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Prominent Russian opposition activist Ildar Dadin has been killed while fighting in Ukraine alongside Kyiv’s forces, officials and his family said.
“It is with deep regret that I must inform you that Ildar Dadin – call sign Gandhi – died yesterday in combat in the Kharkiv region” in northeast Ukraine, his friend and former Russian MP Ilia Ponomarev said. He hailed Dadin as a “fearless and determined fighter” who had gone “to the front to fight Putinism”.
His death was also reported by the Ukrainian group that recruited him, stating that “he was, and he remains a hero”. Dadin was imprisoned by the Russian authorities in 2015 for organising peaceful solo protests against political repression.
The news of his death came as the Netherlands confirmed its first batch of F-16 fighter jets had arrived in Ukraine.
The first planes are already operating in Ukrainian airspace, according to Dutch defence minister Ruben Brekelmans on a surprise visit to Kyiv.
Full report: Ukraine downs a Russian warplane and Russia claims gains in the east
Ukraine downs a Russian warplane and Russia claims gains in the east
Ukrainian forces say they have shot down a Russian fighter plane while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east
Zelensky to present ‘victory plan’ at Ramstein meeting
Ukraine will present its “victory plan” at a regular meeting of its allies at Ramstein in Germany on 12 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“We will present the victory plan, clear, specific steps for a just end to the war,” he wrote.
Ukraine, which has been fending off an invasion from much larger neighbour Russia for nearly 1,000 days, has in recent months teased a plan to end the war.
The details have not been made public, but Zelenskiy presented it to US President Joe Biden, as well as both major candidates running in the country’s presidential election, when he visited Washington last month.
The US State Department spokesman said the plan contained “a number of productive steps” which the US would engage with Ukraine on.
Russian fighter plane shot down over Donetsk is a Hunter S-70 combat drone, reports
Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province.
It has now emerged that it was a prototype of Russia’s Hunter S-70 combat drone, according to local Ukrainian media.
According to reports, the drone was shot down either due to a loss of control or deliberately after it malfunctioned during the test flight.
Justin Bronk, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, called the incident a “stunningly embarrassing failure” for Russia.
One dead as Russia strikes Ukraine with drones and missiles
One person has died after Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight with 87 Shahed drones and four different types of missiles, officials said.
A 49-year-old man was killed in the Kharkiv region after his car was hit by a drone, said regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. A gas pipeline was also damaged and a warehouse set alight in the city of Odesa, Ukrainian officials reported.
Wach: Boris Johnson says Vladimir Putin is 'not mad, definitely bad'
Russia launches air attack on Kyiv, Odesa, Ukraine says
Russian air attacks on Ukraine kept the eastern half of the country under air raid alert for more than five hours, Ukraine‘s military said, with Moscow launching several waves of strikes targeting Kyiv and other cities.
“The enemy once again used its drones against Kyiv overnight!” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app. “Russian drones entered the capital of Ukraine in several waves and from different directions.”
All the air weapons were destroyed on their approach and, according to preliminary information, there were no reports of damage or injuries, Popko said. Details regarding the size of the attack will come later in the day, he said.
Air raid alerts for the capital and its region was announced three times during the night, totalling more than five hours, Popko said.
Hennadii Trukhanov, mayor of the Black Sea port of Odesa, said on Telegram that Russia targeted the southern city overnight, with several explosions reported.
There was no information on damages or injuries there.
Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the southern region of Kherson, said on Sunday that one civilian had died and 15 were injured in Russia’s attacks on the region in the past 24 hours.
Russia launched 87 drones at Ukraine, Ukrainian air force says
Russia launched 87 attack drones and four missiles overnight targeting Ukrainian territory, Ukraine‘s air force said.
Ukraine‘s air defence units destroyed 56 of the drones and two of the missiles, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s envoy to US concludes term amid bilateral tensions
Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, a staunch Kremlin hardliner, is ending his term and returning to Moscow amidst the worst US-Russia relations in decades.
“Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov is concluding his Washington assignment and heading to Moscow,” TASS state news agency cited the foreign ministry as saying.
There was no mention of who would succeed the envoy, known for his military-style negotiation approach. His position on Russia’s war in Ukraine has demonstrated steadfast support for Vladimir Putin’s actions.
“It is obvious to us that the enemy will be defeated and victory will be Russia’s,” Antonov said on Saturday in an unrelated post on the Telegram messaging app, commenting on Russian forces capturing Ukraine’s mining town of Vuhledar.
Watch: Putin says West will be fighting directly with Russia if it lets Kyiv use long-range missiles
Ukrainian forces down Russian bomber in Donetsk region
Ukrainian forces reported the downing of a Russian warplane in eastern Ukraine on Saturday.
The bomber was shot down near Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, according to Serhiy Horbunov, head of the local military administration, as cited by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne.
Images revealed the charred wreckage of the aircraft after it crashed into a house, igniting a fire.
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