Volodymyr Zelensky picked up the phone on Wednesday, October 4, to call his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliev. As Azerbaijan won its military offensive in the separatist enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh two weeks ago, the two leaders raised the issue of “territorial integrity.” “We reaffirmed our commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” said the Ukrainian president on the X platform (formerly Twitter). He also revealed that he also “thanked” the Azerbaijani president for the humanitarian assistance provided by Kiev “especially in the energy sector, given the approaching winter.” Follow our live stream.
Eight and a half years in prison for a Russian journalist. Marina Ovsiannikova, known for her demonstration against the offensive in Ukraine on state television, was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday to eight and a half years in prison for criticizing the army. The journalist, who fled Russia in October 2022 and went into exile in France, was prosecuted for “spreading false information.”
Russia says it shot down 31 Ukrainian drones in the West. “Air defense systems operating over the territory of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions intercepted and destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones,” the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Telegram. There was no mention of possible injuries or damage.
“Partial destruction” in the Bryansk region. Alexander Bogomaz, governor of this border region with Ukraine, said on Wednesday that a drone had been destroyed there by Russian forces without causing any injuries or damage. According to him, Kiev also used cluster munitions against four districts of its region, which resulted in “partial destruction.”
An attempted landing from Kiev in Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that it had repelled a landing attempt by Ukrainian forces on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. According to Russia, a “Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft” prevented a “fast military boat and three jet skis” from reaching Cape Tarchankout.