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Morning Headlines
Reuters: One woman was injured and buildings and port infrastructure were severely damaged in Russia's overnight missile and drone attack on the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine, Ukraine's military said on Monday.
AP News: Nineteen months into the Russian invasion, and as a grueling counteroffensive grinds on, the Ukrainian government wants to spend more than $1 billion to upgrade its drone-fighting capabilities. Whether used for reconnaissance, dropping bombs or self-exploding on impact, drones save money, and soldiers' lives.
Reuters: Russian crude oil supplies increased 50% this spring despite the G7 countries imposing sanctions due to war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Sunday citing data from analytics company Kpler.
The Guardian: An independent Russian news outlet whose founder was hacked in Germany earlier this year through military-grade spyware has said it believes a European state was most likely behind the cyberattack, raising thorny questions about an EU member state’s possible use of a blacklisted cyberweapon against a journalist.
BBC News: Specialist British military bomb disposal teams are training Ukrainian engineers to clear Russian minefields.
ISW is providing an assessment of a very dynamic situation in the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive near Orikhiv in western Zaporizhia Oblast. ISW emphasizes that the situation remains dynamic and unclear and that the tactical situation is likely changing rapidly. It is too early to forecast if Ukrainian forces will achieve an operational breakthrough in this sector of the front.
Reuters: A U.S. sanctions authority delayed for months KFC's exit from Russia this year after commenting on an "exit tax" for departing foreign firms when the deal was on the cusp of completion, according to the owner of the master franchise in Russia.
24.09.2023
The Kyiv Independent: The Ukrainian counteroffensive continues operations in the Melitopol sector, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces announced on Sept. 24.
The Telegraph: The US must send the most advanced version of the ATACMS long-range missile to Ukraine, a former commander of US forces in Europe has said.
RFE/RL: Andrzej Duda said Poland would do everything possible to ensure as much Ukrainian grain could be transported through Poland to reach the poorest countries in the world.
Meduza: Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency conducted an operation in the Russian city of Kursk, attacking a Federal Security Service administrative building in the city center and an oil refinery near an airfield.
Reuters: Russian forces shelled southern Ukraine's Kherson region on Sunday, killing two people and injuring at least eight, the region's governor said, as Ukraine's armed forces said they were keeping in check Russian advances in the east and south.
AFP: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday signalled a major foreign policy shift away from Russia following Moscow's refusal to enter the latest conflict over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.
Reuters: The Russian-installed ‘head’ of the Russian-annexed Ukrainian region of Donetsk has imposed a curfew, according to a decree published on Sunday. Denis Pushilin banned the presence of civilians on streets and public places from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. on Mondays-Fridays, according to the decree.
The Guardian: Human rights lawyers working with Ukraine’s public prosecutor are preparing a war crimes dossier to submit to the international criminal court accusing Russia of deliberately causing starvation during the 18-month-long conflict.
WSJ: Early in the war, the West was shocked at the Russian military’s poor performance. But Moscow has fixed many errors and adapted on the battlefield.
ISW is now prepared to assess that Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian field fortifications west of Verbove in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
23.09.2023
Reuters: Pope Francis suggested on Saturday that some countries were "playing games" with Ukraine by first providing weapons and then considering backing out of their commitments.
POLITICO: Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backtracking on his plan to remove Ukraine aid from a massive military spending bill as Republicans scramble to find a way forward on funding the government.
Reuters: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday portrayed the United States and Europe as "looking down" on the rest of the world amid a battle to win over developing countries, and said that while Moscow does not reject U.N. efforts to revive a Black Sea grain deal, a recent proposal was unrealistic.
AFP: Ukraine has reported breaking through Russian defence lines in the south as its army said Saturday that senior Russian navy commanders were among dozens killed or wounded in a missile attack on Moscow's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Crimea.
AP News: Ukraine on Saturday morning launched another missile attack on Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula, a Russian-installed official said, a day after an attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Reuters: The use of heavy weapons supplied by the West in the fierce battle raging on the outskirts of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia in May, is inflicting a significant toll on enemy lines, Ukrainian commanders have told Reuters.
Bloomberg: Australia backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s demand for Russia to lose its veto on the United Nations Security Council and called for further reforms of the decision-making body.
CNN: The general leading Ukraine’s counteroffensive along the southern front line says his forces have broken through in Verbove – and predicts an even bigger breakthrough to come.
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean, Japanese counterparts expressed "serious concern" over the discussion of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including possible arms trade.
Reuters: Russian spies are using hackers to target computer systems at law enforcement agencies in Ukraine in a bid to identify and obtain evidence related to alleged Russian war crimes, Ukraine's cyber defence chief told Reuters on Friday.
22.09.2023
The War Zone Exclusive Interview: Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov opens up about the ongoing counteroffensive, attacks inside Russia, warnings about Abrams tank usage and much more.
Sky News: Storm Shadow missiles were used by Ukraine to attack the Black Sea fleet headquarters, the country's air force has told Sky News.
Justin Trudeau announced Canada is shifting its approach to provide multi-year assistance and ensure Ukraine has the predictable support it needs for long-term success. He announced new military, economic, peace and security, and development assistance and investments for Ukraine, and the leaders signed agreements to strengthen economic ties.
Reuters: Russia plans to increase budget spending by 25.8% to 36.6 trillion roubles ($383 billion) in 2024, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Friday, with hefty increases in military and social spending expected ahead of a March presidential election.
NBC News: President Joe Biden has told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that the United States will provide a small number of long-range missiles to aid the war with Russia, three U.S. officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions told NBC News on Friday.
Bloomberg: Ukraine’s war-battered economy climbed for the first time on an annual basis since Russia invaded last year as it clawed back from a steep drop and spending rose among consumers adjusting to the war.
The Kyiv Independent: Another three cargo vessels that have agreed to use the Black Sea temporary corridor set up after Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal are moving towards Ukraine’s ports.
Bloomberg: The European Union’s executive arm is preparing to recommend starting membership talks with Ukraine in earnest, offering a boost to Kyiv as it seeks to ensure that allies continue military and financial support.
AFP: Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Friday that Russia has restarted a systemic campaign of aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure but that his country's air defence systems were better prepared for the onslaught than last year.
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