“Did the War End?” is the Kyiv Independent’s podcast that brings together three young Ukrainians exploring what it means to be a nation at war, speaking with experts and everyday Ukrainians to help them answer pressing questions. (Illustration: Karolina Gulshani)
Azovstal, a steel plant in now Russian-occupied Mariupol, has become a symbol of Ukraine’s fierce resistance to the Russian invasion. Thousands of Ukrainian fighters defended the plant with little to no resources, refusing to surrender for nearly three months.
In this episode of our podcast “Did the War End?” we hear from John Spencer, a leading expert in urban warfare studies, about what it took for Ukrainian soldiers to defend the plant, despite being drastically outnumbered. We also talk to two family members of Azovstal defenders who are now in Russian captivity about what life was like at the besieged plant.
The attacks came on the same day that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Kyiv of the potential for a new large-scale strike by Russia, referencing intelligence reports.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed 514 drones overnight over 18 regions, occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.
The agreement comes hours after a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the former reminded that Ukraine unlock 37 billion euros ($42 billion) by carrying out previously-agreed reforms.
The meeting, described as "tense" by Bloomberg, included not just the EU wish for Ukraine to pass reforms, but also Kyiv criticizing a decision by EU countries that day to drop sanctions from two Russian oligarchs.
Lavrov has arrived in New York to take part in the U.N. General Assembly, Russian state media reported. Rubio and Lavrov have met several times over the past year as the Trump administration has sought to broker an end to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
"This was not a choice between a good and a bad solution, but between a bad and a much worse one," Latvia's Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said after the EU reached its controversial compromise on Sept. 22
"We currently have intelligence information indicating that Russia is preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine," the president said following a meeting on security and air defense with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
"We are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire. ... I don't know the Russian position," Zelensky said after meeting directly with Trump at the U.N.
In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said his government is preparing for cyberattacks, information campaigns, and possible disruptions by Russia.
*Russia imposes restrictions near Estonian border amid mobilization concerns
*Ukraine confirms strikes on 2 Russian oil refineries in Ufa, Samara
*SBU says it foiled FSB-linked plot to assassinate K-1 kickboxing federation president in Kyiv
*Trump says he'll use Graham bill's Russia sanctions 'if necessary'
*Ukraine strikes Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast, damages 5 launchers
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