Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

The EU is exploring a “reparation loan” for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets, aiming to bypass Hungary’s veto and address shrinking US support for Kyiv’s wartime finances.

The European Union is talking about using frozen Russian assets to underpin a proposed “reparation loan” to Ukraine in order to boost the country’s wartime finances and dodge the risk of a veto by Hungary, officials close to the project told Reuters.

Hungary, which maintains close ties to Moscow, has repeatedly vetoed sanctions on Russia and blocked Ukraine’s accession talks, straining EU unity, despite a reported appeal by US President Donald Trump.

Melania Trump received a silk scarf designed by Ukrainian children, gifted by the UK’s Sir Keir Starmer and his wife in recognition of her advocacy for Ukrainian youth.

Melania Trump was reportedly gifted a silk scarf designed by Ukrainian children as a present from the UK’s Sir Keir Starmer and his wife on Thursday, in homage to her advocacy on behalf of Ukraine’s youth.

Designed by children from London’s St Mary’s Ukrainian School with Ukrainian artist and designer Mariya Dykalo from Aspinal of London, the drawings on the scarf depict Ukrainian children’s dreams for what the future may hold.

The Russian president downplayed fears of recession, calling Russia’s slowing GDP growth a “deliberate” move to fend off inflation, as sources spoke of looming tax hikes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is intentionally slowing its economic growth, downplaying concerns about a downturn and claiming the economy is far from recession.

“As for the decline from more than four percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth, this is not a decline at all. It is a deliberate action, a slowdown in growth rates in exchange for curbing inflation and maintaining macroeconomic stability,” Putin said in a televised meeting with lawmakers, according to Russian state media.

Kyivstar’s share price fell from its $14 debut to $11 as market volatility softened following the Ukrainian company’s historic listing on Nasdaq – the first ever by a Ukrainian company.

After debuting on the Nasdaq Stock Market a month ago, Ukraine’s largest telecom company and mobile operator Kyivstar saw its price fall by approximately four dollars per share.

Kyivstar’s share price was estimated at $13.28 on the first day of trading on Aug. 15, peaking at $15.99 on Aug. 20 and falling to about $11.25 per share in September, according to Nasdaq data from Aug. 15 to Sept. 17.

While previous reports suggested one of Europe’s most wanted conmen had settled in Moscow, recent reports indicate that he had been fighting in Ukraine while working for the Russian intelligence.

Jan Marsalek, a former business executive turned Russian spy, has reportedly been fighting in Ukraine after fleeing from European prosecution in 2020.

Austrian-born Marsalek is the former chief operating officer (COO) of Wirecard, a German financial firm that was exposed for fraud in 2020 – though subsequent Bellingcat reports suggest that he has been working for the Russian intelligence since at least 2010.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes the US President’s “personal commitment to bring peace” but stresses need for “strong security guarantees” for Ukraine

In a joint press conference that underscored the stark differences and surprising agreements between the US and the UK, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to the podium on Thursday at the Prime Minister’s country retreat, Chequers. The headline-grabbing moments came fast and furious, with Trump making a stunning declaration about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

United front on Putin

In his opening comments, Prime Minister Starmer said the pair had “discussed today how we can build our defenses, further support Ukraine, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree a peace deal that will last.”

Poland has refused to lift its border lockdown on rail traffic from Belarus, despite high-level talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Eighteen officers of Russia’s 35th Army died after sabotage set fire to their Zaporizhzhia command post. “Now there will be no offensive,” wrote Ukrainian official Andryushchenko.

Eighteen operational officers of Russia’s 35th Combined Arms Army headquarters were killed in a sabotage incident in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Unified Center for Surrender Appeals “I Want to Live” [Я хочу жить].

The sabotage took place on Aug. 30 near the village of Voskresenka but was reported publicly on Sept. 18.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed two Tor-M2s, a Buk-M3, and a Buk-M2 radar in August, inflicting $80–90M in losses on Russia’s air defenses.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed three Russian air defense installations worth an estimated $80-90 million in August.

According to a Telegram report, operators of the 412th Nemesis Regiment struck and destroyed two Tor-M2 air defense systems, a Buk-M3 launcher, and a Buk-M2 radar system.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the drone incursion a “large-scale provocation” by Russia and said Moscow is ultimately responsible for the incident.

A residential building in the village of Wyryki Wola in eastern Poland was likely hit by a missile fired from a Polish F-16 fighter, not by a Russian drone, officials and analysts say.

On the night of Sept. 10, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a major Russian attack on Ukraine. NATO aircraft reportedly shot down at least four drones, while the rest apparently crashed without causing damage except for the Wyryki Wola home.

The three are accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service, with authorities confirming the country involved is Russia, though the nature of their role remains unclear.

The UK has arrested two men and a woman for allegedly spying for Russia in Grays, Essex.

The arrest coincided with US President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK, with support for Ukraine among the key topics discussed between the heads of state.

There’s been a lot of speculation about Trump’s special relationship with Russia’s autocratic leader. The best way to understand it is simply to examine what Trump says and does.

Here is how we know which side US President Donald Trump in on:

• Trump says so, praising Putin for being a genius invading Ukraine.
• Trump has not imposed any sanctions on Russia since January.
• Trump is not enforcing the previous sanctions on Russia.
• Trump votes with Putin and a dozen rogue states in UN.
• Trump has stopped all US financial and military aid to Ukraine, even though Ukraine enjoys broad popular support also in GOP.
• Trump absurdly and falsely claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky started the war, when in fact Putin did.
• Trump has not imposed any conditions on Russia for ceasefire.
• Instead, Trump has imposed conditions on Ukraine, the victim.
• By ending the sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia (for no good reason), Trump has facilitated US supplies of parts to Boeings standing in Russia.
• Trump and Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to Russia, are itching to invest in Russia.
• Trump broke the isolation of Putin by inviting him to the US. He gave Putin an unconditional red-carpet treatment, whereas he had ambushed Zelensky in the Oval Office.
• After claiming that he would do something after two weeks seven times if Putin did not accept ceasefire, he has done nothing.
• No US diplomat has ever appeared in the Kremlin more ignorant and unprepared than Trump’s special envoy Witkoff: no own interpreter; no assistant taking notes; no Russian knowledge; apparent misunderstandings about everything.
• Only Trump could fail to dismiss such a useless character, and he did.
• Trump’s “diplomacy” with Putin is a complete sellout and failure: No actual conditions = no Putin concessions; no ceasefire.
• Fortunately, Trump and Witkoff’s private business deals with Putin appear to have not materialized as yet, but things may get worse. This is a low point in US-Russia relations from the US point of view, but Trump can probably aggravate it further by focusing on his personal interests.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post. 

Ukraine has repatriated 1,000 bodies said by Russia to be Ukrainian soldiers fallen in battle. Officials are set to conduct identification of the remains.

Ukraine has repatriated 1,000 bodies that Russia claims belong to Ukrainian service members, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Wednesday.

The bodies were handed over as part of a repatriation operation carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Interior Ministry, the Office of the Ombudsman, and other security and defense institutions.

Ukrainian BTR-3s now feature anti-drone mesh tailored to their design, ensuring protection against UAVs while maintaining full operational capability.

Ukrainian BTR-3 armored personnel carriers have been fitted with new anti-drone protection designed specifically for the vehicle’s structure.

According to Defense Express, citing the Vodohray journal, photos show that the anti-drone mesh accounts for all key design features of the BTR-3. This ensures the vehicle can be operated normally without major complications.

Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate says Russia’s population can shrink by 25% over the next 50 years as war deaths, labor shortages, and conscription drive a deepening demographic crisis.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) warned that Russia is facing a demographic crisis that could see its population shrink by at least 25% over the next half century, citing classified internal reports circulating in Moscow.

HUR said in a Sept. 18 statement that Russian businesses are already struggling with a shortage of workers, while vocational schools lack students. The bleakest demographic indicators are reported in Russia’s Far East, where large numbers of men have been conscripted and sent to fight in Ukraine.

SBU sources told Kyiv Post drones struck Gazprom’s giant refinery in Bashkortostan, 1,400 km inside Russia, days after Ukraine hit Saratov Oil Refinery.

Long-range drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat plant in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, nearly 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine, sources within the SBU told Kyiv Post.

According to the sources, the drones targeted the refinery’s ELOU-AVT-4 unit, described as the “heart” of the facility. The installation processes crude oil into gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and fuel oil.

The US and Ukraine will invest $75M each in Reconstruction Fund to boost energy, infrastructure, and mineral extraction, with responsibilities and profits split 50/50.

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a $75 million investment in the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. Ukraine will double the contribution, bringing the fund’s initial capital to $150 million.

In May this year, the US and Ukraine signed a mineral deal regarding subsoil development, the sale of minerals, and American assistance. Ukraine will transfer a portion from mineral extraction to the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.

Spokesmen for both Russia’s US embassy and China’s foreign ministry were quick to reject accusations that they were spreading disinformation about the assassination.

Western mainstream media outlets, including AP, Politico and The Independent, were full of allegations on Wednesday that social media bots as well as state mainstream media from Russia, China and Iran were flooding the internet with false information about the shooter, his identity and motivation, along with suggestions his actions were about to spark a civil war.

The NewsGuard “fake news” tracker said official media in those three countries had mentioned Kirk more than 6,000 times in the week following his death.

In a signal that he is resolved to continue the war Putin has removed Dmitry Kozak a close ally since the 1990s, who urged for peace talks with Ukraine and opposed the 2022 invasion.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) considered that the removal of Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is a result of repeated disagreements with the Kremlin leader over the full-scale invasion and war with Ukraine.

Kozak, who hails from Ukraine’s Kirovohrad region, was previously seen as a key architect of the Kremlin’s policy toward Kyiv.

The EU has called for a stop to the ‘cycle of violence, destruction and suffering,’ while US Secretary of State Rubio has expressed doubts that the Gaza war can be ended through diplomatic means.

The Israeli army has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City that aims to completely eliminate Hamas forces in the area, according to a military spokesman. Hundreds of thousands of residents are trying to flee the city. The EU has called for a stop to the ‘cycle of violence, destruction and suffering,’ while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed doubts that the Gaza war can be ended through diplomatic means.

Beyond reason

The initiative, called the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), allows allies to fund American-made weapons for Kyiv based on a list of urgent needs.

Ukraine will receive Patriot and HIMARS missiles as part of the first two weapons packages under a new program created by the United States and its allies, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.

The initiative, called the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), allows allies to fund American-made weapons for Kyiv based on a list of urgent needs.

Originally a festival for the Soviet Union, Intervision is returning as a soft-power tool, heavy on anti-Western narratives with Moscow banished from Eurovision over its Ukraine offensive.

With artists from 23 countries, hopes for a billion-plus viewers and a generous sprinkle of glitter, Russia hosts Intervision on Saturday, a song contest championed by Moscow as a rival to Eurovision.

Originally a festival for the Soviet Union and its satellite states, Intervision is returning as a soft-power tool, heavy on anti-Western narratives with Moscow banished from Eurovision over its Ukraine offensive and striving for new cultural and political alliances.

Zelensky said he hopes to end the war but admitted it’s “a challenge.” Ukraine needs $120B to keep fighting Russia, with half from its budget and half still expected from partners.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will need $120 billion to defend itself against Russia in 2026, warning that half of the sum still has to come from international partners.

“The price of this war is $120 billion a year. Sixty billion comes from our own budget, and I need to find another $60 billion,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv during a briefing with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Wednesday.

Rather than being a show of force that would induce serious Western knee-trembling, Zapad, which ran from September 12-16, proved to be somewhat half-baked.

The prospect of thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops taking part in the Zapad (West) military exercises earlier this month spooked people in some Western circles.

Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was, infamously, carried out by Russian troops who had earlier gathered in Belarus on the pretext of some fraternal wargaming with their Belarusian comrades in arms. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Trump administration reportedly approved its first European-financed foreign military sales to Ukraine through the Prioritized Ukrainian Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
• Senior Russian officials continue to publicly signal the Kremlin’s unwillingness to engage in negotiations that result in anything less than full Ukrainian capitulation.
• The Kremlin is using the threat of aggression to try to prevent European states from committing troops to postwar Ukraine as part of Western security guarantees.
• Senior Kremlin officials, likely with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval, pushed Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak out of his senior Kremlin position following years of disagreement with Putin’s policies about the war in Ukraine.
• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) identified the base and commander of Russia’s Rubikon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies.
• Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) command and staff military exercises are occurring in Kyrgyzstan from September 17 to 20.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area. Russian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

Senators escalate pressure on Russia with two new bills: one on sanctions and a second on seized assets, signaling a bipartisan push for decisive action against Moscow’s atrocities in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON DC –  The US Senate on Wednesday took a rare step to fast-track a bipartisan bill that would brand Russia a state sponsor of terrorism if it fails to return thousands of Ukrainian children abducted during the war. This move is part of a broader, bipartisan effort in the Capitol Hill to ramp up pressure on Moscow and hold the Kremlin accountable for its actions in Ukraine.

The bill, S. 2805, was introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

In a clear message at the state dinner, the King links the shared history of the US and UK to their ongoing support for Kyiv, telling Trump, “We and our allies stand together.”

In a scene of regal pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle, the UK and US on Wednesday reaffirmed their “special relationship” at a state dinner, with King Charles and President Donald Trump exchanging toasts that highlighted shared history and a united front against global aggression.

The event, which also included a nod to a new trade deal and a warm exchange about the recovering Princess Catherine, underscored the enduring bond between the two nations.