Topic: Government
-
Leaked Russian plan outlines three-stage winter campaign to cripple Ukraine's energy grid
The New York Times published details of a document presented by Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal to European partners in Paris, describing a Russian plan for a three-stage winter strike campaign aimed at destroying Ukraine's energy system and cutting major cities off from electricity, heat and water. The plan, which the NYT said it could not independently verify, envisions up to 1,000 missiles, drones and bombs targeting substations, hydroelectric and thermal plants, and the switchgear connecting Ukraine's three operating nuclear power plants to the grid. President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that Russia also aims to provoke a new refugee wave to the EU and pressure Ukraine to concede by early 2027.
-
EU and Ukraine say 2026 budget and defence needs can be covered; Commission denies any financing gap
On 1 October 2026 the European Commission and Ukraine issued a joint statement saying they had identified the means to cover Ukraine's 2026 budget and defence needs and outlining the steps needed for timely disbursement. The next day Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the EU and Ukraine had jointly concluded there is no external financing gap for 2026, and the Commission disbursed a €2.9 billion tranche under the Ukraine Facility. The Financial Times reported that EU Commissioners formally declined Ukraine's request to front-load part of the 2027 loan, linking further payments to reforms.
-
Ukraine completes opening of all 43 claim categories at international damage register
The International Register of Damage Caused by Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine (RD4U) completed the phased opening of all 43 claim categories on 30 September. The categories cover damages to individuals, legal entities, and the State of Ukraine. The Register has received about 195,000 claims, of which more than 65,000 have been entered into the Register.
-
Ukraine says defence deficit for 2026 is $27 billion, $20 billion in partner talks
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's 2026 defence budget deficit stands at $27 billion. About $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and reallocation, while the remaining $20 billion is being negotiated with international partners. The government is racing to meet commitments by mid-October or risk losing access to $29.5 billion in planned international financing.
-
More than half of Ukraine's F-16s grounded by Belgian maintenance delays
A Wall Street Journal report says more than half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are non-combat-ready because phased technical inspections carried out by Belgian contractor Sabena Aerospace Engineering under a U.S. contract are taking far longer than in the United States. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to the Financial Times that roughly half the fleet is in long-term repair in Europe and said Ukraine wants to move most of that maintenance onto its own territory with Western support. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman publicly disputed the 'catastrophically low' readiness framing, saying turnaround times are actually shortening.
-
Ukraine asks EU to use frozen Russian assets to cover $78 billion 2027 financing gap
Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told a donor meeting in Brussels on 29 September that Ukraine needs roughly $78 billion (about €69 billion) in additional financing for 2027 and called on the European Union to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to cover the gap. EU officials and several member states received the request skeptically, with Belgium opposed to any new use of the assets and the European Commission insisting that the priority is disbursing the already agreed €90 billion loan, whose budget tranche is held up pending Ukrainian reforms.
-
Russia launches massive combined missile and drone strike on Kyiv overnight, killing civilians including a child
In the night of 29–30 September 2026, Russia carried out a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine with the main strike direction targeting Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. Ukrainian air defense reported intercepting 5 ballistic missiles and 155 of 188 launched drones. Two women were killed in Kyiv and a child died in Vyshhorod, where rescuers pulled three survivors from the rubble of a destroyed house. Fires and damage were recorded in four Kyiv districts and across multiple Kyiv Oblast districts, and 8,000 Kyiv households lost power before DTEK restored supply.
-
IMF estimates Ukraine's financing gap at $54 billion through 2029 as donors meet in Brussels
On September 29, Ukraine's donors gathered in Brussels to accelerate talks on further financial assistance, as IMF estimates put Ukraine's financing gap at about $54 billion through 2029. EU member states remain divided on whether to use roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets or issue new common debt, while the European Commission and IMF tie further assistance to Ukraine's implementation of a reform plan.
-
Ukraine's farmers face funding crunch as Black Sea exports remain blocked, minister warns
Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky has warned that Ukrainian farmers are running out of money, with a more severe funding crisis likely in spring due to the continued blocking of Black Sea grain exports. The European Commission declined Ukraine's request for €220 million in farmer support, and Ukraine is instead counting on a $250 million concessional loan from the World Bank.
-
Kyiv endured over 10 continuous days of air raid alerts in one month, Ukraine's security council says
Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Ihor Klymenko reported on September 29 that Kyiv recorded 235 air raid alerts between August 27 and the time of reporting, totaling 261 hours — more than 10 continuous days under threat. He said the capital has been under almost continuous attack by Russian jet-powered drones for about a month and described the situation as a new challenge for Ukrainian air defense requiring rapid technological solutions and mass production of interception means.
-
Ukraine's defense minister asks EU for Patriot missiles and funding for drone interceptors
Ukraine's Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara addressed EU defense ministers on September 28 at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, asking member states to transfer part of their Patriot missile stockpiles to Ukraine and to help finance Ukrainian production of interceptors for jet-powered Shahed-type drones. He also requested air-to-air missiles, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), and F-16 ammunition, and called on partners to move EU loan funds planned for 2027 into 2026.
-
Ukraine suspends non-priority spending as PM warns of critical fiscal squeeze
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision on 28 September prioritizing state expenditures toward defense, pensions, social payments and public-sector salaries, while suspending non-critical construction, reconstruction, capital repairs and beautification projects until the end of the war. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said part of the pressure stems from delayed international financing, in part because Ukraine has not fulfilled some of its commitments to international partners. The government has identified about $7 billion through internal optimization against a reported $27 billion Ministry of Defense deficit.
-
Ukraine's 2027 defense budget leaves $70 billion shortfall, ministry says
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence estimates 2027 defense needs at $175 billion, nearly double the roughly $100 billion allocated in the government's draft state budget. Officials say the $70 billion gap must be closed with international partners through instruments such as the Ramstein format and PURL. The draft, Ukraine's sixth wartime budget, projects total expenditures above 8 trillion hryvnias and relies on foreign assistance to cover a 4.3 trillion hryvnia gap.
-
Ukraine's PM ties 2027 VAT hike to war-risk insurance fund for businesses hit by Russian strikes
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said a planned 1-percentage-point increase in Ukraine's standard VAT rate, from 20% to 21% under the draft 2027 state budget, is needed to finance a new fund that would promptly compensate businesses for damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes. Speaking to TSN.Tyzhden, he said Ukraine plans an initial state contribution of about $1 billion, with the government expecting international partners to add roughly four times that amount for a total fund of about $5 billion.
-
Ukraine's defense budget faces $27 billion deficit, PM says $20 billion to come from partners
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's defense budget has a $27 billion shortfall — part of the $155 billion war financing figure declared at February's Ramstein-format meeting. Around $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and internal reallocation, with roughly $20 billion being sought from international partners for drones, missiles and military equipment.
-
Ukraine says ready for US-mediated trilateral with Russia; Zelensky names UAE as proposed venue
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on September 25 that the United States has proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia at the technical level, with the United Arab Emirates suggested as the venue. Ukraine is waiting for Washington to propose a date. The Kremlin confirmed contacts are underway. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine is ready for the format but saw no signals of Russian willingness to engage.
-
Ukraine says it obtained Russian plans for winter strikes on energy infrastructure, details defensive preparations
Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukrainian intelligence obtained two Russian documents detailing Moscow's planned strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter. The documents contain tables specifying targets, weapons and munition allocations. Shmyhal described protective construction and tripled reserve stockpiles, and said Ukraine will continue deep strikes on Russia if energy attacks continue.
-
Ukraine's cabinet backs monument to Hetman Mazepa in central Kyiv on site of dismantled Lenin statue
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has endorsed a Ministry of Culture proposal to erect a monument to Hetman Ivan Mazepa on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, on the site of the Lenin monument toppled during the Euromaidan in 2013. The initiative was put forward by President Volodymyr Zelensky in June and is being implemented under a presidential decree.
-
Drone from Russian strike crashes in Romania's Suceava County
A drone crashed in a forest near the village of Solca in Romania's Suceava County on the morning of 24 September during a large Russian combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine. Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets, issued air-raid alerts, and briefly suspended classes in four localities, with no casualties or damage reported.
-
Ukraine ministry probes restoration department director over alleged bribe linked to previous job
Investigative actions took place on 23 September at Ukraine's Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport over allegations that Viktor Steblinenko, Director of the Restoration Policy Department, received illicit benefit in connection with his previous position. The ministry says the case is unrelated to his current duties and has moved to suspend him and launch an internal audit.