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10:26 PM

Armenian Health Ministry: 125 killed in Nagorno-Karabakh fuel depot explosion.

The explosion at a crowded fuel depot in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 25 has killed at least 125 people, Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said at a news conference on Sept. 26.

9:22 PM

Zelensky meets with Austrian National Council President in Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Austrian National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka for his "constant support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," during their meeting on Sept. 26 in Kyiv.

8:30 PM

Shmyhal: Government implements 7 steps needed for EU accession talks.

The government has approved the "Unity in Diversity" State Target Program, and therefore has implemented all seven steps recommended by the European Commission for European Union accession talks to begin, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Sept. 26.

8:13 PM

Norway to donate $92 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The latest support is meant to ensure access to "necessary protection" and "vital assistance" to civilians in the upcoming winter months as Russia is expected to escalate its attacks on the country's infrastructure.

7:35 PM

Russian shelling of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast injures civilian.

The civilian was hospitalized following the strike, the prosecutors said. According to the report, houses, farm buildings, and a car were damaged in the shelling.

6:52 PM

Navy: 7 vessels have left Odesa through temporary Black Sea corridor so far.

The Navy official clarified that this number includes five vessels that were docked in Odesa ports before the start of the full-scale invasion and two ships that have recently entered and left.

6:35 PM

Russian attack injures 3 in Kherson.

A Russian attack on Kherson injured three people this afternoon, Roman Mrochko, head of the Kherson city military administration, reported on Telegram on Sept. 26. So far today, six civilians have been injured as a result of Russian strikes on the city in just one day, Mrochko said.

6:09 PM

EU Commission names social platform X leading disinformation source.

EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova noted that compared to other major players such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, TikTok, or LinkedIn, the X platform has the largest ratio of misinformation and disinformation posts.

5:57 PM

Health Ministry clarifies rules for military registration of women with medical education.

The Health Ministry clarified its previous announcement on the rules pertaining to women with medical education during martial law, noting that women with such backgrounds are still permitted to travel abroad during martial law.

4:29 PM

Opinion

Richard Cashman: The diaspora holds the key to shaping Ukraine policy abroad

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.

2:18 PM

BBC: Russia seeks to rejoin UN Human Rights Council.

Russia seeks to rejoin the UN Human Rights Council after being expelled last year because of its invasion of Ukraine, the BBC reported on Sept. 26, citing a position paper distributed by Russian diplomats to UN members.

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.

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 intelligence: Russia aims to russify illegally annexed regions via sham elections in September.

by The Kyiv Independent news desk February 6, 2023 11:15 AM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia plans to hold sham regional “elections” in illegally “annexed” occupied territories of Ukraine on Sept. 10, according to Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, the Russian parliament's upper house.

The sham votes, which are expected to take place on the same day as elections in Russian regions, show the Kremlin’s ambition to present the areas as integral parts of Russia, even though Russian forces don’t control a major part of the annexed areas, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in an update on Feb. 6.

This announcement follows efforts to russify the occupied areas, which include revision of the education, communication, and transport systems, the report read.

Russian leaders will likely argue that the staged elections further justify the occupation as they did with the sham referendum in Crimea in 2014, the ministry said.

Real democratic choices are no longer available to voters at even regional level elections in Russia, where votes are rigged in favor of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, according to the ministry.

Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014.

It also claimed to annex Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts in September 2022 after sham referendums. Russian troops do not have full control of these regions, and two regional capitals - Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - are under Ukrainian control.

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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