Kyiv Independent staff reported powerful blasts in central Kyiv, with air raid sirens and mobile notifications sounding only afterward.

Key developments on Oct. 12: * Russian drone attacks throughout the day strike Kyiv apartment block, kill woman, injure 14 * Russia strikes Roshen confectionery factory in Vinnytsia * New interceptor drone destroys two Russian Geran-5 drones in first week, Fedorov says * SBU detains 19-year-old suspected of plotting bomb attack on bus full of soldiers * Fire Point trolls Russia's Yandex after drone attack on data center * Russia-led military bloc launches joint military drills in Belarus

The vote paves the way for the EU to formally open two more accession clusters with Ukraine and Moldova at a meeting in Luxembourg on Oct. 13.

If passed, the bill could help alleviate bottlenecks the State Property Fund has repeatedly faced when trying to sell state-owned assets and help shore up funds for the state budget.

U.S. President Donald Trump had a busy weekend, undermining sanctions on Russia, blaming Ukraine for the war Russia started — again — and insisting that Russian refineries become drone-free zones. "We said you could do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries, because that's a world problem that's caused," Trump said on Oct. 10. "And (President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants to make problems for the world, he wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel. ... W

The Kyiv Independent has learned that the Trump administration threatened senior Ukrainian military and government officials in a push to protect Russian oil refineries. Two Ukrainian officials said their U.S. counterparts had made clear that Washington would hold Kyiv responsible if Russian energy infrastructure were struck during the recently announced ceasefire. "They called all the top military officials with threats," one Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent. "They're telling ever

"The corporation's enterprises produce confectionery products and do not manufacture drones or other products for military purposes. The production complex in Vinnytsia is a civilian facility," the company said.

Ukraine will halt its strikes against Russian refineries only if Moscow ceases its attacks against the Ukrainian power grid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 12, signaling that a refinery-only truce makes little sense for a country with a single, badly damaged refinery.

The release from custody of Iryna Mudra, a former deputy head of the President’s Office, last week followed an unusual development. While Ukrainians had been previously accustomed to corruption suspects easily escaping justice, now the trend was the opposite. Mudra had the money to pay the bail but banks refused to process payments for posting it, fearing that they could be accused of taking part in money laundering. Furthermore, decreasing political protection for corruption suspects may moti

"We are taking this matter very seriously," National Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said at a press briefing on Oct. 11.

The successful test comes as Ukrainian cities are under repeated assault from Russia's new generation of jet-powered drones.

The SBU said it had foiled a series of alleged terrorist plots prepared by Russian intelligence services in Rivne this year. Previous alleged plots targeted a park area and administrative buildings in the city center.

"I'm in shock... I don't know how to carry on. We're all exhausted," Kyiv resident Yuliia Sheremet told the Kyiv Independent as the Russian strike on Ukraine's capital injured her father and severely damaged her house.

The incident follows a series of reported drone strikes on Russian data centers that have disrupted Yandex services.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 12 reiterated his readiness to adhere to the energy truce — provided that Russia follows suit.

"Europe can no longer stay immobilized on Russia's immobilized assets. The leverage is not in holding the money, but in using it for defense," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

The drills involve more than 1,500 military personnel, over 300 pieces of military equipment, and around 80 drones, according to the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

"The Kremlin must see that continued aggression will deepen its isolation. I ask you to take these proposals forward as an urgent priority," writes Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen in a letter seen by the Kyiv Independent.

Overnight on Oct. 12, Russian forces launched 121 Shahed-type attack drones, including 76 jet-powered versions, as well as Gerbera and Parodiya decoy drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.

Of the 77 sanctioned individuals, 74 ran as candidates in the sham elections, while the remaining three were newly elected members of Russia's central electoral commission.

"This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war," chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said, adding that more than half of the roughly 1600 listings "are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles."

"Only when we increase our sanctions, when we show that we are serious, will we deny Russia the possibility to raise havoc in our capitals," Budrys said.

"Let's look at ourselves. The EU first took out two big Russian oligarchs, the biggest ever supporters of Putin's regime, from the sanctions," Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said when asked to comment on a U.S. deal to buy Russian diesel.

The number includes 1,470 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Lawmakers from both major parties argued the move would undermine recently enacted sanctions against Russia, potentially provide Moscow with billions of dollars in revenue, and contradict Congress's efforts to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Inflicting heavy personnel losses has become a stated strategic objective of Ukraine. In January, then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine aimed to "kill 50,000 Russians per month," arguing that losses on that scale could undermine Moscow's ability to sustain the war.

Among those killed were a 16-year-old boy, as well as a 19-year-old woman, and a 51-year-old woman, authorities said, in a strike that landed near a grocery store as well as several residential buildings.

The European Union is set to disburse approximately 3 billion euros ($4.8 billion) of defense support to Ukraine this week as part of the bloc's 90 billion euro support loan ($100 billion) for Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 11.

Ukraine has no information about an energy ceasefire that U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 11, a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.

The attack was the latest in a series targeting the western Ukrainian city, with strikes reported on three days within a four-day period.

The reported pressure preceded President Donald Trump’s announcement on Oct. 11 that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.

"We all know that Trump often says things to keep oil prices from rising," Igor Ananskikh, first deputy chair of the committee, told Russian outlet Ostorozhno Novosti.