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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.

3:27 PM

Opinion

Svitlana Romanko: UN climate summit offers chance to confront Russian fossil fuels, climate crisis

3:25 PM

Podcasts

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 26 – Is the counteroffensive almost over?

2:51 PM

Minister: Three more cargo vessels using temporary Black Sea corridor.

Another three cargo vessels that have agreed to use the Black Sea temporary corridor set up after Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal are moving towards Ukraine’s ports, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov reported on Sept. 22.

2:48 PM

Shmyhal: Ukraine receives another 1.5 billion euros in macro-financial assistance.

Ukraine was transferred another 1.5 billion euros (about $1.6 billion) installment of the European Union’s macro-financial assistance package, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Twitter on Sept. 22.

1:58 PM

Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijan claims to seek amnesty for Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh fighters who surrender their weapons.

Azerbaijani authorities project a situation in which ethnic Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh will receive amnesty in exchange for laying down their arms, said Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with Reuters.

1:42 PM

Ukrainian military strikes Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 22 that a Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea damaged the building of Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters.

12:53 PM

Belarus weekly

Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko seeks closer ties with Russia, North Korea

12:15 PM

Biden: 'Next week, the first Abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine.'

U.S. President Joe Biden announced at a press conference on Sept. 21 that the first tranche of U.S. Abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine next week.

11:17 AM

Governor: Russian forces shell Kherson, killing 1, injuring 1.

Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Sept. 22 that Russian forces shelled residential neighborhoods of Kherson. A 25-year-old man was killed, and another was injured, Prokudin said on Telegram.

10:36 AM

CNN: Zelensky pledges to liberate Bakhmut, two other crucial cities.

“We will de-occupy Bakhmut. And I think we will de-occupy two more cities,” Zelensky said, according to CNN.

9:06 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 274,950 troops in Ukraine.

This number includes 480 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

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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Parliament summons Defense Ministry leadership following corruption allegations

by The Kyiv Independent news desk January 21, 2023 9:33 PM 1 min read

Defense minister Oleksii Reznikov attends a press conference in Kyiv on Nov. 7, 2022. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine’s parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence summons top officials of the Defense Ministry to address journalists’ allegations that the ministry is buying food for the army at inflated prices.

Ukrainian newspaper Zn.Ua reported on Jan. 21 that the Defense Ministry purchased food for the military at prices two to three times higher than it is sold at Kyiv grocery stores.

This indicates a possible corruption scheme, according to Zn.Ua. The Defense Ministry has not provided any comments yet.

The ministry allegedly signed an Hr 13.16 billion ($360 million) contract for food purchases in 2023, Zn.Ua reported.

“Regarding purchases by the Ministry of Defense, such inflated prices are not only for food,” lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla, deputy head of the parliament's national security committee, said on Facebook.

According to Bezuhla, who represents the governing Servant of the People faction, Ukraine’s State Audit Service and law enforcement are looking into Defense Ministry's spending.

“We are expecting loud conclusions,” she said.

Bezuhla praised Defense Ministry for doing a lot amid the war, however, said that mistakes and possible corruption shouldn’t be overlooked.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the President’s Office, confirmed that the audit is underway.

“If the allegations confirm, we should find those who signed this contract for Hr 13 billion, conduct an investigation and then make these people accountable,” Podolyak said in a televised statement.

On Jan. 21, Zn.Ua reported that it had obtained a 2023 Defense Ministry contract for food procurement from its sources in the military.

The newspaper says the contract for a total of Hr 13.16 billion was signed on Dec. 23 and envisages food deliveries to Ukrainian soldiers stationed in Poltava, Sumy, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy oblasts.

The contract does not stipulate food supply to the front-line areas where “the delivery alone can make any purchase more expensive,” Zn.Ua said.

According to the report, the Defense Ministry agreed to pay Hr 17 for one egg, while its price at one of the capital’s stores is about Hr 7.

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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