Elon Musk Says SpaceX Withdrew US Funding Request

Elon Musk said Monday that his company SpaceX has withdrawn a request for U.S. assistance in handling operational costs associated with a satellite internet system in Ukraine.

Musk said in a post on Twitter that his company retracted the request. His tweet came in response to a Politico article about U.S. military officials reportedly considering a previous request for funding help, which was first reported earlier this month.

"SpaceX has already withdrawn its request for funding," Musk's tweet said.

The funding question concerns Starlink, the SpaceX-operated satellite internet system that expanded coverage in Ukraine earlier this year. Ukrainian government officials have credited Starlink with providing essential support for Ukraine throughout the Russia-Ukraine war.

Last week, The Associated Press reported that SpaceX had asked the U.S. Department of Defense to take over funding for Starlink in Ukraine. Musk also tweeted about the costs associated with keeping Starlink active in Ukraine, saying SpaceX was spending about $20 million on the project every month.

At Least 4 Dead, 25 Hurt After Fighter Jet Crash, Reports

Russian officials have reportedly confirmed at least four deaths after a fighter jet crash in Russia's Krasnodar region Monday evening.

The crash involved a Su-35 fighter jet operated by Russia. It crashed into an apartment building in Yeysk during a training exercise, defense officials said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation told state-owned news outlets that the fighter jet was experiencing engine issues shortly before the crash occurred. Video shared Monday evening on social media showed an explosion in the impacted area and the impacted building engulfed in flames.

Emergency service officials told the state-owned media outlet RT that at least four people had died and 25 people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries sustained as a result of the crash. Three children ages 8 and 10 were reportedly among the injured. Another six individuals were missing, according to RT.

Anna Minkova, the region's deputy governor, told RT that at least three of the deceased individuals had died after falling from some of the building's higher floors.

Nuclear Plant Loses Power Connection Again

Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost connection to its working power line Monday and is now relying on a back-up system, according to the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This is the third time in the last 10 days that this power line to the ZNPP has been disrupted, the agency said.

The IAEA has repeatedly raised concerns in the last several weeks about the ZNPP, which is the largest nuclear facility in Europe. The plant is surrounded by military activity amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine and has faced shelling multiple times over the course of the war.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a Monday news release that agency experts who are at the ZNPP learned of the power disruption from ZNPP staff members, who said the power disruption occurred when a sub-voltage protection system recorded a low power voltage at about 4 a.m. local time.

Energoatom, the company that operates the ZNPP, attributed the low voltage to the "shelling of a sub-station, which forms part of the grid's electrical transmission system, located far from the plant itself," according to the IAEA.

The number of power disruptions that have occurred over the last couple of weeks demonstrate the "fragile power situation" at the ZNPP as the war continues, the agency said.

Energoatom reiterated calls for a wartime nuclear safety zone to be implemented around the ZNPP in a Monday update about the power disruption on its website. Grossi has advocated for this safety zone and recently visited the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to encourage both leaders to agree on terms for establishing one.

Officials Exhume 187 Bodies From Lyman Mass Grave

More than 180 bodies have been recovered from a mass burial site in Lyman, Ukraine.

Oleksandra Havrylko, a spokesperson for Donetsk Oblast police, said that 35 of the exhumed bodies are soldiers and the other 152 are civilians.

There are 40 graves that remain unexplored because they are difficult to access, she added. Each grave may contain up to 10 people.

Officials are investigating the cause of death for the 187 exhumed bodies killed during Russian occupation. Havrylko said preliminary examinations indicate many people died from explosions. She said police have information that some citizens were "killed through violence."

Lyman was recently liberated by Ukrainian forces during their counteroffensive in the Donetsk region. Several mass graves have been discovered since.

Kremlin Aide Says Brittney Griner's Release is Not a Priority

The release of American WNBA star Brittney Griner is not a priority for Russia, according to a Kremlin aide.

President Joe Biden said he has been engaging with the Russian government "through every available channel" to get Griner and American Marine Paul Whelan home.

Yury Ushakov, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Biden's efforts are just a ploy to boost his approval rating ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

"In this tense situation, I think that he is thinking first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections so he keeps emphasizing the need to bring back home the basketball player who was detained for drug smuggling," Ushakov said in an interview with Rossiya-1, Russian news agency TASS reported. "However, it's not the main issue that we are concerned about."

The White House said earlier this months that there has been no progress in negotiations with Russian officials to release Griner or Whelan.

New Explosions Reportedly Heard in Kyiv Oblast

A new series of explosions were reportedly heard in the Kyiv Oblast region Monday evening.

Oleksiy Kuleba, the Kyiv Oblast governor, said Ukraine's air defense was active in the region and urged local residents to seek shelter. Kuleba also discouraged residents from filming any air defense activity or posting content related to defense officials' work on social media.

Brovary Mayor Ihor Sapozhko said alarms were going off in his city amid the reported explosions. Sapozhko encouraged residents to "keep calm" and joined Kuleba in urging them to avoid posting about the military activity online.

Boryspil Mayor Volodymyr Borysenko also said Ukrainian air defense was actively combatting targets on Monday evening, according to The Kyiv Independent. Before the warnings from Kuleba and Sapozhko, social media users in the area were sharing videos showing explosions in Brovary, Boryspil and Sofiiska Borshchahivka, the Ukrainian news outlet reported.

Sapozhko posted a video update on his Telegram channel shortly before 9 p.m. local time. In that video, he said air defense officials shot down a Russian drone in the area, according to a translation by the outlet.

Zelensky to Publish Book of War Speeches

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will soon publish a book containing the political addresses he has made from the time he took office in 2019 through speeches to the Ukrainian people during their ongoing war with Russia.

The book, titled A Message from Ukraine, is set for release on December 6. It will be published by Crown, a Penguin Random House imprint, with a hardcover price of $16.

Crown describes Zelensky's book as an "urgent call to arms from the Ukrainian leader whose unwavering courage in the face of the Russian invasion has inspired the world and turned him overnight into a global beacon of democracy."

Zelensky is writing the book's introduction and picked the speeches that will appear on its pages. Those speeches will include "his most powerful" during wartime and will share "Ukraine's story through the words of its president," the publisher says on its website.

"It is the story of a nation valiantly defending itself from Russian aggression. And it is the story of a people leading the world in the struggle for democracy," according to the publisher. "Above all, it is a battle cry for us all to stand up and fight for liberty. If not now, when?"

Over 100 Ukrainian Women to be Freed in Prisoner Exchange

Russia and Ukraine are set to make another prisoner exchange, according to Russian-appointed Donestk regional leader Denis Pushilin.

According to Russian state media, Pushilin said Russia will hand over "mostly women" in exchange for 30 Russian soldiers and 80 civilian sailors "who were held hostage."

Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said 108 women will be freed from captivity.

He said the exchange includes "37 Azovstal evacuees, 11 officers, 85 privates and NCOs."

"Now all the ladies will undergo a medical examination and rehabilitation," he added. "They will hug their relatives, their children. They will recover."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "everyone who captures the Russian military provides us with the opportunity to release our heroes."

In an address Sunday, Zelensky thanked the 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion named after Mykhailo Tysha, the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade and the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade who "significantly increased our ability to return Ukrainians home" during the latest Ukrainian offensive.

"We remember our people detained in Russia," Zelensky said. "We must liberate them, and we must liberate them all, leaving none to the enemy. But for this we need to capture the occupiers - as many as possible."

Russian Fighter Jet Crashes Into Russian Apartments

A Russian fighter jet crashed into an apartment building Monday evening in Yeysk, a small town in Krasnodar Krai.

Russia's Ministry of Defense released a statement to Russian news outlets about the incident, which defense officials said occurred due to an engine combustion as a Su-34 fighter jet was beginning a training exercise.

"According to the report of the ejected pilots, the crash was caused by a combustion of one of the engines at take-off," the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was reportedly sending emergency officials to the area to assess the damage.

The Russian state-owned news outlet RT reported that at least 17 apartments were believed to have been impacted by the jet when it crashed. It was not immediately known how many people may have been injured.

Video of the crash was shared on social media shortly after the incident occurred. The footage showed an explosion appearing to engulf the building as plumes of black smoke billowed above.

Ukraine Presidential Adviser Calls on G20 to Expel Russia

Ukraine presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak is calling on G20 leaders to expel Russia from the forum.

"Those who give orders to attack critical infrastructure to freeze civilians and organize total mobilization to cover the frontline with corpses, cannot sit at the same table with leaders of G20 for sure," he said in a tweet.

He said it is "time to put an end to ru-hypocrisy," adding that the Russian Federation "must be expelled from all platforms."

The G20 Presidential Summit is set to convene in Bali, Indonesia in November.

Leaders from the Group of Twenty countries will meet to discuss global health architecture, digital transformation and sustainable energy transition.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he does not plan to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine during the summit.

"Look, I have no intention of meeting with him," Biden said. "But, for example, if he came to me at the G20 and said, 'I want to talk about the release of Griner,' I would meet with him."

The Kremlin has not yet confirmed if Putin will attend the event.

Partial Mobilization Ending in Moscow

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Monday the partial mobilization Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last month has been "completed in full" in Moscow.

Sobyanin said draft locations throughout Russia's capital city would close by 2 p.m. local time and that any draft papers currently on route to local residents will no longer be valid. He credited the success of the partial mobilization in Moscow to residents' patriotism, according to a post by his office on Telegram.

The Telegram post did not say how many people from Moscow were called to duty over the last few weeks.

Putin first announced Russia's partial mobilization on September 21. At the time, he said the partial mobilization applied to military reservists but did not specify how many would be called up to fight in Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

Putin said last week that about 220,000 reservists had been called at that time and said Russia was likely to have a total of 300,000 people called to duty since September 21 within the next couple of weeks. Putin said that the goals of partial mobilization will be met once 300,000 reservists have been called to duty.

Elon Musk Says Giving Russia Crimea Will Avoid WWIII

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is back on Twitter defending his proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine by giving Crimea to Russia.

Musk tweeted his support for a Newsweek op-ed that criticized the "woke mobs" on Twitter that have gone after Musk's "pro-Putin" peace proposal.

"The online mob has decided that any support for a negotiated settlement...is tantamount to taking Russia's side, denouncing voices of compromise and restraint as Putin apologists," David Sacks wrote. "This removes them from acceptable discourse and shrinks the Overton window to those advocating the total defeat of Russia and an end to Putin's regime—even if it risks WWIII."

When asked in the replies of the tweet if he thinks there's a possibility of nuclear war, Musk reiterated his proposal of officially giving Crimea to Russia.

"If Russia is faced with the choice of losing Crimea or using battlefield nukes, they will choose the latter," Musk tweeted.

With the sanctions and ostracization of Russia, Musk said the Kremlin has nothing else to lose.

"If we nuke Russia back, they will nuke us and then we have WW3," he said

Musk added that Russia "absolutely" sees Crimea as a core part of Russia, "whether one likes it or not."

"Crimea is also of critical national security importance to Russia, as it is their southern navy base," he added. "From their standpoint losing Crimea is like USA losing Hawaii & Pearl Harbor."

In subsequent replies, Musk said Russia will use nuclear weapons if its army is destroyed by NATO.

"If Russia faces destruction of their army and utter defeat by NATO, they will use nukes, then NATO will respond with nukes and civilization is over," he said.

He then poked fun at those who disagree with his proposal, saying "look on the bright side... at least Russia doesn't get Crimea in that scenario, so you can be comforted by that thought, while watching the mushroom clouds rise."

Iran Repeats Denial of Giving Russia Drones

Iran on Monday reiterated its earlier denial of providing Russia with drones amid Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine.

Iran's latest comments on the matter came in the wake of a new surge of military strikes by Russia, which Ukrainian officials have said were carried out with the help of Iranian-made drones known as kamikazes.

Ukraine's air force said it shot down some of the Shahed-136 drones in southern Ukraine late Sunday night and destroyed more early Monday morning. The mayor of Kyiv also shared a photo on Twitter showing the debris of what he said was a kamikaze drone used in Russia's latest strike.

Ukrainian officials have previously said they found evidence of Iranian-made drones used in earlier Russian strikes, but Iran has denied providing the equipment to Russia. Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, again denied Iran's involvement during a Monday press conference.

"The published news about Iran providing Russia with drones has political ambitions and it's circulated by western sources. We have not provided weaponry to any side of the countries at war," Reuters quoted Kanaani as saying during the briefing.

At Least Four Dead, 18 Rescued in Kyiv

The death toll in Ukraine's capital continues to rise after Russia launched a drone attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram that four people have died under the rubble of a home in the city's Shevchenkiv district that was hit with a drone.

Among those killed was a husband and his pregnant wife, Klitschko said.

Earlier, Klitschko said 18 residents were rescued from the hit building. Three victims were hospitalized, including two State Emergency Service employees.

Klitschko said search and rescue operations are still ongoing as "there may still be people under the rubble."

NATO to Begin Nuclear Exercises

Over a dozen NATO member countries are set to participate in nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe.

Fourteen of military alliance's 30 members will participate in the exercises over Belgium. The exercises, called Steadfast Noon, will involve about 60 aircrafts, including fighter jets and surveillance and refueling planes, and will last until Oct. 30.

"This exercise helps ensure that the Alliance's nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective," NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

The United States will take part in the exercises. U.S. B-52 long-range bombers and F-16 fighters will be deployed to simulate weapon drops.

These tests were set to happen before the conflict in Ukraine began in February and before Russian President Vladimir Putin made threats to use all means necessary, including nuclear weapons, to defend itself. Russia will also hold its annual nuclear exercises later this month.