Victory of pro-Russian party in Slovakia elections, attack on helicopter heliport in Sochi: highlights

Parliamentary elections in Slovakia

In Slovakia's parliamentary elections, the party led by pro-Kremlin figure Robert Fico took first place, garnering more votes than expected. His SMER party garnered 23.3% of the vote, while the liberal pro-Ukrainian Progressive Slovakia party received 17%.

Fico promised to immediately stop military support for Ukraine and threatened to block Kyiv's ambitions to join NATO.

Biden urges Congress to approve new aid for Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed the agreement by lawmakers to avert a shutdown, but urged Congress to quickly approve aid to Ukraine after it was excluded from the temporary spending bill.

Biden emphasized that the United States "cannot under any circumstances allow" American support for Ukraine to be interrupted.

Lawmakers will now have to discuss a separate bill on military aid to Ukraine worth $24 billion, which Biden wanted to include in the budget. A vote is possible as early as the beginning of next week, according to U.S. media reports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is convinced that the situation with the temporary budget of the United States will not stop the flow of aid to Ukraine, which was announced earlier.

The day before, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill on temporary spending of the federal government for 45 days, sending the document to the Senate a few hours before the deadline to avoid a "shutdown". The bill provides for disaster relief, but no additional funding for Ukraine or border security.

Strike on a helicopter parking lot in Sochi

Ukrainian drones managed to hit a heliport of Russian helicopters in the city of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. However, our interlocutor in the Defense Intelligence did not provide details on how many helicopters were there and what type.

The Russian Telegram channel SHOT wrote that the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Krasnodar Krai (where Sochi is located) for the first time with a Bayraktar TB2 drone.

Attacks by Ukrainian drones were also reported in Belgorod, Bryansk, Smolensk oblasts of Russia and in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

EU security commitments for Ukraine

On October 1, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, held his first meeting with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Kyiv. The parties discussed EU military assistance to Ukraine: artillery and ammunition, air defense, electronic warfare, long-term assistance programs, training, and the localization of the defense industry in Ukraine.

Umerov called the meeting "a starting point for important cooperation." At the same time, the head of European diplomacy announced long-term security commitments for Ukraine.

Another drone attack

Overnight on October 1, the Russian occupation forces attacked Ukraine with 30 Shahed attack drones. The defense forces managed to destroy 16 Shaheds.

Cherkasy Oblast was subjected to a massive attack. The industrial infrastructure in the city of Uman was hit. The strike caused fires in warehouses, particularly where grain was stored. It is preliminarily known that one person was injured and taken to the hospital.

The Russians also carried out an air attack on the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih with drones. There were hits on civilian infrastructure, causing destruction. A fire broke out at the site of the attack. There were no casualties.

Other news

• Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz has received licenses for gas distribution in six oblasts where exiled oligarch Dmytro Firtash's regional gas companies used to operate.
• British PM Rishi Sunak denies sending military instructors to Ukraine soon.
• The UN mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh. This happened for the first time in 30 years.