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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Employees of the energy company DTEK work near a substation on Sept. 8, 2026, following a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv. (Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil terminal in Russia’s Novorossiysk. Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal in the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk overnight on Sept. 9, monitoring channels reported.
Ukraine to sign contracts for around 1,000 Patriot missiles with partner support and EU loan funding, defense minister says. The defense minister cautioned that the contracted missiles would take time to arrive.
Russian drone violates Moldovan and Romanian airspace, crashes in Moldova. Spanish F/A-18 fighter jets, deployed as part of a NATO air-policing mission, were scrambled.
Russia’s FSB detains Moldovan citizen allegedly recruited by Ukraine to assassinate Russian general. The assassination attempt reportedly targeted Nikolay Varpakhovich, a Russian Aerospace Forces general and commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, according to Russian independent media outlet Astra.
Trump calls with Putin after peace envoys visit to Moscow, Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined his vision for the peace process and gave U.S. President Donald Trump his assessment of the war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Kyiv airports ready to host foreign delegations if Russia guarantees safe corridor, Zelensky says. A day before a U.S. delegation arrived, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had deliberately targeted the runways at Kyiv’s Zhuliany airport and Boryspil International Airport.
2 Russian Su-35S fighter jets collide over Kursk Oblast, Russian media reports. Two Russian Su-35S fighter jets collided while flying over Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Russian media and Telegram channels reported on Sept. 7.
Russia’s deadline to capture Donbas slips again as military asks for more time, Ukraine says. “They have already postponed the deadlines for reaching the oblast’s administrative borders 15 times,” Deputy Presidential Office head Pavlo Palisa said.
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Ukraine war latest: Russia’s deadline to capture Donbas slips yet again
Russia has again postponed its deadline to fully capture Ukraine’s Donbas, now setting March 31, 2027, as the target date, Deputy Presidential Office head Pavlo Palisa said on Sept. 7. The new deadline comes as Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from the region.
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
‘We will sow’ — Odesa farmers defiant in face of relentless Russian assaults
Volodymyr Varbanets sinks his hands into a mound of wheat, letting the golden kernels slip between his fingers. This year brought an unusually good harvest, the best since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he says. “But we cannot sell it,” he sighs.
Photo: Karina Piliuhina / The Kyiv Independent
Explainer: Why Russia’s frozen assets are Europe’s hot topic once again
Months after the idea was thought to have been laid to rest, some EU capitals are reviving the push to use 200 billion euros ($233 billion) in Russian assets, frozen in the bloc since 2022, to support Ukraine.
Photo: Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images
Zelensky gives cautious backing to Trump envoys’ ‘good’ ideas to end Russia’s war
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner brought Kyiv some “pretty good, decent” ideas on how to end Russia’s war, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Sept. 8.
Photo: Danylo Antoniuk/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Human cost of war
‘As much harm as possible’ — 5 killed, 70 injured as Russia resumes mass attacks across Ukraine. As of 8:30 a.m., with the attack still ongoing, air defenses had downed or suppressed two ballistic missiles, 31 cruise missiles, and 142 drones. Strikes were recorded at 29 locations, while debris from intercepted drones and missiles fell at nine additional sites, the Air Force said.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,499,390 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The figure includes 1,410 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
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International response
Zelensky, Norway’s Store discuss air defense, Freyja program ahead of King Harald’s funeral. Zelensky and other international leaders are expected to attend the funeral ceremony in Oslo on Sept. 9.
Germany ‘ready to provide missiles for Patriots,’ Zelensky says. Ukraine relies on the American-made Patriot PAC-3 air defense system for its defense against Russian ballistic missiles.
EU says Russia ‘clearly’ unwilling to make peace with Ukraine as US pushes talks. “We need Russian willingness to reach a just and lasting peace, European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said, “which we are clearly not seeing.”
Hungary kicks out 10 Russian diplomats as Moscow vows ‘harsh’ retaliation. “This decision protects Hungary’s security and sovereignty,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban said.
EU to approve Ukraine’s Patriots funding request on Sept. 11, officials say. EU countries have already backed the request, but the European Commission is set to give a final green light on Sept. 11, EU and national diplomats confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
UK pledges 100 million pounds air defense package for Ukraine ahead of winter. The package will include air defence interceptors, large-calibre artillery rounds, and drones to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian attacks this winter, and will be provided through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
Opinions and insights
Russia’s 160-year war on Ukrainian books
The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history”, said the historian Milan Hubl in Milan Kundera’s The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images
In other news
Xi, Putin pledge stronger ties with North Korea on founding anniversary. In a separate message, Vladimir Putin pledged continued close cooperation with Pyongyang under their “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
IMF report groups Moldova with EU applicants ahead of Ukraine. Ukraine’s EU membership could lead to “another Wirtschaftswunder (‘economic miracle’) in Europe,” provided the country delivers on reforms, said EU enlargement chief Marta Kos.
Meet the Kyiv Independent in London
Join editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko, CEO Daryna Shevchenko, Francis Farrell, and other team members for an evening of live storytelling in London at Kings Place on Oct. 2.
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