Daily Briefing

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Morning Headlines

FT: A Chinese cargo ship has visited the Russian-occupied port of Sevastopol in Crimea — making an unprecedented series of stops by a major foreign vessel to one of the Ukrainian ports seized by Russia. The use of Sevastopol has been barred by western sanctions since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea (archive).

AP News: Fall is expected to bring another grueling test for Ukraine’s armed forces as Russia intensifies its campaign to seize an eastern region, once Ukraine’s industrial heartland and a territory it has long sought to conquer.

The Guardian: Hungary will not wean itself off Russian energy supplies, the country’s foreign minister has told the Guardian, despite the White House’s demand for Nato allies to stop buying Russian oil.

ISW: Some Russian defense industrial enterprises are reportedly struggling to expand their production and workforces due to economic constraints, while the Kremlin is prioritizing funding for high-priority enterprises such as drone and missile manufacturers.

More News

The Kyiv Independent: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sept. 22 that none of the drones that entered Polish airspace on the night of Sept. 10 had warhead, according to the Polish Press Agency.

Reuters: Ukraine should be fully integrated into plans for a "drone wall" to protect NATO's borders because it has the experience and know-how to be able to do it, Lithuania's foreign minister said on Monday.

AP News: Moldovans are facing a flood of disinformation driven by artificial intelligence ahead of a critical parliamentary election, which will determine whether the small country can stay on its path toward the European Union or is pulled back into Moscow’s orbit.

The Kyiv Independent: Hungary and Slovakia have not been invited to a high-level video conference on the proposed "drone wall" along the EU’s eastern border, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Suspilne on Sept. 22.

Reuters: NATO allies accused Russia at the United Nations on Monday of violating the alliance's air space in Estonia and Poland -- actions that Britain said risked triggering an armed conflict.

The Kyiv Independent: The European Union’s upcoming 19th sanctions package will not impact the Druzhba pipeline, which continues to deliver Russian oil to parts of Europe, Suspilne reported on Sept. 22, citing European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.

United24 Media: Iran has begun supplying gas turbines to Russia, delivering the first advanced MGT-70 unit as part of a deal for 40 turbines, DW reported on September 22. The shipment reportedly includes generators, electrical equipment, and maintenance services, intended to replace German Siemens turbines that Moscow can no longer access due to sanctions.

The Kyiv Independent: Confiscating frozen Russian assets would constitute a violation of international law, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with CBS News aired on Sept. 21.

AP News: Putin on Monday declared his readiness to adhere to nuclear arms limits for one more year under the last remaining nuclear pact with the United States that expires in February, and he urged Washington to follow suit.

Reuters: Russia is reviving Soviet-era tactics such as forced psychiatric treatment to silence dissenters and anti-war voices in an increasingly repressive environment, a U.N. expert said on Monday.

The Moscow Times: WhatsApp remains Russia’s most widely used messaging app despite government restrictions and the Kremlin’s push to promote the homegrown rival Max, the business newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday.

Reuters: NATO member Poland will not hesitate to shoot down objects that violate its airspace and pose a threat, but will take a more cautious approach to situations that are less clear-cut, the prime minister said on Monday.

Reuters: Russia is urging aviation leaders gathering this week in Montreal to ease sanctions on spare parts and overflights, dismissing a largely global response to the war in Ukraine as "unlawful coercive measures".

Reuters: Moldova carried out more than 200 raids over alleged Russian-backed efforts to destabilise the country ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election, as President Maida Sandu warned Moscow was spending hundreds of millions of euros to sway the vote.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces destroyed stockpiles of Russian ammunition and drones in two separate attacks in the occupied part of Ukraine in August and September, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Sept. 22.

worth mentioning

Investigation reveals Russian secret services may have attempted to poison Navalny as early as 2017

Germany plans for 1,000 wounded troops per day in case of conflict with Russia

EU agency confirms ransomware attack behind airport disruptions

US could hit entire International Criminal Court with sanctions soon

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