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3:49 PM

Erdogan: Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO bid if US approves F-16 sales to Ankara.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish parliament would ratify Sweden's accession to NATO if the U.S. approves the sale of its F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, Reuters reported on Sept. 26.

3:22 PM

Russia shows alleged footage of Black Sea Fleet commander previously reported killed.

Russia's Defense Ministry published a video on Sept. 26 of a meeting between military leadership with Admiral Viktor Sokolov, previously reported by Ukraine as killed, joining the meeting through a video call. The Kyiv Independent couldn't immediately verify the date the meeting took place.

3:12 PM

Media: Ukraine hits Russian command post in occupied Kherson Oblast.

A Ukrainian HIMARS strike hit a temporary Russian command post in the occupied territory of Kherson Oblast during a meeting of Russian officers, Hromadske media outlet reported, citing its source in Ukraine's Security Service.

2:03 PM

German foreign minister acknowledges some of Berlin's weapons are outdated, inoperational.

When asked if she's worried about a recent delivery of allegedly faulty Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock admitted some German weapons are outdated and "not really functioning."

1:34 PM

Media: Polish investigation concludes Ukrainian air defense missile fell on Polish soil last year.

Polish experts had concluded that the projectile that caused the death of two people in Poland's Przewodow last year was a stray Ukrainian anti-air missile launched to intercept a Russian strike, the Rzeczpospolita newspaper reported on Sept. 26, citing its sources.

12:36 PM

SBU detains priest of Kremlin-linked church over selling arms.

In Kherson, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the police had detained a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate who was allegedly selling Russian weapons and ammunition, the SBU announced on Sept. 26.

11:45 AM

Russian attacks kill 9, injure 13 in Ukraine over past day.

Russian multi-weapon attacks against Ukraine killed nine civilians and wounded another 13 on Sept. 25, regional authorities reported on Sept. 26.

10:59 AM

Authorities: Russian morning attack on Kherson injures 2.

Russian forces struck Kherson’s Korabelnyi district early on Sept. 26, with one of the projectiles falling in a house’s yard, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported.

10:37 AM

UK Defense Ministry: Strikes on Black Sea Fleet hinder Russia's blockade capabilities.

The Russian fleet's ability to continue regional security patrols and enforce its de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports will likely be reduced, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 26.

9:02 AM

Russia’s overnight attack against Ukraine injures 2, damages infrastructure.

Russia launched a total of 38 Shahed-136/131 drones at Ukraine overnight on Sept. 26, according to the Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 26 drones.

8:11 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 276,670 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on Sept. 26 that Russia had also lost 4,672 tanks, 8,496 armored fighting vehicles, 8,763 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,299 artillery systems, 792 multiple launch rocket systems, 533 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,924 drones, and 20 boats.

7:36 AM

National Resistance Center: Russian forces impose curfews, censorship in occupied Donetsk Oblast.

In Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast, occupation authorities have introduced a curfew and begun censoring communications, the National Resistance Center reported on Sept. 25.

7:10 AM

German Foreign Minister: The German people continue to support Ukraine.

When asked whether German support for Ukraine is lagging due to economic woes, Baerbock responded with an adamant "no."

5:44 AM

UN Commission finds evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces.

The United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has found continuing evidence that Russian troops are committing war crimes, according to the Commission's latest report on Sept. 25.

5:08 AM

ISW: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful attacks near Avdiivka and Marinka.

On Sept. 25, Russian forces failed in ground attacks near Avdiivka and Marinka on the western outskirts of Donetsk, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.

3:47 AM

Looming US shutdown threatens Ukraine aid.

The potential U.S. federal government shutdown on Oct. 1 may complicate the delivery of aid packages to Ukraine, according to the State Department.

3:05 AM

Russia continues attacks on Sumy Oblast, targeting 8 communities.

Russian forces stepped up artillery strikes on Sumy Oblast on Sept. 25, targeting eight border communities, local authorities reported on Telegram.

1:59 AM

Lviv mayor: Energy grid fortified, prepared for winter.

Lviv’s energy infrastructure is better protected this year by air defenses and the city’s electricity and heating supplies are adequately stocked for winter, mayor Andriy Sadovy told local news outlet Zaxid.net.

12:55 AM

New US sanctions hit Russian, Chinese companies over war involvement.

The U.S. government imposed fresh sanctions on five Russian and 11 Chinese companies for their role in supplying drone technology components used in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 25.

12:25 AM

Counteroffensive

Overcoming setbacks, NATO-trained brigade breaches Surovikin line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

11:49 PM

Explosions reported in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Several explosions have been heard in Russian-occupied Crimea on the evening of Sept. 25, according to videos shared on social media and reports from the occupation authorities.

10:54 PM

Russian attack on Odesa damages 9 buildings in historic city center.

The blast wave from the attack on the nearby port damaged the windows and facades of the Vorontsov Palace and eight buildings on the Prymorskyi Boulevard, according to the Culture Ministry.

10:30 PM

Media: Fuel depot explodes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

An explosion at a crowded fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh may have resulted in mass casualties, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Armenian service reported on Sept. 25.

10:24 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russian Black Sea Fleet commander killed in Sevastopol strike; Abrams tanks arrive in Ukraine

8:56 PM

Russian attack kills 3, injures 3 in Kherson.

A Russian attack on Kherson has killed two men and one woman, and injured three other civilians, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Sept. 25.

MORE NEWS

Ukraine strikes Russian military base of drone operators

Uncertain Triumph: Ukraine picks apart Russia's best air defenses in Crimea

General: Ukraine had only 1,500 soldiers in south when Russia launched full-scale invasion

UK Defense Ministry: Thousands of Russian airborne troops redeployed to Robotyne as infantry

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UK Defense Ministry: Thousands of Russian airborne troops redeployed to Robotyne as infantry

by Dinara Khalilova September 18, 2023 2:37 PM 2 min read

Russian soldiers patrol a street on April 11, 2022, in Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast. (Alexander Nemenov /AFP via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia has likely redeployed at least five airborne regiments to the area of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast to reinforce the "hard-pressed" 58th Combined Arms Army, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 18.

“At full strength, such a force should constitute around 10,000 elite paratroopers,” the ministry wrote in its latest intelligence update. “However, almost all units are highly likely dramatically under strength.”

The personnel were drawn from the 7th and 76th divisions of Russia’s Airborne Troops, also known as VDV, according to the update.

The U.K. defense ministry said that the VDV leadership would most likely consider the current situation “highly unsatisfactory.”

“Throughout the war, Russian commanders have attempted to regenerate the airborne forces as a highly mobile, striking force for offensive operations. Once again, they are being used as line infantry to augment over-stretched ground forces,” the report concludes.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been ongoing for more than three months in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Over the past week, Ukrainian forces advanced south and east of Robotyne, having liberated 5.2 square kilometers of land, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Sept. 18.

Ukraine’s military has regained a total of 260 square kilometers in the south since the beginning of the counteroffensive in June, according to Maliar.

Dinara Khalilova

News Editor

Dinara Khalilova is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She has previously worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from Bournemouth University in the UK.

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