Russia threatens European arms factories supplying Ukraine
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that weapons factories in European countries producing arms for Ukraine could become military targets for Moscow.
“Weapons factories in European countries that produce arms for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia,” Zakharova said. She warned that countries should not assume weapons plants outside Ukraine are safe, adding that European states are “directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.”
The warning came hours after Russia threatened NATO with nuclear weapons if alliance members attempt to isolate Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast. It also followed growing concerns from Western officials over alleged Russian hybrid operations targeting NATO members, particularly countries on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Estonia said that Russian intelligence was behind an August arson attack on a building belonging to an Estonian defense contractor in Tallinn. Germany has also accused Moscow of orchestrating an attempted drone attack near Leipzig Airport, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russia could use an “accidental” drone attack on NATO territory to test the alliance’s unity.
Russia officially threatens NATO with nuclear weapons over Kaliningrad Oblast
Russia has warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons if alliance members attempt to isolate the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Reuters reported September 30, citing a diplomatic document sent by Moscow to NATO.
The document accused the alliance of pursuing a “dangerous and reckless course” that carries “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict.” It also warned of possible Russian strikes against decision-making centers in NATO member states from the outset of any conflict.
“Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country,” the Russian diplomatic note said.
In a written response seen by Reuters, NATO said it is a defensive alliance committed to countering threats to its members from all directions. “None of NATO's exercises or activities pose a threat to the territory of the Russian Federation,” the alliance said, urging Moscow to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and “refrain from increasingly reckless behaviour towards the allies and to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko settles in Vienna amid corruption scandal
Ruslan Kravchenko, Ukraine’s former Prosecutor General, has left the country and registered a place of residence in Vienna, Austria, according to investigative reports. He departed Ukraine in mid-September under the pretext of an official business trip and has not returned.
Kravchenko was dismissed from his post in September amid a major corruption investigation by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The probe centers on allegations that officials in the Prosecutor General’s Office provided protection to fraudulent call centers.
Ukrainian media, including Ukrainska Pravda, obtained records from Austria’s Central Residence Register showing that Kravchenko and his wife registered at an address in central Vienna (Jordangasse 7/12). Further checks revealed that the listed apartment is not a residential unit but the office of a company that provides legal addresses and corporate services for businesses. Analysts suggest this registration may have been used to obscure their actual location or to begin the process of establishing longer-term residency in Austria.
Austria has a reputation among some Ukrainian officials facing legal issues as a relatively safe destination, in part because it does not routinely extradite Ukrainian citizens wanted on domestic charges. There is speculation that Kravchenko may seek political asylum, though legal experts note that such applications by high-profile figures undergo strict scrutiny and frequently face rejection.
Ukrainian authorities have removed Kravchenko from remaining official bodies, including the National Security and Defense Council. As of late September, there have been no confirmed moves to seek his extradition, and his precise plans for remaining in Austria remain unclear.
Russian forces strike Kramatorsk with guided bombs: three injured, social welfare office destroyed
Russian forces struck Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast with guided aerial bombs on September 30, injuring three people and damaging civilian infrastructure, local authorities said.
The Kramatorsk City Council said the strikes injured a man born in 1965 and two women born in 1970 and 1989. More than a dozen apartment buildings, four educational institutions, an infrastructure facility and the Labour and Social Protection Department’s office building were damaged or destroyed.
According to the authorities, Russian forces used KAB-250 and KAB-500 guided aerial bombs in the attack.
Russian overnight attack killed 3, injured 7 and caused emergency power outages in Kyiv
Russia struck Kyiv’s energy infrastructure overnight in a renewed push against Ukraine’s power system as fall sets in — an assault Ukrainians have feared since last winter’s devastating attacks on the power grid.
Russia launched 188 drones, including 86 jet-powered ones, along with Zircon, Onyx, and Iskander missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Defenders shot down or suppressed five missiles and 155 drones
“Since the summer, there has been practically no day when the enemy has not attacked energy infrastructure. But such a massive and combined attack has occurred for the first time since the end of the last heating season,” Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that the overnight attack damaged energy facilities. Crews restored power to 8,000 customers on Kyiv’s left bank, and emergency teams continue working. State grid operator Ukrenergo confirmed power outages in Kyiv, the surrounding region, and other parts of the country, advising residents to limit the use of high-power appliances.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the capital’s energy infrastructure was the primary target of the Russian strikes. “Each interceptor missile really saves lives. And the closer to winter, the more such protection is needed. We must do everything to ensure that Russia’s bet on ballistic and drone terror does not play out,” he said.
The Trypilska Thermal Power Plant near Kyiv was also damaged. State-owned power producer Centrenergo confirmed that generating equipment at the plant had been hit but provided no further details for security reasons. “Our first priority now is to assess the condition of the equipment and determine the scope of the necessary work,” Centrenergo CEO Serhii Isachenko said. “As soon as the security situation allows, our specialists will begin repairs.”
By late afternoon, Ukrenergo announced emergency electricity shutdowns in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that two women were killed in a western residential area of the capital, where about a dozen homes were damaged. A third person was killed in a southwestern district after a warehouse was hit. National Police said seven people were injured in the overnight attacks on Kyiv.
The latest strikes come as Russia intensifies its campaign against the capital, launching nearly continuous drone and missile attacks, including during daytime hours, in an effort to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses. The air-raid alert for Kyiv lasted nearly 13 hours.
Over a dozen explosions rocked the city shortly before 3 a.m., minutes after Ukraine’s Air Force warned that ballistic missiles were approaching. Additional blasts were heard around 3:40 a.m. A non-residential building and a warehouse caught fire in a central district. Power outages were reported in downtown areas. Debris also fell on the grounds of a Western embassy in a central part of the city.
Outside the capital, at least one child was killed under the rubble of a home in a nearby suburb. Several homes, vehicles, and warehouses were damaged in other communities surrounding Kyiv.
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The full extent of the damage remains under assessment as emergency crews continue working across the city.