News Feed

5:30 PM

Russians to compete as neutral athletes at 2024 Paralympics.

Russians will be able to compete as individual or neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Sept. 29.

4:46 PM

Belarus weekly

Belarus Weekly: 2 Belarus delegations compete for attention at UN General Assembly

4:43 PM

UK sanctions Russians involved in organizing sham elections in occupied parts of Ukraine.

The U.K. has announced new sanctions against Russian officials for their involvement in organizing sham elections in occupied territories of Ukraine, the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced on Sept. 29.

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

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Russian media: Putin requests Orthodox Christmas ceasefire on front line in Ukraine

by The Kyiv Independent news desk January 5, 2023 5:17 PM 2 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to implement a temporary ceasefire along the entire front line in Ukraine from midday on Jan. 6 to midnight on Jan. 7, according to Russian state media agency RIA Novosti, citing an official Kremlin press release.

Earlier on Jan. 5, Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church and a fervent supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine, had called for a "Christmas Truce" inspired by the famous ceasefire on the Western Front on Dec. 24, 1914, so that Orthodox Christian soldiers on both sides "could visit church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day".

“Given the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill," Putin's statement read, "I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is yet to comment on the Russian planned truce, but presidential advisor Mykhailo Podoliak issued a firm rebuttal on Twitter.

"RF must leave the occupied territories - only then will it have a "temporary truce", he said.

Ukraine has so far given no sign of any intention to observe such a ceasefire themselves, as Russian missile, drone, and artillery attacks on cvilians and critical infrastructure have continued at high intensity over the winter holiday period.

On Dec. 24, ten civilians were killed and 58 wounded by a Russian rocket strike on central Kherson, the southern city that was liberated in November after eight months under Russian occupation.

On New Year's Eve, Russia launched its latest mass missile attack on Ukrainian cities, killing one and injuring 28 civilians around the country.

The Russian Orthodox Church and some other Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, while a majority around the world celebrate it on Dec. 25. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine had historically preferred the Jan. 7 date but allowed its parishes to celebrate on Dec. 25 in 2022.

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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