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Donetsk Oblast: News

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Ukraine war latest: Record Russian military budget for 2027 confirms no interest in ending war

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

Reporter's Notebook: How constant drone attacks became a normal workday in Kyiv

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

People walk past a building damaged by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 23, 2026.

About Donetsk Oblast

The Kyiv Independent's news and on-the-ground reporting from Donetsk Oblast, covering 26,517 square kilometers (10,239 square miles) in Ukraine’s East with a pre-war population of approximately 4.1 million. The administrative center is Kramatorsk, as Donetsk city has remained under Russian occupation since 2014. Donetsk Oblast has been the scene of intense fighting, for example, around the cities of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar, as Moscow attempts to capture the entire region.

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