News Feed

5:39 AM

Azerbaijani minister accuses Armenia of provocations in UN speech.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov accused Armenia of revanchism and military provocations in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23.

4:32 AM

National Resistance Center: Russian strongholds in Kursk Oblast deserted.

Russian military strongholds in Kursk Oblast are largely abandoned and only imitating defensive positions, the National Resistance Center reported on Sept. 23.

3:48 AM

Hungarian official: New sanctions against Russia 'cause more harm to Europe'.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto told the Russian state news agency TASS on Sept. 22 that new sanctions against Russia "are not necessary."

2:38 AM

Polish Defense Minister: Polish army will be strongest land force in Europe.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak believes that Poland will amass a force of 300,000 soldiers, making it the largest land army in Europe, Polskie Radio reported on Sept. 23.

1:22 AM

Budanov responds to CNN reports about Ukrainian drone strikes in Sudan.

In a Sept. 23 conversation with Voice of America, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov addressed CNN's report that Ukraine likely participated in drone strikes against a Wagner-backed Sudanese militia.

12:38 AM

Russian shelling in Donetsk Oblast kills 1, injures 1.

Russian forces shelled Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 23, killing an elderly woman and injuring one man, the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office reported to Suspilne news.

11:51 PM

Russian forces shell Sumy Oblast, killing 1.

The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Sept. 23 that Russian forces shelled populated areas along the border of Sumy Oblast 21 times throughout the day, killing one person.

10:43 PM

Lavrov claims Moscow open to negotiations, not ceasefire.

Speaking at the U.N. on Sept. 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Moscow was open to negotiations with Ukraine but not a ceasefire.

10:15 PM

Ukrainian forces down 2 Orlan-10 drones over Mykolaiv Oblast.

The Ukrainian military's Southern Command reported on Sept. 23 that two Russian Orlan-10 drones were shot down over Mykolaiv Oblast by Ukraine's air defense.

8:37 PM

Zelensky presents state awards to Polish volunteers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky presented state awards to two Polish volunteers during a stop in Lublin, Poland, on Sept. 23 for their efforts in supporting Ukraine's war effort.

7:55 PM

Shmyhal, Pritzker hold first meeting.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and the first U.S. Special Representative for Economic Recovery in Ukraine Penny Pritzker had their first online meeting on Sept. 23 to discuss energy, demining, housing restoration, critical infrastructure, and the economy.

7:48 PM

Reintegration Minister urges Ukrainians to leave Crimea until liberation.

Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged Ukrainians to leave Russian-occupied Crimea until it is liberated from Russian occupation.

6:59 PM

IAEA: Previously reported mines remain at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

The monitoring mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has observed previously reported anti-personnel mines at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, said in a statement on Sept. 23.

6:00 PM

Media: UK has back channel for talks with Russia over global security.

U.K. officials have been holding diplomatic talks with key Russian representatives concerning global security during Russia’s war against Ukraine, a British newspaper iNews reported on Sept. 23, citing its diplomatic sources.

5:31 PM

Update: Russian attacks kill 1, injure 2 in Kherson Oblast.

Russian forces dropped an explosive from a drone on Mykolaivka village in Kherson Oblast, heavily injuring a 78-year-old man, the regional military administration reported on Sept. 23.

4:54 PM

Zelensky discusses Russia-backed groups with Sudan's leader during unplanned meeting.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had an “unplanned meeting” with Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, an army general and de-facto ruler of the African country, on Sept. 23.

4:08 PM

FT: US decided to provide Ukraine with ATACMS ahead of Zelensky’s visit.

U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to provide Ukraine with long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) before President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent visit to the U.S., the Financial Times reported on Sept. 23, citing sources familiar with the matter.

3:17 PM

UPDATE: 1 killed, 32 injured in Russian Sept. 22 strike on Kremenchuk.

The number of injured in the Russian Sept. 22 attack on Kremenchuk has grown to 32, Oleh Liednik, the head of the Kremenchuk District Military Administration, told Suspline media outlet on Sept. 23.

2:41 PM

Ex-Wagner group commander arrested in Norway for attempting to illegally cross back into Russia.

Andrey Medvedev, the former Wagner Group commander who made headlines in January 2023 for escaping to Norway in a bid to seek asylum, was arrested by Norwegian authorities near Kirkenes after trying to cross back into Russia.

1:31 PM

Military: Ukraine has achieved a breakthrough in Verbove.

Ukraine's forces on the southern Zaporizhzhia front have breached Russian lines in Verbove, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine's military fighting in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, said in an interview with CNN on Sept. 23.

12:39 PM

Duda: Grain dispute will not disrupt good relations between Poland, Ukraine.

The disagreement over grain exports should not upend Polish-Ukrainian relations, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sept. 22.

12:00 PM

Nagorno-Karabakh

Dozens arrested as protests in Yerevan continue.

In the aftermath of the capitulation of ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a number of protesters were detained in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Sept. 22, RF/ERL’s Armenian service reported.

9:59 AM

Twelve Shahed drones downed over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, no injuries reported.

Twelve Shahed-type drones used by Russian forces were shot down overnight on Sept. 22 by Ukrainian air defenses, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported on his official Telegram channel.

9:20 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 275,460 troops in Ukraine.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 4,655 tanks, 8,912 armored fighting vehicles, 8,716 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,210 artillery systems, 789 multiple launch rocket systems, 530 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,867 drones, and 20 warships or boats.

6:37 AM

Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov speaks out against Russian invasion.

During an interview with YouTube blogger Yuri Dud published on Sept. 21, Russian hockey player Nikita Zadorov openly criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nikita is originally from Moscow and currently plays as defencemen for the Calgary Flames.

MORE NEWS

Ukraine strikes Russian military base of drone operators

General: Ukraine had only 1,500 soldiers in south when Russia launched full-scale invasion

Uncertain Triumph: Ukraine picks apart Russia's best air defenses in Crimea

UK Defense Ministry: Thousands of Russian airborne troops redeployed to Robotyne as infantry

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Zelensky says Ukraine will not withdraw from Bakhmut despite Russian assaults

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 7, 2023 6:41 AM 2 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address on March 6 said that along with Ukraine's top-level commanders, the decision was made not to withdraw from Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast and instead to reinforce the troops currently defending the eastern city from Russia's relentless attacks.

"Today at the General Staff meeting, I directly asked both commander of the Khortytsia operational and strategic group of troops, (Oleksandr) Syrsky, and Commander-in-Chief (Valeriy) Zaluzhny about their view on the further defense operation in Bakhmut: either withdraw or continue to defend and reinforce the city."

"Both generals replied: do not withdraw and reinforce. The General Staff unanimously backed this opinion. There were no other opinions," he said.

Russia has been attempting to encircle Bakhmut for months as part of its larger objective of capturing the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Russia has occupied nearly all of Luhansk Oblast since it first invaded in 2014 and then later during its full-scale invasion.

The losses on both sides are thought to be extremely high.

United States' officials have said that the continued defense of Bakhmut carried more "symbolic" than "strategic" value for Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said on March 6 that the fall of Bakhmut would not be a significant setback for the Ukrainian military.

According to Zelensky, however, Bakhmut "has yielded and is yielding one of the greatest results during this war, during the entire battle for Donbas."

He did not provide details on what those results were but said that, along with Bakhmut, "there is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned.""There is no Ukrainian trench in which the resilience and heroism of our warriors would be disregarded."

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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