31 August 2025
Columns
Crimea liberation is question of survival for Crimean Tatars
His speech, delivered through translation by Crimean Tatar diaspora patriarch Mübeyin Batu Altan
Force cannot define international borders
Taoiseach reaffirmed Ireland’s steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that justice must underpin any lasting peace. Concluding, he pledged that Ireland and the EU will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes
News
Ukraine completes EU accession screening process (updated)
Ukraine and the European Union have completed the screening of Ukrainian legislation as part of EU accession negotiations, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated, who arrived in Ukraine for a three-day visit "to reaffirm the EU's support for Ukraine's European path and to mark the completion of the screening process for EU accession"
Chief Crimean prosecutor Ihor Ponochovnyy, who collaborated with human rights advocates, dismissed
The Center of Journalistic Investigations pointed out that despite the Crimean prosecutor's office's successes, Ponochovnyy has not yet received any offers for reappointment or a new position and has resigned from the prosecutor's office. Human rights advocates who have cooperated with the Crimean prosecutor's office on international crimes issues in the occupied peninsula are concerned about the changes at the institution
Family of four, including expectant mother of twins, killed in Russian shelling in Sumy region
Civilians were killed and wounded, and material damage was reported in the Sumy, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions following Russian shelling on the night of September 30, according to the National Police and regional administrations
Russia shells Ukraine overnight with 32 drones; 2 civilians wounded in Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions
Civilians were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions following Russian shelling on the night of September 29, 2025, according to regional military administrations
Russian drone strikes kill man in Kharkiv, woman in Dnipropetrovsk
Russian drone attacks killed a man in Kharkiv Oblast and a woman in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on September 28, 2025
At least four people, including a child, killed in the Russian attack on Kyiv (updated)
A "massive attack" by Russia against Ukraine's capital killed at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl, and injured at least 27 others at night and in the morning on September 28, 2025
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power for record three days: Russia blamed for manufacturing nuclear crisis at Europe’s largest power plant
Ukrainian officials among those concerned Russia is manufacturing crisis to keep hold of frontline plant
Two civilians killed, more than 30 wounded in latest Russian strikes in Ukraine
On September 26, 2025, two civilians were killed in Russian attacks in Donetsk and Kherson Oblasts. In addition, nine civilians were wounded in Donetsk, 12 in Kherson, five in Dnipropetrovsk, and six in Kharkiv Oblasts
Russia sent 48 Ukrainian children to psychiatric hospitals in the occupied Donetsk region on extremism charges – human rights advocate
According to Almenda, approximately 6 million Ukrainians remain in the occupied territories, including 1.5 million children. Their militarization, which began in 2014, has intensified after the full-scale Russian invasion
Russian shelling killed two people in Ukraine over the past day
The National Police of Ukraine reported that as a result of Russian shellings on September 25, two civilians were killed in the Kherson Oblast (region) and ten more people were injured, including in the Kharkiv region
Kyiv is preparing to launch the “Pulse of Accession” system to track Ukraine’s progress toward the EU
According to formal procedure, these roadmaps had to be approved after consensus was reached among EU member states, and Ukraine was officially invited to submit them
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is in its second day of a blackout due to Russia’s actions – Energoatom
The company also explained that diesel generators are only intended for emergency power supply and are not capable of meeting the station's long-term needs. Their shutdown could lead to a loss of control over the facility's nuclear safety
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau accuses Security Service of targeting former detectives
NABU said the SSU's actions likely stem from the detectives' earlier work on investigations that exposed organized criminal groups within state-owned companies and government agencies, particularly the SSU itself
During Crimea Platform Summit at the UN, Zelensky urges world to resist normalizing Russian occupation
Ukrainian President called for continued sanctions coordination among partners. He also thanked participants for maintaining sanctions and urged the international community not to allow killings and occupation to become something "the world can simply turn a blind eye to."
Crimea Platform Expert Network warns against separate talks on Crimea, calls for Black Sea security measures
The statement, released during the Fifth Summit of the International Crimea Platform at U.N. headquarters, emphasized that all occupied Ukrainian regions -- including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions -- must be treated as "parts of a single space of armed aggression" by Russia
Three quarters of Ukrainians support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union
The highest levels of support for European integration are demonstrated by residents of Kyiv, as well as western and northern regions. At the same time, most citizens are generally aware of both the advantages and the disadvantages of Ukraine’s accession process
US could hit entire International Criminal Court with sanctions soon – Reuters
Three diplomatic sources said some of the ICC's 125 member countries would try to push back against additional U.S. sanctions during a U.N. General Assembly in New York this week. But all indications are that Washington will scale up its attack on the ICC, four diplomatic sources in The Hague and New York said
Former Come Back Alive Foundation employee, Invictus Games coach Taras Shpuk killed on front line
Taras Shpuk became one of its first employees. He came up with the idea of developing sports for veterans and proved its effectiveness in helping soldiers adapt after injuries
Russia’s aggression on September 22 left seven dead in Ukraine
According to the National Police of Ukraine, as a result of shellings by the Russian military on September 22, 2025, eight civilians were killed and at least 18 people were injured in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kherson Oblasts
Russian occupiers sentenced in absentia the activist and transgender woman Lilia Khvylka from temporarily occupied Crimea
At the same time, the activist noted that the "verdict" from the occupation court has taken a toll on her emotional and psychological state, but she plans to focus on it less
Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger exit International Criminal Court in joint move
The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the UN-backed Court, which is based in The Hague
Yesterday, Russian shelling killed nine people in Ukraine
As a result of shelling by Russian troops on September 21, 2025, nine civilians were killed in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions (Oblasts). At least 17 were injured in the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kherson Oblasts, according to the National Police of Ukraine
Russian troops killed three civilians in the temporarily occupied village of Kozachi Laheri, the Kherson region
According to eyewitnesses, the soldiers were drunk. They broke into the Gladkykhs' house and demanded alcohol. When the owners replied that they had no alcohol, the occupiers killed them. A neighbor who heard the shots came running and was also shot by the soldiers
Russian drone attacks on civilians amount to crimes against humanity – UN Commission
Recurrent attacks have gradually destroyed entire localities. Many of the victims suffer from the loss of loved ones or of their houses and livelihoods and feel that they have "lost everything." Closer to the frontlines, older persons have been particularly affected, as many are unable to flee, making them vulnerable to risks of attacks, the Chair of the Commission, Erik Møse, said.
In the night, Russia killed and injured people in shelling attacks in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and the Kyiv region
During the night, the Russian army launched more than 140 drones at Ukraine, most of which were shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force. The military reported that the drones hit seven locations
