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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."

2:05 PM

Zaporizhzhia missile strike injures five, damages infrastructure.

Five people were injured on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia as the result of a Russian missile attack that also damaged five homes and a unit of infrastructure on Sept. 30, according to the regional military administration.

1:17 PM

Bulgaria bans Ukrainian sunflower imports until November.

Bulgaria has banned the import of Ukrainian sunflowers until the end of November after a meeting between both countries' agriculture ministers, Bulgaria's Agriculture Ministry said on Sept. 29.

12:25 PM

Dozens of international firms join Kyiv's new defense industry alliance.

Among other capabilities, the alliance will eventually pave the way for Ukraine to localize production of licensed foreign weapons on Ukrainian soil, said Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office. During his recent visit to Washington, Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to have their teams hammer out a roadmap for this kind of localization.

11:21 AM

Romania investigates another possible airspace violation by Russia.

The ministry reported that, as Russia was attacking Ukraine's ports on the Danube river, air alert sirens were activated in the nearby Romanian cities of Tulcea and Galati as radar systems detected an unsanctioned object heading towards the latter in Romania's airspace.

11:07 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 278,130 troops since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 470 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

10:09 AM

Military: Ukraine shoots down 30 drones from overnight attack.

Most of the drones targeted Vinnytsia Oblast, where 20 of them were destroyed, the military said. Some are believed to have gotten through, striking infrastructure and causing a fire in Vinnytsia Oblast's Kalynivka community.

7:17 AM

General CQ Brown succeeds Mark Milley as US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

The chairman is the highest-ranking member of the U.S. military. Milley served in the role for four years before retiring on Sept. 29.

6:19 AM

ISW: Russia's FSB supports law expanding digital surveillance.

Amendments to a proposed bill in the Russian State Duma would allow law enforcement agencies direct access to personal data from Russian internet, banking, and telecom companies.

5:25 AM

Ukrainian refugee children in EU face 'perpetual uncertainty'.

Children who fled Ukraine for EU countries following Russia's all-out war struggle with language barriers, disrupted education, and psychological trauma, the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) reported on Sept. 29.

MORE NEWS

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General Staff: Iranian instructors to teach Russians to use kamikaze drones

by The Kyiv Independent news desk October 20, 2022 1:20 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Iran's leadership has agreed on sending instructors to train Russian operators of Iranian-made Shahed-136 and Arash-2 drones, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Oct. 20.

Drones Arash-2, reportedly purchased by Russia in an unknown number, are "faster and more destructive" than the Shahed-136 drones that are currently in use by Russian troops, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The U.S. and European Union countries have said they are working on sanctions against those responsible for selling Iranian kamikaze drones to Russia. Iran has repeatedly denied supplying Russia with weaponry.

President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a motion to cut diplomatic ties with Iran on Oct. 18. A day later, on Oct. 19, he said Ukraine had shot down 233 Shahed-136 drones over the past month.

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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