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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.

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.

3:27 PM

Opinion

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

MORE NEWS

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Reznikov: Ukraine is de facto member of NATO

by Haley Zehrung July 9, 2023 3:23 AM 2 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine will be able to become a member of NATO because of its success in countering Russia, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on national television on July 8.

"If Russia is the main threat to NATO, I have a simple question for my fellow defense ministers. If only one country in the world has modern, effective, successful experience with countering the Russian army, what other arguments do you need to invite Ukraine to the Alliance?" Reznikov asked.

"I am convinced - Ukraine is a de facto NATO country and will become a de jure NATO country," the minister concluded.

Reznikov has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine's entry into NATO, saying on June 28 that Ukraine already fulfills all the key conditions for NATO membership.

The next NATO summit will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12, where the topic of the Russia-Ukraine war is expected to occupy a high place on the agenda. Despite this, the alliance has not made any promises to Ukraine about extending a membership offer, and has instead expressed an intention to bring Ukraine "closer" to the alliance.

Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, have repeatedly asked NATO for a "clear signal," of the alliance's support for a future membership at the upcoming summit.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion of the country.

According to the Washington Post, there is so far no consensus on Ukraine's NATO membership. Some Eastern and Central European allies voiced support for a clear membership path, while others remain hesitant.

Zelensky recently said that he knows there is no chance of Ukraine joining NATO before the war finishes, but still insists on a strong message of support for Ukraine at the summit.

Haley Zehrung

News Editor

Haley Zehrung is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, she was a Title VIII Fellow at the Department of State, where she conducted archival research in Kyrgyzstan. She has also worked at C4ADS, the Middle East Institute, and Barnard College. Haley completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts at Columbia University in Political Science and Eurasian Studies.

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