Russia Ukraine News Live: Zelenskyy says nearly 60% of Ukraine's weapons are now domestically produced

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the country's domestic arms production has surpassed targets set in July, with nearly 60% of its weapons now being manufactured within Ukraine, according to a report in The Guardian. The announcement, made on day 1,292 of the full-scale invasion, underscores the growing importance of drone technology in the conflict. In separate developments, recent Russian aerial attacks on the capital city of Kyiv resulted in the deaths of three people.

Intelligence services from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania have successfully dismantled a Belarusian spy network that was being established in Europe, AP said in a report. The Czech counterintelligence agency (BIS) stated Monday that the collaborative effort uncovered spies from Belarus's KGB security agency across several European countries. The agency also revealed that a former deputy head of Moldova's intelligence service (SIS) was part of the network and had handed over classified information to the KGB.

The United States is importing significant quantities of refined petroleum products from India, which are made from discounted Russian crude oil, according to a report in NPR. This trade arrangement effectively bypasses direct Western sanctions on Russian energy, as international trade rules do not classify products refined in a third country as being of Russian origin. India, which is not part of the G7, has significantly increased its purchases of Russian crude since the implementation of a G7 price cap in December 2022, refining it and selling the resulting products on the global market, including to the U.S. and European nations.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that individual European leaders will visit the United States on Monday or Tuesday for discussions on how to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a report in Reuters. Speaking to reporters, Trump also stated that he intends to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon regarding the conflict.

The Czech Republic’s counterintelligence agency (BIS) announced it has broken up a European spy network operated by Belarus's KGB, a key ally of Russia, AP said in a report. The operation, conducted jointly with intelligence services from Hungary and Romania, discovered spies in several European countries. The Czech agency also stated that a former deputy head of Moldova's intelligence service (SIS) was involved, having handed over classified information to the network.

An analysis of Russia's air campaign in Ukraine found that 518 civilians were killed over the summer amid near-nightly bombardments, according to a report in The Washington Post. The Kremlin's forces used a record 11,739 drones and 433 missiles during this period. The report highlights that the consistent attacks, which often target civilian areas, are part of Russia's broader strategy to degrade Ukrainian morale and exhaust its air defenses.

Ukrainian forensic specialists are facing the immense task of identifying thousands of fallen soldiers after Russia agreed to return their remains, according to a report in The Independent. This large-scale effort, described as a rare form of humanitarian cooperation between the two sides, involves mass mortuaries and complex forensic analysis to provide names for the deceased. The process is vital for giving closure to the families of the fallen and is also a critical component of documenting potential war crimes under international humanitarian law. These exchanges of the dead are often linked to broader, though sporadic, prisoner swaps.

Germany's Green Party, a partner in the current governing coalition, has accused the opposition CDU/CSU bloc of denying €4.5 billion in necessary aid for Ukraine, Politico says in a report. The Greens are pushing for the government to increase spending, specifically to bolster Ukraine's air defense capabilities amid intensified Russian aerial attacks. The accusation highlights political tensions within Germany regarding the national budget and the extent of military support for Kyiv, with the Greens advocating for more robust assistance against the opposition's perceived fiscal conservatism.

Russian attacks across Ukraine have killed six people and injured 21, with strikes targeting the country's energy infrastructure, according to a report in The Kyiv Independent. In separate developments, Russia's security services detained an Azerbaijani citizen over an alleged Ukraine-linked terror plot, and a drone with Cyrillic markings crashed in Poland near its border with Belarus.

Ukrainian military officials have announced the recapture of another village from Russian troops in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, according to a report in The Kyiv Independent. The advance is part of Ukraine's ongoing counter-offensive operations, which have been focused on the eastern and southern fronts. This gain comes amid what has been described as a slow but steady effort by Ukrainian forces to push through heavily fortified Russian defensive lines in the region, which Russia illegally claimed to annex in 2022.

Chinese automakers that expanded into Russia following the departure of Western brands after the Ukraine invasion are now reconsidering their strategy as the market becomes less lucrative, according to a report in Bloomberg. The initial opportunity is reportedly diminishing due to Russia's broader economic struggles, stemming from a decline in its export revenues linked to international sanctions. This economic downturn has weakened the Russian market, impacting the profitability for the Chinese car companies that had previously viewed it as a significant opportunity.

An intelligence report indicates that nearly 700,000 Russian military personnel are currently deployed in Ukraine, according to a report in the Kyiv Independent. The figure, believed to originate from Ukrainian intelligence, is understood to include frontline combat soldiers, support personnel, and occupation forces. This troop level marks a significant increase from the estimated 150,000-200,000 personnel Russia used to launch its full-scale invasion in 2022, underscoring the scale of Moscow's mobilization efforts to sustain the conflict.

Erik Prince, the founder of the defunct private military company Blackwater, is reportedly in Kyiv aggressively pitching his services and seeking to enter the country's valuable drone sector, according to a report in The Guardian. This development comes as the current Trump administration is said to be considering the use of U.S. private military contractors in a potential post-war capacity in Ukraine. The report references Prince's controversial history, including the 2007 Iraq massacre involving his former company's contractors, and identifies him as a political supporter of Donald Trump.

The apartment of Ukrainian midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, located in Kyiv, has been severely damaged after it was struck by a Russian drone, BBC says in a report. Sudakov confirmed the event, stating that his wife and child were inside the home at the time of the attack. This incident is part of Russia's ongoing aerial bombardment campaign targeting Ukrainian urban centers.

China is paving the way for Russian energy giants to raise capital in its domestic market through the sale of renminbi-denominated 'panda bonds', according to a report in the Financial Times. This move, which would mark the first such fundraising by Russian entities since 2017, provides a crucial alternative funding source for Russian companies facing extensive Western sanctions that have cut them off from traditional capital markets since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The development signifies deepening economic ties between Moscow and Beijing and aids Russia's efforts to circumvent financial restrictions while also promoting the international use of China's currency.

NATO's eastern flank is on high alert as Russia prepares for its Zapad 2025 military exercises, which are being closely watched as a gauge of Moscow's military readiness three years into the war in Ukraine, Politico says in a report. Western observers will scrutinize the drills to assess the reconstitution of Russian forces, which have been significantly depleted by the conflict. The exercises carry heightened significance as the previous Zapad 2021 drills were viewed as a precursor to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The strategic context has also shifted due to NATO's reinforcement of its eastern border and the recent accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance.

Russia's once-vibrant stand-up comedy scene has been severely impacted by a wartime crackdown, forcing comedians to self-censor or risk legal action for jokes deemed critical of the state, according to a report in The Washington Post. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia enacted strict laws in March 2022 that criminalize "discrediting the armed forces" and spreading "fake news," creating a climate of fear. Comedians now face the constant threat that a performance could go viral and lead to public denunciation and severe penalties, a situation that has all but destroyed a cultural scene that was growing in popularity in major Russian cities before the war.