Saturday, September 30, 2023
1734 GMT — A huge fire has erupted at an oil pipeline in the western Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankivsk, injuring nine people, authorities said.
The blaze caused an oil spill spanning 100 square metres before it was later extinguished.
"At 5 pm (1400 GMT), near the village of Strymba, Nadvirna district, an oil pipeline 150 millimetres in diameter ruptured," Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.
The cause of the rupture was not immediately clear, but local media outlets reported there had been a powerful explosion.
"Nine people were injured," the region's governor Svitlana Onyshchuk said.
"According to preliminary information, two children and three adults are in critical condition, with numerous burns," she added.
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1205 GMT — Russia may annex more Ukrainian regions, Medvedev says
Russia's former leader Dmitry Medvedev suggested that Moscow may annex more regions of Ukraine, as he marked one year since the Kremlin claimed four Ukrainian territories as its own.
Moscow held elections in the four regions this month, but does not fully control any of them and is currently battling a Ukrainian counteroffensive to take them back.
"The special military operation will continue until the complete destruction of the Nazi regime in Kiev," said Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia's Security Council.
"Victory will be ours. And there will be more new regions within Russia," he said.
0705 GMT — Nine Ukrainian missiles downed in Belgorod region: Russian defence
The Russian defence ministry said that its air defence had downed all nine missiles launched from Ukraine over its western Belgorod region.
Belgorod borders Ukraine's Kharkiv region and has repeatedly come under fire since the beginning of Russia's military offensive in February 2022.
Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia.
Russia's defence ministry said it thwarted Ukraine's "terror" attack on its objects by destroying nine missiles of the multiple-launch rocket system called "Uragan" (Hurricane) in the air.
0639 GMT — Romania says possible airspace breach during Ukraine attacks
NATO member Romania reported a possible violation of its airspace during overnight drone attacks by Russia on infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine.
Since exiting a deal allowing safe grain shipments via the Black Sea, Moscow has ramped up strikes on Ukraine's southern Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, home to vital grain-exporting infrastructure.
"Following the detection of groups of drones heading towards Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border" residents in the Tulcea and Galati municipalities were alerted, the defence ministry said in a statement.
"The radar surveillance system... indicated possible unauthorised entry into national airspace, with a signal detected on a route towards the municipality of Galati," it added.
The defence ministry said that no objects so far appear to have fallen on Romanian territory but the search will continue on Saturday.
0655 GMT — Ukraine hosts a defence industry forum to ramp up weapons production
Ukraine hosted an international defence industry conference as part of a government effort to ramp up weapons production within the country to repel Russia's military offensive and reduce foreign dependence on arms deliveries.
The event marked a new development in support of Ukraine, with the previous focus being on the delivery of weapons, repair of damaged equipment and military training of Ukrainian soldiers.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the opening of the International Defence Industries Forum, said that around 250 defence companies from more than 30 countries had gathered in Kiev. Defense ministers and representatives of several countries also attended the event.
“Heroism alone cannot intercept missiles. Ukraine needs capabilities, high quality, high quantity, and quickly. There is no defence without industry,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who spoke by video link during the forum on the day after his visit to Kiev.
0153 GMT — Russian attack hits site in western Ukraine, limited evacuation ordered
Authorities in the western Ukrainian region of Vinnytsya ordered an evacuation early, saying an infrastructure site had been struck in a Russian attack.
"At this time there is no need for a general evacuation, apart from the immediate area around the site of the hit, said Vasyl Polishchuk, head of administration for the town of Kalynivka, according to the town's website.
It did not say what target had been struck or what weapon had been used. Regional Governor Serhiy Borzov had reported the hit on an unspecified infrastructure site, a term Ukrainian officials sometimes use to refer to facilities involved in power generation or other industries.
Earlier reports said drones had been operating in the area.
2306 GMT — Putin facilitates entry of Ukrainians to Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that facilitates the entry of Ukrainian citizens into Russia.
A Ukrainian can cross into Russia without a visa on an internal or foreign Ukrainian passport, diplomatic or service passport, an identity card of a sailor or an aircraft crew member, according to the decree published on the government's portal Entry is also possible with documents that have expired.
For children, a birth certificate or a passport of a legal representative with information about the child will be required.
A child who is a citizen of Ukraine can leave Russia with a legal representative or with an adult who has notarised consent.
2258 GMT — Putin hails referendum in Russia-held regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that residents of Moscow-held regions in Ukraine expressed their desire to be part of Russia in recent local elections, reaffirming referendums last year that Western countries denounced as illegal.
In a video address released on the one-year anniversary of Russia's controversial announcement it was annexing four parts of Ukraine, Putin said the choice to join Russia was reinforced by this month's local elections that returned officials supporting Russia's annexation.
"Just as a year ago in the historic referendums, people again expressed and confirmed their will to be with Russia and supported their countrymen who, through their labour and real actions, proved worthy of the people's trust," he said in a video of just over four minutes issued at midnight.
Putin reiterated his stance that Russia's February 2022 military operation on Ukraine saved people from nationalist leaders in Kiev who had unleashed a "full-scale civil war" and "terror against those who think differently."
2236 GMT — Orban sees Ukraine's EU membership in near future unrealistic
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban said his country views Ukraine's EU membership in the near future as unrealistic, media reports said.
Orban noted that accession should be approved by all members of the bloc.
"The Hungarian parliament does not have an 'irresistible desire' to vote on it within the next two years," he told public broadcaster Radio Kossuth.
Regarding the question about whether it is permissible to start negotiations with a country that is in a territorial war, he said it's not possible to know how big the territory and population would Ukraine have.
But the allocation of subsidies by the Union is based on that data, said Orban.
More EU funds to Kiev means less money for Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia as the bloc's budget is not unlimited, he said.
Orban also argued that some in the West have globalised the war in Ukraine, which should be isolated.
2100 GMT —Russia strikes infrastructure site in western Ukraine — local official
An infrastructure site has been hit in a Russian attack in the western Ukrainian region of Vinnitsya, the regional governor said.
"Unfortunately, an infrastructure site has been hit," Serhiy Borzov said on the Telegram messaging app after reports of drones operating in the area.
Ukrainian officials sometimes use the term to refer to facilities involved in power generation or other industries.
For our live updates from Friday (September 29), click here.
