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Russia said it had protested to the Japanese embassy on Wednesday over joint Japan-U.S. military exercises this week in which it said HIMARS rocket systems were fired close to Russia's borders.
"We consider the military exercises that took place as a challenge to ensuring the security of the Far Eastern region of our country and insist on the immediate cessation of such actions," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The Japanese side was also warned about the inevitability of adequate response measures in order to block military threats to Russia," it added, without elaborating.
HIMARS are the same rocket systems that the United States has supplied to Ukraine, which Kyiv has put to effective use in attacking Russian command nodes and supply lines.
Ukraine’s prime minister is urging citizens to prepare for the upcoming winter as Russia plans to use “cold as its weapon,” The Associated Press reported.
Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday that citizens should keep essentials such as warm clothes, candles, flashlights and batteries ready. He says though the power system is currently operating normally, Ukraine aims to reduce electricity consumption in the evening across the country by 25%.
Shmyhal asked Ukrainians, and especially business owners, to reduce consumption of electricity in the evening. He also explained that temporary power outages are necessary to avoid overloading some energy networks.
Moscow expects Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to formally offer to mediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine during his meeting on October 13 with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan, a Kremlin aide has said.
Germany said on Wednesday it was receiving less oil but still had adequate supplies, after Poland found a leak in the Druzhba pipeline that delivers crude from Russia to Europe that Warsaw said showed no sign of being caused by sabotage.
The discovery of the leak in the main route carrying oil to Germany, which operator PERN said it found on Tuesday evening, comes as Europe is on high alert over its energy security in the aftermath of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine which has cut supplies of gas.
"After removing most of the contaminants from the area near the crude oil pipeline that was damaged yesterday, PERN's technical services have located the site of the leak," Polish pipeline operator PERN said in a statement.
"The first findings and the method of pipeline deformation show that at the moment there are no signs of interference by third parties."
PERN added that it was working to find out what caused the leak and to repair the pipeline.
The EU has agreed on the contours of a mission to train 15,000 Ukrainian armed forces personnel in several member countries, diplomats said Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported.
A working document on the subject seen by AFP said the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) "would have to train large numbers of UAF (Ukrainian armed forces) personnel in a variety of military functions."
Two diplomats said EUMAM should initially train 15,000 Ukrainian armed forces personnel.
Ukraine is expected to battle through harsh winter conditions to try to recapture more territory from Russia, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday as allies announced delivery of new air defenses and committed more aid in the wake of Russian missile strikes, The Associated Press reported.
Military analysts are watching to see whether fighting subsides during Ukraine's tough winter, potentially giving an opportunity for troops on both sides of the conflict to reset after months of brutal fighting since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
"I expect that Ukraine will continue to do everything it can throughout the winter, to regain its territory and to be effective on the battlefield," Austin told a news conference.
"And we're going to do everything we can to make sure that they have what's required to be effective."
Ukraine will need an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion in external financing help per month next year to keep its economy running as Russia's war drags on, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday, .
Georgieva said Ukraine's international partners have committed $35 billion in grant and loan financing for Ukraine in 2022, enough to close its financing gap for this year, but its financing needs would remain "very large" in 2023.
Ukraine’s prime minister is urging Ukrainians to prepare for the upcoming winter, saying Russia plans to use “cold as its weapon,” The Associated Press reported.