🔴 Live: Ukraine downs 24 Russia-launched drones, says Ukrainian general staff

Issued on: 05/10/2023 – 08:24Modified: 05/10/2023 – 09:26

3 min

9:25am: Putin orders regulated prices for fuel oil in some Russian regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to provide state funds to ensure a safe heating season, including the introduction of regulated prices for fuel oil supplied for household heating in some regions, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Russia has been tackling shortages and high fuel prices in recent months.

8:31am: Russia plans naval base on Black Sea coast of breakaway Georgian region, reports Russian newspaper

Russia is planning to build a naval base on the Black Sea coast of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, the leader of the region was quoted on Thursday as saying by the Izvestiya newspaper, a day after meeting President Vladimir Putin.

Aslan Bzhania, the self-styled president of the Russian-backed breakaway region, said an agreement had been signed for a permanent naval base in the Ochamchira region.

“We have signed an agreement, and in the near future there will be a permanent base of the Russian Navy in the Ochamchira district,” Bzhania told Izvestiya.

“This is all aimed at increasing the level of defence capability of both Russia and Abkhazia, and this kind of interaction will continue,” he said. “There are also things I can’t talk about.”

Russia recognised Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as independent states in 2008 after Russian troops repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war that ended on August 12, 2008.

6:57am: Ukraine downs 24 drones launched by Russia, says military

Ukraine’s air defences downed 24 out of 29 Russian drones launched in attacks on its territory overnight, the Ukrainian general staff said on Thursday.

Ukraine’s Air Force said the drones were destroyed over the southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, as well as the central Kirohovrad region.

“The enemy continues its attempts to destroy the port and other infrastructure of the south, is terrorising the central regions as well,” Ukraine’s southern command said.

It said an unspecified infrastructure facility was hit in the Kirohovrad region and the resulting fire had been contained.

There was no information about casualties.

1:39am: Ukraine says its forces making headway in south, hold gains in east

Ukrainian forces made some headway in their drive southward as part of a gruelling counteroffensive to recapture areas seized by Russia in its 19-month-old invasion of its neighbour, military officials said Thursday.

Ukrainian officials also said Kyiv’s forces were resisting Russian attempts to reverse gains on the eastern front made by Ukraine since it launched its counteroffensive in June.

Russia’s Defence Ministry reported a measure of success by its troops on the eastern front. FRANCE 24 was unable to verify the battlefield reports.

Ukraine’s southern group of forces outlined advances as Kyiv presses on with a drive towards the Sea of Azov to split Russian-occupied territory in the south and east.

Key developments from Wednesday, October 4:

The US transferred 1.1 million rounds of ammunition that it seized from Iran to Ukraine, US Central Command confirmed Wednesday in a statement. The delivery was announced after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was doing “everything” to make sure the war-torn country receives more air defence systems in the next few months.

Russia downed 31 Ukraine-launched drones overnight over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk bordering Ukraine, the defence ministry said Wednesday.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev affirmed principles of “territorial integrity” for states during phone talks, in the wake of Azerbaijan’s takeover of separatist Nagorno-Karabakh.

Read yesterday’s live blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)