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9:30 PM

Zelensky: 'Never again will Ukraine pay with its sovereignty for illusory promises of peace.'

“Our unity must enable us to go all the way to drive the occupier out of our land. And it will,” Zelensky said in a speech marking Defenders Day. “Courage, resilience, and unity are the things we must not lose in order not to lose Ukraine.”

8:21 PM

Warehouses reportedly damaged in Russian-occupied Crimean city.

Russian forces claimed that they shot down two short-range Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula, with the debris allegedly hitting the warehouses.

7:05 PM

Sunak: No plans to send British troops to Ukraine.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Oct. 1 that there were no current plans to send British troops to Ukraine, even in a limited capacity as trainers.

6:28 PM

Yermak: No changes in US support for Ukraine.

Although a stopgap funding bill to prevent a U.S. government shutdown was passed on Sept. 30 without any provisions for aid for Ukraine, President's Office Head Andriy Yermak said on Oct 1 that it should not be construed as a change in U.S. support for Ukraine.

5:25 PM

Large crowd gathers for opposition march in Warsaw ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections.

The streets of Poland's capital Warsaw were filled with demonstrators on Oct. 1 for an opposition rally ahead of country's upcoming parliamentary election set to be held on Oct. 15.

4:31 PM

Russian shelling kills 1 in Kharkiv Oblast.

A 63-old man was killed by a Russian artillery attack while riding his bicycle in the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, regional authorities announced on Oct. 1.

4:12 PM

Media: Drones strike Sochi, Smolensk.

Ukrainian drones successfully struck a helicopter base in Sochi and an aircraft factory in Smolensk on Oct. 1, according to reports by Russian Telegram channels and Ukrainska Pravda.

3:20 PM

Fico wins Slovak election on pro-Russian, populist platform.

With almost 100% of the votes counted, the SMER (Direction) party led by former president Robert Fico gained a narrow victory in the Slovakian parliamentary elections on Sept. 30.

1:42 PM

Russian drones hit civilian infrastructure in Donetsk Oblast, casualties reported.

Two Russian Shahed 131/136 kamikaze drones hit a house in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, in the morning of Oct. 1, acting Governor Ihor Moroz reported.

1:01 PM

Governor: Russian overnight missile attack hits civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv.

According to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov, three Russian S-300 missiles hit civilian infrastructure in the city, causing a fire.

11:17 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 278,570 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

This number includes 440 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

11:17 AM

Russia attacks Cherkasy Oblast with drones, injures 1.

Russian troops launched a drone attack against Cherkasy Oblast overnight, injuring one person, Governor Ihor Taburets reported.

7:27 AM

Ukraine downs 15 drones in southern oblasts.

Russian forces launched another drone attack targeting Ukraine's southern oblasts overnight on Oct. 1. Ukraine's air defense downed at least 15 drones over Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson of Ukraine's Southern Operational Command, said on air.

6:50 AM

Biden: 'We can't allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted'.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law averting a government shutdown that was set for midnight, according to the White House. Biden said that although the bill does not include financial assistance for Ukraine, he expects Speaker Kevin McCarthy "will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment."

5:49 AM

Senators issue joint statement confirming Ukraine support.

Following a passage of a bill to avoid a government shutdown, top U.S. Senate leaders issued a rare bipartisan statement affirming their commitment to Ukraine. They expect the Senate will work "to ensure the U.S. government continues to provide critical and sustained security and economic support for Ukraine."

4:36 AM

Explosions reported in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv oblasts.

At least four explosions were heard in Kharkiv, city Mayor Ihor Terekhov said via his official Telegram channel in the early hours of Oct. 1. Two explosions were also reported in the city of Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, according to regional authorities.

10:55 PM

US House of Representatives passes funding bill to avoid government shutdown.

NBC News reported on Sept. 30 that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan funding bill to avoid a government shutdown but that the deal currently lacks additional defense aid for Ukraine.

8:13 PM

NATO announces additional peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Sept. 29 that the military alliance had approved additional peacekeeping forces in Kosovo after unrest along the Kosovo-Serbia border that left four people dead.

7:39 PM

Foreign Ministry: Belarus to showcase abducted Ukrainian children at meeting with foreign diplomats.

Belarus is planning to organize a visit for foreign representatives at locations where Ukrainian children taken from regions temporarily occupied by Russia are kept, the Foreign Ministry said on Sept. 30.

7:13 PM

Medvedev threatens Russia will seize more Ukrainian regions.

In a Telegram message commemorating one year since Russia's illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Medvedev said "there will be more new regions within Russia."

6:27 PM

Media: Nearly 100,000 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.

As of 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, 98,625 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia, a spokesperson for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, said.

5:50 PM

Borrell makes unannounced visit to Odesa.

"Odesa is a beautiful historic city. It should be in the headlines for its vibrant culture (and) spirit," Borrell wrote on Twitter. "Instead, it marks the news as a frequent target of Putin's war."

5:18 PM

Media: Russian soldier working with intelligence defects to Ukrainian forces.

The soldier, Daniil Alfyorov, had been working with Ukrainian intelligence since July and had successfully convinced 11 other Russian soldiers to defect to the Ukrainian side, Andriy Yusov, a HUR spokesman, said.

5:15 PM

Zelensky meets with Slovak defense minister.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, he and Slovak Defense Minister Martin Sklenar discussed cooperation with Slovakia regarding the Ukrainian military's needs, the situation at the front line, and de-mining.

4:15 PM

Special forces extract two soldiers who were in occupied land since start of invasion.

The Navy's intelligence arm was several weeks ago informed about the two Ukrainians who had been in occupied territory since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

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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Zelensky: Increasing drone production 'one of the most important tasks'

by Martin Fornusek August 14, 2023 10:46 PM 2 min read

An instructor from the Trident Defense Initiative, an organization that provides medical and tactical training, gives instruction about a DJI drone during the training session for the Ukrainian Defense Forces about how to clear buildings, manage close combat, and control DJI drones in the Kharkiv, Ukraine on June 13, 2023. (Photo credit: Sofiia Bobok/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 14 that increased production of drones, as well as their supplies from international partners, is one of Ukraine's most important tasks relating to offensive operations.

"Obviously, the Ukrainian production of drones – Leleka, Fury, etc., as well as supplies from partners and all forms of imports – must grow, and this is one of the most important tasks," Zelensky stressed in a video address following his visit to the troops earlier on Aug. 14.

"Drones are consumables, and there should be as many of them as needed – as our warriors need – to save lives and ensure results in battle," the president said.

Zelensky also named the timely evacuation of the wounded as another pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

"An important topic is how commanders can manage personnel. Motivation of soldiers, training of fighters, staffing of units. There are many problems due to the poor work of the military medical commissions," he said.

"Military commanders should deal with war, not bureaucracy," the president added.

Drones represented a crucial part of the arsenals of both sides of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Earlier on Aug. 14, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that a state campaign to raise funds for 10,000 drones for Ukrainian forces has raised over $1 million in the first few hours after launching.

On the same day, the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall confirmed the delivery of a modern Luna NG reconnaissance drone system to Ukraine in 2023, and a Norwegian defense company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Group signed a contract to provide the Ukrainian military with several C-UAS air defense systems worth $71 million.

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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