Daily Flyer - October 27, 2023
A voice of Ukraine to the West
Russian strike on Kherson injured 7
A Russian strike on the city center of Kherson on the evening of October 27 resulted in seven residents being injured and over a dozen houses damaged or destroyed, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The injured individuals included elderly women aged 82, 76, and 49, who sustained minor injuries and received hospital treatment. Additionally, two 54-year-old men and two others aged 55 and 58 suffered minor shrapnel wounds but declined hospitalization. The attack, which occurred around 6:30 p.m., led to the destruction of two houses, partial damage to three others, and harm to ten more residences.
Kherson, a southern city with a pre-war population of 280,000, has been a regular target for Russian strikes since its liberation during Ukraine's counteroffensive in the previous year. It is located on the right bank of the Dnipro River, not far from the Russian-occupied left-bank part of Kherson Oblast. Additionally, Russia launched drone and artillery strikes on the Beryslav district, about 60 kilometers east of Kherson, on the same day, resulting in injuries to a 79-year-old man, a 73-year-old woman, and a 62-year-old man, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office.
Hungary, Slovakia voice criticism of Ukraine aid at EU summit
During the Brussels summit on October 26, most of the European Union (EU) leaders expressed their continued support for Ukraine, despite some objections raised by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Orban indicated that Hungary would, "for the time being," reject the planned €50 billion ($53 billion) aid package for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Fico named corruption in Ukraine as a potential concern for future support. Fico also stated that Slovakia would halt all military aid to Ukraine and focus solely on humanitarian assistance. He pledged to promote this perspective in Brussels, adding that Slovakia would not support further sanctions against Russia without a thorough analysis of potential domestic consequences. However, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov noted that neither Orban nor Fico outright rejected support for Ukraine. EU leaders are expected to reach a consensus on future financing for Ukraine by December 2023.
Court extends Kolomoisky's arrest until December
Ukraine's Shevchenkivskyi district court has extended the detention of prominent businessman Ihor Kolomoisky for another month, ruling that he will remain in pretrial detention until at least December 2.
Kolomoisky was arrested on September 2 for fraud and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. Additional criminal charges were filed against him on September 7, accusing him of embezzling $250 million from PrivatBank in 2015. Following these charges, the court increased his bail from Hr 509 million ($14 million) to Hr 3.89 billion ($106 million) due to concerns that he might flee abroad after losing his Ukrainian citizenship and becoming a citizen of Israel.
Kolomoisky's business dealings have faced various scandals, and he is also facing lawsuits and charges in the UK, US, Israel, and Ukraine.