The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade teaches students to assemble and fly drones at a workshop on Sept. 3, 2025 in Kyiv Oblast. Both civilian and military students attend the Killhouse Academy to learn about drone technology along with unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) production. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Putin insists he never rejected meeting Zelensky, despite years of dodging talks. “If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow,” Vladimir Putin told journalists during his briefing in Beijing.
Zelensky announces upcoming talks with Trump on strengthening sanctions against Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that tighter sanctions would force Russian President Vladimir Putin to shift toward a diplomatic solution to end the war.
Ukraine destroys Russian speedboat as it attempts to land troops, Navy says, shares footage. The Russian vessel attempted to land airborne troops on the Tendra Spit, a narrow island stretching some 65 kilometers (40 miles) in the northern Black Sea off Ukraine’s southern coast.
Ukrainian drones allegedly hit railway in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, 26 trains delayed. “As a result of the drone attack… the contact network was temporarily disrupted,” Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar said.
Zelensky arrives in Paris, meets Macron ahead of security guarantees summit with ‘Coalition of the Willing.’ “I believe that our work will bring strong security guarantees for Ukraine,” Zelensky said after speaking with Macron. This is his eighth visit to Paris since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
‘Cosplay of justice’ — Russia sentences 4 Ukrainian POWs to nearly 30 years in prison. The prisoners were accused of conducting sabotage and reconnaissance operations against military and industrial facilities within Russia, including the Shaykovka air base.
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Ukraine plans to roll out enhanced military contracts for soldiers over 24. The offer may also be made available to those already serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said.
UK defense secretary arrives in Ukraine as Kyiv signals ‘important’ military decisions. “We are preparing important bilateral decisions that will strengthen the defense capabilities of our countries,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Zelensky arrives in Denmark for talks with Nordic, Baltic leaders ahead of key European summit. President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Denmark on Sept. 3 to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and take part in the Nordic-Baltic Eight summit.
State agency files lawsuit to ban Moscow-backed church in Ukraine. The move does not mean the abolition of individual parishes, which can become independent or join another church, said Viktor Yelenskyi, head of Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience.
Putin lauds ‘brave’ North Korean soldiers who fought Ukraine during talks with Kim. “I would like to note that your warriors fought bravely and displayed heroism. We will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen,” Putin told Kim Jong Un during a bilateral meeting in Beijing.
No regional centers captured, 1 million dead Russian soldiers — Ukrainian official responds to Putin’s threats with list of Russia’s military ‘achievements.’ Russia seized four Ukrainian regional centers in 2014, and has not managed to change that number after three and a half years of full-scale war, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
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Behind Ukraine’s manpower crisis lies a bleak new battlefield reality for infantry
As Russian drones swarm the sky with increasing density and lethality, two parallel processes — the failure to fill Ukraine’s brigades with fit and motivated foot soldiers, and the increasing misery of conditions on the front line — augment one another and bring about not only large holes in the Ukrainian defense, but also a need to rethink how the war can be fought as a whole.
Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent
Fears of Russian hit campaign grow as another nationalist politician is murdered in Ukraine
The Aug. 30 murder of ex-Speaker and current lawmaker Andriy Parubiy was the latest in a string of killings and assassination attempts targeting Ukrainian nationalists and activists of pro-Western revolutions. While the perpetrators of the attacks have been detained, evidence has been mounting that Russia could be behind at least some of the assassinations.
Photo: Emeric Fohlen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Trump-Zelensky minerals deal holds first board meeting
Ukraine and the U.S. held the first board meeting of an investment fund tied to a resources deal that has been a centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s administration’s talks with Kyiv in his second term.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
Russia and China’s ‘multipolar world’ raises nightmare scenario for Europe
After his face-to-face meeting with Trump last month, Putin capped his return to the international stage on Sept. 2 by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his Chinese counterpart as a vision for a new world order was laid out.
Photo: Kyodo News via Getty Images
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Human cost of Russia’s war
9 killed, 7 injured in Russian strike on town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. Russian artillery fire between 10:30 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. killed five men and three women. FPV drone strikes left another woman dead.
1 killed, 5 injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine, energy grid damaged. Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight on Sept. 3, killing at least one person and injuring five, officials reported.
2 killed, 35 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces launched 502 Shahed-type attack and decoy drones, along with 16 Kalibr and eight Kh-101 cruise missiles overnight. Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted 430 drones and 21 missiles.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,084,570 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 780 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
UK sanctions Kadyrov’s mother, others over Russian deportation of Ukrainian children. The new sanctions target figures and groups accused of organizing or facilitating the deportations, including the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation and its president, Aymani Kadyrova.
German chancellor rejects von der Leyen’s remarks on Ukraine troop plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times on Aug. 31 that European capitals were preparing “pretty precise plans” for potential deployments in postwar Ukraine.
Putin, Kim join Xi at military parade in China as Trump says they ‘conspire against’ US. Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping appeared together at a military parade in Beijing, prompting a reaction from Trump on Truth Social: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Trump tells Polish President Nawrocki he’ll send more US troops to Poland. “We will put more there if they want,” U.S. President Donald Trump said during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. “We are with Poland all the way, and we will help Poland protect itself.”
Russia yet to achieve breakthrough in Ukraine, expert says
In other news
Hot mic captures Putin musing about biotechnology, immortality at Beijing parade. Russia’s male life expectancy is just 67 years, while most of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle is of similar age.
Ukraine’s parliament backs bill to legalize, tax virtual assets in first reading. Ukraine has one of the world’s highest rates of cryptocurrency ownership, with around 16% of the population holding crypto assets before Russia’s full-scale invasion, comparable to the U.S.
Poltava Oblast authorities deny wrongdoing amid claims of $5 million in embezzled fortification funds. The statement came in apparent reaction to an investigation published by lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, who claimed that at least Hr 200 million (nearly $5 million) were embezzled in last year’s fortification contracts.
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