Ukraine, Moscow writes to NATO: "We will defend Kaliningrad with our entire arsenal"

Russia, through its embassy in Belgium, has written to NATO to protest against NATO's "adventurist and irresponsible" line, which would include exercises aimed at simulating the "isolation" of the Kaliningrad exclave, which "significantly increases the risks of direct armed conflict". Russia is ready to resort to "the entire arsenal of weapons at its disposal" to defend its territory, the statement said. NATO confirms that it has received the letter and that it has also responded, denouncing "threats" to use force by Russia and recalling the defensive nature of the Alliance.

Ukraine's main university, Taras Shevchenko National University in Kiev, has announced that students will have to stay at home, while classes will switch to remote mode until at least October 16 due to an increase in Russian drone strikes conducted during the day on Kiev. Until October 16, the University "will switch to a remote mode of functioning and organizing the educational process", the administration announced on social networks, adding that "this decision was taken due to the worsening of the security situation in Kiev".

Russian attacks have left at least one dead and 56 injured across Ukraine in the past 24 hours. Regional authorities reported this as Russia launched another nighttime missile attack on Kiev, which hit an educational institution and damaged several residential buildings, wounding one person and killing another in Donetsk. The US Air Force said Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with Onyx and Zircon anti-ship missiles, two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles and 152 attack drones, including 82 jets. It also reported shooting down all three missiles and 106 of the attack drones.

In the eastern part of Donetsk Oblast, one person was killed and six others injured, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, two men aged 28 and 44 were injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and surrounding areas, 34 people were injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, said Ivan Fedorov, co-chairman of the regional Defense Council. Thirty-three of them were injured in a Russian attack on an industrial plant in Zaporizhzhia. In the southern Kherson region, two people were injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

In the southern city of Odessa, a Russian attack on a residential skyscraper yesterday injured six people, two of whom were hospitalized, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. In the northern Sumy region, five people were injured in Russian drone strikes in recent days, the regional military administration said. The victims are three men aged 23, 46 and 52 and two women aged 37 and 49.

The Alliance is conducting a large-scale information campaign to fuel the myth of the 'Russian threat' and spread information that does not correspond to reality on Moscow's alleged 'intentions' to attack one of the Baltic states by 2029, or even earlier". This is stated in the note released by the Russian embassy in Belgium. "Plans for the cross-border evacuation of the population 'in the event of a serious crisis' are announced and, at the same time, the declarations repeatedly expressed by the leaders of our country regarding the absence of intentions or reasons to initiate military action are completely ignored, as is the proposal addressed to NATO countries to put mutual security guarantees on paper", continues the document. "In the context of the aggressive line pursued by the leadership of the bloc and the member countries, the Embassy has communicated our orientations in principle to the International Secretariat of NATO and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs". We urged the member countries of the Alliance to refrain from further statements and actions that could aggravate the situation, in order to avoid a large-scale clash."

There has been no contact between the United States and Russia on ''frictional issues'', but ''they will happen soon''. This was stated by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking at the annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. "No contacts have yet been made. We have agreed with (US Secretary of State, ed.) Marco Rubio that this will happen soon, but the experts have yet to agree on a precise timing and place", explained Lavrov.

French President Emmanuel Macron today denounced Russia's "dangerous advance" after the fire at a drone factory in Estonia blamed by Tallinn on Moscow. "The multiplication of these hostile actions highlights a dangerous flight forward on the part of Russia, which can only lead it to a dead end" wrote the French president on X, recalling the recent "very serious accident" at Leipzig airport. "Russia - adds Macron - must know that it will not prevail either over our unity or over our determination to continue to support Ukraine".

Russia "sent a non-paper to NATO and we responded, stressing that NATO is a defensive alliance and that none of our activities or exercises pose a threat to any part of Russia." This was stated by Alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart. "We strongly condemn - he adds - the threat of the use of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We urge Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine". "Russia's resort to hybrid tactics - he continues - is a sign of desperation. However, we will not let ourselves be distracted from our support for Ukraine. We have the necessary means to defend every inch of allied territory and we remain strong, ready and capable of countering any threat", he concludes.

"Europe is waging a war against us. I have no doubt about this and we have been talking about it for a long time", declared the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the Valdai Discussion Club. "I have no doubt that this is a war that Europe is waging against us", Lavrov replied to a question from the BBC on the possibility that Russia is waging a "hybrid war" against European countries.

Russia must guarantee humanitarian access to the town of Oleshky, occupied by Moscow's forces, and allow civilians to leave areas subject to hostilities. Eva Hrncirova, spokesperson for the European Commission, declared this during the daily press briefing, defining the situation on the ground as "unacceptable", where Brussels finds "heavy limitations that hinder humanitarian access, including the absence of humanitarian corridors". "Humanitarian law establishes that civilians involved in the armed conflict must receive primary aid. We call for humanitarian access to the area, which must be guaranteed in accordance with international humanitarian law, without discrimination and without obstacles", says the spokeswoman. “Civilians must be allowed to leave the areas of hostilities, safely and on a voluntary basis,” it adds.

Russia intends to continue war operations in Ukraine because it does not hear "any sensible proposals" from the West to start a genuine dialogue. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "We do not hear any sensible proposal that calls for dialogue or to remedy the situation, which makes it necessary to continue the special military operation," Peskov said, quoted by Tass, using the official terminology in Moscow for the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the leaders of the Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Kremlin today. "In the early afternoon, Putin will receive the Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska Savo Minic and the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats Milorad Dodik, on a working visit to Moscow", announced the presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, in a briefing, reported by Russian agencies. The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Russia has close historical ties with Republika Srpska.

Ukraine managed to shoot down the ballistic missiles with which Russia attacked Kiev last night thanks to new interceptors supplied by its allies. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this, thanking "the American and Norwegian partners for the Nasams complex and the package of missiles intended for it", supplied to the Ukrainians. Nasams is a short- and medium-range air defense system, designed by Oslo and produced by Norwegian and American companies. The Ukrainian leader then also mentioned France and Germany "for their support for our air defense in recent days, especially with missiles". “Against the backdrop of daily Russian escalation, it is important that life protection receives constant support and that such supplies continue to arrive,” Zelensky stressed. The latest Russian attack damaged a Kiev train station depot, data and business centers, as well as residential buildings. In the Odessa region, an educational institution, a dormitory and two foreign ships were hit. During the night, the regions of Kiev, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Zhytomyr, Volyn and Rivne were also hit by Russian attacks.