Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin says there’s no need for more ‘massive strikes’
The UN has apparently verified over 100 cases of rape and sexual assaults in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February
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Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that there is no need for more massive strikes on Ukraine.
He said that most of the designated targets had been hit and said that it was not his aim to destroy the country.
Vladimir Putin also said on Friday that he expects his mobilization of army reservists for combat in Ukraine to be completed in about two weeks.
Speaking to journalists after a summit in Kazakhstan, Mr Putin said: “There’s no need for massive strikes. We now have other tasks.”
It comes after a UN envoy said that Moscow’s forces are using rape and sexual violence as part of their “military strategy.”
Speaking during an interview with AFP, Pramila Patten, UN envoy, said that Moscow’s forces were using a "deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims.”
The Independent reported in June that Ukraine claimed to have documented 15,000 suspected war crimes, including rapes by ill-equipped Russian soldiers who used sexual violence to strike fear into the local population.
Ukraine wants global financial crime watchdog to expel Russia
Ukraine’s central bank chief said he plans to ask the global financial crime watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to expel Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Newly appointed central bank governor Andriy Pyshnyi said on Facebook that he would make the request on behalf of the bank in a letter to the FATF before the organisation’s plenary session between 18 to 21 October.
Russia is currently a member of FATF. Ukraine is not a member.
Mr Pyshnyi accused Russia of “creating serious threats to the security and integrity of the world’s financial system” and demanded that Moscow be made to “feel the price” for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine's Marchenko elected to chair the boards of World Bank, IMF in 2023
The shareholders of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have elected Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko to chair the boards of governors of both institutions in 2023.
The unanimous decision, which came during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, means that Mr Marchenko will also chair next year’s annual meeting of the institutions, which is scheduled to be held in Morocco.
It marks the first time that Ukraine will lead the institutions since it joined 30 years ago, Mr Marchenko said in a statement released by the Ukrainian finance ministry.
What is Elon Musk up to in Ukraine?
Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla and SpaceX and the richest man in the world, has unexpectedly indicated that the latter company will no longer be providing its Starlink satellite internet service to Ukrainians for free.
The service has proven invaluable in the country since Russia’s invasion began on 24 February, enabling the Ukrainian military to keep lines of communication open even when IT infrastructure has been destroyed by enemy missiles.
The company first dispatched its terminals to the warzone just days into the conflict after Ukraine’s vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted Mr Musk directly asking for his help, returning to social media just two days later with a picture posted in gratitude to show the first shipment of Starlink equipment arriving.
Read the full story here:
Mobilization of army reservists to end within weeks, Putin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he expects his mobilization of army reservists for combat in Ukraine to be completed in about two weeks, allowing him to end an unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and to solidify his illegal annexation of occupied territory.
Putin — facing domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country armed with increasingly advanced Western weapons — also told reporters he does not regret starting the conflict and “did not set out to destroy Ukraine“ when he ordered Russian troops to invade nearly eight months ago.
“What is happening today is unpleasant, to put it mildly,” he said after attending a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Kazakhstan’s capital. “But we would have had all this a little later, only under worse conditions for us, that’s all. So my actions are correct and timely.”
Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims were becoming apparent in one of the four Ukrainian regions Putin illegally claimed as Russian territory last month. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities in the Kherson region urged residents to flee Friday.
Putin: There is no more need for massive air strikes on Ukraine
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that there is no need for more massive strikes on Ukraine.
He said that most of the designated targets had been hit and said that it was not his aim to destroy Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin also said on Friday that he expects his mobilization of army reservists for combat in Ukraine to be completed in about two weeks.
Speaking to journalists after a summit in Kazakhstan, Mr Putin said: “There’s no need for massive strikes. We now have other tasks.”
Elon Musk ‘asks US to fund his Ukraine satellite network'
The Defense Department has gotten a request from SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk to take over funding for his satellite network that has provided crucial battlefield communications for Ukrainian military forces during the war with Russia, a U.S. official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter not yet made public, said the issue has been discussed in meetings and senior leaders are weighing the matter.
There have been no decisions.A Pentagon spokesperson said the Pentagon has been “in touch with SpaceX” regarding the Starlink system, but declined to answer whether a letter was received or provide any details about the communication and whether it involved the pay issue.
Sabrina Singh also would not say to whom any letter may have been sent or when the communications with Musk began.
Musk’s Starlink system of more than 2,200 low-orbiting satellites has provided broadband internet to more than 150,000 Ukrainian ground stations.
Early Friday, Musk tweeted that it was costing SpaceX $20 million a month to support Ukraine‘s communications needs.
In addition to the terminals, he tweeted that the company has to create, launch, maintain and replenish satellites and ground stations.CNN was the first to report the Musk request.
Ukraine war affecting global economy, US treasury secretary says
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that many of the challenges facing the global economy stem from Russia’s “terrible war in Ukraine“ and continued pandemic recovery, but policymakers are improving coordination to tackle them.
“Inflation is elevated in many countries. Growth is slowing globally. We are also seeing swings in capital flows and strong movements in financial markets,” Yellen said in remarks prepared for delivery at a news conference during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.
Yellen said that the U.S. economy remains resilient but inflation remains too high and bringing it down remains President Joe Biden’s top economic priority.
She also said global policymakers gathering in Washington agreed on decisive action on taming inflation, securing energy supplies and addressing other challenges.
“We are also attentive to the spillovers of macroeconomic tightening from advanced economies to the rest of the world,” she said. “This week has left us better informed and better coordinated. We are determined about the jobs we have to do at home. And we are united around our collective effort to tackle our shared challenges.”
Belarus president: Don’t force nuclear Russia into a corner
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned Ukraine and the West on Friday not to force his ally Russia into a corner, saying Moscow had nuclear weapons for a reason.
In extracts of an interview with the American TV channel NBC released by Belarus’s state news agency, Lukashenko said: “The most important thing is, don’t drive your interlocutor and even your opponent into a corner. So you mustn’t cross those lines - those red lines, as the Russians say. You can’t cross them.”
Concern has mounted in the West that Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to nuclear weapons since a series of defeats for his forces in Ukraine swung the momentum of the war in Kyiv’s favour.
“As for nuclear weapons, any weapon is a weapon created for something,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying.
“Russia has clearly outlined its position: God forbid there will be an attack on the territory of the Russian Federation; in that event, Russia can use all types of weapons if necessary.”
Lukashenko has no say in Putin‘s military decisions but his comments served to underline the heightened state of East-West tension as the war nears the end of its eighth month.
Elon Musk picks fight with US government over Starlink service to Ukraine
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk keeps changing the price of Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine in his communications, and in doing so may be picking a fight with the US Department of Defence.
Mr Musk began shipping Starlink terminals to Ukraine in February, and providing free Internet connectivity, connectivity that proved essential to the success of Ukrainian troops in the face of the invading Russian military. SpaceX donated some of the terminals, while others have been paid for by the US government and other actors.
But Mr Musk has recently begun saying SpaceX can no longer absorb the cost of providing the service to Ukraine, and the exact cost to SpaceX keeps changing.
In a 7 October post to the social media site Twitter responding to reporting by the Financial Times, Mr Musk pinned the cost to SpaceX of providing Ukraine with internet coverage through the end of the year, using about 25,000 Starlink terminals, at $20m.
But on Friday, Mr Musk tweeted that it was costing SpaceX $20m a month.
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Elon Musk picks fight with US government over Starlink service to Ukraine
Its not clear what it really costs to provide Ukraine with internet service during war, and who will pay for it
Thanks for following along with our coverage. We are wrapping up the blog for this evening but you can read the latest story here:
Putin warns of ‘global catastrophe’ if Nato troops clash with Russian forces
The Russian leader also claims he does not regret the invasion of Ukraine
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