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President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to fire Ruslan Demchenko, first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO), on July 25. Demchenko has occupied the post since June 2020. According to an investigation by RFE/RL's program Schemes published in November 2021, Demchenko lobbied for the signing of the so-called Kharkiv accords in 2010, an agreement between Ukraine and Russia that in exchange for some discounts on gas allowed Russia to extend the lease of its naval base in Crimea and eventually helped Russia in its 2014 occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula.
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Monday, September 21
In addition to the drones, most of which Zelensky said were jet-powered and capable of reaching 600 kilometers per hour (nearly 370 miles per hour), Russian forces launched 1,700 air bombs and 19 missiles of various types.
The far-right, Kremlin-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was projected to take first place in regional elections in Germany on Sept. 20, delivering a stinging defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right party.
As is typical of elections in Russia, the results are widely considered by independent election monitors to be predetermined by Putin and his regime.
Sunday, September 20
President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are planning to meet in New York, Zelensky said on Sept. 20 following a phone call between the two leaders.
Warehouse facilities caught fire and businesses and vehicles were damaged across Kyiv Oblast following a Russian drone attack on Sept. 20, regional authorities reported.
The prevalence of drones from both sides has significantly changed assault tactics, making heavy equipment such as tanks a rare sight on the battlefield.
(Updated: )
Moscow Oblast came under a large-scale drone attack, with Russian air defenses downing 249 drones, according to local authorities.
The Kyiv Independent’s reporter Kateryna Denisova and War Crimes Investigations Unit journalist and political blogger Danylo Mokryk argue that recent corruption scandals, tensions around anti-corruption institutions, and a growing lack of political accountability are changing the balance of power inside Ukraine.
The Air Force reported that Russian troops launched 138 attack drones against Ukraine, of which 101 were intercepted.
"As promised, I am reporting good news," corps commander Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi said in a statement on Sept. 20.
The number includes 1,560 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
It is Russia's first parliamentary election since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The statement followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to place the Russian operations of Nestle and Auchan under temporary administration.
"Our shared European home is not the place for 'Russian houses' promoting war propaganda," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
