Live blog: 51 killed in Russian strike on village food shop in Ukraine — Zelenskyy

Thursday, October 5, 2023

A Russian rocket struck a village cafe and store in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kiev.

The attack came as Zelenskyy attended a summit of about 50 European leaders in Spain to drum up support from Ukraine's allies.

He denounced the strike in the village of Hroza as a “demonstrably brutal Russian crime” and “a completely deliberate act of terrorism.”

Presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak and Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said a 6-year-old boy was among the dead, adding that seven other people were wounded. Hroza, which had a population of about 500 before the war, is located in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

About 60 people were in the cafe, attending a wake after a funeral, said Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko, who provided the death toll.

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1924 GMT — US says Russian strike on Ukrainian grocery store 'horrifying'

A Russian strike on a grocery store in eastern Ukraine is another "horrifying" reminder of the need to continue arming Kiev's forces, the White House said Thursday.

"Can you imagine just walking to the grocery store, with your kids trying to figure out what is it that you're going to make for dinner, and you see an explosion happen, where bodies are everywhere. And it's horrifying. It is incredibly horrifying," spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

1900 GMT — UK's Sunak slams Russian 'depravity' after Ukraine village strike

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said a strike on a Ukrainian village that killed at least 51 people attending a wake showed the depths of Russia's "depravity".

"The Prime Minister offered his deep condolences for the terrible attack on a funeral in Ukraine earlier today, saying it demonstrated the depths of depravity Russian forces are willing to sink to," a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

1845 GMT — EU says can't fill US funding gap supporting Ukraine

The EU vowed steadfast support for Ukraine at a summit but warned leaders -- including Zelenskyy -- it would be unable to fill any funding gap left by the United States.

Fears have been ignited by political turmoil in Washington, which have prompted President Joe Biden to admit that it "does worry me" that US support for Ukraine might get derailed.

"Can Europe fill the gap left by the US? Well, certainly Europe cannot replace the US," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on arrival at the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Spain.

1716 GMT — Putin: Hand grenade fragments found in bodies from Prigozhin plane crash

Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of the victims of a plane crash in August that killed former Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

1534 GMT — No enemy stands chance to survive if Russia launches retaliatory nuclear strike - Putin

Putin has warned that no enemy stands a chance to survive if Russia launches a retaliatory nuclear strike as its potential is incomparably greater.

Speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the city of Sochi, Putin said the Russian military doctrine provides two reasons for the use of nuclear weapons: as a response to a missile launched on Russian territory and if the existence of the state is threatened.

"To date, there will be no chance for the aggressor to survive in the event of our response ... I don't see the need to change that. No sane person would think of using nuclear weapons against Russia," he said.

Putin said that the West had lost touch with reality over the Ukraine war and warned that if its leaders had forgotten how to compromise then the world would have to see where such arrogance led.

Putin accused the West of fomenting the conflict in Ukraine, which he cast as part of a much larger struggle between Russia and an arrogant West that he said had lost a sense of reality.

1318 GMT — EU says can't fill US funding gap supporting Ukraine

The European Union vowed steadfast support for Ukraine at a summit on Thursday but warned leaders -- including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy -- it would not be able to fully fill any funding gap left by the United States.

Fears have been ignited by political turmoil in Washington, which on Wednesday prompted President Joe Biden to admit it "does worry me" that US support for Ukraine might get derailed

"Can Europe fill the gap left by the US? Well, certainly Europe cannot replace the US," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on arrival at the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Spain.

1245 GMT — Russian defence minister inspects Combat Army Reserve training

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu inspected the training of the Combat Army Reserve, or BARS, a reserve force, in the country's south.

The ministry in a statement said commanders informed Shoygu about the preparation of recruits and the military specialties they study.

Training is carried out by officers with real combat experience, including in the zone of Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, it added.

Both men and women are trained at the army's Southern Military District centres, with the latter mostly engaged in medical services.

1100 GMT — Ukraine says over 26,000 missing since Russia started its offensive

Ukraine said that over 26,000 people, including many civilians, were still unaccounted for since Russia launched its full-scale military operation last year.

The number of officially missing people is difficult to estimate, as Russian forces still occupy around a fifth of the country and neither side regularly releases data on military casualties.

This only includes people whose data has been officially verified, interior ministry spokeswoman Mariana Reva told AFP, adding that the "figures could grow".

0839 GMT — Ukraine hit border town with cluster munitions: Russia

Russia accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions to attack a border town, injuring one person and damaging several buildings.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of using the controversial weapons since the United States agreed to supply them in July, including to attack Russian border regions.

"The border town of Rylsk was shelled with cluster munitions from Ukraine," said Roman Starovoit, the governor of Russia's Kursk region.

0742 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Spain to seek long-term European aid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the Spanish city of Granada to take part in the European Political Community Summit, a forum to foster cooperation among more than 40 countries established after Russia's attack.

The European leaders gathering in Granada are expected to assure Zelenskyy of long-term support after US President Joe Biden voiced fears that Republican infighting in Congress could hurt American policy on continuing aid to Kiev.

"Our joint goal is to ensure the security and stability of our common European home," Zelenskyy said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"We are working together with partners on enhancing the European security architecture, particularly regional security. Ukraine has substantial proposals in this regard."

0742 GMT — Russia's Shoigu, Gerasimov meet commanders of troops fighting in Ukraine

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, held a meeting with the commanders of troops fighting in Ukraine, the defense ministry said.

It was not immediately clear where the meeting took place.

The ministry broadcast footage of the meeting, at which Shoigu addressed the training of servicemen and volunteers in reserve units. He said he had inspected such regiments in Russia's southern military district.

0513 GMT — Ukraine downs 24 drones launched by Russia - military

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

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, and 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.

2327 GMT — Ukraine claims to regain areas in south as war grinds on

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

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

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

"We have had partial success to the west of Robotyne," a spokesperson for the southern group, Oleksandr Shtupun, told national television, noting that Ukrainian troops are "continuing to reinforce the positions they hold".

"In certain areas, we are advancing from 100 to 600 metres."

The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces, in its evening report, said its forces had repelled Russian attacks near Robotyne and nearby Verbove.

The report also said Russian forces had been unsuccessful in attempts to recapture ground near Andriivka — a village in the east recaptured by Ukrainian forces last month.

2100 GMT — UK warns of 'Russian' false flag attack in Black Sea

The UK government has warned that Russia could target civilian shipping in the Black Sea by laying sea mines on the approaches to Ukrainian ports and then blaming Ukraine.

Citing declassified intelligence, it said there was a risk of attack on cargo ships travelling through Ukraine's "humanitarian corridor" to deter Ukrainian grain exports.

"Russia's pernicious targeting of civilian shipping in the Black Sea demonstrates Putin's total disregard for civilian lives and the needs of the world's most vulnerable," said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

"The world is watching — and we see right through Russia's cynical attempts to lay blame on Ukraine for their attacks."

Cleverly's department said by releasing its assessment of intelligence reports, "The UK seeks to expose Russia's tactics to deter any such incident from occurring".

There was no immediate reaction from Moscow on Cleverly's claims.

For our live updates from Wednesday (October 4), click here.