Ukraine received a new delivery of missiles for NASAMS air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sept. 29, as the country faces a shortage.

Key developments on Sept. 29: * Russia to raise military spending by 27% in 2027, highest level in war so far, media reports * Russian military units allegedly involved in Oleshky humanitarian crisis identified * Putin restricts publication of Russian refinery, energy data amid Ukrainian strikes * Russian troops using civilians as 'human shields' to flee via Kupiansk pipeline, Khartiia Corps claims * Tu-95 aircraft crashed in Russia's Amur Oblast during training, killing 6 crew members, Mo

The school's pupils were in the building's shelter at the time of the attack, Sumy Oblast governor Oleh Hryhorov.

Russian troops use Oleshky to launch attacks across the river, including on the liberated city of Kherson.

Compared to the most recent figure from July 2026, the decree increases total staff by only around 15,500, is the fourth such incremental raise announced this year.

Wednesday, Sept. 23, was supposed to be a normal office day for me, researching for an investigative story. But amid Russia's daily drone and missile barrages, the word "normal" has taken on a new meaning for Ukrainians. Since August, Russian attacks on Kyiv and other cities have intensified, enabled by faster, jet-powered versions of Shahed drones that are more difficult to intercept. Unlike the nightly drone and missile attacks Ukrainians had grown used to, these new attack waves stretch thr

The recent Russian seizure of assets belonging to corporate giants Nestle and Auchan made headlines, all the more striking given the companies' years of loyalty to the Kremlin regime, including throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This action seems shocking, but should not be surprising. Fascist imperial Russia has not seen and does not see Western companies as partners for mutual benefit, only as targets for weaponization, manipulation, and confiscation. One can only wonder wh

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has already received urgent ammunition shipments for F-16s from Belgium and other Western allies, including Spain.

Tatarov is one of Ukraine's most controversial officials. He was charged with bribery in 2020 but the case was later closed due to alleged obstruction by law enforcement agencies and courts.

"We should make an offer to the Americans. They want fertilizers, including nitrogen fertilizers, so please, let's build it together, using your (U.S.) ​technology," Lukashenko said in a conversation with Aleksey Russkikh, governor of Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast, in Minsk.

U.S. President Donald Trump privately doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to an energy ceasefire with Ukraine before winter, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The doubts come as Washington presses both Kyiv and Moscow to halt attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, one of the key issues in recent peace talks. Trump has publicly pushed Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy facilities, while Moscow has yet to signal that it is ready to accept

Croatian authorities detained scuba diver Volodymyr Zhuravliov on Aug. 19 under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany in connection with the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream pipelines.

The Kyiv Independent is proud to announce that Chief Operating Officer Zakhar Protsiuk has been named in the International News Media Association’s (INMA) 2026 30 Under 30 Awards, recognizing young media professionals making an impact on the news industry.

The preliminary cause of the nighttime crash is believed to be a fuel explosion on board, according to the Telegram channel Baza, which has ties to the Russian security services.

The Ukrainian judicial watchdog Dejure argued in June that "rather than improving the integrity declaration system, (the integrity declarations law) effectively dismantles integrity declarations as a meaningful tool for holding judges accountable."

Children, elderly people, and a person on crutches walked alongside draft-age men who were likely Russian soldiers wearing civilian clothes, according to Khartiia Corps' drone footage.

The victim was injured in a six-story apartment building that was hit in the Holosiivskyi district, where 10 others were also evacuated, according to the State Emergency Service.

The Air Force said that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with an Onyx and Zircon anti-ship missile, two Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, and 152 attack drones, 82 of which were jet-powered.

The Norwegian government said it had set aside 15 million Norwegian kroner ($1.5 million) to assist UNICEF's work in reintegrating previously deported Ukrainian children and tracing those who are still missing.

Estonia can say "with certainty" that the attack overnight on Aug. 15 "was an act of sabotage ordered by the special services of the Russian Federation," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement shared with the Kyiv Independent.

The number includes 1,440 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Over central Kyiv, air defense systems were reported to be active, filling the city with sounds of blasts and explosions. Multiple attacks across the capital injured nine, said Klitschko. Six of the injured were hospitalized, including one child.

Limiting the dissemination of information on export volumes, buyers, transport routes and terminals can make it more difficult for governments and researchers to track Russian energy flows and identify potential sanctions evasion.

Metro AG is one of the world’s largest retailers, specializing in food wholesale and food distribution to restaurants and hotels. Metro AG first entered the Russian market in 2001 and now operates 91 wholesale stores, employing around 9,000 employees in the country.

Russia is planning to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on its military in 2027, an increase of around 27% over the previously budgeted amount.

The president said that Russia is looking to "increase the involvement of foreigners" in its armed forces. North Korea is preparing to deploy another 10,000 troops against Ukraine, in addition to the more than 8,000 military personnel currently stationed in Russia.

On the last day of his official visit to France, Pope Leo XIV called for concessions to create peace between Russia and Ukraine. The pontiff did not give details on what a peaceful resolution for the war would entail.

In 1991, Ukraine inherited the second-largest defense industrial complex of the Soviet Union. It was so big that almost a third of the Soviet space industry sat on Ukrainian soil, and the system employed millions of people. Pivdenmash, a rocket and space technology juggernaut, built the most powerful intercontinental missiles on the planet. Antonov, a world-famous brand, produced the world's largest aircraft. The city of Kharkiv designed tanks, and Mykolaiv launched aircraft-carrying cruisers.

Ukraine just angered another partner — one sitting on an arsenal of weapons that Kyiv wants. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Sept. 23 announcement at the U.N. General Assembly that Ukraine’s two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) were sent to South Korea was not well received in Seoul. "It was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose, considering the many problems it may cause when disclosed, and (we) had agreed to do so," South Korean President Lee Jae Myung responded, claiming that Kyiv

Key developments on Sept. 28: * Medical center, science academy struck in downtown Kyiv as all-day Russian drone attacks continue * Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi liberates 3 more settlements, inflicts 2,000 Russian losses, 3rd Army Corps announces * Trump wants Zelensky to ease strikes on Russian refineries, Ukraine official says deal must go both ways * Poland to ease rules for shooting down drones, missiles entering from Russia * Ukrnafta installs concrete shelters at Kyiv gas stations ami

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the drone struck Ukrainian territory around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Dorohusk crossing and did not enter Polish airspace.

When asked what concerned them most, 50% of Ukrainians cited corruption, while 40% cited Russia’s mass missile and drone attacks.