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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.

4:20 AM

Bryansk Oblast governor claims Ukrainian attack disrupted local power supply.

Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked the village of Pogar and disrupted the local power supply in the early hours of Sept. 30.

3:53 AM

Russian forces attack 9 communities in Sumy Oblast.

The communities of Esman, Shalyhyne, Mykolaiv, Putyvl, Velyka Pysarivka, Khotin, Krasnopillia, and Yunakivka came under fire.

3:29 AM

Putin declares holiday commemorating occupation of Ukrainian regions.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree marking Sept. 30 as a "reunification day" commemorating Russia's illegal annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

2:34 AM

Russian attack damages infrastructure in Vinnytsia Oblast.

On attack on Vinnystia Oblast the night of Sept. 30 damaged an infrastructure facility in the region, Oblast Governor Serhii Borzov reported via Telegram.

2:17 AM

Armenia sues Azerbaijan in International Court of Justice.

The request calls on the court to uphold the rights protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

1:32 AM

Front-line photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk killed in action.

Myroniuk, aged 59, was an independent photographer who documented Ukrainian soldiers at the front.

12:37 AM

New round of Russian conscription will include Ukraine's occupied territories.

The fall 2023 conscription will include the illegally annexed areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

10:59 PM

Ukraine removes companies from 'international sponsor of war' list as part of military aid negotiations.

The NACP hopes that this will "lead to Hungary’s unblocking of €500 million of vital EU military aid for the Ukrainian people, and will also eliminate the possibility of Greece blocking the future EU sanctions package aimed at reducing Russia’s ability to continue the war."

9:15 PM

Deputy Economy Minister: Ukraine aims to reach pre-war levels of growth in 4 years.

Ukraine aims for its economy to regain pre-war levels of growth in four years, Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev said in an interview with Ukrinform on Sept. 29. Sobolev expects further integration with the European Union and joining NATO will be a prerequisite for strong growth in the future.

8:09 PM

Reuters: Romania moves air defense systems to border with Ukraine.

Romania is moving its air defense systems closer to its border with Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 29. Additional measures include the deployment of four U.S. F-16 jets and an expanded no-fly zone.

7:54 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia reduces offensive pace on Kupiansk-Kreminna line

7:23 PM

Norway restricts entry to Russian cars.

Russian-registered cars with nine or fewer seats will not be able to enter Norway from midnight on Oct. 2, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 29.

6:44 PM

Gazprom reports gas production drop of 25%.

The state-owned Russian energy company Gazprom has released figures showing that its gas production fell by 25%, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Sept. 28. The reporting period compares the first half of 2023 with the first half of 2022.

5:30 PM

Russians to compete as neutral athletes at 2024 Paralympics.

Russian athletes will be able to compete as individual or neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, the International Paralympic Committee announced on Sept. 29.

4:46 PM

Belarus weekly

Belarus Weekly: 2 Belarus delegations compete for attention at UN General Assembly

4:43 PM

UK sanctions Russians involved in organizing sham elections in occupied parts of Ukraine.

The U.K. has announced new sanctions against Russian officials for their involvement in organizing sham elections in occupied territories of Ukraine, the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced on Sept. 29.

4:23 PM

Zelensky commemorates victims of Babyn Yar tragedy.

President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in a commemorating ceremony at Babyn Yar, where Nazi Germany committed a massacre of the Kyiv's Jewish population, Ukraine's Federation of Jewish Communities reported on Sept. 29.

4:01 PM

Ukraine names suspects for sabotage at military warehouses in Luhansk Oblast, Czech Republic.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation reported on Sept. 29 that it had identified Russian special service employees involved in the cases of sabotage at military warehouses in Ukraine and Czechia in 2014-2015.

3:46 PM

Podcasts

This Week in Ukraine Ep 27 – How Ukraine is destroying Russian military in Crimea.

Episode #27 is dedicated to the recent Ukrainian attacks in Russia-occupied Crimea.

2:15 PM

Media: Ukrainian strike destroys radar station in Russia's Kursk region.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) used a drone to destroy the Russian radar system Kasta in the Kursk region on Sept. 28, Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on Sept. 29, citing its source in the SBU.

1:40 PM

Putin asks former Wagner commander to create 'volunteer units' for Ukraine war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed Andrei Troshev, the former chief of staff of the mercenary Wagner Group, to form 'volunteer units" for the war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of Putin's speech published by the Kremlin on Sept. 29.

11:59 AM

Energy Ministry: IAEA demands Russia immediately leave Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference has adopted a resolution on the immediate return of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under Ukraine's full control, the Energy Ministry reported on Sept. 29.

MORE NEWS

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Media: Rheinmetall purchases 50 Leopard 1 tanks, will supply 30 to Ukraine

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 8, 2023 11:39 PM 2 min read

Ukrainian tank crews receiving training on Leopard 1A5 tanks near Klietz, Germany, on May 5, 2023. (Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall was identified as the previously unknown buyer who recently purchased 50 Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Aug. 8.

The company purchased the tanks as part of its future exports of armored vehicles to Kyiv. The vehicles will be refitted in Germany, and around 30 of them will be delivered to Ukraine, Handelsblatt said, citing industry sources.

Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported on Aug. 7 that a secret buyer purchased 50 Leopard 1 tanks from a private company in Belgium to donate to Kyiv. Handelsblatt did not specify why only 30 are being currently prepared to be shipped to Ukraine.

The tanks come from the stockpile owned by Freddy Versluys, CEO of Belgian defense company OIP Land Systems, who bought 50 tanks a decade ago when the Belgian military sold them to reduce expenditures.

Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced in January 2023 that the government wanted to buy the tanks to donate to Ukraine. However, Dedonder said the asking price was "unreasonable," a claim Versluys denied.

Handelsblatt reported in April that Rheinmetall is preparing to supply 50 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, citing the company's CEO.

The German government has already begun supplying Leopard 1 tanks to the Ukrainian military as part of the package that should include at least 100 of these vehicles.

Authors: Martin Fornusekand The Kyiv Independent news desk

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