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9:59 AM

Twelve Shahed drones downed over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, no injuries reported.

Twelve Shahed-type drones used by Russian forces were shot down overnight on Sept. 22 by Ukrainian air defenses, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported on his official Telegram channel.

9:20 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 275,460 troops in Ukraine.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 4,655 tanks, 8,912 armored fighting vehicles, 8,716 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,210 artillery systems, 789 multiple launch rocket systems, 530 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,867 drones, and 20 warships or boats.

6:37 AM

Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov speaks out against Russian invasion.

During an interview with YouTube blogger Yuri Dud published on Sept. 21, Russian hockey player Nikita Zadorov openly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nikita is originally from Moscow and currently plays as defencemen for the Calgary Flames.

3:38 AM

UPDATE: 9 people killed, 16 injured in Ukrainian attack against Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters.

At least 9 people were killed and 16 were injured as a result of Ukraine's attack against the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, told news outlet Voice of America. Russian generals are among the casualties.

3:10 AM

Russia attacks Sumy Oblast 17 times in one day.

Russian forces shelled ten communities in Sumy Oblast, firing 17 times over the course of the day, causing 75 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Sept. 22.

1:54 AM

Reuters: Russian hackers target war crimes probes in Ukraine.

Russian spies are using hackers to target computer systems at law enforcement agencies in Ukraine as means to identify and obtain evidence related to alleged Russian war crimes, Ukraine's cyber defense chief, Yurii Shchyhol, told Reuters on Sept. 22.

1:07 AM

Russian state media: Nagorno-Karabakh forces begin to hand over weapons, military equipment.

The armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh have begun to hand over weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles, Russian state-controlled media reported on Sept. 22, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.

12:44 AM

Canada imposes 63 sanctions against Russian individuals, entities.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced 63 sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Canada, news outlet European Pravda reported on Sept. 22.

12:16 AM

Explainer

US will reportedly give ATACMS to Ukraine. Will it change the war?

12:14 AM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters; Abrams to arrive next week

11:52 PM

Polish PM says Zelensky should 'never insult Poles again.'

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should "never insult Poles," referring to his statements at the U.N. General Assembly, the Polish Press Agency reported on Sept. 22.

11:11 PM

UPDATE: 1 killed, 31 injured in Russian attack on Kremenchuk.

One person died and 31 people were injured in a Russian missile strike against Poltava Oblast's Kremenchuk on Sept. 22, Governor Dmytro Lunin announced after the conclusion of the rescue efforts.

10:42 PM

Sky News: Ukraine used Storm Shadow missiles to strike Black Sea Fleet headquarters.

Ukraine used Storm Shadow long-range missiles in a strike against the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22, Sky News reported, citing information provided by the Ukrainian Air Force.

10:20 PM

Romanian PM to visit Kyiv to conclude grain import talks.

Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Sept. 22 that he will visit Kyiv with several ministers to finalize an agreement on Ukrainian grain imports, as the news outlet Digi24 reported.

9:58 PM

Zelensky addresses Canada's parliament as Trudeau pledges more aid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Canadian Parliament on Sept. 22 after his talks with the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In his welcoming words at the House of Commons, Trudeau announced further aid for Ukraine, including 650 million Canadian dollars ($480 million) for 50 armored vehicles, as well as training on F-16 fighter jets.

8:09 PM

Minister: Czechia wants to train Ukrainian pilots on Gripen jets.

Czechia is in talks with Sweden about training Ukrainian pilots on Gripen fighter jets on its territory, Radio Prague International reported on Sept. 22, citing the Czech defense minister.

7:04 PM

Bloomberg: Russia plans massive hike in defense spending in 2024.

Next year, Russia's defense spending will be increased to 6% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) from 3.9% this year and 2.7% in 2021, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 22.

6:48 PM

Governor: Russia hits Kremenchuk, casualties reported.

Russian forces launched a missile attack against Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, killing and injuring civilians, Governor Dmytro Lunin reported on Sept. 22.

6:16 PM

Media: Danish Leopard 1 tanks donated to Ukraine have defects.

Denmark's Defense Ministry has discovered that 12 out of 20 Leopard 1A5 tanks it had sent to Ukraine are faulty, the Danish government-owned TV2 channel reported on Sept. 22.

6:14 PM

Media: US to send small number of ATACMS to Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden had told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. would provide Ukraine with a small number of long-range ATACMS missiles, NBC News reported on Sept. 22, citing three U.S. officials and a Congressional official familiar with the discussion.

5:46 PM

Latvia plans to expel cars under Russian, Belarusian registration.

The Latvian government is preparing a bill preventing cars under Russian and Belarusian registration from staying in the country, Latvia's Justice Minister Inese Lībiņa-Egnere said on Sept. 22.

5:14 PM

Bloomberg: EU Commission to recommend Ukraine membership talks.

The European Commission is planning to recommend starting EU membership talks with Ukraine in October, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 22, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

4:34 PM

Government postpones launch of oligarch register until after war.

The government decided to postpone the launch of the register of oligarchs until three months after the end of martial law, according to an official document dated Sept. 19 and recently made public.

4:23 PM

Large-scale cyberattack reported in occupied Crimea.

Russian proxies in occupied Crimea announced on Sept. 22 that there was a cyberattack of an “unprecedented” scale.

3:59 PM

Romanian president: Russian drones not directly targeted at Romania, still a problem.

Russian drones are not intentionally targeting Romania, but the situation is still "unacceptable," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said.

MORE NEWS

Ukraine strikes Russian military base of drone operators

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: Chechen warlord Kadyrov in critical condition

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Media: Ukraine refused 10 Leopard 1 tanks from Germany due to poor condition

by Martin Fornusek September 19, 2023 6:16 PM 2 min read

Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks arrive at a military training ground where Ukrainian tank crews are being trained to operate and maintain them by German and Danish military personnel on May 5, 2023 near Klietz, Germany. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine refused to accept a recent batch of 10 Leopard 1A5 tanks sent by Germany, saying they need repairs that the Ukrainian military is not able to carry out, the German news outlet Spiegel reported on Sept. 19.

According to the outlet, Kyiv recently notified Berlin that the recent batch of Leopards that had arrived in Poland required major repairs.

Germany reportedly sent experts to Poland to inspect the vehicles. Spiegel said that according to their conclusion, the tanks were badly worn during the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the vehicles in Germany.

Some of the first 10 Leopards provided by Germany in July also reportedly suffered similar issues.

Although the German government announced the transfer of another batch of 10 tanks in August, Denmark said in September that only 10 Leopard tanks have arrived in Ukraine, while 10 more are still on their way.

Germany's Defense Ministry told Spiegel that it cannot comment on individual cases, but added that repairs of the tanks are underway in cooperation with Ukraine.

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Earlier this year, Germany announced that in cooperation with Denmark and the Netherlands, it will provide Ukraine with around 100 older Leopard 1 tanks.

Additionally, Denmark and the Netherlands have agreed to purchase and donate 14 Leopard 2 tanks from the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall for Ukraine. The two countries previously agreed to deliver these tanks by "early 2024."

Germany also commissioned Rheinmetall in August to purchase and refit around 30 Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.

On Sept. 19, Denmark said it would send an additional 45 tanks to Ukraine, including 15 T-72EA and 30 Leopard 1 tanks.

Martin Fornusek

News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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