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7:17 AM

General CQ Brown succeeds Mark Milley as US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

The chairman is the highest-ranking member of the U.S. military. Milley served in the role for four years before retiring on Sept. 29.

6:19 AM

ISW: Russia's FSB supports law expanding digital surveillance.

Amendments to a proposed bill in the Russian State Duma would allow law enforcement agencies direct access to personal data from Russian internet, banking, and telecom companies.

5:25 AM

Ukrainian refugee children in EU face 'perpetual uncertainty'.

Children who fled Ukraine for EU countries following Russia's all-out war struggle with language barriers, disrupted education, and psychological trauma, the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) reported on Sept. 29.

4:20 AM

Bryansk Oblast governor claims Ukrainian attack disrupted local power supply.

Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked the village of Pogar and disrupted the local power supply in the early hours of Sept. 30.

3:53 AM

Russian forces attack 9 communities in Sumy Oblast.

The communities of Esman, Shalyhyne, Mykolaiv, Putyvl, Velyka Pysarivka, Khotin, Krasnopillia, and Yunakivka came under fire.

3:29 AM

Putin declares holiday commemorating occupation of Ukrainian regions.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree marking Sept. 30 as a "reunification day" commemorating Russia's illegal annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

2:34 AM

Russian attack damages infrastructure in Vinnytsia Oblast.

On attack on Vinnystia Oblast the night of Sept. 30 damaged an infrastructure facility in the region, Oblast Governor Serhii Borzov reported via Telegram.

2:17 AM

Armenia sues Azerbaijan in International Court of Justice.

The request calls on the court to uphold the rights protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

1:32 AM

Front-line photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk killed in action.

Myroniuk, aged 59, was an independent photographer who documented Ukrainian soldiers at the front.

12:37 AM

New round of Russian conscription will include Ukraine's occupied territories.

The fall 2023 conscription will include the illegally annexed areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

10:59 PM

Ukraine removes companies from 'international sponsor of war' list as part of military aid negotiations.

The NACP hopes that this will "lead to Hungary’s unblocking of €500 million of vital EU military aid for the Ukrainian people, and will also eliminate the possibility of Greece blocking the future EU sanctions package aimed at reducing Russia’s ability to continue the war."

9:15 PM

Deputy Economy Minister: Ukraine aims to reach pre-war levels of growth in 4 years.

Ukraine aims for its economy to regain pre-war levels of growth in four years, Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev said in an interview with Ukrinform on Sept. 29. Sobolev expects further integration with the European Union and joining NATO will be a prerequisite for strong growth in the future.

8:09 PM

Reuters: Romania moves air defense systems to border with Ukraine.

Romania is moving its air defense systems closer to its border with Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 29. Additional measures include the deployment of four U.S. F-16 jets and an expanded no-fly zone.

7:54 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russia reduces offensive pace on Kupiansk-Kreminna line

7:23 PM

Norway restricts entry to Russian cars.

Russian-registered cars with nine or fewer seats will not be able to enter Norway from midnight on Oct. 2, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 29.

6:44 PM

Gazprom reports gas production drop of 25%.

The state-owned Russian energy company Gazprom has released figures showing that its gas production fell by 25%, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Sept. 28. The reporting period compares the first half of 2023 with the first half of 2022.

5:30 PM

Russians to compete as neutral athletes at 2024 Paralympics.

Russian athletes will be able to compete as individual or neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, the International Paralympic Committee 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.

MORE NEWS

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Russian TV host: Wagner made close to $10 billion from state contracts

by The Kyiv Independent news desk July 2, 2023 2:36 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian TV show host Dmitriy Kiselev claimed that the Kremlin has spent 858 billion rubles ($9.8 billion at current rates) on funding Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group.

According to Kiselev, a further 845 billion rubles on contracts to other companies run by Prigozhin's holding Concord Group, bring the total to almost $20 billion, though the real figure is less given the fall of the ruble since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The claim likely refers to the sum total of all federal contracts with these companies. Wagner Group was created in 2013.

Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia paid Wagner around $1 billion from May 22 through May 23, a rare admission that might make prosecuting the Russian dictator for war crimes easier, the Guardian reported.

Prigozhin got his start with federal catering contracts, earning him the moniker of "Putin's chef". By having Putin's ear, his companies have grown until they supplied and maintained just about the entire armed forces.

Wagner Group was Russia's top mercenary company, which served state interests and was a key force in Russia's war against Ukraine, until a recent mutiny by Prigozhin and the unit.

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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