Air defense beat mass drone attack against Kyiv

Ukrainian air defense units successfully fended off a "massive" Russian drone attack on Kyiv in the early hours of September 16, as reported by Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. This was the eighth aerial assault on Kyiv this month. The attack began around 2 a.m. local time and lasted for three and a half hours.

Throughout the night, Russia launched multiple groups of attack drones from various directions. Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted nearly two dozen unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Kyiv's airspace. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage in Kyiv as a result of this attack, according to preliminary reports.

This latest assault follows an overnight drone strike on September 7, which caused damage to several residential buildings in Kyiv. Additionally, Russia has conducted a series of missile and drone attacks on various Ukrainian cities in early September, targeting civilian infrastructure and educational facilities in Poltava, Sumy, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih.

Putin expands size of Russia's armed forces to 1.5 million

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed an increase in Russian armed forces personnel to 2.39 million, including 1.5 million military personnel. This marks a rise of 180,000 troops. The government has been ordered to provide the necessary budget for this expansion. The Defense Ministry has not commented yet, but previously stated that the increase would come from voluntary contracts rather than conscription, citing growing threats from the Ukraine conflict and NATO expansion.

Russia makes at least billion dollars on stolen Ukrainian grain

Since 2022, Russia and its partners have sold nearly $1 billion worth of grain stolen from Ukraine's occupied territories, according to The Wall Street Journal. The network involved includes companies linked to the Russian invasion, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard-linked company, and Crimean businessman Mykhailo Hanaga's Agro-Fregat LLC.

In the first half of 2024, 15 ships carrying 81,000 tonnes of wheat were sent from Mariupol to Türkiye. Ukrainian officials estimate that at least 4 million tonnes of grain worth around $800 million have been sold on international markets since 2022. This illegal trade helps Russia alleviate economic pressure from sanctions. The total value of the grain stolen could be as high as $6.4 billion.

Some of the illegal exports involve small ships or land routes, and occasionally foreign vessels play a role. For example, the Turkish vessel Usko MFU was suspected of transporting stolen grain from Sevastopol. Yemen and Iran continue to buy grain from Crimea, with Tehran purchasing barley at a 34% discount. However, countries like Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon have ceased buying after learning the grain was stolen.