News feed

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have shot down a cargo plane in Darfur, with speculation that Russian nationals may have been on board.

"Every meeting with our partners involves discussions about the defense-industrial complex," Zelensky said in his evening address. "We need Ukraine to be able to defend its sovereignty and independence regardless of any political threats in the world."

"The people of Moldova have spoken: our EU future will now be anchored in the constitution," Sandu said on X. "We fought fairly in an unfair fight—and we won. But the fight isn’t over. We will keep pushing for peace, prosperity, and the freedom to build our own future."

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meets tomorrow, Oct. 22, and is expected to once again debate Russia’s blacklisting. That Russia, a clear state sponsor of terrorism, hasn’t been ousted from an intergovernmental body that sets global standards to combat terrorist financing, money laundering, and related financial crimes,

The launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 confronted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a new geopolitical reality. Described as "braindead" by French President Emmanuel Macron only a few years prior, the alliance woke up to a threat previously thought consigned to the past: a

"Your unwavering support is not just a gesture of friendship. It's a powerful symbol of the shared values that bind our nations together," Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said alongside U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Russia's war in Ukraine is on the verge of escalating dramatically, with multiple reports, intelligence assessments, and a video suggesting North Korean troops could soon be fighting alongside Kremlin forces. While Pyongyang has long supplied Moscow with weaponry, the deployment of boots on the ground would mark a significant development

Russia attacked the towns of Kurakhove and Myrnohrad in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 21, killing three and injuring two people, local authorities reported.

Moldovans headed to the polls on Oct. 20 to elect their next head of state and vote on the future of the country’s European Union integration. With over 99% of the votes counted on Monday, the “yes” vote edged ahead at 50.43%, while the “no” camp, which had

Key developments on Oct. 21: * US announces $400 million defense aid package for Ukraine * Russia detains 18 North Korean soldiers who left positions in Kursk Oblast, source says * Kremlin calls North Korean troops reports 'contradictory' but stops short of denial * Russia attacking toward town near Pokrovsk, National Guard says * Ukraine

Some 30 buildings were damaged after Russia struck the residential area of the city on the morning of Oct. 21.

"I will participate in the elections… as a candidate" when the time is right, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny told the BBC in an interview published on Oct. 21.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said it would include ammunition, military equipment, and weapons.

Moldova's referendum on joining the EU, which took place alongside elections in the country, occurred under "unprecedented interference" by Russia and its proxies, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said.

"North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on social media following a conversation with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

General Major Oleh Huliak replaced Herman Smetanin, who became the head of the Strategic Industries Ministry as part of the biggest wartime government reshuffle in September.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 59 of the 116 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force said. Forty-five drones were reportedly "lost" on Ukrainian territory, and 10 more are still present in the Ukrainain airspace at the time of the publication.

Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system overnight on Oct. 21, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

The attack reportedly involved seven tanks and 11 infantry fighting vehicles, with Ukrainian forces destroying seven pieces of Russian equipment.

"We see a lot of contradictory information," spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian media, the state-controlled news agency Interfax reported.

The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from the North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia to update on Volodymyr Zelensky’s Victory Plan.

According to the National Guard, Russian troops periodically conduct mechanized assaults near Selydove, involving from three to five armored vehicles.

South Korea on Oct. 21 summoned the Russian ambassador in Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, to protest the dispatch of North Korean troops to assist Moscow's war against Ukraine, the Yonhap news agency reported.

According to the agency's internal documents, the IAEA signed at least two agreements with Russian research institutes to conduct research that included fieldwork in Crimea. The deals were signed between 2016 and 2019, and the first was reportedly extended in the summer of 2019.

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Oct. 17, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. Last year, Mykola Horishnyi was declared clinically dead – twice. The Ukrainian soldier suffered

Russian authorities detained 18 North Korean soldiers who abandoned their positions in Russia's Kursk Oblast, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 21.

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect Russian tank losses reported by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces passing 9,000. Russia's losses in Ukraine since the launch of the full-scale invasion recently passed another milestone, with the total number of "tanks" claimed destroyed by Kyiv passing the

"It (Black Sea Fleet) was forced to change, in fact, its registration because our large ships became large targets for the enemy's unmanned boats," Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian official heading the Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), Russian pilot Dmitry Golenkov suffered multiple head injuries, probably caused by a hammer.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Oct. 21 as Ukraine hopes to secure continued support ahead of the uncertain U.S. election, CNN reported.

The wounded include seven women aged 22 to 83 and five men aged 21 to 38, according to regional authorities. Some areas of the city lost electricity due to the attack.