Ukraine Tests New Interceptor, Hits Russian Refineries

Ukraine unveiled a new domestically built air defense weapon on Saturday, with President Zelensky announcing a successful test of the "Spis" interceptor missile alongside German Chancellor Merz in Kyiv, a step toward self-sufficient air defense. The announcement came with another show of strength: Ukraine's Defense Ministry said long-range strikes have now knocked out over 51 percent of Russia's oil refining capacity, steadily eroding Moscow's energy revenues. Russia kept pressing from the air. A drone strike on an energy facility in Poltava region cut power to about 22,000 customers, while separate FPV drone attacks in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions killed three people and damaged civilian infrastructure. At home, Zelensky acknowledged Ukraine still faces a roughly $4 billion budget gap, though the Finance Ministry has sources lined up for about $3 billion of it. He also said Kyiv is developing its own Starlink-style satellite internet system to cut reliance on foreign providers. In the capital, shuttle trains will run between Vydubichi and Darnytsia from October 5 to 9 at rush hour to ease pressure on the bridges. Across the border, dozens were detained at a Communist Party rally in Moscow, where demonstrators chanted "Down with the tsar" and other anti-government slogans.