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.Read more
After the first drone strike against Russia's North Caucasus republic that targeted the Russian Special Forces University of Vladimir Putin in the Chechen city of Gudermes on Oct. 29, Kadyrov said he ordered all of his commanders fighting against Ukraine "not to take prisoners and destroy" Ukrainian soldiers as retribution.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said that Kyiv could buy weapons from Polish factories on credit. The loan could be paid after the country's reconstruction, he added.
"This cooperation will strengthen the Ukrainian defense industry and the protection of critical infrastructure from enemy drones," Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said.
Ukrainian forces downed 39 out of 71 Shahed-type drones and other unidentified drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Twenty-one other drones were "lost," and five more flew back towards Russia, it added.
"All drones that threatened the city were neutralized," Kyiv City Military Administration said, without specifying the number of drones shot down over the capital.
"Active hostilities that continue in certain areas require constant renewal of the resources of Ukrainian units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence, North Korean soldiers received 60-mm mortars, AK-12 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, Feniks anti-tank guided missiles, and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers.
Two S-400 missiles hit a police station on Nov. 1, killing police officer Andrii Matvienko. Thirty-six police officers, nine civilians, and one rescuer were injured in the attack, according to the Interior Ministry.
Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. consulate in Vladivostok, was detained in 2023 and accused of passing information on Russia’s war in Ukraine to the U.S. He was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison on Nov. 1.
Two U.S. pollsters, commissioned by Georgian opposition forces, are questioning the official results of the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, which declared the ruling Georgian Dream party victorious.
"This is one of the key steps towards the full launch of 5G in Ukraine, which we plan to complete by 2030," Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Nov. 1.
Zelensky said that if granted permission to use Western long-range weapons on Russian territory, Ukraine could preemptively target "every camp" in Russia where North Korean troops are gathering.
"We regularly discuss the topic with our partners, but the information about the upcoming conclusion of a gas supply contract with the participation of SPP is not true," Slovakian state-run gas importer SPP said.
"And we also assure that until the day of victory we will firmly stand alongside our Russian comrades," North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said during talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this "cannot but cause surprise," given the Turkish leadership's statements about its readiness to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.
The Kyiv Independent joined one such unit that refers to themselves as the Witches of Bucha, after a suburb in Kyiv Oblast where they are based. Since all of them are volunteers, these women combine their combat duties with civilian lives.
Russia has captured 1,146 square kilometers (442 square miles) in Ukraine since Aug. 6, about a quarter more than in the first seven months of the year, Bloomberg reported.
North Korean soldiers are usually trained to fight in mountainous terrain, which means they are not familiar with Ukrainian territory, its climate, and geography, Estonia's intelligence said.
The Main Inspectorate of the Defense Ministry audits the ministry's activities, including monitoring the quality of military training and staffing, overseeing military aviation safety, and conducting technical investigations, among other functions.
"At the moment, they do not have an advantage in these towns. The contact line is stabilized," said Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk.