Loud explosions rocked Kiev and other parts of Ukraine this morning as Russia launched several waves of drone attacks on the war-stricken country, military officials said.

“Several hostile UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) flew over the capital,” Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Telegram, urging people to hide. Witnesses heard numerous explosions in Kiev that sounded like air defense systems operating and saw striking objects in the air.

Kyiv, the surrounding region and all eastern parts of Ukraine were placed under an airstrike alert.

This comes after Volodymyr Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is afraid to use nuclear weapons because he “loves his life.”

“Nobody knows what’s going on in his head,” Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News. “He could use nuclear weapons against any country at any time – or not. (But) I don’t think he will,” he said.

Russia said its forces repelled six new Ukrainian attempts to enter the western Kursk Oblast – a claim Ukraine has not confirmed. Kyiv still holds part of Kursk territory after a successful invasion last month.

16 people were injured in Russian attacks on Zaporizhia

06:03 , Arpan Rai

At least 16 people were injured in Ukraine’s Zaporozhye when Russia hit a nuclear power plant with multiple guided bombs yesterday, authorities said.

Two of the injured were children aged 8 and 17, said the governor of the Zaporizhia Oblast, Ivan Fedorov.

He added that Russia hit three districts of the city with a total of 13 guided bombs on Sunday between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Ukrainian officials say the attacks damaged railway lines, infrastructure and residential and commercial buildings.

Volodymyr Zelensky shared photos from the attack sites, showing charred cars, rescuers fighting fires and the impact of a bomb that caused a hole in the wall of an apartment building.

“Today in Zaporizhia, 14 people were injured as a result of a Russian strike. Cleaning up the debris continues throughout the day. Two people were rescued from the rubble. “Aerial bombs hit ordinary residential buildings, ordinary urban facilities,” he said in his evening speech.

Russia formalizes new nuclear doctrine that lowers threshold, Kremlin says

05:36 , Arpan Rai

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that amendments to Russia’s nuclear doctrine have been prepared and will be formalized soon.

“The amendments have been prepared and will now be formalized,” Peskov told a reporter for Russian state television yesterday.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin warned the West that under the proposed changes to the doctrine, Russia could use nuclear weapons if hit by conventional missiles, and would consider any attack on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack.

Peskov cited the international situation, the escalation of tensions near Russia’s borders and the growing proximity of NATO infrastructure, as well as, as he put it, the deeper involvement of Western nuclear powers in the Ukrainian war on the side of Kiev, as the background for changes in the political system. . doctrine.

He made no mention of Russia’s arms imports from Iran and North Korea, including drones and ballistic missiles widely said to have been used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Russia shot down over 100 Ukrainian drones

05:08 , Arpan Rai

Yesterday, over 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia, the authorities reported.

Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down 125 drones in seven regions in one night. The southwestern region of Volgograd came under particularly heavy fire, with Russian air defenses reportedly shooting down 67 Ukrainian drones.

A barrage of drones sparked a fire and set fire to an apartment block in one of the largest hydroelectric dams seen over Russian skies since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Of those, 17 drones were also seen over Russia’s Voronezh region, where falling debris damaged an apartment block and a private house, Governor Aleksandr Gusev said. Photos published on social media show flames coming from the windows of the top floor of the skyscraper. No casualties were reported. Another 18 drones were reported over Russia’s Rostov Oblast, where falling debris sparked a fire, Governor Vasily Golubev said.

Russia never confirms the full extent of damage or loss of life caused by Ukrainian attacks, especially those that resulted in military losses.

China warns at the UN against “expanding the battlefield” in the war in Ukraine

04:58 , Arpan Rai

Three days before his communist government turns 75, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned his fellow leaders against “expanding the battlefield” in Russia’s war with Ukraine and said the government in Beijing remains committed to transfer diplomacy and efforts to in order to bring the conflict to an end.

“The top priority is to refrain from expanding the battlefield… China has committed to playing a constructive role,” Yi said. He warned other nations “not to add fuel to the fire or exploit the situation for selfish purposes,” a likely reference to the United States.

China is an ally of Russia, a nation accused of violating the United Nations Charter by Secretary-General António Guterres, the United States and many nations.

China warns at the UN against “expanding the battlefield” in the Ukrainian war

Putin is afraid to use nuclear weapons, says Zelensky

04:57 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is afraid to use nuclear weapons because he “loves his life.”

“Nobody knows what’s going on in his head,” Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News. “He could have used nuclear weapons on any country at any time – or not. (But) I don’t think he will,” he said.

Last week, Putin warned the West that under proposed changes to its nuclear doctrine, Russia could use nuclear weapons if hit by conventional missiles, saying he would consider any attack on it backed by a nuclear force a joint attack.

The warning was seen as a direct response to ongoing discussions among Western leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden, about allowing Kiev to strike Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons.

Explosions are heard in Kiev as Russia launches waves of drones

04:44 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian military said loud explosions were heard in Kiev, Ukraine, after Russia carried out several waves of drone attacks.

They reported that Ukrainian air defense units repelled the attacks for several hours.

Kiev and its surroundings, as well as the entire eastern part of Ukraine, have been on an air raid alert since around 1 a.m. Witnesses in the Ukrainian capital confirmed that they heard numerous explosions in Kiev that sounded like air defense systems repelling incoming Russian drones.

“Several hostile UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) flew over the capital,” Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Telegram, asking citizens to be careful.

The Ukrainian Air Force said several groups of Russian drone strikes were heading toward Kiev and western Ukraine. Russia also fired several guided bombs around 4:40 a.m. from Ukrainian territory it controls, according to the air force.

04:13 , Arpan Rai

Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the war in Ukraine on Monday, September 30.