Wednesday, October 15, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A photo purporting to show the still-burning Russian oil depot in Feodosia, occupied Crimea on Oct. 14 after a Ukrainian drone strike the day previously (Telegram/Crimean Wind).
US defense manufacturer reveals new Tomahawk launcher — just what Ukraine would need to hit Russia. The Tomahawk’s range would open up great swathes of Russia to Ukrainian long-range missile strikes, most notably Moscow and St. Petersburg.
‘Surprising’ drop in military aid to Ukraine in recent months, report says.
In July and August, total military aid to Ukraine fell 43% lower than the amount received in the first half of the year, a report by the Kiel Institute finds.
Ukraine urges UN to condemn Russian attack on UN aid convoy in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged U.N. member states to condemn Russia’s Oct. 14 attack on a U.N. aid convoy in Kherson Oblast, which left one truck destroyed and another badly damaged.
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Russia’s largest oil terminal in occupied Crimea still on fire 2 days after Ukrainian drone strike. “Poisonous smoke floats over the city, which can be seen even from Stary Krym (25 kilometers away),” local media reported.
Trump says Turkey’s Erdogan could mediate Russia-Ukraine war.
“He’s respected by Russia. Ukraine, I can’t tell you about, but he is respected by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Trump told journalists.
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War Notes
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Trump’s two wars: why diplomacy worked in Gaza but not in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump’s success in brokering the Oct. 9 ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has been praised worldwide. What seems to be a diplomatic victory in the Middle East stands in sharp contrast with Trump’s failure to negotiate a ceasefire in Eastern Europe.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Zelensky strips tainted Odesa Mayor Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship, effectively pushes him out of office
President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship after years of allegations that he possessed a Russian passport.
Photo:
Yulii Zozulia / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images
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Who buys Russian oil and gas?
While China and India have rushed to buy up the oil and gas spurned by Europe in the wake of Russia’s 2022 intensification of its war against Ukraine, a handful of EU countries continue to import significant amounts even as the West examines wider restrictions on Moscow’s main source of revenue.
Photo: Contributor / Getty Images
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‘Kyiv could be Silicon Valley’ — New 50-million-euro startup fund will develop Ukraine’s tech-ecosystem
If most investors have opted to watch Ukraine from a distance during Russia’s ongoing invasion, Charles Whitehead and Dominique Piotet are undeterred, launching a 50 million euro venture capital fund to boost local talent and help put Ukrainian startups on the global map.
Photo: UNIT.City / Facebook
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Human cost of Russia’s war
Hospital damaged in Russian strike on Kharkiv, 6 people injured. At the time of the attack, more than 100 patients were in the hospital.
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International response
IMF keeps Ukraine’s growth forecast unchanged, despite mounting attacks on energy. The IMF forecasted 2% growth in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026, unaltered from its April 2025 projections.
US expects ‘big’ NATO spending pledges for Ukrainian weapons purchases, envoy says. The comments come ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Oct. 15, chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump says Putin should ‘do something’ to end war in Ukraine, cites ‘a million and a half’ Russian losses. “I mean, I had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but he just doesn’t want to end that war,” Trump said during a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Oct. 14.
US Treasury Secretary meets Ukraine’s prime minister, pledges stronger pressure on Russia. The meeting comes as a Ukrainian delegation — also including top presidential aide Andriy Yermak and Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov — holds high-level talks with U.S. officials on defense, energy resilience, and sanctions.
Lukashenko ready for ‘big deal’ with US if it serves Belarus’s interests.
“We will wait for their big proposals, for a big deal, as they like to say. They love these big deals,” Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said.
Opinions and insights
Russia has tortured Ukrainian POWs for years. Now they’re even more vulnerable.
On Sept. 29, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law withdrawing from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, symbolically making Russia the first country in history to abandon this anti-torture pact. Russia’s decision to quit Europe’s anti-torture convention is both a symbolic gesture of defiance and a concrete step with grave human rights consequences.
Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images
In other news
Belgorod resident says life in Russia is ‘simply hopeless’ amid drone strikes, power outages, intercepted call suggests. “Dozens of (strike drones) were launched somewhere. Can you imagine?! I look and it’s flying. Where will it fly, and what will it do, what is it targeting? It’s simply hopeless,” the woman said.
Russia mulls price caps at gas stations, expert warns of mass ‘out-of-stock’ signs. The proposal, initiated by the Russian National Automobile Union, comes amid a deepening supply crisis exacerbated by Ukraine’s escalating drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
Belarus detains at least 88 over alleged ties to military monitoring group, rights watchdog says. The military monitoring group Belarusian Hajun was an open-source intelligence project that tracked Russian and Belarusian troop movements and other military activity in Belarus.
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