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The Kyiv Independent

@kyivindependent.com
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Independent English-language journalism in Ukraine Become a member: kyivindependent.com/membership

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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 56m
⚡️Ukrainian drones reportedly attack Moscow Oblast in mass attack near Russia's capital. It remains unclear if any targets have been hit in the attack. Ukraine's Defense Ministry on Oct. 4 reported that over 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity has been disabled by attacks.
kyivindependent.com
Ukrainian drones reportedly attack Moscow Oblast in mass attack near Russia's capital
Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow Oblast in a mass attack as air defenses in the region are engaged, monitoring channels reported overnight on Oct. 6.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 1h
⚡️Trump says US will 'help' Russia deal with plague. U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 5 said that Washington will help Russia manage its plague scare as the country faces reported quarantines.
kyivindependent.com
Trump says US will 'help' Russia deal with plague
"I hate to see them having it; it's a rough disease," U.S. President Donald Trump said. "We'll help anybody that has that kind of problem, were willing to help."
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 3h
⚡️US not removing diplomats from Kyiv amid Russian threats, Rubio says. Washington does not currently plan to remove its diplomats from Kyiv as Russia continues attacks and warns foreign diplomats to leave, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Oct. 5.
kyivindependent.com
US not removing diplomats from Kyiv amid Russian threats, Rubio says
"(I)f a threat arises that we feel needs to be addressed by a change in posture, we'll do so. We haven't done that up to this point," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 4h
⚡️Russia attacks Kyiv as drone debris falls into residential area, sets cars ablaze. Russia again targeted Kyiv late on Oct. 5, with drone debris falling into a residential area in Kyiv's Pecherskyi district after air defenses shot it down, a reporter on the ground said.
kyivindependent.com
Russia attacks Kyiv as drone debris falls into residential area, sets cars ablaze
Russia again targeted Kyiv late on Oct. 5, with drone debris falling into a residential area in Kyiv's Pecherskyi district after air defenses shot it down, reporters on the ground said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 6h
• Russian drones strike cargo ship in Black Sea, kill captain, Zelensky says; • Ukrainian pilots to soon start training on French Rafale jets, Zelensky says; • Estonia moves troops closer to Russian border amid shift in strategic thinking.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 6h
Ukraine war latest: Kharkiv devastated by Russian glide bombs, children among victims • Children among dozens injured as Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv, 5 dead; • New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says;
kyivindependent.com
Ukraine war latest: Kharkiv devastated by Russian glide bombs, children among victims
Key developments on Oct. 5: * Children among dozens injured as Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv, 5 dead * New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 6h
A month later, even the trilateral meeting itself remains uncertain. Moscow has shown little urgency to commit to the talks, people familiar with the negotiations said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 6h
The latest effort began in early September, when Trump's envoys traveled to Kyiv and Moscow seeking progress before the U.S. midterm elections. The trips produced one tangible outcome: an agreement in principle to hold a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 6h
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest push for peace between Ukraine and Russia is facing growing uncertainty, with few in Kyiv believing it can deliver a breakthrough — or even bring the three sides together for talks, the Kyiv Independent can reveal.
kyivindependent.com
Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace gambit begins to unravel. Again
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest push for peace between Ukraine and Russia is facing growing uncertainty, with few in Kyiv believing it can deliver a breakthrough — or even bring the three sides t...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 7h
UniCredit, one of the few European banks still active in Russia, announced in May that it plans to sell most of its Russian subsidiary — UniCredit Bank Russia — to a private investor from the United Arab Emirates, while retaining control over its payments arm.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 7h
⚡️Putin allows Italy's UniCredit banking group to reorganize, sell Russian subsidiary.
kyivindependent.com
Putin allows Italy's UniCredit banking group to reorganize, sell Russian subsidiary
UniCredit, one of the few European banks still active in Russia, announced in May that it plans to sell most of its Russian subsidiary — UniCredit Bank Russia — to a private investor from the United A...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 7h
Rather than pointing to a sudden surge in military spending, the latest budget figures suggest that Russia is continuing to gradually build up and sustain its military capacity, signaling a readiness for a prolonged war.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 7h
On the surface, the planned increase looks substantial. Russia's overall military budget is set to rise to around 17 trillion rubles (approximately $200 billion) in 2027, up from 12 trillion rubles in 2026 — a 27% increase in nominal spending.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 7h
What does Russia's rising military budget say about its plans for the war? The Russian government began the month by submitting a three-year budget plan to parliament, proposing yet another increase in funding for its war against Ukraine.
kyivindependent.com
What does Russia's rising military budget say about its plans for the war?
The Russian government began the month by submitting a three-year budget plan to parliament, proposing yet another increase in funding for its war against Ukraine. On the surface, the planned increas...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 8h
⚡️Ukrainian pilots to soon start training on French Rafale jets, Zelensky says France is preparing fresh defense assistance for Ukraine amid relentless Russian aerial attacks, with a new support package expected "soon," Zelensky revealed after his call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
kyivindependent.com
Ukrainian pilots to soon start training on French Rafale jets, Zelensky says
France is preparing fresh defense assistance for Ukraine amid relentless Russian aerial attacks, with a new support package expected "soon," Zelensky revealed after his call with French President Emma...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 10h
⚡️ Russian drones strike cargo ship in Black Sea, kill captain, Zelensky says. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a civilian ship was attacked by two Russian drones, adding that it was a Turkish-owned ship transporting corn.
kyivindependent.com
Russian drones strike cargo ship in Black Sea, kill captain, Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky confirmed that a civilian ship was attacked by two Russian drones, adding that it was a Turkish-owned ship transporting corn.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 10h
⚡️ NATO drafts strategy on repelling Russian attack against eastern flank. The plan is intended to clarify how NATO would respond to a potential incursion into its territory and reassure the public of the alliance's readiness, according to Bloomberg.
kyivindependent.com
NATO drafts strategy on repelling Russian attack against eastern flank
The plan is intended to clarify how NATO would respond to a potential incursion into its territory and reassure the public of the alliance's readiness, according to Bloomberg.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 10h
⚡️ Children among dozens injured as Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv, 3 dead. People are reportedly trapped under the rubble of a residential building in the city.
kyivindependent.com
Children among dozens injured as Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv, 3 dead
People are reportedly trapped under the rubble of a residential building in the city.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 12h
⚡️ Zelensky could celebrate fresh EU accession breakthrough in Brussels next week, source says. President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend a summit of the EU's 27 national leaders on Oct. 15 if Kyiv can unlock the next step in its EU accession process, a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.
kyivindependent.com
Zelensky could celebrate fresh EU accession breakthrough in Brussels next week, source says
President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend a summit of the EU's 27 national leaders on Oct. 15 if Kyiv is able to unlock the next step in its EU accession process, a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Ind...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 12h
⚡️ More than half of Ukrainians say Zelensky should not run for president again, poll says. The KIIS survey also revealed that 45% of Ukrainians believe their country's affairs are moving in the wrong direction, while 40% think the opposite.
kyivindependent.com
More than half of Ukrainians say Zelensky should not run for president again, poll says
The KIIS survey also revealed that 45% of Ukrainians believe their country's affairs are moving in the wrong direction, while 40% think the opposite.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 12h
⚡️ New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says. President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced that 12 such turrets had been installed in areas where Russian jet-powered drones have been particularly active, including around Kyiv.
kyivindependent.com
New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced that twelve such turrets had been installed where Russian jet-powered drones have been particularly active, including around Kyiv.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 13h
⚡️ No country is delivering more on reforms than Ukraine right now, says EU enlargement chief. "We should never forget the country is fighting for its survival," the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told journalists when asked to comment on the pace of Ukraine's reforms.
kyivindependent.com
No country is delivering more on reforms than Ukraine right now, says EU enlargement chief
"We should never forget the country is fighting for its survival," the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told journalists when asked to comment on the pace of Ukraine's reforms.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 13h
⚡️ German intelligence chief warns of 'violent conflict with Russia.’ Russia is conducting a "shadow war," head of Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND), Martin Jaeger, said.
kyivindependent.com
German intelligence chief warns of 'violent conflict with Russia'
Russia is conducting a "shadow war," head of Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND), Martin Jaeger, said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 13h
⚡️ Moldova aims to complete EU technical talks by 2028, join bloc by 2030. Moldova has "taken major strides towards membership," the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said at the end of the 10th EU-Moldova Association Council meeting in Brussels.
kyivindependent.com
Moldova aims to complete EU technical talks by 2028, join bloc by 2030
Moldova has "taken major strides towards membership," the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said at the end of the 10th EU-Moldova Association Council meeting in Brussels.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14h
The book ties high-level state intrigue to on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine, examining how Donald Trump's emboldening of Vladimir Putin has eroded the post-1945 rules-based order.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14h
It is just one more sign of a world reverting to Great Power politics, where millions of people are left hostage to a system that should have died with the last century.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14h
Luke Harding’s “Betrayal” begins with a turning point in the full-scale war: North Korean soldiers getting ready to join the biggest land war in Europe since 1945.
kyivindependent.com
Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame
Luke Harding's “Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest" begins with a turning point in the full-scale war most people probably haven't spent enough time coming to terms with: North Korean ...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14h
"When you would see what Ukraine's budget was and how small it was relative to ours and how, despite that, they had better weapons of war, it was a wake-up call," former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Rolling Stone.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 14h
⚡️ 'It was humiliating' — ex-US Army Secretary says Washington lags behind Ukraine in war innovations.
kyivindependent.com
'It was humiliating' — ex-US Army Secretary says Washington lags behind Ukraine in war innovations
"When you would see what Ukraine's budget was and how small it was relative to ours and how, despite that, they had better weapons of war, it was a wake-up call," former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Drisco...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 15h
⚡️ Estonia moves troops closer to Russian border amid shift in strategic thinking. The country's 1st Brigade will relocate from their previous base in Tapa to the town of Johvi, just west of the city of Narva on the Russian border.
kyivindependent.com
Estonia moves troops closer to Russian border amid shift in strategic thinking
The country's 1st Brigade will relocate from their previous base in Tapa to the town of Johvi, just west of the city of city of Narva on the Russian border.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 15h
⚡️Shell injures border guard at Moldova-Ukraine border, hits bus. The incident occured as Russia carried out attacks against Ukraine, Moldova's border police said.
kyivindependent.com
Shell injures border guard at Moldova-Ukraine border, hits bus
The incident occured as Russia carried out attacks against Ukraine, Moldova's border police said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 16h
⚡️Kharkiv targeted in deadly Banderol strike as Russia kills 5, injures 61 across Ukraine over past day. Overnight, Russia launched 205 attack drones of various types, including 49 jet-powered drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.
kyivindependent.com
Kharkiv targeted in deadly Banderol strike as Russia kills 5, injures 61 across Ukraine over past day
Overnight, Russia launched 205 attack drones of various types, including 49 jet-powered drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 17h
⚡️Pro-Russian Dodik claims party victory in Bosnian elections. "If it had not been for (U.S. President) Donald Trump's magnificent victory, we would probably be political corpses today," Milorad Dodik told his supporters, while also thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin.
kyivindependent.com
Pro-Russian Dodik claims party victory in Bosnian elections
"If it had not been for (U.S. President) Donald Trump's magnificent victory, we would probably be political corpses today," Milorad Dodik told his supporters, while also thanking Russian President Vla...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 18h
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of Oct. 5, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 05/10/2026
⚡Dozens detained at authorized Communist Party rally after chants of 'Down with the Tsar'. Moscow police detained about 60 people at an authorized Communist Party rally on Oct. 4 after participants began chanting anti-Kremlin slogans, according to the party and Russian rights group OVD-Info.
kyivindependent.com
Dozens detained at authorized Communist Party rally after chants of 'Down with the Tsar'
The event had been authorized by Moscow authorities, but detentions reportedly intensified as the rally was ending and participants shifted toward more directly anti-Kremlin slogans.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡Russian double-tap Banderol strikes hit Kharkiv, killing 1, injuring 6. One person was killed and six injured, as Russian forces carried out a double-tap strike using Banderol missiles in Kharkiv’s industrial district.
kyivindependent.com
Russian double-tap Banderol strikes hit Kharkiv, killing 1, injuring 6
Kharkiv has also faced repeated attacks with other Russian aerial weapons in recent days. On Oct. 2, Russian glide bombs struck the city’s Slobidskyi and Nemyshlianskyi districts, killing two women an...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡Russian drone strike hits energy facility in Poltava Oblast, leaves 22,000 without power. A Russian drone struck an energy infrastructure facility in Poltava Oblast on Oct. 4, leaving around 22,000 consumers without electricity, regional authorities said.
kyivindependent.com
Russian drone strike hits energy facility in Poltava Oblast, leaves 22,000 without power
The strike comes just two days after another Russian drone hit an energy facility in the region’s Lubny district, leaving around 6,000 consumers without electricity.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️US proposes trilateral talks with Russia, Ukraine by end of October, Zelensky says. "The American side is currently in contact with Ukraine and Russia and is proposing to hold some kind of meeting at the technical level in a trilateral format by the end of October," the president said.
kyivindependent.com
US proposes trilateral talks with Russia, Ukraine by end of October, Zelensky says
"The American side is currently in contact with Ukraine and Russia and is proposing to hold some kind of meeting at the technical level in a trilateral format by the end of October," the president sai...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️Ukraine's deep strikes have wrecked over half of Russia's oil refining capacity, Defense Ministry says. "51% of the damaged oil refining capacity is a significant blow to the enemy's economy, to its ability to wage aggression, and to supply its military formations."
kyivindependent.com
Ukraine's deep strikes have wrecked over half of Russia's oil refining capacity, Defense Ministry says
"Fifty-one percent of the damaged oil refining capacity is a significant blow to the enemy's economy, to its ability to wage aggression, and to supply its military formations," Defense Minister Yevhen...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️Plague death triggers quarantine, mask mandates in Russia's Irkutsk region in Siberia. The measures come after Darya Shipilova, a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, died after reportedly contracting plague on Oct. 2.
kyivindependent.com
Plague death triggers quarantine, mask mandates in Russia's Irkutsk region in Siberia
The measures come after Darya Shipilova, a lab technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, died after reportedly contracting plague on Oct. 2.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones, air defense missiles; Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield in Adygea, SBU says; Russia targets Kyiv bridges for fourth consecutive day, hits Northern Bridge; and more.
kyivindependent.com
Ukraine war latest: Germany supplies Kyiv with interceptors, air defense missiles in $1.5 billion aid package
Key developments on Oct. 3-4: * Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones, air defense missiles * Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield ...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️Update: German aid to Kyiv includes 'thousands' of IRIS-T air defense missiles. Berlin will deliver thousands of missiles for IRIS-T air defense systems as part of its latest support package, according to an agreement signed by the Defense Ministry and the German company Diehl Defense.
kyivindependent.com
Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones, air defense missiles
The package was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference in Kyiv.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️'Very dangerous moment' — Russia sharing jet-powered drone tech with North Korea, Zelensky says. The president's comments come a week after he warned that Moscow is preparing to recruit another 10,000 North Korean military personnel to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.
kyivindependent.com
'Very dangerous moment' — Russia sharing jet-powered drone tech with North Korea, Zelensky says
The president's comments come a week after he warned that Moscow is preparing to recruit another 10,000 North Korean military personnel to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️Latvia's pro-Ukraine party wins parliamentary election by wide margin. "I congratulate Andris Kulbergs on his convincing victory in the parliamentary elections in Latvia ... Ukraine deeply appreciates Latvia's unwavering friendship and support," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 4.
kyivindependent.com
Latvia's pro-Ukraine party wins parliamentary election by wide margin
"I congratulate Andris Kulbergs on his convincing victory in the parliamentary elections in Latvia ... Ukraine deeply appreciates Latvia's unwavering friendship and support," President Volodymyr Zelen...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
Ukrainian forces deliver nearly 4 tons of aid by drone to occupied Oleshky in second operation; Ukraine's military strikes Russian military targets in occupied parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk oblasts; UK sanctions 7 Russians over deportation, indoctrination of Ukrainian children; and more.
kyivindependent.com
News from occupied Ukraine: Military delivers aid by drone to occupied Oleshky in second operation
The operation was the second large-scale drone delivery to the occupied city, where residents have faced severe shortages of food, water, and medicine.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield in Adygea, SBU says. Drones operated by the SBU's Alpha special operations unit hit a Su-35 multirole fighter and a Su-34 fighter-bomber at the airfield, located around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian territory.
kyivindependent.com
Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield in Adygea, SBU says
Drones operated by the SBU's Alpha special operations unit hit a Su-35 multirole fighter and a Su-34 fighter-bomber at the airfield, located around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian territory.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
The volunteers describe what it's like to watch drones they cannot currently intercept fly overhead, and why they keep preparing for the next attack.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
In this report, the Kyiv Independent’s Asami Terajima and Nick Allard join a Ukrainian volunteer air defense team defending Kyiv as Russia intensifies its drone attacks on the capital.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
Why are Russia’s new jet-powered drones so difficult for Ukraine to shoot down? Faster and higher-flying, these drones are giving Russia a new advantage as Ukraine races to build jet-powered interceptors to match them.
youtube.com
How Russia’s new jet drones are changing the threat to Kyiv
YouTube video by Kyiv Independent
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️ Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones. The package was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference in Kyiv.
kyivindependent.com
Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones
The package was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference in Kyiv.
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