News Feed

1:59 AM

Germany to provide Ukraine additional defense gear to safeguard grain shipments.

Germany announced it will send additional air defense systems to Ukraine to protect its grain shipments from Russian attacks, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 4.

11:45 PM

Sumy mayor held in custody on corruption charges.

Sumy's mayor, Oleksandr Lysenko, was being held in custody with the possibility of posting an Hr 3,000,000 bail (about $82,000), Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) announced on Facebook on Oct. 4.

11:30 PM

Bild: Scholz blocking delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine for the foreseeable future.

Germany will not send long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine due to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's fears that the move will draw Germany into the war, Bild reported on Oct. 4, citing unnamed German and Ukrainian sources as well as Scholz's previous comments.

11:15 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv says special forces conducted operation in occupied Crimea

10:02 PM

UN report officially rejects Russian claim that HIMARS caused Olenivka prison explosions.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) categorically dismissed Russia's claim that the Olenivka prison massacre was caused by a Ukrainian HIMARS rocket, according to a report released on Oct. 4.

9:47 PM

Ukraine develops 'invisibility cloak' to protect soldiers from thermal imagery.

Ukrainian developers are looking to bring science-fiction to life with an "invisibility cloak," a lightweight overcoat able to hide soldiers from Russian thermal imagery, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Oct. 4.

9:39 PM

US Central Command: confiscated Iranian munitions sent to Ukraine.

Over a million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition confiscated from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was transferred by the U.S. to Ukraine, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Oct. 4.

9:05 PM

Culture

Two sisters capture the beauty of Ukraine’s villages before it’s gone

8:12 PM

Ombudsman: Russia to open military camp for youth in occupied Crimea.

Russia will open a new military-oriented camp for youth in Yevpatoria, occupied Crimea, where young people will be indoctrinated with Russian military ideology, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram on Oct. 4.

8:02 PM

Russian ammunition detonates in Kherson field, man seriously injured.

A man has been seriously injured after he came across ammunition left behind by Russian ammunition, which then exploded, Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on Oct. 4. The 32-year-old man lost a limb, among other injuries, and was taken to hospital for treatment.

7:46 PM

Russian attack on Nikopol injures 1.

Nikopol was targeted by Russian artillery and an attack drone during the day, injuring one civilian, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhii Lysak reported on Oct. 4.

6:53 PM

Hungary issues more demands following suspension of OTP Bank from 'international sponsors of war' list.

Hungary "still needs guarantees," that the Hungarian OTP bank will not be reinstated to Ukraine's international sponsors of war list, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Oct. 4.

6:41 PM

Should Ukraine be in NATO?

5:55 PM

Police announces discovery of fraud scheme selling non-existent cars for military.

Ukraine's National Police uncovered a criminal fraud network, in which individuals allegedly sold non-existent vehicles, including to soldiers and volunteers who planned to use them on the front, the service reported on Oct. 4.

5:34 PM

Bloomberg: Azerbaijani President cancels plans to attend peace talks with Armenia.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has canceled plans to attend peace talks on Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 4, citing local media.

4:05 PM

Military intelligence: Special forces land in Crimea in military operation.

Ukrainian special forces landed on Russian-occupied Crimea and conducted a combat operation, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced via a video published online on Oct. 4.

3:42 PM

Ambassador: Ukraine in dialogue with most US House Speaker candidates.

"Many names are already being actively discussed, such as Majority Leader (Steve) Scalise, who is next in the party's hierarchy after the speaker," Markarova wrote on social media.

3:02 PM

SBU detains 3 alleged Russian spies operating in Kharkiv, Zhytomyr oblasts.

At the instruction of their Russian handlers, the suspects allegedly collected information on Ukraine's Armed Forces and the consequences of Russian strikes in Kharkiv and Zhytomyr oblasts.

2:50 PM

Moldova to ban pro-Russian party members from running for election.

The Moldovan parliament is set to approve amendments to the election code that will ban members of the pro-Russian Shor party from participating in elections, the parliament's speaker Igor Grosu said on Oct. 4.

2:46 PM

Poll: Most Americans favor Ukraine aid, but partisan divide widens.

Most Americans continue to support for Ukraine's military (63%) and continued economic assistance (61%), which is slightly lower than a year ago.

1:51 PM

Ukraine completes investigation into killing of EuroMaidan protesters, indicts Yanukovych for murder.

The investigation into the killing of EuroMaidan protesters in Kyiv in February 2014 has been completed and former President Viktor Yanukovych has been formally charged with a range of crimes including murder, the General Prosecutor's Office announced on Oct. 4.

1:38 PM

Media: SBU drones hit Russian S-400 air defense system near Belgorod.

The strike was reportedly carried out at night. In videos on Russian Telegram channels, allegedly taken in Belgorod and published in the early hours of Oct. 4, the sounds of explosions can be heard over the city.

12:39 PM

Venice bus crash kills 21 people, including at least 4 Ukrainians.

A bus crash in Italy on Tuesday killed at least four Ukrainians, local media reported on Oct. 4. In total, 21 people on board were killed, the local authorities said.

11:27 AM

Politico: EU to announce Ukraine membership talks in December.

According to Politico, the EU's executive arm will publish its "progress report" in November and will make it "very hard for member states not to say let's open negotiations" for Ukraine.

10:47 AM

Lithuania opens transit corridor for Ukrainian grain.

"Russia destroys food, Lithuania delivers it," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on the social platform X. "A corridor for grain transit to Baltic ports has been accepted and agreed upon, relieving pressure at the Ukrainian border and increasing supply to Africa and beyond."

MORE NEWS

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

Ukrainian forces push forward near Melitopol

watch us on facebook

News Feed

Edit post

Zelensky nominates Umerov as defense minister

by Elsa Court September 5, 2023 5:44 PM 2 min read

Rustem Umerov in Kyiv on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a draft resolution to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, for the appointment of Rustem Umerov as defense minister.

Earlier today, parliament approved Oleksii Reznikov's resignation as defense minister. Reznikov had held the position since 2021 and had submitted his resignation to the Ukrainian parliament on Sept. 4.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his decision to dismiss Reznikov on the evening of Sept. 3, explaining that "the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction both with the military and with society as a whole."

Reznikov's tenure at the Defense Ministry has recently been marred by several scandals related to the procurement of equipment and supplies for Ukrainian soldiers.

@the_kyiv_independent On Sep. 4, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Ukrainian parliament after President Zelensky announced his dismissal yesterday. After the latest controversy concerning military jackets purchased for Ukraine's Armed Forces at an inflated price, Ukrainians have many opinions on Reznikov and corruption in Ukraine in general. We spoke with some Ukrainians about this. #ukraine #kyivindependent #independentjournalism #voxpop ♬ Lazy chill out, romance overseas celebrity, 10 minutes(1019319) - 8.864

During the same evening address, Zelensky said that Umerov, a former head of the State Property Fund, would be nominated as defense minister.

The Ukrainian parliament is expected to consider his candidacy on Sept. 6.

The Mejlis, the executive body representing Crimean Tatars, called on the Verkhovna Rada to approve Umerov.

Umerov comes from a Crimean Tatar family and has long advocated for Crimean Tatar rights.

Elsa Court

News Editor

Elsa Court is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post and has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Before joining the Kyiv Independent, she worked at the Netherlands Red Cross programme to arrange hosts for Ukrainian refugees and as a freelance writer and editor. Elsa is originally from the UK and is based in the Netherlands.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.