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Ukraine Invasion: Part 58

1000 replies

MagicFox · 10/08/2025 12:16

We’re all still here for Thread 58. Thanks to all regular contributors, especially those doing the daily hard work. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Agreed thread guidance:

A. The agreed purpose of the thread is for the sharing of information and commentary on current events

B. If you post a link please tell us where it leads/give a precis of the content

C. Discussion and debate is welcome, but please keep it respectful

D. Please keep on topic

OP posts:
Thread gallery
360
ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 18/09/2025 10:15

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

❗️Russia has withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture.
The State Duma denounced the convention after the corresponding draft law was submitted to parliament by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Following the withdrawal, Russia will no longer be obliged to allow international inspectors into its prisons, and Russian prisoners will lose the right to file complaints with the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

❗️As a result of a Russian drone attack in the Boryspil district of Kyiv region, warehouse facilities caught fire. Authorities also reported damage in the Bucha district, according to the Regional Military Administration.

The murder of Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska in the US: her father was allowed to travel abroad to attend her funeral.
State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andriy Demchenko stated that media reports claiming Ukrainian border guards did not allow the father of Iryna Zarutska, who was killed in the US, to leave for her funeral are false. He is already in the United States.
▪️The British tabloid Daily Mail had reported that the victim’s father, Stanislav Zarutskyi, “could not attend his daughter’s funeral due to the travel ban for men of conscription age.”

1,300 km from the Ukrainian border! UAVs struck the Gazprom Neftekhim refinery in Salavat, Bashkortostan, according to Russian media.

Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
blueshoes · 18/09/2025 11:11

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-17-2025/

Key Takeaways

  1. The Trump administration reportedly approved its first European-financed foreign military sales to Ukraine through the Prioritized Ukrainian Requirements List (PURL) initiative.
  2. Senior Russian officials continue to publicly signal the Kremlin’s unwillingness to engage in negotiations that result in anything less than full Ukrainian capitulation.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) identified the base and commander of Russia’s Rubikon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies.
  6. Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) command and staff military exercises are occurring in Kyrgyzstan from September 17 to 20.
  7. Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area. Russian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
PerkingFaintly · 18/09/2025 13:25

Three people arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgq19751d6o
Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said the force had seen an increasing number of people in the UK being recruited by foreign intelligence services.

An image of New Scotland Yard

Three arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia

The two men and a woman were all arrested in Grays, Essex, the Metropolitan Police says.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgq19751d6o

MagicFox · 18/09/2025 18:36

PerkingFaintly · 18/09/2025 13:25

Three people arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgq19751d6o
Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said the force had seen an increasing number of people in the UK being recruited by foreign intelligence services.

Arseholes!

OP posts:
notimagain · 18/09/2025 19:43

MagicFox · 18/09/2025 18:36

Arseholes!

Yup..

I reckon the counter spooks are going to/have already looked long and hard at any possibility any those involved in any way with steering the sabotage of aircraft at Brize a few months back had Moscow connections.

Heaven knows what else is going on but there are a few useful idiots around.

(Oopps,.must not drift towards politics again).

MMBaranova · 19/09/2025 05:58

Nationalities have not yet been released it seems (though they have on bail). It will be interesting to see whether there are more Bulgarians or home grown useful idiots.

I note Howard Phillips. First link.

https://www.counterterrorism.police.uk/essex-man-who-attempted-to-be-russian-spy-convicted-of-national-security-act-offence/

And the great words of Dylan Earl (below the big image in 2nd link).

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15110685/Three-arrested-suspicion-spying-Russia.html

I been wanting to come Russia. I need a fresh start bro.

At least Kim Philby could say: "I have followed exactly the same line the whole of my adult life. The fight against Fascism and the fight against imperialism were fundamentally the same fight".

Essex man who attempted to be Russian spy convicted of National Security act offence

Howard Phillips, 65, has been found guilty after an undercover investigation by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command found he was willing to assist and support Russian espionage activities.

https://www.counterterrorism.police.uk/essex-man-who-attempted-to-be-russian-spy-convicted-of-national-security-act-offence/

PiggyPigalle · 19/09/2025 09:59

I'm just astounded that there ever was one applying to Russia.
"Russia has withdrawn from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture."

ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 12:40

They probably wanted to be part of it so they seem to have a presence and can stick their oar in, while very clearly not bothering to put any anti-torture rules into practise.

ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 12:56

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Ex-Ukrainian officer commands (kyivindependent.com/ex-ukrainian-officer-commands-russian-offensive-on-kupiansk-bbc-reports/) Russian offensive on Kupiansk, BBC reports.
Russia is massing forces near Kupiansk, attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian lines by dressing up in civilian clothes or going through gas pipelines, the Ukrainian military said.

⚡️'He let me down' — Trump again expresses (kyivindependent.com/he-let-me-down-trump-again-expresses-frustration-over-putins-refusal-to-end-war-in-ukraine/) frustration over Putin's refusal to end war in Ukraine.
"The one (war) that I thought would be the easiest (to end) was because of my relationship with President (Vladimir) Putin," Donald Trump said. "But he’s let me down. He’s really let me down."

⚡️1st batch of military equipment under NATO’s PURL program arrives (kyivindependent.com/first-military-equipment-under-natos-purl-program-arrives-in-ukraine-media-reports/) in Ukraine, media reports.
The delivery follows the signing of the PURL agreement between the U.S. and NATO on July 14.

⚡️ EU proposes 19th package (kyivindependent.com/eu-proposes-19th-package-of-russia-sanctions/) of Russia sanctions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, are expected to present details later in the day.

⚡️Ukraine strikes (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-struck-russian-oil-facilities-in-bashkortostan-volgograd-oblast/) Russian oil facilities in Bashkortostan, Volgograd Oblast. [...]
Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is one of Russia’s largest oil refining and petrochemical plants. It is based in the Bashkortostan Republic, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.

⚡️ UK intelligence launching dark web portal (kyivindependent.com/uk-spy-agency-dark-web-portal/) for potential spies in Russia, elsewhere.
The so-called Silent Courier will allow informants to share sensitive information with the U.K.'s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6.

⚡️3 people arrested (kyivindependent.com/3-people-arrested-on-suspicion-of-spying-for-russia-in-uk/) on suspicion of spying for Russia in UK.
A 35-year-old woman and two men aged 41 and 46 were detained in a counter-terrorist operation at two separate addresses in Grays in Essex.

⚡️Ukraine liberates (https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-liberates-160-km2-during-counteroffensive-operations/) 160 square kilometers in 'counteroffensive operation' in Donetsk Oblast, Zelensky says.
Seven settlements have been liberated in the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk sectors during the operation, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

⚡️Ukraine raids (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-carries-out-night-raid-on-russian-occupied-island-in-black-sea-destroying-tracked-vehicle/) Russian-occupied Black Sea island, lays mines and destroys vehicle, intelligence claims, shows footage.
The DT-10 Vityaz is a two-section, tracked all-terrain amphibious vehicle, used by Russian forces to transport troops, weapons, and supplies to front-line positions.

⚡️ Australia sanctions 95 Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels, lowers oil price cap. (https://kyivindependent.com/australia-sanctions-95-russian-shadow-fleet-vessels-lowers-oil-price-cap/)
Australia is joining the EU, the U.K., Canada, Japan, and New Zealand in lowering the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $47.60 per barrel.

⚡️Ireland delivers (kyivindependent.com/ireland-delivers-34-vehicles-and-demining-robots-to-ukraine/) 34 vehicles and demining robots to Ukraine.
Ireland delivered 34 military vehicles and three demining robots to Ukraine as part of its non-lethal military aid, the Irish government announced on Sept. 18.

⚡️Russia building its alternative (kyivindependent.com/russia-is-building-its-alternative-to-starlink-roscosmos-head-says/) to Starlink, space agency head says.
Backed by Roscosmos, the project aims to challenge U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, whose Starlink internet terminals have played a crucial role in securing Ukraine's communications during the war.

⚡️Slovakia, Hungary refuse (kyivindependent.com/slovakia-hungary-refuse-to-cut-russian-energy-imports-without-viable-alternatives-bloomberg-reports/) to cut Russian energy imports without viable alternatives, Bloomberg reports.
Slovakia and Hungary said they will not bow to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce imports of Russian oil and gas unless the European Union secures sufficient alternative energy supplies, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 17.

What the resignation of technocrat Dmitry Kozak tells us about power in Russia

⚡️Ukraine could soon deploy 1,000 interceptor drones (https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-could-soon-deploy-1-000-interceptor-drones-per-day-defense-minister-says/) per day, defense minister says.
The challenge lies in the number of ground control systems, radars, and related components, some of which utilize artificial intelligence for precision targeting, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

⚡️18 Russian officers killed (kyivindependent.com/18-russian-officers-killed-in-sabotage-attack-in-ukraines-south/) in sabotage attack in Ukraine's south, Kyiv claims.
Unknown individuals set fire to dry grass near the Russian army’s command post near the village of Voskresenka on Aug. 30, the Ukrainian project "I Want to Live" said. The fire reportedly quickly spread to buildings and dugouts at the site.

⚡️ Kyiv repatriates 1,000 bodies (kyivindependent.com/kyiv-repatriates-1-000-bodies-russia-claims-are-fallen-ukrainian-soldiers/) that Russia claims are fallen Ukrainian soldiers.

⚡️5 civilians killed (kyivindependent.com/5-civilians-killed-in-russian-aerial-attack-on-kostiantynivka-in-donetsk-oblast/) in Russian aerial attack on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast.
The victims included two women, aged 62 and 65, and three men, aged 65, 67, and 74. All were reportedly on the street at the time of the strike.

⚡️ Russian attacks kill 5, injure 7 (kyivindependent.com/russian-attacks-in-ukraine-5/) in Ukraine over past day.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 71 of the 86 Russian Shahed-type drones and other drones launched overnight, the Air Force reported.

‪Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦‬ ‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
· 3h
⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA — SEP 19, 2025
■ Highest casualties since Jul 21 & most engagements since Jun 14, but a drop in equipment losses
■ Overnight attacks: all drones, improved interception rate
■ Fewer 🇷🇺 strikes, still relatively few 🇺🇦 ones

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦 (@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social)

My day job involves making sense of data. In my spare time, I apply these skills to Ukraine's fight for freedom.

https://bsky.app/profile/ragnarbjartur.bsky.social

ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 12:57

UNITED24 Telegram Highlights

❗️Ukraine is currently negotiating with Russia only on humanitarian issues, NSDC Secretary Umerov said.
He noted that this concerns, in particular, the release of prisoners.
"We are waiting for trilateral and bilateral meetings to take place," the official added.

Ukraine will provide Poland with access to systems for tracking drones approaching Polish territory, Defense Minister Shmyhal said.

Drones attacked Gazprom’s petrochemical complex in Salavat, Bashkortostan, nearly 1,500 km from the Ukrainian border.
According to the Astra Telegram channel, Gazprom Neftokhim Salavat LLC operates the largest oil refining complex in southern Bashkortostan. The company carries out full-cycle hydrocarbon processing and produces over 150 products, including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, bitumen, and polyethylene.
In 2024, the company reported revenue of 303 billion rubles (over $2 billion) and a net profit of 4.4 billion rubles (almost $30 million).

Bomb shelters are being inspected across Poland as the country prepares for potential conflict with Russia, RMF 24 reports.
The government has allocated 5 billion zlotys to local authorities for modernizing and repairing existing shelters, constructing new protective structures, and developing warning and communication systems.

❗️Damages from Russian aggression amount to at least $589 billion, says Hetmantsev.
"Thirteen percent of housing was damaged or destroyed. Two and a half million households were affected, four million people were internally displaced, seven million left the country, and 139,000 square kilometers of territory were mined," he noted.

The European Union is considering an accelerated phaseout of Russian liquefied natural gas following Trump’s call to abandon Russian oil, Bloomberg reported. [The heavy influence of the US in the EU is very clear if a call by him can actually -get- things moving faster - one of the good things he's done]

A fragment of a Russian Gerbera decoy drone was found on a beach in Lаtvia, the country’s Defense Minister reported.
The drone was not armed with a warhead.

❗️Putin kills many people, but he loses even more. Russian soldiers are dying at higher rates than Ukrainian ones, Trump said.

Ukraine and Poland Sign Memorandum to Establish Joint Drone Control Training Group
According to Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal, the agreement will focus on joint training, experience exchange, testing methods for using and countering drones, and ensuring integration with NATO standards.
The defense ministers also signed a Joint Declaration on Deepening Defense Cooperation under the SAFE and PURL programs.
Under the agreement, Ukraine will train Polish personnel to create a “drone line” and provide access to attack monitoring systems, while Poland will establish a UAV control training ground with support from Norway.

“We have no plans to return to Russia,” said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, quoted by the Financial Times.
Woods added that Exxon is in talks with Russian officials about reimbursing $4.6 billion in expropriated assets, but not about making new investments.
“It was about negotiations to settle an arbitration case related to the expropriation of our assets in 2022,” he explained.
Estonia will completely stop importing Russian natural gas from 2026.

1,000 bodies have been returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian Federation, belong to Ukrainian military personnel.

On September 18, the Russian Federation appealed to the International Court of Justice of the United Nations against the decision of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council regarding its involvement in the downing of flight MH17 in July 2014.
“The decision of the ICAO Council is thus challenged by the Russian side in all aspects — on the grounds of jurisdiction, applicable law, facts, as well as in connection with fatal violations of procedure,” the report says.

The head of Britain's MI6 intelligence service, Richard Moore, said he sees "no evidence" that Putin is interested in achieving peace through negotiations with Ukraine.
According to him, the Kremlin leader seeks Ukraine’s complete surrender.

✨ Lev Krutogolov became the first Ukrainian to reach the podium at the World Karting Championship, finishing in third place.

❗️Russians attacked Kyiv with drones last night. An unexploded Russian drone was found in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Specialists are working at the scene.

A soldier who returned from captivity took his photo from the Alley of the Missing.
On September 17, the Alley with portraits of the missing was opened in the village of Krasnokutsk, Kharkiv region. One of the most touching moments was when 48-year-old Ihor Yakovlev personally took his photo from the alley.

ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 12:57

Oops, forgot to add pics

Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 13:02

Kyiv Post Telegram Highlights

700,000 Russian troops are currently fighting on the front against Ukraine — Putin

“Missile fired by our aircraft”: Poland confirms an interceptor damaged (www.kyivpost.com/post/60407) a residential building during a Russian drone raid.

The Trump administration has given the green light to a substantial military sale to Poland, (www.kyivpost.com/post/60421) approving a deal for Javelin missile systems worth an estimated $780 million.

Nearly 6 in 10 Ukrainians still trust Zelensky after more than three years of full-scale war.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 59% of Ukrainians say they trust President Zelensky, while 34% say they do not.

The EU is preparing talks on a “drone wall” (www.kyivpost.com/post/60440) along its eastern frontier — a response to Russian drone strikes that already reached Poland this month.

Fugitive banker Jan Marsalek, who vanished in 2020 as he faced prosecution in Europe, was long thought to be in Moscow — but new evidence suggests he has also been fighting in Ukraine while working for Russian intelligence. (www.kyivpost.com/post/60412)

25 foreign arms manufacturers have established production facilities in Ukraine. (www.kyivpost.com/post/60475)

Russian secret drone base location revealed (www.kyivpost.com/post/60468) in poorly censored propaganda videos.

With a new focus on the Western Hemisphere and Asia-Pacific, the Trump administration faces questions over the future of health assistance for countries such as Ukraine. (https://www.kyivpost.com/post/60422)

Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 13:06

Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights

🇪🇺🇺🇸 Some European diplomats believe that Trump deliberately set the EU unrealistic demands on sanctions against Russia in order to avoid imposing measures on Moscow himself, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to diplomats, the EU postponed the presentation of its new sanctions package against Russia this week to work out tougher measures.
At the same time, Trump has been urging Europe to make use of frozen Russian assets, sources said. Officials from his administration have also publicly pressed the EU to deploy these funds.

President Zelensky visited Ukrainian troops in Donetsk region taking part in the Dobropillia counteroffensive operation.

On the night of September 18, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces struck a logistics hub of Russia’s 810th Separate Marine Brigade in the Kursk region.
Damaged targets included:
🔴a storage base for supplies,
🔴ammunition depots,
🔴a concealed site housing the brigade’s weapons and military equipment.
The 810th Marine Brigade is based in occupied Sevastopol and has been involved in offensive operations in the Sumy region. Its personnel are implicated in war crimes, including the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

🇰🇵 North Korea has unveiled a new line of Kumson strike drones.
Leader Kim Jong Un stated that developing artificial intelligence for drones must be the top priority in modernizing the armed forces. He called for a strong focus on the rapid advancement of AI technologies.
In March, North Korea already tested AI-powered kamikaze drones. The country has been concentrating on UAV development since deploying troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.

🇵🇱 The closure of the Polish-Belarusian border is disrupting transport between China and the EU.
Poland’s decision to shut its border with Belarus has hit the route that handles 90% of rail freight between China and the European Union.
In 2024, traffic on this route grew by 10.6%, while the value of goods transported rose by almost 85% to €25.07 billion. The corridor now accounts for 3.7% of all EU-China trade (up from 2.1% a year earlier) and has become vital for e-commerce giants such as Temu and Shein.
Polish companies could also be affected. The state-owned PKP Cargo said short delays are manageable, but warned that prolonged closure would force trade to shift to southern routes.
▪️China’s foreign minister has arrived in Warsaw for talks with his Polish counterpart. During the meeting, the Polish side stressed that in this situation, security outweighs trade concerns, while China did not demand the immediate reopening of the border.
▪️A former head of Poland’s Foreign Intelligence Service noted that the United States, which has been pressing the EU to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods over its purchases of Russian oil and gas, may be satisfied with the temporary disruption of the route.

🇺🇦🇵🇱 Ukraine and Poland will establish a joint task force on unmanned aerial systems.
The memorandum was signed by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The task force will focus primarily on joint training programs and will also:
🔴promote the exchange of operational knowledge and UAV expertise;
🔴develop and test methods for the use of and defense against drones, while integrating innovative technologies;
🔴strengthen interoperability between the Ukrainian and Polish armed forces and ensure alignment with NATO standards.
In addition, the two ministers signed a Joint Declaration on enhancing security and defense cooperation.

Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 19/09/2025 13:10

Russia building its alternative (kyivindependent.com/russia-is-building-its-alternative-to-starlink-roscosmos-head-says/) to Starlink, space agency head says.
Backed by Roscosmos, the project aims to challenge U.S. billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, whose Starlink internet terminals have played a crucial role in securing Ukraine's communications during the war.

I wonder how successful this will be? I imagine it's high priority but Roscosmos is apparently in verrrrry deep financial and motivational shit atm.

Ukraine - The Kyiv Independent

The Kyiv Independent delivers reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine. The largest country located entirely in Europe, Ukrainian territory covers 603,628 square kilometers (233,062 square miles), and is bordered by bordered by...

https://kyivindependent.com/tag/ukraine/

PerkingFaintly · 19/09/2025 13:36

^Fugitive banker Jan Marsalek, who vanished in 2020 as he faced prosecution in Europe, was long thought to be in Moscow — but new evidence suggests he has also been fighting in Ukraine while working for Russian intelligence. (www.kyivpost.com/post/60412)^

Interesting. Marsalek is the guy who was directing the Russian spy ring of Bulgarian nationals in Great Yarmouth:

How spy ring did Russia's dirty work from the UK
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c627685p21eo
Together, the pair conceived operations targeting journalists, dissidents, politicians, even Ukrainian soldiers thought to be training at a US military installation in Stuttgart. They discussed selling US drones captured from Ukrainian battlefields to China. And they did it for Russia.

They planned abductions and IIRC from our previous discussions of this were the ones who chatted about finding someone to use as an "Islamist suicide bomber" to murder one of their targets.

Jan Marsalek, centre, with, from top left clockwise, Orlin Roussev, Ivan Stoyanov, Tihomir Ivanchev, Biser Dzhambazov, Vanya Gaberova and Katrin Ivanova.

How six Bulgarians did Russia's dirty work from the UK

A spy cell tracked the Kremlin's enemies across Europe, plotting honeytraps, kidnap and murder.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c627685p21eo

DuncinToffee · 19/09/2025 19:02

Nato intercepts Russian warplanes violating Estonian airspace

blueshoes · 20/09/2025 01:33

https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-18-2025/

Key Takeaways

  1. The Russian military command continues to signal its commitment to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s theory of victory that posits that Russia can win a war of attrition against Ukraine.
  2. ISW continues to assess that a Russian victory is not inevitable, however, and that Ukraine and the West can leverage several key Russian weaknesses to force Putin to change his calculus and engage in good-faith negotiations.
  3. The Kremlin continues to demonstrate its commitment to its original war aims in Ukraine.
  4. The Kremlin is also attempting to manipulate the Trump administration into normalizing US-Russian bilateral relations without concluding the war in Ukraine – contrary to Trump’s desired timeline of working on bilateral relations after concluding a peace in Ukraine.
  5. The Kremlin appears to be conducting a coordinated information campaign threatening Finland.
  6. Lithuanian authorities connected Russian military intelligence to several incidents of arson in Europe in late July 2024 that were likely part of Russia’s ongoing hybrid warfare campaign that aims to sow fear and discord within Europe.
  7. Ukraine and Poland agreed on joint drone development and training mechanisms following the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace on September 9 to 10.
  8. The Kremlin will likely introduce a quota to systematically appoint hand-selected veterans of the war in Ukraine to positions in municipal, regional, and federal government in support of the Kremlin’s long-term campaign to militarize Russian society.
  9. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly extended Russian Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov’s military service for five more years, demonstrating how Putin continues to retain an aging cadre of loyalists despite his stated efforts to raise a new, younger elite.
  10. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyman and Velykomykhailivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
Mb76 · 20/09/2025 09:33

They did this to their own. The torture that Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilian population in the occupied territories have been put through is ever ongoing. It is also well documented, at least by those who lived to tell the tale and were able to escape.

DuncinToffee · 20/09/2025 10:02

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre5vv0x31po

The USA is taking part in Russia's version of Eurovision

LlttledrummergirI · 20/09/2025 10:18

Talk about declaring your allegiance out loud.

America is showing themselves to be a good friend of Putin.

notimagain · 20/09/2025 10:32

DuncinToffee · 20/09/2025 10:02

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre5vv0x31po

The USA is taking part in Russia's version of Eurovision

..and meanwhile activists in the west are getting very bent out of shape over Israeli participation in Eurovision itself and an Israeli sponsored team participating in the very recent Vuelta (Spanish equivalent of the Tour de France).

The double standards on display, or at least the lack of similar concern over Russian behaviour, is amazing.

ReleaseTheDucksOfWar · 20/09/2025 11:50

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️ Lavrov to meet Rubio (kyivindependent.com/lavrov-to-meet-rubio-at-un-general-assembly-next-week-russia-says/) at UN General Assembly next week, Russia says.
"There is no agenda yet, but the meeting is planned," Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's U.N. ambassador, said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

⚡️Estonia asks NATO to activate Article 4 (kyivindependent.com/estonia-asks-nato-to-activate-article-4-after-russian-fighter-jets-violate-airspace/) after Russian fighter jets violate airspace.
Article 4 allows member states to call for discussions with allies if they believe their security is threatened. Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Sept. 19.

⚡️Russia denies (kyivindependent.com/russia-denies-violating-estonian-airspace-with-mig-31-fighter-jets/) violating Estonian airspace with MiG-31 fighter jets.

⚡️3 Russian MiG-31s violate (kyivindependent.com/breaking-estonia-says-three-russian-warplanes-violated-its-airspace/) Estonian airspace, Tallinn says.
Estonia summoned Russia's charge d'affaires on Sept. 19 after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered the Baltic nation's airspace for 12 minutes, the Foreign Ministry said.

⚡️Update: Russian fighter jets violate safety zone (kyivindependent.com/breaking-estonia-says-three-russian-warplanes-violated-its-airspace/) of Polish drilling platform in Baltic Sea, Border Guard says.
On the same day that the MiG-31s crossed into Estonian airpsace, the Polish Border Guard reported that Russian figher jets violated the security zone of a drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.
"Two Russian fighter jets performed a low pass over the Petrobaltic platform in the Baltic Sea. The platform's safety zone was violated," the Border Guard reported. Poland's military and other services were notified of the incident.

⚡️Russia's drone incursion into Poland was a 'test (kyivindependent.com/russias-drone-incursion-into-poland-was-a-test-of-western-resolve-kellogg-says-contradicting-trump/)' of Western resolve, Kellogg says — contradicting Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg told the Telegraph in an interview published Sept. 19.

⚡️Russia, Vietnam concealing arms deals (kyivindependent.com/russia-vietnam-concealing-arms-deals-via-joint-energy-profits-to-evade-us-sanctions-ap-reports/) via joint energy profits to evade US sanctions, AP reports.
The two nations used profits from joint oil and gas enterprises to fund defense contracts, bypassing the global banking system, Vietnamese government documents show.

⚡️Ukraine reportedly strikes (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-reportedly-strike-oil-refinery-in-russia-saratov-oblast-explosions-reported-deep-inside-russia/) oil refinery in Russia's Saratov Oblast, explosions reported deep inside Russia.
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Saratov overnight on Sept. 20, Russian Telegram media channels reported, citing resident accounts.

⚡️NATO confirms (kyivindependent.com/breaking-estonia-says-three-russian-warplanes-violated-its-airspace/) Russian incursion into Estonian airspace, calls it "reckless.

⚡️Update: Estonia airspace violation 'systematic Russian campaign' against (kyivindependent.com/breaking-estonia-says-three-russian-warplanes-violated-its-airspace/) West, Zelensky says.

⚡️Trump says (kyivindependent.com/trump-says-he-and-xi-discussed-ending-ukraine-war-in-very-productive-call/) he discussed ending Ukraine war with Xi.
U.S. President Donald Trump added that he plans to visit China early next year and host Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the United States "at an appropriate time."

⚡️ Update: EU proposes banning Russian LNG (kyivindependent.com/eu-proposes-19th-package-of-russia-sanctions/) in 19th sanctions package.
Reuters previously reported that the proposed ban should take effect in January 2027, a year earlier than the originally planned phase-out of Russian energy imports.

Western firms to invest (kyivindependent.com/ukraine-secures-over-100-million-in-defense-tech-investment-at-lviv-forum-ministry-says/) $100 million in Ukraine's defense tech, ministry says.
U.S. investors led by Broadband Capital Investments plan to invest $15 million in Ukraine-based Swarmer, which specializes in drone swarm technology.

⚡️Russia building (kyivindependent.com/russia-building-new-drone-launch-site-near-ukraine-border-osint-analyst-says/) new drone launch site near Ukraine border, OSINT analyst says.
Ukrainian forces have reported destroying multiple military targets in Bryansk Oblast during the all-out war, and the site’s close proximity makes the new drone launch facility potentially vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks.

⚡️Umerov denies (kyivindependent.com/umerovs-press-service-denies-that-he-owns-any-property-in-us-following/) owning property in US amid allegations of undeclared real estate.
The response came a day after the Kyiv-based Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) published an investigation claiming that it had identified eight properties in the U.S. allegedly linked to Umerov’s family, including three apartments in Florida, one in New York, and four villas near Miami.

⚡️Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies complete probe into Defense Ministry food procurement scandal. (kyivindependent.com/ukraines-anti-corruption-bodies-close-probe-into-defense-ministry-food-procurement-scandal/)
The case, widely known in Ukraine as the "golden eggs" scandal, erupted in January 2023 after reports alleged the Defense Ministry had been buying basic food items for the Armed Forces at vastly inflated prices.

⚡️Update: 1 killed (kyivindependent.com/russia-launches-large-scale-missile-drone-attack-targeting-regions-across-ukraine), 13 injured in large-scale Russian missile, drone attack on Ukrainian cities.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦
‪@ragnarbjartur.bsky.social‬
⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA — SEP 20, 2025 (1/2)
■ Casualties remain high, engagements drop
■ 5th highest drone losses & triple-digit losses of unarmored vehicle
■ Overnight attacks: 4th highest (including 40 missiles), good interception rate ■ 🇺🇦 strikes the Saratov oil refinery, 🇷🇺 strikes below average

Ukraine Invasion: Part 58
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