pentagon also warned about depleting funds.
Meanwhile, the White House reiterated its confidence that Congress will approve new Ukraine aid after funding for Kyiv was not included in a last-minute deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday underscored the importance of Kharkiv and the wider region for keeping the "entire east strong" amid Russian attacks.
Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday. Ukraine has ramped up strikes on the occupied peninsula in recent weeks.
NATO and UK officials have warned that Western military ammunition stockpiles are reaching "the bottom of the barrel," and production needs to be increased to assist Ukrainian fighters.
"The bottom of the barrel is now visible," Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee and the alliance's most senior military official, said Tuesday during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum. "We need the industry to ramp up production in a much higher tempo," he said.
Meanwhile, the White House reiterated its confidence that Congress will approve new Ukraine aid after funding for Kyiv was not included in a last-minute deal to avoid a government shutdown.
Here's what else you need to know:
Strong east: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kharkiv is of crucial importance for keeping "our entire east strong" following his furthest visit to the eastern frontline since the start of Russia's invasion. "Especially given the constant Russian terror against Kharkiv, against the region and the occupiers' attempts to intensify assaults on our positions," Zelensky said after meeting regional officials.
Grain movement: Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have agreed to move some border checks for Ukrainian grain from the Polish border to a Lithuanian port to speed up exports, Kyiv said. Meanwhile, more ships have used Ukraine's self-declared humanitarian corridor through the Black Sea, Ukrainian and US officials said. Kyiv set up the route after Moscow withdrew from a UN-brokered grain deal in July.
Crimea missile: Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near Crimea, the Russia's Defense Ministry claimed. The ministry didn't provide additional details. Ukraine has ramped up strikes on the occupied peninsula in recent weeks.
Southern spy ring: The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claimed it cracked a large Russian spy ring in the south of the country. The SBU alleged that 13 informants had been detained in the Mykolaiv region, all of them local residents. Four of the 13 had already been found guilty and sentenced to prison, it said.
European aid: EU lawmakers have approved a four-year budget that would provide up to 50 billion euros ($52.3 billion) for Ukraine to tackle the crisis caused by Russia’s war, the European Parliament said. The funding, separate to financing for military assistance, will provide direct budgetary support for Kyiv to support reforms, create a favorable investment climate and conditions for attracting private investors to the country's recovery, the statement said.
Corruption concerns: The US is increasingly urging Ukraine to do more to combat corruption, multiple US officials told CNN. US officials have made clear recently that some forms of non-military aid are potentially in jeopardy if Kyiv does not do more to tackle graft.
Kyiv's blacklist: Ukraine has added three Chinese oil and gas companies to its list of international companies sponsoring Russia's war. The Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) said the firms "continue to develop joint projects with Russia and to fund Russia's strategic industry by paying substantial taxes."
Russian Mi-8 and Mi-26 military helicopters are seen during flight testing conducted by the Russian Air Force of the Southern Military District at an aerodrome in the Rostov region, Russia on January 19, 2022. Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters/File
Ukraine has seized nearly $5.5 million in assets belonging to the Russian defense company Rostvertol PJSC, which include components for combat helicopters, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement Tuesday.
"The case concerns a batch of components for combat helicopter control systems, which one of the Lviv factories manufactured for the Rostov company [Rostvertol PJSC] under a contract of 2011," SBU said. "It is known that Rostvertol PJSC is one of the key enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, which produces helicopters for the occupation groups."
The Russian company had hoped to receive its order from the Ukrainian plant in Lviv in 2014, but "SBU counterintelligence officers blocked the transfer of helicopter components to Russia," after Moscow's annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of Donbas by Russia-backed rebels.
A Ukrainian anti-corruption court upheld a claim from the Ministry of Justice to transfer the assets of the Russian enterprise to Ukraine, the SBU said.
After the confiscation of the seized products, the SBU will transfer the technological components to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it said.
CNN has reached out to Rostvertol PJSC for comment.
Rostvertol PJSC is a Russian helicopter manufacturing company located in the city of Rostov-on-Don that produces Mi-26 series commercial and military helicopters, as well as Mi-35M and Mi-28NE Night Hunter military models, according to its website.
Its holding company Russian Helicopters is part of the Russian conglomerate State Corporation Rostec, according to the website.
Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have reached a deal that would shift some of the border checks for Ukrainian grain from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda in order to speed up exports, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry announced Tuesday.
"Over the next two days, veterinary, sanitary, and phytosanitary control will be transferred from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania) for all agricultural cargoes heading to this port. This will speed up transit through Poland," the Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
The agreement was reached during a virtual meeting on Tuesday between Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi, Poland's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Robert Telus, and Lithuania's Minister of Agriculture Kęstutis Navickas.
Poland and Lithuania's agriculture ministers "noted that their governments supported such a control mechanism and considered it a constructive step," the statement said.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also praised the agreement.
"Russia destroys food, Lithuania delivers it. A corridor for grain transit to Baltic ports has been accepted and agreed, relieving pressure at the Ukrainian border and increasing supply to Africa and beyond. Cooperation gives results," Landsbergis said in a post on social media Tuesday.
The city of Kharkiv and the wider region are of crucial importance for keeping "our entire east strong" amid ongoing Russian attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday in his evening address, following a visit to the region.
"There are many issues that are important for the region. Especially before the winter. Especially given the constant Russian terror against Kharkiv, against the region and the occupiers' attempts to intensify assaults on our positions," Zelensky said, after holding meetings with regional authorities and military officials. "It is extremely important that Kharkiv is not just holding on against all odds, but is helping to keep our entire east strong. It is a proud and bright city that will always be a city of strength for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe."
Protection from Russian shelling, demining and rebuilding efforts, humanitarian help, and the protection of energy infrastructure were among the topics Zelensky discussed with officials. He also met with soldiers and commanders, and gave awards to members of the military and combat medics.
"As always, I talked to battalion commanders. Specific needs of the units. We talked about weapons and supplies, and about manning the brigades. There are things that need to be done, in particular, to ensure that our brigades have more motivation, more combat capabilities," he said. "Thank you all for defending Ukraine, for your confidence in Ukraine!"
On Tuesday, Zelensky traveled to the eastern frontline areas near the Kupiansk-Lyman direction, then visited the city of Kharkiv, he said. It is the furthest east in Ukraine Zelensky has traveled since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Western militaries are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine — and therefore, production needs to increase, NATO and United Kingdom officials have warned.
"The bottom of the barrel is now visible," Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee and the alliance's most senior military official, said Tuesday during a discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum.
"We need the industry to ramp up production in a much higher tempo," he said.
Allies had increased budgets before the start of the war, but production capacity didn't increase, and that in turn led to higher prices even before the war began, he said.
"That was exacerbated by the fact that we give away weapons systems to Ukraine, which is great, and ammunition, but not from full warehouses. We started to give away from half-full or lower warehouses in Europe, and therefore the bottom of the barrel is now visible," Bauer said.
Speaking alongside Bauer, UK Armed Forces MinisterJames Heappey said the "just-in-time" model "definitely does not work when you need to be ready for the fight tomorrow," and that aid for Ukraine should continue.
"We can't stop just because our stockpiles are looking a bit thin," Heappey said. "We have to keep Ukraine in the fight tonight and tomorrow and the day after and the day after. And if we stop, that doesn't mean that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin automatically stops."
That means "continuing to give, day in day out, and rebuilding our own stockpiles," he added.
Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"On October 3, at about 8:30 pm Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using the Neptune anti-ship missile against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped," the ministry said in a post on social media. "Air defense systems detected and destroyed a Ukrainian missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimean peninsula."
The ministry didn't include additional details about the alleged incident.
The Pentagon on Tuesday cautioned that while there are enough funds for the time being to continue supporting Ukraine, funding could run out without action from Congress.
“We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs for just a little bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure there is no disruption in our support, especially as the department seeks to replenish our stocks,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said.
“As [Defense Secretary Lloyd] Austin said on Saturday, we urge Congress to live up to America's commitment to provide urgently needed assistance to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their own country against forces of tyranny,” she added.
Singh said it was unclear how long the $1.6 billion left from previously allocated funds for Ukraine would last, saying it depends “how that funding is used to replenish our stocks.”
“It really depends on what Ukraine requests,” she said. “And again, we know that their priorities are air defense and artillery and also mine-clearing equipment. So that's what our focus is on to that, of course, is what we're inevitably going to be refilling as well.”
