The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A rescuer uses an aerial work platform to extinguish a fire at Academic Building No. 3 of Zaporizhzhia National University in the Oleksandrivskyi district of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Sept. 21, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Zelensky arrives in US for high-stakes Trump meeting, UN General Assembly. In addition to conferring with Trump, Zelensky said that around 20 other meetings with officials and organizations were planned.
EU fails to finalize Russia sanctions deal, ambassadors to reconvene hours before deadline. Coreper II, the EU ambassadors’ body, said talks would resume at 8 a.m. Brussels time on Sept. 22 “with the aim of finalising agreement.”
Russia’s total oil refining capacity down 45% due to long-range strikes, Ukrainian military says. The assessment comes a day after major strikes on the Moscow Oil Refinery by Ukrainian drones and missiles.
Russia ‘lost control’ of its oil refining industry due to Ukraine’s attacks, Trump says. A large number of Russian “refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” Trump said, urging an end to the fighting.
69% of Russian soldiers on Zaporizhzhia front line have criminal records, Ukrainian military says. According to internal analysis conducted by the military, 31% of Russia’s overall force had signed up to avoid criminal charges, and 24% were in the military to improve their financial situation.
Ukrainian forces strike Russian oil refinery in Samara Oblast in overnight drone attack. The Kuibyshev oil refinery in the Russian city of Samara was hit in an overnight drone attack by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine’s Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks. According to the Culture Ministry, financial losses for the Ukrainian book industry have already reached at least Hr 1.75 billion ($32 million). The $500,000 grant initiative will help small publishers continue their work.
Read our exclusives
Exclusive: EU readies biggest-ever sanctions package targeting Russia’s war machine
The proposal by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic arm, calls for adding 827 entities and 744 individuals to the bloc’s sanctions list, marking the largest single package of listings to date.
Photo: John Thys / AFP via Getty Images
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Investigation: Western machinery at the heart of Russian arms producers like Kalashnikov
Leaked documents reveal over 50 Russian defense companies operating Western industrial high-precision machinery — produced by Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden — to manufacture weapons used against Ukraine.
Art: Nataliia Shulga/The Kyiv Independent
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**Russia’s election is over. Could mobilization be next?
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Nobody expected Russia’s parliamentary election to wrest power from President Vladimir Putin, with preliminary results on Sept. 21 showing the Kremlin-backed United Russia party winning once again with nearly 58% of the vote.
Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
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Human costs of war
Russian attacks kill at least 6, wound 38 across Ukraine, as overnight strike hit shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia. The Air Force said Russian forces launched attacks against Ukraine overnight with 172 drones, of which 148 were intercepted.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,519,650 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The number includes 1,660 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
EU sanctions U-turn: France and Slovakia force bloc to delist two Russian oligarchs, diplomats say. In exchange, EU ambassadors have provisionally agreed to extend the sanctions for 36 months rather than the originally planned 12 months, three national diplomats told the Kyiv Independent.
US preparing ‘massive’ potash deal with Belarus, Trump says. Trump said that the deal would be more advantageous than buying the fertilizer from Canada.
Europe must mount pressure against Russia, Kallas says as EU sanctions deadline looms. Kallas’ comments came as EU ambassadors failed to finalize a deal on renewing sanctions against nearly 3,000 Russia-linked individuals and entities, with negotiations set to continue just hours before the measures are due to expire.
Macron, Trump discuss securing air defense systems for Ukraine ahead of UN General Assembly. French President Emmanuel Macron said he discussed air defense for Ukraine and a possible Kyiv-Moscow energy infrastructure truce with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hungary not part of Ukraine’s Carpathian initiative, Magyar says. Speaking to the Hungarian parliament, Magyar said, “We had a good reason not to go.”
Opinions and insights
**Campaign for Putin, be a star in Washington?
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“I am convinced that the sports world has long been underestimated as a media platform by everyone except the Kremlin,” Ukrainian Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych writes.
Photo: Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images for IPC
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In other news
Former Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns from prosecution service after failing to return to Ukraine. Ruslan Kravchenko had not returned to work after his official foreign business trip ended on Sept. 18.
Romania’s pro-Russian ex-presidential candidate investigated for fraud, media reports. Romanian authorities are conducting searches at addresses linked to Calin Georgescu in connection with an alleged 1.1 million euro ($1.3 million) fraud scheme, Romanian media reported.
Ukraine’s top negotiator praises Witkoff, pushes back against Kyiv Independent’s reporting. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff “has done a great job” in Washington-led efforts to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, Foreign Intelligence Chief Rustem Umerov told Axios.
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