Russia sustained Dnipro bridge strikes for fourth day and vowed wider Kyiv hits as Germany locked €9.8bn arms deals; Ethiopia retook Mekelle while Hormuz stayed shut and Gaza targeted killings continued

On the record

• Russian Defense Ministry · Defense Ministry, Russia · 4 Oct

  “The Russian armed forces will intensify strikes against military and military-industrial facilities, as well as related infrastructure in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine,”

  Threat · hostile toward Ukraine as reported by The Japan Times ↗

• Vladimir Putin · President, Russia · 1 Oct

  “If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation – in this case, Kaliningrad, although it could potentially involve other territories as well – the question of Russia using all the weapons at its disposal would inevitably and immediately arise.”

  Red line · hostile toward NATO, Russia, Kaliningrad transcript ↗

• Friedrich Merz · Chancellor, Germany · 4 Oct

  “If Russia is not stopped, it will turn its war machine against us sooner or later,”

  Warning · hostile toward Russia, Germany, Europe as reported by Deutsche Welle ↗

A statement shows what was said, not that it is true.

On the record

• Debretsion Gebremichael · Leader of the TPLF · 5 Oct

  “We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose,”

  Threat · hostile toward Ethiopia, Ethiopian federal forces as reported by Africanews ↗

• Ethiopia · Government, Ethiopia · 5 Oct

  paraphrase Eritrea is directly backing the Tigray rebels, with added support from Sudan and Egypt.

  Accusation · hostile toward Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt as reported by Africanews ↗

• Eritrea · Government, Eritrea · 5 Oct

  paraphrase Ethiopia is planning to invade Eritrea and seize access to its coastline.

  Accusation · hostile toward Ethiopia, Eritrea as reported by Africanews ↗

On the record

• Ali Fadavi · Head of the advisory group to the IRGC commander-in-chief, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps · 4 Oct

  “If the Americans launch a ground attack, then we will target every location related to the Americans, American bases and every vessel related to the Americans,”

  Threat · hostile toward United States, Iran as reported by Anadolu Agency ↗

• G7 Leaders · Heads of State and Government, G7 · 2 Oct

  “We call for the immediate and full restoration of navigational rights and principles in the Strait of Hormuz and express our determination to redouble our collective efforts to that end.”

  Demand · critical toward Iran, Strait of Hormuz transcript ↗

• Rashad Al-Alimi · Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Yemen Presidential Leadership Council · 5 Oct

  “We have instructed the armed forces, security forces and all military formations to begin carrying out their assigned tasks under an approved plan until the country is liberated from the Houthis,”

  Policy · hostile toward Yemen, Houthis as reported by Anadolu Agency ↗

On the record

• Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh · UK Permanent Representative to the UN, United Kingdom · 2 Oct

  “Hamas must decommission its weapons and its terror infrastructure and have no role in Gaza’s future governance.”

  Demand · hostile toward Hamas, Gaza transcript ↗

• Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh · UK Permanent Representative to the UN, United Kingdom · 2 Oct

  “The UK has taken recent action to address this priority, including restrictions targeting settlement activity and those who support, facilitate, or profit from it.”

  Policy · critical toward Israel, Palestine transcript ↗

• Thomas "Tommy" Pigott · Spokesman, United States · 2 Oct

  “Disrupting these networks is central to broader U.S. efforts to isolate Hamas, protect the integrity of legitimate humanitarian assistance to Gazan civilians, and support conditions for lasting regional stability.”

  Policy · about Hamas, Palestinians transcript ↗