Procurement of drones at inflated prices and warnings of worst winter from Ukrenergo: highlights for October 30

Purchase of drones at inflated prices

The State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection purchased EVO MAX 4T drones manufactured by Autel at inflated prices from Kryon-M. The latter bought them from a Ukrainian-German company at an already inflated price. This is stated in the investigation by hromadske.

Kryon-M specializes in the sale of furniture, carpets, and lamps.

The former head of the State Service for Special Communications, Yurii Shchyhol, who headed the agency at the time, now claims that he was not involved in the procurement. And the head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said that he had not personally monitored the procurement since the beginning of the Army of Drones project.

Ukrenergo is preparing for the most difficult winter

Ukrenergo warns that this winter could be one of the most severe over the past three years. The company is preparing for the worst-case scenario.

If Russia continues its massive attacks on generation facilities, blackouts could last up to 8 hours.

Time names marriage in Diia as one of the best innovations of the year

Marriage in the Diia app has been recognized as one of the best technological inventions of 2024 by the American magazine Time. Diia was recognized in the Apps and Software category.

Time notes that the technology is designed to help many Ukrainian couples who have been physically separated by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

European Commission report: Ukraine has fulfilled all previously unfulfilled steps

The European Commission's updated report on enlargement has shown that Ukraine has already fulfilled all the previously unfulfilled steps set out in the European Commission's 2022 opinion.

The EU noted the strengthening of the anti-corruption institutional framework and the increase in high-level law enforcement in corruption cases. Ukraine's efforts regarding the rights of national minorities were also positively noted.

Three thousand DPRK soldiers are already in Russia

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that three thousand North Korean soldiers are already on the territory of Russia, preparing for battle.

The Financial Times found out that the military were deployed about 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. About 3,000 North Korean soldiers were secretly transported by civilian trucks to the Kursk region from the Russian Far East.

Certain areas of Pokrovsk to be blocked

About 12 thousand people remain in Pokrovsk. Authorities are urging them to leave due to the destruction of infrastructure and the plan to close certain areas of the city for defense purposes.

There will be no complete blocking of Pokrovsk for entry and exit. Only certain areas will be blocked as the city prepares for defense.

Spain is gripped by a sudden flood

A flash flood broke out in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia after heavy rains. At least 70 people died there.

Dozens of people spent the night stuck in trucks or cars, on the roofs of shops or gas stations, or locked in their cars on impassable roads. Heavy rains led to power outages affecting 155,000 people.

The Spanish government announced three days of mourning for the victims of the flash floods in the Valencia region.

Other important news of the day

• Writer and historian Yurii Kaniuk was killed at the front.
• In Poland, a 48-year-old Ukrainian died during police detention.
• Georgia began investigating alleged election fraud.
• The government has prepared a roadmap for opening Ukraine's airspace.
• Zelenskyy: The winter ahead will be crucial, with blackouts and difficulties.
• The government announces ePotential, a new social insurance system.
• The Rada passed a bill to reform the Accounting Chamber.