A Crimea official announces the completion of civilian departures to safe areas as Kiev forces continue to attack the Kherson region.

Russia has asked civilians to evacuate the city of Kherson in anticipation of a wider Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Iran and Russia have rejected allegations that Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for use in the war in Ukraine, however, the EU has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran over the issue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared martial law in the former Ukrainian regions that recently joined the Russian Federation amid reports that Ukraine is gearing up for a large-scale offensive in the Kherson region.

Here are Press TV's latest top stories, 1000 GMT on October 19, 2022

The Ukrainian military says its forces have recaptured some 1,200 square kilometers of the southern Kherson region since the start of a counterattack against Russian troops in late August.

Russia’s Constitutional Court has approved the accession treaties signed by President Vladimir Putin allowing four former Ukrainian regions to become part of the Russian Federation after referendums.

Ukraine has formally applied for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure.

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the formal accession of four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia into Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday recognized the eastern Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as independent sovereign states, in what the Kremlin calls "accession treaties".