Wednesday, October 11

The Kyiv International Economic Forum, one of Eastern Europe’s largest international forums, is taking place in Kyiv on Oct. 12.

The forum brings together representatives of business, government, and society to discuss key economic issues and global trends.

The Kyiv Independent will cover the event as a media partner.

Russia’s war against Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky greets Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni presidential palace in Bucharest on Oct. 10, 2023. The leaders discussed defense cooperation between their countries and the issue of Black Sea security. (Andrei Pugnovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Zelensky signs law restoring public access to asset declarations. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on Oct. 10 to resume asset declarations for officials and immediately make them publicly accessible.

IMF improves forecast for Ukraine’s economic growth to 2% in 2023. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) increased its forecast for Ukraine’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to 2% as the country successfully grapples with problems caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Kyiv to cultivate homegrown drone industry. The Ukrainian government plans to support the country’s domestic military-industrial complex and drone manufacturing capabilities, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Oct. 10.

Iohannis: Almost 60% of Ukrainian grain exports transit through Romania. Nearly 60% of the total volume of Ukrainian grain exports transit through Romania, the country’s president Klaus Iohannis said in Bucharest on Oct. 10.

National Resistance Center: Special forces of Russia, Belarus plan false flag attack on Belarusian territory. Russian and Belarusian special forces plan a false flag attack on Belarusian territory that they intend to blame on Ukraine, the National Resistance Center reported on Oct. 10.

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Russia fails to regain seat on UN Human Rights Council. Russia attempted to compete with Albania and Bulgaria for the council’s two open eastern European seats, but did not win enough votes in the U.N. election.

State Bureau of Investigation: 260 ongoing probes into military enlistment office abuses. The State Bureau of Investigations is currently dealing with 260 cases of potential abuse at regional military enlistment offices and military medical commissions, the law enforcement agency reported on Oct. 10.

ISW: Russia launching new offensive in Avdiivka. Analysts said the fresh offensive coincides with other local operations in Luhansk Oblast and the eastern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, all aimed at preventing the movement of Ukrainian forces to key regions on the front line.

National Police: Over 50 cases of Russian sexual violence under investigation. The National Police are currently investigating 54 cases of sexual violence against Ukrainians involving 19 different Russian soldiers, police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi said in an interview with Interfax Ukraine on Oct. 10.

Media: Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s chief engineer allegedly holds Russian citizenship. The former director and now chief engineer of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, allegedly received a Russian passport in occupied Crimea in 2014, the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on Oct. 10.

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‘A wave of terror:’ Hamas attack brings back haunting memories of war for Ukrainians in Israel

Many Ukrainians in Israel fled their home country for a safer future. They are now forced to revisit the past trauma of Russia’s war against Ukraine as they find themselves caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces reportedly advance southeast, east as weather worsens

Amid reports of Ukraine’s advancements in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and near Bakhmut, Russian military commentators claimed that heavy rains near the front line limit combat operations.

Photo: Libkos/Getty Images

Is Russia involved in Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel?

Palestinian terrorist group Hamas shocked the world on Oct. 7 by launching an unprecedented deadly offensive against Israel, brutally killing over 1,000 people and taking at least 150 Israelis hostage. As Iran-backed terrorists rampaged through Israeli cities, some – including many in Ukraine – pointed fingers at Russia, a country with established ties with Hamas.

Photo: Alexander Khrebet/Kyiv Independent

Human cost of war

Media: Russian shelling of Sumy Oblast kills child. Russian shelling of the village of Uhroidy in Sumy Oblast on Oct. 10 killed a child, the media outlet Suspilne reported. According to Suspilne, the 13-year-old girl was injured after Russian forces targeted an educational institution in the village. The girl reportedly died in the ambulance.

Official: Death toll of Hroza strike rises to 53. “Taking into account still unidentified body parts and reports about missing persons, the final death toll may increase,” Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the regional police, said on Oct. 10.

International response

VOA: US to unveil new $200 million Ukraine aid package. Washington is expected to provide an additional $200 million in military aid for Ukraine. The package will include the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile, artillery munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds.

Germany’s Rheinmetall to supply 150,000 shells to Ukraine. German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced that Berlin has ordered the production of 150,000 artillery shells for Ukraine, the company’s website published on Oct. 10.

Croatia to assist demining efforts in Ukraine. Ukraine and Croatia have signed a bilateral agreement on joint demining operations in the war-torn country, the Cabinet of Ministers announced Oct. 10.

Media: Bulgarian authorities uncover plot to export military equipment to Russia. Bulgarian law enforcement discovered a criminal scheme to ship dual-use equipment to Russia, Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry reported on Oct. 10.

Germany announces winter support package for Ukraine. Germany is delivering a new support package to Ukraine, which includes air defense systems worth around 1 billion euros ($1.06 billion), the German Defense Ministry announced on Oct. 10. The package includes an additional Patriot air defense system, which Germany pledged on Oct. 5 it would provide to Kyiv.

UEFA reverses decision to re-admit Russian youth athletes. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) walked back its decision on Oct. 10 that allowed Russian youth teams to play in the Under-17 European Championship.

In other news

Zelensky appoints new governor of Poltava Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Philip Pronin as the new head of the Poltava Regional State Administration, according to a government decree issued on Oct. 10.

Law enforcement searches Mukachevo mayor, officials allegedly involved in corruption. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on Oct. 10 of conducting searches concerning a $2.7 million corruption scheme in the Mukachevo City Council in the western Zakarpattia Oblast. Among the officials in question is Mukachevo Mayor Andrii Baloha, whose property was searched by authorities.

Foreign Ministry: About 450 Ukrainians still unable to leave Israel, Gaza. Around 300 Ukrainians in Israel and 150 in Gaza contacted the temporary headquarters set up by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and said they wanted to leave.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Oleksiy Sorokin, Dinara Khalilova, Nate Ostiller, Teah Pelechaty, Elsa Court, Abbey Fenbert, Li Luo, and Olena Goncharova.

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