Saturday, September 30

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Farmers set grass on fire in a mined field near the liberated village of Grakovo in Kharkiv Oblast on September 29, 2023. Local residents said the farmers hoped to get rid of at least some of the anti-personnel mines and unexploded ammunition. (Photo by Sofiia Bobok/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Media: Ukrainian strike destroys radar station in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) used a drone to destroy the Russian radar system Kasta in the Kursk region on Sept. 28, Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on Sept. 29, citing its source in the SBU.

Putin asks former Wagner commander to create ‘volunteer units’ for Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed Andrei Troshev, the former chief of staff of the mercenary Wagner Group, to form ’volunteer units“ for the war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of Putin’s speech published by the Kremlin on Sept. 29.

Energy Ministry: IAEA demands Russia immediately leave Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference has adopted a resolution on the immediate return of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under Ukraine’s full control, the Energy Ministry reported on Sept. 29.

Zelensky commemorates victims of Babyn Yar massacre. President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in a commemorating ceremony at Babyn Yar, where Nazi Germany committed a massacre of the Kyiv’s Jewish population, Ukraine’s Federation of Jewish Communities reported on Sept. 29.

Ukraine removes companies from ‘international sponsor of war’ list as part of military aid negotiations. The NACP hopes that this will “lead to Hungary’s unblocking of €500 million of vital EU military aid for the Ukrainian people, and will also eliminate the possibility of Greece blocking the future EU sanctions package aimed at reducing Russia’s ability to continue the war.”

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New round of Russian conscription will include Ukraine’s occupied territories.

The fall 2023 conscription will include the illegally annexed areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Putin declares holiday commemorating occupation of Ukrainian regions. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a decree marking Sept. 30 as a “reunification day” commemorating Russia’s illegal annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

Ukraine names suspects in sabotage at military warehouses in Luhansk Oblast, Czech Republic. Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation reported on Sept. 29 that it had identified Russian special service employees involved in the cases of sabotage at military warehouses in Ukraine and Czechia in 2014-2015.

Russians to compete as neutral athletes at 2024 Paralympics. Russian athletes will be able to compete as individual or neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, the International Paralympic Committee announced on Sept. 29.

Deputy Economy Minister: Ukraine aims to reach pre-war levels of growth in 4 years. Ukraine aims for its economy to regain pre-war levels of growth in four years, Deputy Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev said in an interview with Ukrinform on Sept. 29. Sobolev expects further integration with the European Union and joining NATO will be a prerequisite for strong growth in the future.

Read our exclusives

Abducting the future: How Ukrainian parents fight to rescue their children from Russia

Since last February, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been identified as abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, or to Russia itself, according to a Ukrainian national database on child abductees. 

Photo: Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russia reduces offensive pace on Kupiansk-Kreminna line

Russian troops have recently reduced the tempo of their localized offensive operations on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on Sept. 28.

Photo:  Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 27 — How Ukraine is destroying Russian military in Crimea

Human cost of war

Front-line photographer Volodymyr Myroniuk killed in action. Myroniuk, aged 59, was an independent photographer who documented Ukrainian soldiers at the front.

Russian attacks in Ukraine kill 6, injure 13. Russian multi-weapon attacks against Ukraine killed six civilians and wounded another 13 over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on Sept.29.

General Staff: Russia has lost 277,660 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Sept. 29 that Russia had also lost 4,687 tanks, 8,972 armored fighting vehicles, 8,836 vehicles and fuel tanks, 6,409 artillery systems, 794 multiple launch rocket systems, 536 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,991 drones, and 20 boats.

International response

UK sanctions Russians involved in organizing sham elections in occupied parts of Ukraine. The U.K. has announced new sanctions against Russian officials for their involvement in organizing sham elections in occupied territories of Ukraine, the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced on Sept. 29.

Reuters: Romania moves air defense systems to border with Ukraine. Romania is moving its air defense systems closer to its border with Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 29. Additional measures include the deployment of four U.S. F-16 jets and an expanded no-fly zone.

Norway restricts entry to Russian cars. Russian-registered cars with nine or fewer seats will not be able to enter Norway from midnight on Oct. 2, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 29.

US House approves $300 million for Ukraine. The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $300 million tranche for Ukraine late on Sept. 28 after Republicans removed it from the defense spending bill, Politico reported.

In other news

Armenia sues Azerbaijan in International Court of Justice. The request calls on the court to uphold the rights protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dinara Khalilova, Oleg Sukhov, Oleksiy Sorokin, Elsa Court, and Abbey Fenbert.

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