· Russia's President Vladimir Putin has insisted that the "special military operation" in Ukraine is going to plan as both sides prepared for what is expected to be a huge battle in Kherson, in the south of Ukraine.

· Putin said 'Western' dominance was coming to an end, and "ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important decade since the end of World War II" in a wide-ranging talk at a Moscow thinktank. In the speech he claimed Russia's only aim was to "help the people of Donbas" the contested region of Eastern Ukraine. 

· U.S. President Joe Biden expressed skepticism about Putin's comments that he had no intention of using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. "If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it?" Biden said in an interview with U.S. media. 

· The U.S. is preparing a further $275 million package of military assistance for Ukraine to bolster its counter-offensive against Russian forces, a source familiar with the plan told Reuters.

·  Russia's attack on Ukraine has caused an "epochal break" in German ties with Moscow and the war has shattered former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's dream of a "common European home," Germany's president Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

· Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure were forcing electricity cuts in the capital Kyiv and other places, Ukrainian officials said.

· Ukraine has shot down at least 300 "Iranian" Shahed-135 'kamikaze' drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson.

· Putin's first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, has visited the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Kherson, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea said.

· Ukrainian forces killed 44 Russian servicemen over the last 24 hours in Kherson, according to the Ukrainian military.

· The Russian defense ministry said its forces had repelled attempted Ukrainian advances in the east and destroyed a Ukrainian military factory near the town of Pavlograd.

· Russia will retaliate if its state and citizens' assets are confiscated by the European Union, the foreign ministry warned.

· Sweden has ordered additional investigations to be carried out of the damage done last month to the Nord Stream 2 pipelines, according to a statement from the prosecutor in charge of the case. 

IN DETAIL

Russian 'refugees' find solace in former Soviet republics

In the Armenian capital Yerevan, few of the tens of thousands of military-age Russian men who have fled to the former Soviet republic see themselves returning home any time soon.

"Many of my friends left, only a couple of people remain in Russia," said Nikolai Salnikov, an IT worker who went to Armenia on September 23, two days after President Vladimir Putin declared a "partial mobilization" to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.

Most men are obliged to perform a year's compulsory military service after leaving school and are theoretically eligible for the draft. Tens of thousands have decided to take their chances abroad, rather than risk being sent to Ukraine as conscripts.

Salnikov, who said he saw no point in returning to Russia now, said: "Some people traveled here, some to Kazakhstan, some to Uzbekistan – all over the CIS... they are all leaving Russia somehow."

Armenia, which allows Russian citizens to enter without an international passport and to stay without a visa for up to six months, is among the most popular destinations for the new wave of conscription refugees. 

Traditionally a major source of migrant workers in Russia, Armenia is now adjusting to a new role as a safe place for Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine. The central bank has upgraded its GDP projections due to the influx of Russians, many of whom are young, skilled professionals.

While Armenia has not made public the numbers of Russians arriving, Kazahkstan and Georgia, both of which have become popular destinations, have each put the figures well into the tens of thousands.

"I was born in Armenia, but my parents decided to leave for Russia two years after for a better life," said Mary Khachikyan, a Russian citizen of Armenian origin who moved to her ancestral homeland shortly after mobilization was announced.

"Now they're convincing me to stay here and not go back to Moscow."