News Feed

9:15 PM

EU extends protection for Ukrainian refugees until 2025.

"The EU will support the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes," Spanish acting Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez said. "The prolongation of the protection status offers certainty to the more than 4 million refugees who have found a safe haven in the EU."

8:50 PM

Russian shelling of Kherson kills 3 women.

According to the prosecutors, Russia carried out the attack against the city at 6 p.m., targeting residential districts and causing casualties in the streets.

8:21 PM

Russian shelling of Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, kills 2, injures 3.

According to the prosecutors, Russia shelled the town at 12 p.m. local time using 152 mm artillery. Two men aged 47 and 54 were reportedly killed in the attack. A 60-year-old man and two women aged 45 and 61 suffered injuries as a result of the strike, the Prosecutor's Office said.

8:07 PM

Zelensky meets Stoltenberg, French defense minister in Kyiv.

Zelensky thanked Stoltenberg for a "meaningful conversation" during a press briefing following their talks. The president said that both Kyiv and NATO are doing everything they can to ensure Ukraine becomes a member of the alliance as soon as possible.

6:49 PM

Zaluzhnyi meets UK Defense Staff Chief Radakin.

Zaluzhnyi said during the talks he emphasized the importance of reinforcing Ukraine's air defense capabilities. "I thanked him for his visit and for supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression," Ukraine's top general wrote on Telegram.

6:22 PM

Polish government confirms Ukrainian air defense missile fell on Polish soil last year.

The projectile that caused the death of two people in Poland's Przewodow in November last year was a stray Ukrainian anti-air missile, Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro confirmed, the Polish Radio Lublin reported on Sept. 28.

5:39 PM

Kazakhstan confirms intent to comply with sanctions against Russia.

Kazakhstan will "definitely comply" with the sanctions regime against Russia, the country's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a press briefing on Sept. 28 after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

5:02 PM

EU threatens new drone component bans to countries still re-exporting to Russia, Iran.

The European Commission has warned Western firms and governments it could ban the export of certain components to some third-party countries from where Russia and Iran source drone parts, the Guardian reported on Sept. 28.

4:32 PM

Reuters: UN trade chief says Ukraine's grain corridor is positive step but not lasting solution.

The opening of a humanitarian corridor by Ukraine to bypass Russia's de facto blockade is a move in the right direction, but should not replace a larger deal to resume shipping through the Black Sea, the top United Nations trade chief said in comments to Reuters on Sept. 27.

4:19 PM

Russia attacks Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, injuring 3.

"At 12:50, there was a strike in the residential district of Kostiantynivka," Roslov reportedly said. "According to the latest information, three people were injured, one of them is in serious condition."

3:36 PM

Navalny transferred to single-cell room for a year as appeal rejected.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being transferred to a single-cell room for one year after a Moscow court rejected his appeal against a 19-year sentence on extremism charges on Sept. 27.

2:20 PM

Zelensky meets with UK Defense Minister.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with recently appointed U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps in Kyiv on Sept. 28, the president announced on social media.

1:23 PM

Shelling near Kherson injures 3.

A Russian attack on the village of Antonivka, a suburb of the city of Kherson, injured two women and a man, Roman Mrochko, head of the Kherson city military administration, reported on Telegram on Sept. 28.

12:04 PM

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities dissolve self-declared government.

The president of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Samvel Shakhramanyan, signed a decree on Sept. 28 dissolving all official institutions of the breakaway state from Jan. 1, 2024, Karabakh authorities announced. The government of the self-declared republic will "cease to exist" as an entity from that day, the decree said.

10:35 AM

Media: German-Japanese manufacturer continues to provide Russian military industry with components.

DMG Mori, a German-Japanese company and one of the world’s largest producers of machine cutting tools, has continued to do business with Russian firms that manufacture military hardware, according to an investigation by the independent Russian news agency Agentsvo.

9:42 AM

Media: Poll ahead of upcoming Slovak election shows divide on support for Ukraine.

A poll released ahead of parliamentary elections in Slovakia scheduled for Sept. 30 illustrate the split between the Slovak electorate on support for Ukraine and a slight lead for opposition leader Robert Fico, Slovak newspaper Dennik N reported.

8:40 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 277,320 troops in Ukraine.

The figure includes an additional 330 casualties reported over the past day.

7:55 AM

Military: Over 30 drones downed overnight on Sept 28.

Ukraine's air defense shot down over 30 drones that Russian forces launched overnight on Sept. 28, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson of Ukraine's Southern Operational Command, said on air.

6:29 AM

ISW: Ukraine appears to marginally advance near Bakhmut.

Geolocated footage published on Sept. 26 and analyzed by the Institute for the Study of War indicates that Ukrainian forces advanced near the village of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, located 11 kilometers northwest of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

4:54 AM

North Korea advancing weapons deal with Russia.

North Korea is continuing arms negotiations with Russia and intends to strike a deal soon, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Sept. 27.

3:41 AM

Ukrainian players shine at League Cup matches.

Three Ukrainian footballers had strong performances at the League Cup quarterfinals on Sept. 27 in the U.K., bringing further attention to the country’s sports potential, Channel 24 reports.

2:57 AM

Trudeau apologizes for honoring Nazi veteran.

"This was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

2:22 AM

CNN: House Republicans to reject Senate deal as US shutdown nears.

The bill includes an additional $6.1 billion in funding for Ukraine, comprising $4.5 billion for defense equipment and $1.6 billion in fiscal budget support.

1:57 AM

WSJ: Scholz blocks transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine due to fear of Russia.

Other members of Germany’s ruling coalition have approved sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. On Sept. 4, German MP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann wrote on Twitter that "he (Scholtz) alone blocks this decision within the coalition".

1:48 AM

Zelensky teases new national security measures.

“Ukraine will be stronger. Ukraine will have more capabilities to defend itself,” the president said.

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News Feed, National, Loan, World Bank, Covid-19

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World Bank to lend 300 million euros to back reforms, mitigate pandemic in Ukraine

by Oleg Sukhov December 19, 2021 7:19 PM 1 min read

President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with the President of the World Bank Group in Washington on Sep. 1, 2021. (president.gov.ua)

This audio is created with AI assistance

The World Bank on Dec. 17 approved a 300 million euro loan to Ukraine to support reforms and help mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Economic Recovery Development Policy Loan aims to support the de-monopolization of the economy, strengthen anti-corruption institutions, improve land and credit markets, including access to finance for small farmers, and bolster the safety net for elderly Ukrainians who are vulnerable to Covid-19, the World Bank said in a press release.

“Amid high levels of economic vulnerability, a slow and uneven recovery from the Covid-19 shock is underway in Ukraine, and we hope this loan will provide the necessary support to reforms aimed at fostering a stronger, more inclusive recovery,” said Arup Banerji, the World Bank’s regional country director for Eastern Europe.

The World Bank last gave Ukraine a Development Policy Loan of $350 million in June 2020 to support the launch of land reform and help the Ukrainian government boost growth and investments in this sector.

On Dec. 10, the World Bank also announced it will give Ukraine $150 million to respond to the Covid-19 threat by buying 16.5 million vaccine doses and developing Covid-related outreach, communication and logistics networks.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Bank has provided Ukraine with a total of $2.3 billion in budget support and investment projects.

Oleg Sukhov

Reporter

Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.

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