Live: Ukraine Telegram Highlights
Latvia's pro-Ukrainian prime minister leads in polls ahead of Saturday's elections, Reuters reports.
Andris Kulbergs' party, the "United List," is supported by 14.4% of voters, according to an SKDS/LSM poll conducted from September 4–16. Reuters writes that the party is unlikely to win an absolute majority, so Kulbergs will have to form a coalition.
In total, seven out of 14 parties are clearing the 5% threshold for the 100-seat Saeima. At the same time, about a third of respondents have not yet decided or do not plan to vote.
⚡️More than half of Ukraine's F-16s are non-operational due to maintenance delays in Belgium, WSJ sources say.
Sources say that at the current pace of use and repair, Ukraine could be left without the remaining aircraft by the end of the year.
One of the reasons for the delays may be a shortage of certain components, and aircraft used in combat conditions may require more frequent maintenance.
▪️F-16s require scheduled technical inspection after 300 flight hours; the inspection usually takes up to 40 weeks. Ukrainian F-16s are to be serviced by the Belgian company Sabena Aerospace Engineering, with which the US signed a contract worth up to $235.5 million.
⚡️On October 1, power outage schedules will be introduced in certain regions.
For industry and business, they will be in effect from 08:00 to 21:00; for other users — from 08:00 to 11:00 and from 16:00 to 21:00.
Media have reported an assassination attempt on Fire Point co-owner Denys Shtilerman.
Israeli journalist Serhiy Auslender, citing sources, wrote that the attack occurred near Kyiv. According to him, Shtilerman sustained minor injuries, his bodyguard was killed, and the attackers were eliminated.
Shtilerman himself stated that rumors of his death or the death of his bodyguards are somewhat exaggerated. He did not confirm the fact of the attack but also did not deny it.
⚡️Ukraine wants to purchase tens of thousands of rounds for F-16s to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones, Bloomberg reports, citing sources.
Kyiv is already negotiating with several European countries and manufacturers for 20-mm rounds for the fighters' cannons.
According to the publication, neutralizing one drone may require about 150 rounds. With the current number of attacks, Ukraine needs approximately 10,000 per day.
Jet-powered Shaheds fly much faster than older propeller-driven drones, making them harder to shoot down. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine currently shoots down only about 57% of such drones.
There is no global shortage of rounds for F-16s, while the situation with Patriot missiles is more difficult. Ukraine is already receiving ammunition for the fighters from Belgium, Spain, and other countries.
⚡️Surface transport traffic on the Pivdennyi Bridge in Kyiv has been restored — specialists found no critical damage.
🇱🇻In Latvia, a married couple has been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Latvia's State Security Service, together with military intelligence, detained them on June 28. Both are Latvian citizens.
According to the investigation, they collected information for Russian GRU about the country's defense, NATO force activities, and aid to Ukraine. Among the targets was the military base in Adaži, where the multinational NATO brigade in Latvia is stationed.
In particular, the couple passed data on the Latvian Armed Forces airbase, radars, and the movement of military aircraft. One of the suspects, on GRU orders, even flew over the military base in Adaži in a private plane and photographed it. They could also have assisted potential intelligence and sabotage groups in Latvia.
During searches in Riga and the Adaži region, security services seized data carriers, documents, and recordings. Both were taken into custody; the investigation is ongoing.
In the headquarters of Poland's Military Police, a mysterious parcel was opened — three people were hospitalized, RMF24 reports.
The envelope arrived from Germany to a unit in Nowa Dęba, Podkarpackie Voivodeship. When it was opened, a postcard was found inside — no substance spilled from the envelope. However, two gendarmes and a civilian who was in the room felt unwell — they experienced skin irritation on their faces and hands.
Four more military personnel were isolated, and 133 people were evacuated from a neighboring building. Chemical rescue workers operated at the scene. The Internal Security Agency and the Military Counterintelligence Service were also notified of the incident.
Later, the Ministry of Defense stated that experts found no chemical, biological, or radiological substances in the parcel. The three affected individuals were examined and discharged from the hospital. The causes of the incident are being investigated.
▪️A similar story already occurred in Romania. In April, two Ukrainians were charged there in a case involving "explosive" parcels, which, according to the investigation, may have been organized on the orders of Russian special services.
A Ukrainian and a Russian helped save over 170 people on board an aircraft that sent a hijacking signal — they were the ones who landed the Flydubai plane during a bloody fight in the cockpit, the Israeli publication Israel Hayom reports.
The report concerns two pilots who were flying as ordinary passengers in civilian clothes. According to the publication, they helped take control of the aircraft and land it safely in Saudi Arabia.
▪️On the morning of September 30, during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the co-pilot — an Omani citizen — attacked the captain, a UAE citizen, with a knife and apparently tried to crash the plane. The aircraft sharply lost altitude, temporarily disappeared from radar, and later landed in Tabuk. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker. Israel is considering the possibility of a terrorist attack. Initially, media mistakenly reported a Ukrainian and a Russian pilot on board.
Overnight, Russia attacked Ukraine with 107 drones, 63 of them jet-powered. Air defense neutralized 87 targets. The enemy struck 11 locations, with debris falling in four others.
🔴Kyiv. Following the attack, a warehouse and a café on the first floor of a 16-story residential building caught fire. A man was injured.
🔴Odesa. Russia struck a business center; one person was injured.
🔴Sumy. Russia struck with a guided aerial bomb — two people were injured, and six residential buildings were damaged.
🔴Kharkiv region. In Izium, the Russians struck with guided bombs — one person was injured, and over 20 private houses, cars, and the building of a non-operational enterprise were damaged.
🔴Rivne region. A woman was injured in the attack. Her house was damaged.
🔴Mykolaiv region. In the Vesnianska community, a 50-year-old man was killed in a UAV attack.