News Feed

4:56 AM

Russian forces shell 5 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Russia shelled five communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Oct. 2, firing 13 times throughout the day, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Telegram. 50 explosions were recorded.

2:56 AM

Drone shot down over Bryansk Oblast, Russian official claims.

Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed the drone was shot down over the region's Trubchevsky district. No casualties or damage were reported.

2:33 AM

AP: Pentagon running out of money for Ukraine.

Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord warned the U.S. Congress that diminishing funds for Ukraine could cause delays in critical weapons and supply shipments, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 2.

1:37 AM

US State Department: Congress must 'take action' on Ukraine funding.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure on Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown. The bill funds the government for 45 days, but does not include provisions for further Ukraine aid.

1:19 AM

War analysis

Our readers' questions about the war, answered. Vol. 4

12:45 AM

PM Shmyhal: EU-Ukraine Association Council to meet in December.

The meeting was planned during a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv led by EU High Representative Josep Borrell.

12:32 AM

Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly — Issue 104

12:13 AM

Germany delivers ammunition, other equipment to Ukraine.

Germany has transferred over 32,000 rounds of 40-mm ammunition, dozens of all-terrain and border protection vehicles, and other military equipment to Ukraine as part of its latest aid package, the German government reported on Oct. 2.

12:09 AM

Energy

With winter approaching, is Ukraine's energy system ready for renewed Russian attacks?

11:35 PM

Denmark allocates $14 million to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.

"The Ukrainians are still in a situation where they are acutely short of artillery ammunition… Denmark will contribute to more joint purchases of ammunition and remains prepared to support Ukraine in the long run," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.

11:13 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Oct. 1 strikes on Russian plant disrupted missile manufacturing, military intelligence says

10:46 PM

SBU: Sumy officials arrested for taking $58,000 bribe.

The mayor of Sumy and chief of the city council’s infrastructure department were arrested when receiving the last tranche of a Hr 2.13 million ($58,000) bribe, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on Oct. 2.

10:14 PM

Kuleba: EU reaches consensus on Ukraine's membership bid.

The European Union has reached a consensus regarding Ukraine's membership in the bloc, which is "only a matter of time," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Oct. 2, as reported by European Pravda.

10:02 PM

High Anti-Corruption Court provides first monetary award to whistleblower.

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) announced on Oct. 2 that it had ruled to pay Hr 13.3 million (about $360,000) to a whistleblower in the case of a $6 million bribe attempted by a former first deputy head of the Kyiv tax service back in 2020.

8:46 PM

Politico: White House more worried about corruption in Ukraine than it publicly admits.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration prepared a confidential strategy document that sees corruption in Ukraine as the real threat, allegedly warning that Western support may depend on Kyiv's anti-graft efforts, Politico reported on Oct. 2.

8:37 PM

DTEK: Russian strikes damage warehouses in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Russian forces attacked warehouses of Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Oct. 2, causing damage to cables, transformers, and other electrical equipment, the company said on the Telegram messaging app.

7:49 PM

Podolyak: Elon Musk's irony encourages Russian propaganda.

Elon Musk shared an insulting doctored meme of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Twitter on Oct. 2, insinuating that Zelensky asks for too much aid for Ukraine.

7:38 PM

Ukraine receives first set of refurbished Leopard tanks from Poland.

The first package of Leopard 2 tanks has been to Ukraine after being repaired in Poland from battlefield damage, the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) announced on Twitter on Oct. 2.

6:51 PM

Prosecutor General's Office: 504 Ukrainian children killed during Russia's full-scale invasion, more than 1,100 injured.

The Prosecutor General's office reported on Oct. 2 that 504 Ukrainian children have been officially documented as killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion last year.

6:21 PM

Zelensky calls for cooperation, new sanctions against Russia at EU foreign ministers meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the need for a new round of European Union sanctions against Russia during a historic joint meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv on Oct. 2.

6:07 PM

Prosecutor General’s Office: Russian air strike on Kupiansk injures 2.

Russian forces used a guided aerial bomb to carry out the attack, according to preliminary data cited by prosecutors. Several residential buildings and civilian cars were damaged, adds the report.

5:15 PM

Media: Poland claims state defense corporation not invited to forum in Kyiv, Ukraine denies.

In contradictory comments on Oct. 2, the Polish Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin said that the largest Polish state-run defense corporation was not invited to the recent Defense Industry Forum in Kyiv, while Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Svarych, said that Poland was among the first to receive an invitation.

5:07 PM

Minister: Units supported by 'Army of Drones' hit record number of Russian artillery over last week.

Ukrainian drone units supported by the "Army of Drones" initiative destroyed or damaged 69 towed artillery pieces and 17 self-propelled howitzers from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported.

4:39 PM

Romania vows support for Ukraine's EU aspirations, grain transit.

"Romania and some of the other (EU) members with the longest borders with Ukraine understand well the consequences of the war in Ukraine," Romania's top diplomat, Luminita Odobescu, said in Kyiv ahead of the meeting of the EU's foreign ministers.

3:43 PM

Denmark backs creation of $21 billion Ukraine military support fund.

Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, suggested in July to create a fund to reimburse member states' expenses on arms donations to Ukraine. The money is meant to cover both lethal and non-lethal equipment, allowing countries who adhere to the neutrality principle also to contribute.

MORE NEWS

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

Military intelligence: Sudan strike on Wagner signals Russia's decreasing influence in Africa

CNN: Military source says Ukraine 'likely' behind strike on Wagner forces in Sudan

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White House: Russia seeks to buy more munitions from North Korea

by Martin Fornusek August 4, 2023 10:18 AM 2 min read

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia seeks to buy more munitions from North Korea for the war in Ukraine as Moscow grows increasingly dependent on foreign supplies, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Aug. 3, citing U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Kirby said that according to U.S. intelligence, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the request last week during his visit to Pyongyang on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

According to the White House, Shoigu's pitch highlights Moscow's growing dependence on countries like Iran or North Korea in terms of arms supplies for Russian troops in Ukraine.

“This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin has become because his war machine is being affected by the sanctions and the export controls," Kirby told journalists.

"He is going through a vast amount of inventory to try to subjugate Ukraine, and he's reaching out to countries like North Korea, like Iran, and certainly he's been trying to reach out to China to get support for his war machine."

In the spring of 2023, Moscow reportedly approached Pyongyang with the offer of food supplies in exchange for weapons. North Korea has been heavily militarized since the end of the war with its Southern Korean neighbors in 1953 but suffers from chronic food shortages.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un previously expressed "full support" for Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Russia has been also massively deploying Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine, and U.S. intelligence reported in late July that China is providing Moscow with significant supplies of drones and dual-use technology that can be utilized for military purposes.

Martin Fornusek

News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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