The Kyiv Independent Live in London: October 2
Days until event:
The research, conducted by the Centre for Defense Strategies, a Ukrainian security think tank, and shared with the Kyiv Independent, also shows that the majority of companies supplying components used in the production of Molniya drones are not yet subject to Western sanctions.
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
The Kyiv Independent's coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after eight years of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Donbas. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainians. NATO and Western allies have provided military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues across fronts in Ukraine’s south and east.
According to Fedorov, the initiative will be not one company, but an "ecosystem," combining investment, native production, and R&D.
