Thursday, October 26

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A soldier with the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepares for the launch of an FPV drone with an accumulative charge to destroy a Russian military vehicle at the front line near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 24, 2023. (Kostya Liberov / Libkos via Getty Images)

Zelensky: Ukraine will respond to Russia’s terrorist attacks. This year, Ukrainians will “not only defend ourselves, but also respond” to Russia’s “terrorist attacks” on critical infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 25. “The enemy knows this very well,” he added, noting that Russia has begun to move its navy away from occupied Crimea.

Russia says it practiced large-scale nuclear strike. The tests included a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launched from a cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast, a Sineva ballistic missile launched from a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, and TU-95MS bombers launching cruise missiles, Moscow claims.

Media: Europe continues to import over $14 billion of Russian raw materials. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has continued to import billions of euros worth of “critical” raw materials from Russia, media outlet Investigate Europe highlighted in a report on Oct. 24.

The Insider: Russian Kinzhal manufacturer imports components from EU. Russian factories that produce Kinzhal missiles are using components from multiple European Union countries, Russian investigative news outlet The Insider reported on Oct. 25.

Media: Ukrainian pilots start F-16 training in US. A small number of Ukrainian aviators have reportedly started training with the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing earlier this week, familiarizing themselves with “F-16 fundamentals,” Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on Oct. 25, citing a statement by the Air Force’s spokesperson.

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IAEA warns of ‘dangers to nuclear safety’ following Russian strikes near Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Plant. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has expressed concerns regarding the security and safety of nuclear facilities following a recent attack on Khmelnytskyi Oblast on Oct. 25 that damaged buildings adjacent the region’s nuclear power plant.

Russian parliament approves bill to withdraw from nuclear test ban treaty. Both houses of the Russian parliament unanimously approved a bill to withdraw Russia from the nuclear test ban treaty on Oct. 25, passing the bill on to dictator Vladimir Putin for final approval.

PM Shmyhal meets with German President Steinmeier to discuss aid, air defense. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and the joint development of their country’s defense industries, referring to the news that German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall will cooperate with Ukraine’s state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom to repair and maintain Western-produced military vehicles.

Ukraine’s GDP grows by 9% since last September. Ukraine’s GDP grew by 9.1% year-on-year, according to the Economy Ministry’s preliminary estimates on Oct. 25. While the war is ongoing, the economic growth is proof of “the high ability of businesses to adapt to new challenges, as well as assistance from the state and international partners,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Minister: Ukraine to produce tens of thousands of drones per month by year’s end. Ukraine is already producing thousands of drones per month, but this will soon increase to tens of thousands per month, said Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin on Oct. 25.

Priest of Moscow-linked church sentenced to 15 years for spying for Russia. According to the SBU’s earlier investigation, the priest was collecting intelligence on the defense systems in Sumy Oblast and passing it to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russian drone strike likely targeted Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, Zelensky says

Russian troops targeted Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western Ukraine overnight on Oct. 25 for the fourth day in a row this week. Even though the Ukrainian air defenses shot down the incoming Shahed drones, the falling debris damaged buildings in the city of Slavuta.

Photo: Volodymyr Tarasov/ Ukrinform /Future Publishing via Getty Images

These Ukrainian artists, writers were killed by Russia’s war

Dozens of Ukrainian cultural figures killed by Russian aggression. There is no official record of such losses, but two lists compiled by PEN Ukraine suggest that the full-scale invasion has claimed the lives of at least 65 Ukrainian cultural figures.

Collage: Kyiv Independent

Human cost of war

Governor: Russian strike on Beryslav in Kherson Oblast kills child. A Russian strike on Kherson Oblast’s town of Beryslav on Oct. 25 killed a 13-year-old boy, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. “In the evening, the occupiers opened fire against a residential building in the city,” the governor wrote on his Telegram channel.

How Russia is raising a new generation of soldiers

International response

Biden congratulates new US House Speaker, urges more support for Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson and urged him to act quickly to secure additional funding for national security needs, including aid for Ukraine, according to a statement released by the White House on Oct. 25.

Welsh Parliament recognizes Holodomor as genocide against Ukrainian people. The Welsh Parliament has recognized the Holodomor famine as a genocide against the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian embassy in the U.K. announced on Oct. 25.

Czechia to prosecute pro-Russian activist who called for country’s ‘de-Ukrainization.’ Czech authorities are to prosecute Nela Liskova, a pro-Russian activist who styled herself as an “honorary consul” to Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk Oblast, for spreading hatred against Ukrainians online, the Czech Television reported on Oct. 25.

Germany pledges over $200 million for Ukraine’s energy industry. The aid package was agreed upon by Germany’s Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov during their meeting in Berlin on Oct. 25.

Politico: White House sells Ukraine aid as economic boon at home. The White House reportedly asked Ukraine-sympathetic Congress members from both parties to present military support for Kyiv as a way to bring new jobs to Americans, the news outlet said, citing undisclosed presidential aides and lawmakers.

In other news

Media: Kyrgyzstan set to adopt copy of Russian ‘foreign agent’ law. Kyrgyz human rights activists and NGOs are concerned the legislation is “almost identical to the Russian law on foreign agents” and have called on lawmakers to withdraw the bill.

Anti-Ukraine Robert Fico formally appointed Slovakia’s new prime minister. Fico’s SMER, which came first in the Sep. 30 parliamentary elections with 22.9% of the vote, formed a new cabinet together with the social-democratic HLAS (Voice) party and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party (SNS).

NABU uncovers 2018 ammunition depot corruption scheme. A former MP is a key suspect in a case dating back to 2018 concerning the embezzlement of over Hr 307 million ($8.4 million) in Defense Ministry funds, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reported on Oct. 25.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Nate Ostiller, Elsa Court, Lili Bivings, Martin Fornusek, Dmytro Basmat, Olena Goncharova, and Abbey Fenbert.

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