FT:

The European Commission is preparing to release billions of euros in EU funds to Hungary currently frozen because of rule of law concerns, in a move that could secure Budapest’s support for an increase to the bloc’s budget and significant financial assistance to Ukraine.

Releasing the funds, which have been frozen since last December, would mark a victory for prime minister Viktor Orbán, who has vowed not to agree to any increase in the EU budget until Hungary’s access to it is restored.

The commission intends to unfreeze about €13bn in funding before the end of November, three officials briefed on the discussions told the FT.

Freight train crushed Russian Strela-10 air defense system in Donetsk.

3 Russian soldiers were killed, 2 were wounded.

In addition to the crushed air defense system, the railway track was also damaged.

POLITICO, citing European officials:

“We cannot keep on giving from our own stockpiles,” said one European official.

The official added that there is still robust public and political support for Ukraine’s fight, but “we’ve given everything that will not endanger our own security.”

A senior member of the Department of Defense (Pentagon) communications staff has been arrested and charged with participating in a dogfighting ring in the D.C. area for more than 20 years.

Frederick Douglass Moorefield Jr., 62, of Arnold, Md., was a deputy chief information officer for command, control and communications for the Secretary of Defense’s Chief Information Officer.

The ring regularly trained dogs for fights, ran thousands of dollars in bets on the outcomes, and executed dogs that didn’t die during matches.

Axios:

The Biden administration is scrambling to try to assure U.S. allies that war aid to Ukraine will continue despite the growing number of Republicans in Congress who oppose it.

Biden is scheduled to hold a conference call with the leaders of the G7 countries and several other European allies.

One European diplomat said Biden's team is telling allies that it's working on an agreement with Congress to allow continued military aid to Ukraine.

Armenian Parliament ratified the Rome Statute, despite the strong opposition of the Russian Federation.

Austrian newspaper Die Presse:

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström was unable to take part in the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv on Monday.

Because he forgot his passport.

France’s La Tribune:

French Turgis & Gaillard, together with Ukraine’s Antonov, will launch production of the Aarok MALE UCAV in Ukraine.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna shared a spectacular picture of Mount Ağrı in Türkiye during her visit to Armenia after Armenia-backed forces had to lay down their arms & surrender in Azerbaijani territory of Karabakh.

#BREAKING Former President of Armenia-backed illegal regime in Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, was detained by Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies.

Other former presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan (1997-2007) & Bako Sahakyan (2007-2020) were also detained for their criminal acts by the State Service security of Azerbaijan within the framework of criminal cases initiated against them and taken to Baku.

Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan threatens with a thermonuclear explosion "somewhere over Siberia" that would disable all electronic devices.

"I don't see any outcome other than something like this, whether I like it or not."

At the same time, she says “there will be no nuclear winter, no radiation & no cancer.”

UK Junior Defence Minister James Heappey:

Look at what Ukraine has now done in the Black Sea!

Ukraine has achieved the functional defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The Telegraph, citing senior British military chief:

Britain has run out of defence equipment to donate to Ukraine and other countries should step in and shoulder more of the burden.

A senior military source told The Telegraph that the onus should not be on the UK to provide the “billions” Mr Wallace has called for.

“Giving billions more doesn’t mean giving billions of British kit,” they said, adding that the UK had a role to play in “encouraging other nations to give more money and weapons”.

“We’ve given away just about as much as we can afford,” they added.

“We will continue to source equipment to provide for Ukraine, but what they need now is things like air defence assets and artillery ammunition and we’ve run dry on all that.”

Iran’s new UAV: Kaman-19

Reportedly designed to carry out only EW/jamming role.

Anti-Semitic Armenian radical vandalized a synagogue in Yerevan, Armenia; poured paint and broke the glasses.

#BREAKING The Daily Mail:

Fifty-five Chinese sailors are feared dead after their nuclear submarine apparently got caught in a trap intended to ensnare British sub-surface vessels in the Yellow Sea.

According to a secret UK report the seamen died following a catastrophic failure of the submarine's oxygen systems which poisoned the crew.

The captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine '093-417' is understood to be among the deceased, as are 21 other officers.

Officially, China has denied the incident took place. It also appears Beijing refused to request international assistance for its stricken submarine.

The UK report into the fatal mission reads: 'Intelligence reports that on 21st of August there was an onboard accident whilst carrying out a mission in the Yellow Sea.

'Incident happened at 08.12 local resulting in the death of 55 crew members: 22 officers, 7 officer cadets, 9 petty officers, 17 sailors. Dead include the captain Colonel Xue Yong-Peng.

'Our understanding is death caused by hypoxia due to a system fault on the submarine. The submarine hit a chain and anchor obstacle used by the Chinese Navy to trap US and allied submarines.

'This resulted in systems failures that took six hours to repair and surface the vessel. The onboard oxygen system poisoned the crew after a catastrophic failure.'