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8:21 PM

Warehouses reportedly damaged in Russian-occupied Crimean city.

Russian forces claimed that they shot down two short-range Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula, with the debris allegedly hitting the warehouses.

7:05 PM

Sunak: No plans to send British troops to Ukraine.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Oct. 1 that there were no current plans to send British troops to Ukraine, even in a limited capacity as trainers.

6:28 PM

Yermak: No changes in US support for Ukraine.

Although a stopgap funding bill to prevent a U.S. government shutdown was passed on Sept. 30 without any provisions for aid for Ukraine, President's Office Head Andriy Yermak said on Oct 1 that it should not be construed as a change in U.S. support for Ukraine.

5:25 PM

Large crowd gathers for opposition march in Warsaw ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.

The streets of Poland's capital Warsaw were filled with demonstrators on Oct. 1 for an opposition rally ahead of country's upcoming parliamentary election set to be held on Oct. 15.

4:31 PM

Russian shelling kills 1 in Kharkiv Oblast.

A 63-old man was killed by a Russian artillery attack while riding his bicycle in the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, regional authorities announced on Oct. 1.

4:12 PM

Media: Drones strike Sochi, Smolensk.

Ukrainian drones successfully struck a helicopter base in Sochi and an aircraft factory in Smolensk on Oct. 1, according to reports by Russian Telegram channels and Ukrainska Pravda.

3:20 PM

Fico wins Slovak election on pro-Russian, populist platform.

With almost 100% of the votes counted, the SMER (Direction) party led by former president Robert Fico gained a narrow victory in the Slovakian parliamentary elections on Sept. 30.

1:42 PM

Russian drones hit civilian infrastructure in Donetsk Oblast, casualties reported.

Two Russian Shahed 131/136 kamikaze drones hit a house in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, in the morning of Oct. 1, acting Governor Ihor Moroz reported.

1:01 PM

Governor: Russian overnight missile attack hits civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv.

According to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov, three Russian S-300 missiles hit civilian infrastructure in the city, causing a fire.

11:17 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 278,570 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 440 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

11:17 AM

Russia attacks Cherkasy Oblast with drones, injures 1.

Russian troops launched a drone attack against Cherkasy Oblast overnight, injuring one person, Governor Ihor Taburets reported.

7:27 AM

Ukraine downs 15 drones in southern oblasts.

Russian forces launched another drone attack targeting Ukraine's southern oblasts overnight on Oct. 1. Ukraine's air defense downed at least 15 drones over Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson of Ukraine's Southern Operational Command, said on air.

6:50 AM

Biden: 'We can't allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted'.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law averting a government shutdown that was set for midnight, according to the White House. Biden said that although the bill does not include financial assistance for Ukraine, he expects Speaker Kevin McCarthy "will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment."

5:49 AM

Senators issue joint statement confirming Ukraine support.

Following a passage of a bill to avoid a government shutdown, top U.S. Senate leaders issued a rare bipartisan statement affirming their commitment to Ukraine. They expect the Senate will work "to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine."

4:36 AM

Explosions reported in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv oblasts.

At least four explosions were heard in Kharkiv, city Mayor Ihor Terekhov said via his official Telegram channel in the early hours of Oct. 1. Two explosions were also reported in the city of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.

10:55 PM

US House of Representatives passes funding bill to avoid government shutdown.

NBC News reported on Sept. 30 that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan funding bill to avoid a government shutdown but that the deal currently lacks additional defense aid for Ukraine.

8:13 PM

NATO announces additional peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Sept. 29 that the military alliance had approved additional peacekeeping forces in Kosovo after unrest along the Kosovo-Serbia border that left four people dead.

7:39 PM

Foreign Ministry: Belarus to showcase abducted Ukrainian children at meeting with foreign diplomats.

Belarus is planning to organize a visit for foreign representatives at locations where Ukrainian children taken from regions temporarily occupied by Russia are kept, the Foreign Ministry said on Sept. 30.

7:13 PM

Medvedev threatens Russia will seize more Ukrainian regions.

In a Telegram message commemorating one year since Russia's illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Medvedev said "there will be more new regions within Russia."

6:27 PM

Media: Nearly 100,000 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.

As of 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, 98,625 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia, a spokesperson for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, said.

5:50 PM

Borrell makes unannounced visit to Odesa.

"Odesa is a beautiful historic city. It should be in the headlines for its vibrant culture (and) spirit," Borrell wrote on Twitter. "Instead, it marks the news as a frequent target of Putin's war."

5:18 PM

Media: Russian soldier working with intelligence defects to Ukrainian forces.

The soldier, Daniil Alfyorov, had been working with Ukrainian intelligence since July and had successfully convinced 11 other Russian soldiers to defect to the Ukrainian side, Andriy Yusov, a HUR spokesman, said.

5:15 PM

Zelensky meets with Slovak defense minister.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, he and Slovak Defense Minister Martin Sklenar discussed cooperation with Slovakia regarding the Ukrainian military's needs, the situation at the front line, and de-mining.

4:15 PM

Special forces extract two soldiers who were in occupied land since start of invasion.

The Navy's intelligence arm was several weeks ago informed about the two Ukrainians who had been in occupied territory since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

3:03 PM

Kuleba: African countries interested in hosting Ukrainian defense plants on their soil.

Plagued by weapon and ammo shortages, Ukraine is not able to export anything defense-related at this time but is looking to return to being one of the world's leading armorers. The production of Ukrainian weapons on African soil is seen as an alternative to currently-impossible exports, Kuleba said, calling it a "new trend."

MORE NEWS

General: Ukraine had only 1,500 soldiers in south when Russia launched full-scale invasion

UK Defense Ministry: Thousands of Russian airborne troops redeployed to Robotyne as infantry

Military intelligence: Sudan strike on Wagner signals Russia's decreasing influence in Africa

CNN: Military source says Ukraine 'likely' behind strike on Wagner forces in Sudan

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UK Energy Secretary Grant Shapps announced as new Defense Minister

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 31, 2023 1:33 PM 2 min read

MP Grant Shapps, who visited Ukraine in August 2023 as U.K. Energy Secretary, in Kyiv ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 24, 2023. (Grant Shapps / Twitter).

This audio is created with AI assistance

U.K. Energy Secretary Grant Shapps is replacing Ben Wallace as Defense Minister, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Aug. 31.

Wallace held the position since 2019 and played a key role in Britain's response to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Shapps, who has been Energy Secretary since February 2023, said he will continue his country's "support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion."

He visited Ukraine last week to learn about Ukrainian energy security, meeting with Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.

He also said the visit was of personal significance as he had hosted a Ukrainian family in his home for a year following the outbreak of the full-scale invasion. He visited the kindergarten the child of the family used to attend and met the teachers.

Shapps said he was honored to be appointed Defense Minister and thanked his predecessor for his "enormous contribution."

A new Defense Minister had been anticipated since earlier in the summer when Wallace said in an interview with the Times that he planned to resign from his post.

Wallace had been U.K. Defense Minister since 2019 and played a key role in Britain's response to Russia's war on Ukraine.

In July, Wallace made an infamous remark at the NATO Summit in Vilnius that Ukraine needs to show "gratitude" to allies for providing weapons to keep receiving support.

Zelensky responded that he does not know how else should Ukraine show its thankfulness.

"Let him write to me (about) how else I should express my words of gratitude, or we could get up in the morning and express our words of gratitude to the minister," Zelensky said.

As minister, Wallace made the U.K. the first country to provide Ukraine with weapons capable of reaching targets deep into Russian-occupied territories, namely by providing Storm Shadow missiles in May 2023.

The United Kingdom spent 2.3 billion British pounds (about $2.9 billion) on defense assistance to Ukraine last year and has committed the same amount in 2023.

Authors: Elsa Courtand The Kyiv Independent news desk

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