Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 27 at Trump Tower in New York City. Zelensky has been in the U.S. since Sept. 22, engaging in a series
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed below are those of the author(s) and signatories and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Dear U.S. President Joe Biden, As Ukrainian cities continue to be targeted by Russian missiles and drones, bringing death and devastation to
In a meeting with a top Russian militant, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko admits to a decade-long cooperation with occupied Donetsk and complicity in hosting abducted Ukrainian children. The U.S. condemns Belarusian state-owned TV channel for broadcasting “repentance” of U.S. citizen turned Belarusian political prisoner Yury Ziankovich. Far-right German
A Russian assault near the village of Pishchane in Kharkiv Oblast was repelled, and dozens of vehicles damaged and destroyed, the Achilles drone strike battalion of Ukraine's 92nd Separate Special Forces Brigade claimed on Sept. 27. Commander Yurii Fedosenko said Moscow's forces had attempted to advance toward Kolesnykivka and Kruhliakivka
Russia is attempting to bolster defenses around the Crimean Bridge using underwater drone traps, it was reported on Sept. 27. According to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, the metal structures have been put in place using barges and a floating crane for the last month. An unverified photo accompanying the
A top aide of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticized Ukraine's resistance to Russia's full-scale invasion, calling it "irresponsible" and suggesting his country would have advised against fighting back if it had been asked. Balazs Orban – no relation to the prime minister – made the comments when discussing Hungary's anti-Soviet
Kyiv did not conduct a Qatar-brokered "exchange" of children with Moscow, Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Sept. 27. Lubinets refuted an AFP report citing an unnamed Qatari official who claimed nine children and one adult had allegedly returned to Ukraine, while four children "will be reunited with their families
Editor's note: This story is being updated. A Russian missile struck a district police department in the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Governor Serhii Lysak reported on Sept. 27. One woman was killed and at least six men were injured, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed eight people and injured at least 49 others over the past day, regional authorities said on Sept. 27. Ukrainian forces downed 24 out of 32 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. One more drone was "lost," and another entered Romanian airspace,
LATEST: Crimean bridge defenses being bolstered by underwater drone traps, according to reports. Russia is building a new but unidentified structure near the Crimean Bridge, Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on national television on Sept. 26. The purpose of the construction is not yet currently known for certain, Pletenchuk said,
Russia has lost 649,170 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Sept. 27. This number includes 1,370 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day. According to the report, Russia has
The Kremlin on Sept. 26 emphasized that President Vladimir Putin’s revisions to Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine should serve as a warning to Western nations, making clear that involvement in attacks on Russia would carry serious repercussions. A day earlier, Putin announced that Russia could respond to conventional missile
U.S. intelligence agencies have cautioned that Russia may respond with increased force, potentially including lethal attacks on the U.S. and its allies, if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles supplied by the U.S., U.K., and France for strikes deep into Russian territory, the New York
Earlier on Sept. 26, Trump shared a screenshot of a message purportedly from Zelensky on Truth Social.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a joint press conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, ahead of their in-private meeting. Zelensky has been in the U.S. since Sept. 22, where he has held a series of high-level meetings
U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin received a Zoom call from an unknown person claiming to be former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Sept. 26, citing a letter from the Senate security service and its undisclosed sources. The senator's office received an email from a
The U.K. Defense Ministry announced on Sept. 26 that it will provide Ukraine with 16 AS90 self-propelled artillery howitzers instead of 12. The announcement comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky continues his visit to the U.S., where he hopes to gain support for his recently announced "victory plan." The
Key developments on Sept. 26: * US announces nearly $8 billion military aid package for Ukraine * Germany approves additional $447 million for military aid to Ukraine * Ukraine's 72nd Brigade releases video from Vuhledar, denies claims about withdrawal * 3 energy infrastructure facilities struck in overnight Russian strikes, Ukrainian PM says * Ukraine considers
The German parliament's lower chamber, the Bundestag, has approved the German government's proposal to increase funding for military support for Ukraine by nearly 400 million euros ($447 million), according to the Sept. 25 statement. The Bundestag announced the decision to increase financial aid following a meeting under the Ukraine Compact,
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv on Sept. 23 ruled in favor of Andriy Portnov, a former top official in ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, in a defamation case against several news outlets, including the Kyiv Independent. Portnov challenged a reference to him as a “pro-Russian” politician and a person
Ukraine has 55,000 citizens in its unified register for persons missing under special circumstances, Deputy Interior Minister Leonid Tymchenko told Ukrinform in an interview published on Sept. 26. The register includes people who have disappeared due to war, occupation, or natural and man-made disasters. The figure underscores the humanitarian
Ukraine reportedly using two of the highly sophisticated German air defense systems.
U.S. President Joe Biden will convene a leader-level meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany in October "to coordinate the efforts of the more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," he announced on Sept. 26. The announcement comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky
Though full details have not been revealed yet, the plan has been presented by Zelensky as a bit to force Russia into peace talks and a fair resolution
An overnight Russian drone and missile strike targeted three Ukrainian energy transmission facilities, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sept. 26. "But the Russian terrorists did not achieve their goals — Ukraine's energy system is operating in a balanced mode, no power cuts are planned," he added in a post on
Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade on Sept. 26 refuted reports that it was retreating from the embattled town of Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast. The brigade released a video purportedly from Vuhledar saying it had been filmed there earlier in the day. "We want to dispel all doubts and the pseudo-experts' thoughts
Editor’s Note: This is issue 148 of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly, covering events from September 15-21, 2024. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Corporate governance of SOEs UDI looking for a new CEO. On Sept. 19, Ukrainian Defense Industry (UDI) said that its supervisory board had launched
The new tranche will include an additional Patriot air defense battery, unmanned aerial systems, and air-to-ground munitions.
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed eight people and injured at least 44 others over the past day, regional authorities said on Sept. 26. Ukrainian forces downed 66 out of 78 Shahed-type drones and four Kh-59/69 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight from, the Air Force reported. Eight more drones
A Russian attack on the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Sept. 25 injured three representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society while on a humanitarian mission, the organization said. Russia targeted the city center with two guided aerial bombs, damaging two high-rise buildings, shops, and cars. At least two
Editor's note: The story was updated with comments by Kyiv authorities. Explosions were reported in Kyiv on the morning of Sept. 26 almost immediately after an air raid alert went off in the city, but authorities later denied Russia had attacked the capital. Ukraine's Air Force said that the alert
More than 30 countries and the European Union adopted the Joint Declaration of Support for Recovery and Reconstruction of Ukraine during a meeting in New York on Sept. 25, Ukraine's Presidential Office said. Backed during the Group of Seven (G7) + Ukraine meeting, the document contains several points including helping to
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