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3:55 AM

Russia shells 8 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Explosions occurred in the communities of Khotin, Mykolaivka, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Bilopillia, Yunakivka, Shalyhyne, and Esman.

3:20 AM

Bloomberg: Hungary wants to cut EU funding to Ukraine in half.

The proposal adds weight to fears that international support for Ukraine could be waning following U.S. lawmakers' decision to remove aid for Ukraine from a government spending bill passed on Sept. 30.

1:46 AM

Charles Michel: Ukraine could join EU by 2030.

“Ukraine may indeed become a member of the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework," European Council President Charles Michel said.

1:14 AM

US Congress ousts McCarthy as speaker.

The move follows a tense battle over funding legislation that nearly resulted in a government shutdown. Funding for Ukrainian military aid became a focal point of the legislative fight.

12:38 AM

Biden, world leaders coordinate military support for Ukraine.

The participants discussed strategies for supplying the Ukrainian military with ammunition and weapons, bolstering Ukraine's air defenses, and fortifying energy infrastracture ahead of the winter months.

12:18 AM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky meets soldiers fighting on Kupiansk-Lyman axis

11:59 PM

Russia claims Ukrainian Neptune missile destroyed over occupied Crimea.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces shot down a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile near the Crimean coast late on Oct. 3. Kyiv hasn’t commented on the allegation.

11:07 PM

Prosecutors: Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast injure 4.

Russian attacks against Avdiivka and Illinivka in Donetsk Oblast wounded four civilians on Oct. 3, the regional prosecutor's office reported.

10:43 PM

Media: Azerbaijan detains 4 ex-leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's security services arrested three former presidents of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic — Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan — Azerbaijani media reported on Oct. 3.

10:39 PM

Ukrainian farmers sow 3 million hectares of winter crops but exports drop.

By the start of October, farmers had sown 2.992 million hectares, including 1.7 million hectares of winter wheat, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on its website.

9:47 PM

Opinion

Opinion: Weakness is lethal. Why Putin invaded Ukraine and how the war must end

9:09 PM

Bloomberg: All Odesa ports receive cargo ships through temporary corridor.

In the past few weeks, 10 ships have used the temporary corridor set up by Ukraine's Navy following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the media outlet wrote, citing unnamed individuals familiar with the matter and ship-tracking data.

7:42 PM

The Telegraph: UK military aid stocks ‘running out'.

The U.K. is running out of military equipment to send to Ukraine, the Telegraph reported on Oct. 2, citing information from a senior military chief.

7:28 PM

Ukraine to procure 100 high-voltage transformers to prepare for Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.

Ukraine will either manufacture or purchase 100 new high-voltage transformers as the country prepares for a repeat of last winter's Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, according to a report by The Economist on Oct. 2.

7:07 PM

Russian finance minister: Ukraine war is Moscow’s main budget priority.

The main priority for Russia’s budget for the next three years is strengthening the country’s military and “supporting participants” of its war against Ukraine, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Oct. 3, as cited by Forbes Russia.

6:50 PM

Ukraine adds Chinese oil, gas companies to 'international sponsors of war' list.

Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) has added the three largest Chinese oil and gas companies to its "international sponsors of war" list, the agency's press service announced on Oct. 3.

5:41 PM

Kyiv Independent journalist wins Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism.

Kyiv Independent journalist Asami Terajima was announced as one of the winners of the 2023 Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism, the Thomson Reuters Foundation announced on Oct. 3.

5:31 PM

Governor: Russian air strike on Kherson Oblast village kills 1, injures 7.

Russian forces launched an air strike on Antonivka, a northeastern suburb of Kherson, killing one person and wounding another seven, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Oct. 3.

4:53 PM

Zelensky meets soldiers fighting on Kupiansk-Lyman axis.

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited combat brigades on the front line in Kharkiv Oblast fighting on the Kupiansk-Lyman axis, the President's Office said on Oct. 3.

4:00 PM

Bloomberg: US military 'ready to deliver' cluster-armed ATACMS.

The U.S. military is ready to send Ukraine some of its long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) armed with cluster munitions once U.S. President Joe Biden approves the transfer, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 3, citing the U.S. military's chief weapons buyer.

3:10 PM

BBC: Burger King still 'open as usual' in Russia.

Burger King "remains open as usual in Russia," despite the fast food chain claiming at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it would exit the country, the BBC reported on Oct. 3.

2:58 PM

Belarusian military to check its combat readiness.

The Belarusian military will conduct exercises in order to check its readiness for combat, the Belarusian Defense Ministry's press service announced on Oct. 3.

2:33 PM

Armenian parliament ratifies ICC's Rome Statute, following shattered relationship with Russia.

The Armenian parliament voted in favor of ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Oct. 3. If signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenian authorities will be obliged to arrest Russian dictator Vladimir Putin if he sets foot in the country.

1:56 PM

Media: Putin may soon announce he will run for president in 2024.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may soon announce that he will run for president again in 2024, the Russian state-controlled newspaper Kommersant wrote on Oct. 3.

1:46 PM

Minister: Agricultural cargo to be checked in Lithuania to speed up grain exports.

Ukrainian agricultural cargo headed for the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda will be checked directly at the port, instead of at the border with Poland, Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said on Oct. 3.

MORE NEWS

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

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

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

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Intelligence: Intercepted call shows Russia recruits Iranian, Kurdish drone operators

by The Kyiv Independent news desk February 12, 2023 1:50 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian forces recruited Kurdish drone operators in addition to Iranians to conduct attacks against Ukraine, including on Feb. 10.

In a conversation intercepted by the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, two Iranian-made Shahed 136/131 kamikaze drone operators discuss target coordinates using Kurdish with a dash of Farsi, a language spoken in Iran.

The interception may indicate “Kurdish mercenaries with experience in the combat use of Shahed drones are also fighting” for Russia, the intelligence report said.

The Kurds have been said to be the world's largest nation without a sovereign state. They number around 30 million and are mainly dispersed among Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

Ukraine’s military intelligence also said Russia has already recruited Kurdish mercenaries in the war in Syria.

On the morning of Feb. 10, Russia unleashed its 14th mass missile strike targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure, launching dozens of air- and sea-launched cruise missiles and drones. Ukraine’s Air Force downed a total of 20 Russian kamikaze drones that day.

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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