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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.

11:16 AM

ISW: Russia has reduced pace of offensive operations on Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.

Russian troops have recently reduced the tempo of their localized offensive operations on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Sept. 28.

10:15 AM

Russian attacks kill 6, injure 13 in Ukraine over past 24 hours.

Russian multi-weapon attacks against Ukraine killed six civilians and wounded another 13 over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on Sept.29.

9:47 AM

US House approves $300 million for Ukraine.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $300 million tranche for Ukraine late on Sept. 28 after Republicans removed it from the defense spending bill, Politico reported.

8:04 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 277,660 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on Sept. 29 that Russia had also lost 4,687 tanks, 8,972 armored fighting vehicles, 8,836 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,409 artillery systems, 794 multiple launch rocket systems, 536 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,991 drones, and 20 boats.

8:01 AM

Sweden provides 25 million euros to support Ukraine's energy system.

Sweden has allocated 25.2 million euros ($26.6 million) to the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine and has already delivered over 1,000 tons of equipment to aid in the restoration of the power infrastructure.

7:49 AM

Russia claims 11 drones downed over Kursk, Kaluga regions.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Sept. 29 that its forces shot down 11 Ukrainian drones overnight — 10 over the Kursk region and another one over the Kaluga region. Kyiv hasn't commented.

6:40 AM

Pentagon: English language training for Ukrainian F-16 pilots begins in US.

The U.S. Department of Defense has officially confirmed the beginning of English language classes as part of the program to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.

5:51 AM

US State Department: American weapons are used properly by Ukraine.

Weapons that Ukraine receives to counter Russian aggression are used properly, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Sept. 28. There were no cases of the weaponry falling into the wrong hands.

4:59 AM

Oil prices slide as Russia, Saudi Arabia plan supply boost.

Oil prices declined in early trading on Sept. 29 following a recent surge, as profit-taking and the anticipation of increased supply from Russia and Saudi Arabia overshadowed optimistic forecasts of demand, Reuters reported.

2:36 AM

Interview

Iryna Tsilyk: Losing intellectuals on front lines is disastrous for Ukrainian culture.

2:15 AM

Ukraine to serve on IAEA Board of Governors.

Ukraine has been elected to serve on the Board of Governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the UN nuclear watchdog's statement posted on Sept. 28.

1:46 AM

Russian forces shell 7 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces shelled seven communities in Ukraine's border Sumy Oblast on Sept. 28, firing over 180 rounds from various types of weapons, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Telegram.

12:53 AM

Technology

Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult

12:14 AM

Human story

Abducting the future: How Ukrainian parents fight to rescue their children from Russia

11:53 PM

Germany greenlights joint Rheinmetall-Ukraine venture in Kyiv.

This new enterprise will provide "maintenance, assembly, production, and development of military vehicles" and initially operate exclusively on the territory of Ukraine, the German Federal Cartel Office said.

11:30 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: European defense leaders visit Kyiv

11:11 PM

Pentagon: Government shutdown to affect F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots.

The Pentagon spokesperson reportedly said during a press briefing that a "shutdown is the worst scenario that can happen to the (Defense) Department" regarding the training of Ukrainian crews on F-16s.

10:43 PM

Belarus claims Polish helicopter violated its airspace, Poland denies.

"At around 15:20, the aircraft crossed the border of the Republic of Belarus, flying into a depth of up to one and a half kilometers," the Belarusian Defense Ministry's press service said.

9:55 PM

The Hill: Republicans remove Ukraine funding from US defense spending bill.

The House Rules Committee convened at night on Sept. 27 to remove the funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative from the defense spending package and instead had it stand as a separate bill, the outlet said.

MORE NEWS

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

Russia’s southern mistake — Surovikin lines, Gerasimov tactics

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Russian State Duma approves ban on gender reassignment

by Martin Fornusek July 14, 2023 12:28 PM 2 min read

A demonstrator holds a placard reading 'Save Trans People in Russia' as transgender people and their supporters march through central London during the fifth Trans Pride protest march for transgender freedom and equality in the UK and globally in London, United Kingdom on July 08, 2023. (Photo credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly, gave its final approval on July 14 to the bill banning gender reassignment.

Upon coming into effect, the new legislation will prohibit medical interventions – both through surgical operations and drug applications – aimed at forming primary or secondary characteristics of the opposite sex.

Only certain medical interventions for the treatment of diseases and anomalies of the genital organs in children will be allowed with the approval of a medical commission.

The law will also prohibit changing gender in government-issued documents and all certificates on gender reassignment of those who have not yet changed their passport will be annulled.

Citizens who underwent gender reassignment will not be allowed to adopt children or become foster parents, the bill stipulates.

Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin praised the legislation for protecting Russian "citizens and children" from the "degeneration of the nation."

The bill must still pass a single reading in the Federation Council, the upper house of the Assembly, and be signed into law by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin before coming into effect.

As The Moscow Times commented, these final steps are mainly seen as formalities.

The legislation attracted international criticism, including denouncements from human rights groups. Human Rights Watch said that the formulations surrounding the bill are emblematic of Moscow's rejection of universal human rights.

The Russian government has been systematically targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Dictator Vladimir Putin signed a law on Dec. 5, 2022, banning the so-called LGBTQ+ "propaganda" in Russia. This prohibited the promotion or "praise" of LGBTQ+ relationships and public expression of non-heterosexual orientations.

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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