Ukrainian Drone Producers Now Eligible to Submit Bids for Ramstein Agreement Opportunity for the First Time
For the first time, Ukrainian drone manufacturers can participate in tenders organized by the Drone Coalition in the Ramstein format. Representatives of Ukrainian supporters in the western part of the country meet regularly in Ramstein. Based on information from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the tender series will consist of two parts: one for the development of First-Person-View (FPV) drones and one for interception drones. The ministry views this as an excellent opportunity to bolster Ukrainian production. All bids will be evaluated by members of the Drone Coalition. The victors will receive orders for further testing. If successful, the nations in the Ramstein alliance are considering commissioning the competition winners for production.
10:27 Video Shows Impact of Ukrainian Drone Strike on Russian Ammunition Depot
Although the Kremlin has yet to confirm it, the governor of the Tver region reported early on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire in the region. It's speculated that it was a large munitions and ammunition depot. Residents were evacuated, and videos of the blaze are circulating on the internet.
09:39 Multiple Injuries Reported in Kharkiv, Two Deaths in Zaporizhzhia
The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, experienced a severe Russian aerial assault the previous day. Guided explosives detonated in various districts, with 9 people now reported injured. This is the latest in a series of recent attacks targeting civilians. On Sunday, a precision bomb killed a woman and injured 43 people, including four children, in another district. Russian aerial assaults also targeted settlements in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, resulting in two fatalities.
08:46 Reports of Additional Attacks on Energy Facilities in Sumy, Ukraine
Authorities claim that energy facilities in northeastern Ukraine's city of Sumy were once again targeted by Russian drones. Preliminary reports indicate no casualties, but the consistent attacks have put considerable strain on the energy system. On Tuesday, Russia attacked the city and region's energy infrastructure with rockets and drones, disrupting power for more than 280,000 households for a short period.
08:27 Ukrainian Military Reports 1130 Russian Casualties in the Past 24 Hours
The Ukrainian Military reports 1130 soldiers killed or injured in the previous 24 hours. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainians have documented 637,010 enemy casualties. Since the previous day, Ukrainian forces claim to have destroyed 25 artillery systems, 45 transport and tank vehicles, and six tanks.
07:55 Ukrainian Air Force Formulates Deployment Plans for Western F-16 Combat Aircraft
The Ukrainian Air Force has developed deployment plans for Western F-16 combat aircraft. The Air Force and Ministry of Defense have assigned all tasks for the armed forces, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address. Additionally, talks were held with the Air Force Command regarding potential expansions to the aircraft fleet and further pilot training. Many voices in Kyiv call for expanding the duration of basic pilot training, which currently lasts only 40 days. Ukraine is expected to receive approximately 60 F-16 jets, but only a few have been delivered as of now.
07:19 Russia: Multiple Regions Repel Ukrainian Drone Attacks
Russia reports that Ukrainian drone attacks have occurred in several regions. Air defense systems reportedly shot down 54 Ukrainian drones over five Russian regions throughout the night, according to the Russian state news agency Tass, citing the defense ministry. Half of these drones were intercepted above the border region of Kursk, with the remaining drones downed over the border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod, and the western regions of Smolensk and Oryol. The agency does not mention the Tver region northwest of Moscow, where local authorities and military bloggers reported a drone attack on a large munitions warehouse that sparked a fire in the city of Toropets, forcing residents to evacuate.
06:57 Military Bloggers Claim Ukrainian Attack Severely Damages Russian Munitions Depot
Military bloggers claim that a Ukrainian attack on a Russian city in the Tver region set fire to a munitions depot containing vast amounts of ammunition and rockets. The facility, according to bloggers, had undergone significant expansion in recent times and houses 42 reinforced bunkers and 23 warehouses and workshops. Former Russian intelligence officer Igor Girkin reports on Telegram that the situation in the region is stable. Ukrainian military bloggers conclude from their data analysis that significant damage was inflicted, particularly on newer bunkers.
06:20 Green Party's Deputy Parliamentary Leader: AfD and BSW Promote Russian Propaganda
Konstantin von Notz, deputy leader of the Green Party's parliamentary group, suggests a current affairs debate in the German parliament on Russian influence operations in Germany. According to von Notz, analyses from the Russian propaganda factory SDA reveal the insidious methods employed by Russian entities to influence German democracy, public discussions, and elections. The AfD, BSW, and other likeminded individuals who promote Russian narratives in public and parliamentary forums form harmful alliances to harm German interests, he claims. People who support Ukraine are targeted, tracked, and publicly discredited, he adds.
05:42 Microsoft Reports Intensified Russian Disinformation Campaign Against US Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris
According to research from software giant Microsoft, Russian actors have intensified their disinformation campaign against US Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz. A group linked to the Kremlin, known as Storm-1516, has allegedly produced two fake videos since late August to discredit Harris and Walz's campaigns. One video purportedly shows a group of Harris supporters attacking a supposed participant at a Trump rally. In another video, an actor spreads the rumor that Harris injured a girl in a 2011 accident, leaving her paralyzed, and fled the scene. Both videos reportedly received millions of views, according to Microsoft.
According to Russian sources, a Ukrainian drone strike has sparked a blaze in the western part of the Russian region of Tver. Remnants from a downed Ukrainian drone are believed to have sparked the fire in the city of Tver, leading to the temporary evacuation of residents, as mentioned by the region's governor, Igor Rudenya, via Telegram. Firefighters are working diligently to contain the blaze. The specifics of the fire remain unclear. Russian air defenses continue to fend off a presumed large-scale drone assault on the city. The town, with a population of approximately 11,000 inhabitants, reportedly serves as a storage hub for Russian rockets, ammunition, and explosives, as per a 2018 report by the Russian state news agency RIA.
03:57 Russian Governors Report Drone Attacks
Multiple Russian regions in the west are allegedly under attack by Ukrainian drones, as per local governors. In the Smolensk region, bordering Belarus, seven Ukrainian drones have been taken down, according to Governor Vasily Anohin via Telegram. A drone has been intercepted over the Orjol region by Russian air defenses, as reported by Governor Andrei Klichkov on Telegram. At least 14 Ukrainian strike drones have been downed in the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, according to Governor Alexander Bogomaz via Telegram. Kyiv claims that these assaults target essential military, energy, and transport infrastructurerequired for Moscow's military operations.
02:56 Triangle Trade: Washington Investigates Uranium Trade with China
Washington is investigating potential circumvention of the U.S. ban on Russian uranium imports by China. There are indications that China may be importing enriched uranium from Russia while exporting its own production to the U.S., based on insider information from Reuters. "We're worried that the ban on Russian uranium imports could be bypassed," said Jon Indall of the U.S. Uranium Producers Association. "We don't want to cut off the Russian source and have all material coming from China instead. We've requested the Commerce Department to look into this." The Commerce Department declined to comment when asked for their stance on the matter.
01:54 Insider: USA to Increase Oil Reserves
Unconfirmed sources suggest that the U.S. government plans to rebuild its strategic oil reserves. The U.S. intends to purchase up to six million barrels of oil given the current low prices, according to an unnamed source familiar with the situation. If approved, this purchase would be the largest since a significant drawdown in 2022. In response to skyrocketing gasoline prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. government sold substantial quantities of oil from its strategic reserves last year to control the market prices, which was then the "largest oil reserve sale in history."
00:45 Two Killed and Five Wounded in Saporishshya Attack
Russia attacked the Saporishshya region last night, resulting in the death of at least two civilians and the injury of five more, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Later, Fedorov confirmed that Russia had intensely assaulted the Komyshuvakha community in the region. Several buildings and an infrastructure facility were also damaged. Rescue workers are still on the scene, and the full extent of the damage is being assessed, according to "Kyiv Independent."
23:38 US UN Ambassador: We Have Already Reviewed Zelensky's Plan
The U.S. UN Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, claims that the American administration has already examined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's "peace plan." During a press conference at the UN headquarters, she said, "We have examined President Zelensky's peace plan. We believe it outlines a strategy capable of success. We must determine how we can contribute to this objective." She emphasized her hope for progress in matters relating to peace without offering further details about what she meant by "peace plan." It is likely that Thomas-Greenfield was referring to the strategy known as the "victory plan" on the Ukrainian side, which Zelensky unveiled last month.
22:29 False Alarm in Latvia: Eagle Flyby Misidentified
An alleged violation of Latvia's airspace by an unidentified flying object has been declassified as a harmless event. The source of confusion was a group of eagles that flew over the border from Belarus, crossed into Latvia's eastern region of Kraslava, and continued their flight. Early reports from the Latvian Ministry of Defense had suggested the presence of an unknown flying object in the area, leading NATO interceptors to be deployed for airspace monitoring. However, upon closer inspection, the interceptors failed to detect any suspicious activity.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is considering commissioning the competition winners of the Drone Coalition's tender series for the production of drones, if they prove successful. The Commission, which will evaluate all bids and select the victors, views this tender series as an excellent opportunity to bolster Ukrainian production.
