Ukraine-Russia war – live: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un reaches Russia in armoured green train for meeting with Putin

An armoured train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia, the country’s state news agency reported today.

The agency RIA, citing one of its correspondents in Russia’s Far East where Mr Kim is expected, posted a video of the train with dark green and grey cars as it moved forward. The train carried the North Korean leader who rarely steps out of his country.

Western intelligence agencies expect the two to discuss North Korea supplying weapons and ammunition to support Russia’s war machine in Ukraine.

South Korean media, citing government sources, said that the train left the North Korean capital on Sunday evening and that the summit would likely be held on Tuesday or Wednesday in Vladivostok – which is just 80 miles from the Russia-North Korea border.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has made gains on the frontline in the east and south, Kyiv has claimed as it seeks to put Russia’s forces on the run.

Ukrainian troops near the frontline town of Avdiivka took advantage of Russian forces focusing on to advance and capture part of the village of Opytne to the south, the head of the local military administration said.

Key Points

• Putin’s troops pushed back in ‘thunderous assault operation’ in Donetsk

• Zelensky suggests Ukraine could be set for big breakthrough: 'They will run'

• Ukrainian military makes ‘thunderous assault operation’

• Ukraine says Russia launches overnight drone attack on Kyiv

• ‘600 members of Putin’s forces killed in one day’ as party HQ destroyed

• British man who went to fight in Ukraine found dead

Putin claims 1,000 - 1,500 Russian soldiers are signing up each day

10:13 , Matt Mathers

President Vladimir Putin claimed on Tuesday that 1,000 - 1,500 Russians were signing voluntary contracts to join the military every day.

He was responding to a question about whether Russia needed to introduce a new compulsory mobilisation to boost its military effort in Ukraine, something the Kremlin has repeatedly said is not necessary.

Over the past six or seven months, 270,000 people have signed voluntary contracts, Putin said - a figure slightly lower than the 280,000 that former president Dmitry Medvedev stated earlier this month.

Investigation into Russian nationalist Girkin extended till Dec 18 - supporters

14:15 , Matt Mathers

A criminal investigation into prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin was extended until 18 December his supporters said on Tuesday in their Telegram channel.

Girkin, who has strongly criticised the conduct of the Ukraine war, was detained in July on charges of inciting extremism. If convicted, the 52-year-old may face up to five years in jail

Girkin, who also goes by the name Igor Strelkov, is a former security services officer who helped to start the initial war in Ukraine in 2014, when a militia under his command seized the east Ukrainian city of Sloviansk.

He is best known in the West for having been convicted in absentia by a Dutch court over the shooting down of a Malaysian passenger plane with the loss of 298 lives over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

ICYMI: Why Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are desperate for each other’s help

14:00 , Matt Mathers

The North Korean leader is in Russia to discuss weapons for Moscow’s war machine. Given the isolation both men face, it is clear they need each other, writes Chris Stevenson.

Read Chris’s full piece here:

Analysis: Why Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are desperate for each other’s help

EU to cease sanctions against three Russian businessmen this week - sources

13:35 , Matt Mathers

The European Union will not renew sanctions against three men targeted over Russia’s war against Ukraine when the current punitive measures expire later this week, two diplomatic sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

The trio are Russian businessman Grigory Berezkin, billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov and the former head of Ozon, Russian e-commerce firm, Alexander Shulgin.

The EU needs unanimity of all the bloc’s 27 member states to impose sanctions, which are renewed every six months. The next batch expires 15 September.

Britain orders more munitions as Ukraine war boosts UK defence

13:20 , Matt Mathers

Britain’s BAE Systems has won a further £130 million ($162 million) order from the government for munitions, as the Ukraine war continues to boost the UK defence industry.

Britain had already signed a £280 million munitions contract with BAE, Britain’s biggest defence company, in July before it exercised an option to increase its supply by another £130 million on Tuesday.

"The conflict in Ukraine has forced a global rethink around munition priorities," Steve Cardew, BAE’s business development director, munitions, told media at the DSEI arms fair in London.

The chief executive of British military technology company Qinetiq, Steve Wadey, said the war in Ukraine had triggered its main customers of Britain, the United States and Australia to "strategically step back and look at the long-term threats in the world and consider their defence and security policies, budgets and solutions."

Timeline of Russia’s relations with North Korea as Putin meets Kim Jong-Un

13:00 , Matt Mathers

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia to see President Vladimir Putin. It will be the two isolated leaders’ second meeting. Their governments have not confirmed an agenda, but US officials say Putin may ask for artillery and other ammunition for his war in Ukraine.

Such a request would mark a reversal of roles from the 1950-53 Korean War when the Soviet Union provided ammunition, warplanes and pilots to support communist North Korea‘s invasion of the South and the decades of Soviet sponsorship of the North that followed.

Full report:

It’s complicated: A timeline of Moscow’s relations with North Korea

ICYMI: Ukraine’s ‘tit for tat’ drone strikes could boost Putin’s popularity in Russia, experts warn

12:20 , Matt Mathers

“We will end this war with drones”, former deputy prime minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said in July.

Since that statement, Kyiv has announced plans to invest $1bn into the industry, as more than 10,000 drones are said to be lost on the battlefield every month.

Alexander Butler reports:

Ukraine’s ‘tit for tat’ drone strikes could boost Putin’s popularity in Russia

Putin claims UK behind attempted attack on atomic facility

12:00 , Matt Mathers

An attempted attack by Ukrainian forces on a Russian atomic facility was orchestrated by the UK, Vladimir Putin has claimed.

The Russian president was speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“Do they understand what they are playing with?” Putin said.

“Are they trying to provoke us into retaliating against Ukrainian atomic power stations? Does the British prime minister know what his secret services are doing in Ukraine?”

Sweden to consider sending fighter jets to Ukraine, SR radio reports

11:45 , Matt Mathers

The Swedish government will ask its armed forces to investigate the potential for sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

The government wants to know, among other things, how a handover would affect Sweden’s defence capabilities and how quickly Sweden could get new Gripen fighters, SR reported.

Putin says Ukraine is only likely to talk peace when its resources are exhausted

11:19 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine was only likely to start peace talks when it ran out of resources and would use any potential cessation of hostilities to rearm again with Western help.

The war has sown devastation across swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, killed or injured hundreds of thousands and triggered the biggest rupture in Russia’s ties with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Putin, speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok, said Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had so far failed and that the Ukrainian army had sustained heavy losses.

"I have the impression that they want to bite off as much as they can and then, when their resources are close to zero, to achieve a cessation of hostilities and start negotiations in order to replenish their resources and restore combat capability," Putin said.

Black Sea grain deal on hold - Kremlin

10:44 , Matt Mathers

The Black Sea Grain deal is on hold, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

According to state-run media, Peskov added that there had been no progress in restraining the deal, which broke down in July last year.

Moscow pulled out after claiming the West was failing to enable the shipment of Russia’s own grain and fertiliser exports.

The deal allows for commercial food and fertilizer (including ammonia) exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odesa, Chornomorsk, Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.

Live lobsters, cases of wine and bulletproof carriages: Inside Kim Jong-un’s train to meet Putin

09:50 , Matt Mathers

Kim Jong-un appears to have chosen his favoured means of transportation for his first journey outside North Korea in nearly four years – a lavishly adorned, heavily fortified and slow-moving train.

Mr Kim reached Russia on Tuesday after boarding the train on Sunday. He was accompanied by top arms industry and military officials besides North Korea’s foreign minister.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

Inside Kim Jong-un’s train to meet Putin: Lobster, wine and bulletproof carriages

ICYMI: Ukraine ‘many steps closer to regaining Crimea’ after Black Sea gains

09:34 , Matt Mathers

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has said.

“Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to do all he can to bring back Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and has urged international allies to support the effort.

Full report:

Ukraine ‘many steps closer to regaining Crimea’ after Black Sea gains

Why Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are desperate for each other’s help

09:20 , Matt Mathers

The North Korean leader is in Russia to discuss weapons for Moscow’s war machine. Given the isolation both men face it is clear they need each other, writes Chris Stevenson.

Read Chris’s full piece here.

Putin says Yandex co-founder entitled to his opinion following anti-war outburst

08:53 , Matt Mathers

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday described the co-founder of tech company Yandex Arkady Volozh as a "talented man" who has the right to express his opinion following an anti-war outburst he made last month.

Volozh slammed Russia’s "barbaric" invasion of Ukraine days after criticism in Russia over his apparent efforts to distance himself from the country.

Volozh is the founder and CEO of Yandex - Russia’s largest internet company, which has been compared to Google.

Ukraine’s Zelensky vetoes asset declaration law

08:23 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had vetoed a parliamentary bill that sought to retain closed asset declarations for officials.

Parliament voted last week on Tuesday to restore a declaration rule that was suspended after Russia’s 2022 invasion as a security precaution, but - in an important loophole - to keep the disclosures closed to the public for another year.

"Declarations should be open. Immediately. Not in a year," Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia repositions air defences in Moscow to protect against growing threat of drone attacks

07:51 , Matt Mathers

Russia has repositioned its air defences in Moscow to better protect the city against the growing number of drone attacks it faces, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said.

“Since early September 2023, Russian SA-22 air defence systems around the capital have been pictured positioned on elevated towers and ramps,” the MoD said in a statement.

“Previously, following strikes against Engels and Ryazan air bases in December 2022, Russia also positioned SA-22 on the roofs of official buildings in Moscow.

“This is almost certainly to allow the system to detect and engage UAV-type targets. However, it is probably also intended to act as a high-profile reassurance to the public that the authorities have the threat under control.”

Ukraine’s ‘tit for tat’ drone strikes could boost Putin’s popularity in Russia, experts warn

07:25 , Matt Mathers

“We will end this war with drones”, former deputy prime minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said in July.

Since that statement, Kyiv has announced plans to invest $1bn into the industry, as more than 10,000 drones are said to be lost on the battlefield every month.

Alexander Butler reports:

Ukraine’s ‘tit for tat’ drone strikes could boost Putin’s popularity in Russia

Papal peace envoy to travel to China on Tuesday to discuss Ukraine peace - papers

07:08 , Namita Singh

Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi will travel to Beijing on Tuesday in a diplomatic effort to help end the war in Ukraine, some Italian newspapers reported.

Cardinal Zuppi is likely to meet “top institutional leaders” including Chinese premier Li Qiang on Wednesday, La Repubblica daily noted.

The envoy already visited Kyiv and Moscow in June and travelled to Washington the following month as part of the Vatican’s efforts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Breaking: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia ahead of meeting with Putin

06:18 , Namita Singh

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia ahead of an expected meeting with president Vladimir Putin, Russian news agency Interfax reported citing footage from Rossiya-1 TV state channel.

The meeting has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

More here:

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia ahead of meeting with Putin

Putin and Kim Jong-un likely to meet after Vladivostok forum

05:59 , Namita Singh

Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin will meet after the Vladivostok forum, Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Mr Kim is making his first foreign trip since the Covid-19 pandemic during which North Korea tightly enforced border controls for more than three years.

Associated Press journalists near the North Korea-Russia frontier saw a green train with yellow trim similar to one Mr Kim used during previous foreign trips at a station on the North Korean side of a border river on Monday.

North Korea’s artillery support could give boost to Russia in war against Ukraine

05:44 , Namita Singh

Experts say North Korea would struggle to acquire such capabilities without external help, although it is not clear if Russia would share such sensitive technologies.

Kim Jong-un is also apparently bringing Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies who had accompanied the leader on his recent tours to factories producing artillery shells and missiles, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which analysed the North Korean photos.

North Korea may have tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could give a huge boost to the Russian army in Ukraine, analysts say.

A possible venue where Mr Kim and Mr Putin could meet is the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, where Mr Putin arrived on Monday to attend an international forum that runs through Wednesday, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

Who were part of Kim Jong-un's delegation to Russia?

05:31 , Namita Singh

Kim Jong-un’s delegation likely includes his foreign minister Choe Sun Hui, and his top two military officials – Korean People’s Army marshals Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon.

Other officials identified in North Korean state media photos may hint at what Mr Kim might seek from Mr Putin and what he would be willing to give.

The officials include Pak Thae Song, chair of North Korea’s space science and technology committee, and Navy admiral Kim Myong Sik, who are linked with North Korean efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines.

Experts say North Korea would struggle to acquire such capabilities without external help, although it is not clear if Russia would share such sensitive technologies.

Mr Kim is also apparently bringing Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies who had accompanied the leader on his recent tours to factories producing artillery shells and missiles, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which analysed the North Korean photos.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in Russia amid US warning not to sell arms

05:06 , Namita Singh

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia, Japanese media reported today, for what the Kremlin said would be a comprehensive discussion with president Vladimir Putin amid warnings from Washington they should not agree on an arms deal.

Kim left Pyongyang for Russia on Sunday on his private train, the North’s state media reported, accompanied by top arms industry and military officials and the foreign minister.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported citing an unnamed Russian official source that the green train carrying Mr Kim arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s Far East from North Korea.

South Korea’s defence ministry spokesperson said it believes Mr Kim entered Russia early today.

Mr Kim does not travel abroad frequently, making just seven trips away from his country and twice stepping across the inter-Korean border in his 12 years in power. Four of those trips were to the North’s main political ally, China.

In pictures: Kim Jong Un leaves for Russia

04:21 , Namita Singh

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Read more:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

'No risk' that NATO member Romania will be dragged into war, senior alliance official says

02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana said on Monday there is “no risk” that Alliance member Romania will be dragged into a war following the recent discovery of drone fragments on its territory near the border with war-torn Ukraine.

“The most important thing is to re-confirm the fact that there is no indication of a deliberate action (by Russia) to strike Romanian territory and therefore NATO territory,” Geoana told journalists during a visit to a school near Romania’s capital, Bucharest.

The NATO deputy chief’s comments come days after Romanian authorities have twice confirmed the discovery of drone fragments on the country’s soil amid sustained attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine’s Danube River ports across the river from NATO member Romania.

Read more:

'No risk' that NATO member Romania will be dragged into war, senior alliance official says

ICYMI: Ukraine has around 45 days left before weather hinders offensive – US army chief

01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine only has around 45 days left before poor weather conditions hinder its counter-offensive against Russia, the head of the US military has said.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, General Mark Milley said it will become “very difficult to manoeuvre” once the rains come.

“That offensive kicked off about 90 days ago,” he said.

Read more:

Ukraine has around 45 days left before weather hinders offensive – US army chief

Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that

Tuesday 12 September 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Complacency could be the enemy of success in Ukraine. It is 564 days since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine shook to the core assumptions about our UK and European security. War in Europe is a brutal reminder that to be secure at home, we must be strong abroad – and that our allies are the UK’s great strategic strength. Defence of the UK starts in Ukraine.

Despite deeply dug and heavily mined Russian defences, the Ukrainians are gradually getting the upper hand on the battlefield in the south, as well as diversifying the ways it is hitting the enemy – from airfields at depth in Russia, to targets in Crimea, to Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Some have criticised the slow pace of Ukraine’s counter-offensive. Yet its forces are making a similar rate of progress as British troops advancing into Normandy after the D-Day landings. Now is the time for Ukraine’s allies to double down on our support.

Britain’s miliary backing of Zelensky has been dwarfed by our EU allies, writes shadow defence secretary John Healey. If we are serious about defeating Putin – and defending Britain – we must double down on our support:

Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that | John Healey

Ukraine special forces fight off Russian jet to retake strategic drilling rigs near Crimea, Kyiv says

Monday 11 September 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian special forces regained control of a number of oil and gas drilling platforms that Russia has used to help control the Black Sea in a “unique operation,” the country’s military intelligence (GUR) has said.

During the operation, the GUR said, there was a clash between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian fighter jet, which was damaged and forced to retreat.

It said the platforms, close to Crimea and known as the Boika Towers, had been occupied since 2015 by Moscow, which seized and annexed the peninsula in 2014. The UK’s Ministry of Defence has previously said the platforms could be used to launch helicopters, position long-range missile systems and as a base for forward deployment.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Ukraine special forces ‘fight off Russian jet’ to retake drilling rigs near Crimea

Putin and Kim's meeting will be full-scale visit, Kremlin says

Monday 11 September 2023 22:00 , Eleanor Noyce

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia and meeting with President Vladimir Putin will be a full-scale visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Kim has set off for Russia aboard a special train, a South Korean source said, as Pyongyang and Moscow on Monday confirmed a summit with President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s deepening isolation over its actions in Ukraine.

“There will be talks between the two delegations. And after that, if necessary, the leaders will continue their communication in a one-on-one format,” Peskov said. Video of his remarks were posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin.

According to Peskov, the main topic of the talks will be bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

“We will continue to strengthen our friendship,” Peskov said.

Berlin says missile supply to Kyiv won't automatically follow US supplies

Monday 11 September 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday that Berlin will not necessarily supply Kyiv with Taurus cruise missiles simply because the U.S. may decide to send ATACMS long-range missiles to the war-torn country.

“There is no automatism in this war,” Pistorius told reporters on the sidelines of a visit to Cologne, adding that Germany was not yet in a position to decide on whether or not to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

Kyiv has been pushing Berlin to supply it with the missiles, which have a range of more than 500 km (311 miles) and are launched by fighter jets. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly made clear that Berlin will only act in concert with Washington on arms deliveries.

Britain and France have provided Ukraine with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles, which are similar to the Taurus. However, the United States has so far refrained from sending its ATACMS to Ukraine despite Kyiv’s requests.

At the weekend, ABC reported that the U.S. was likely to deliver ATACMS to Ukraine for the first time.

Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, said on the Telegram messaging app that discussions on ATACMS were moving forward, but he gave no details.

Zelensky told CNN in an interview that he planned to speak again to U.S. President Joe Biden about providing ATACMS to Ukraine, and that he hoped to receive them in the autumn.

Cruise missiles are hard to detect with air defence radars as they fly at low altitudes. They are mainly used to hit high-value targets behind enemy lines such as command bunkers, ammunitions and fuel dumps, airfields and bridges.

Russia has been using long-range missiles to destroy targets in Ukraine including civilian infrastructure, and Ukraine has no easy way to respond to such attacks.

UK says Russia targeted civilian cargo ship in Black Sea port on 24 Aug

Monday 11 September 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Britain on Monday accused Russia of targeting a civilian cargo ship at port in the Black Sea on 24 August in a previously unconfirmed missile attack it said was successfully thwarted by Ukrainian defences.

Ukraine has been making efforts to allow vessels stranded in Odesa port since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to sail into open waters after the collapse of the UN-backed Black Sea grains corridor.

The remarks, made in Britain’s parliament by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, are the first time an official has commented on a ship being targeted since those Ukrainian efforts began. Since Aug. 18, four cargo ships have sailed from Odesa.

“Thanks to declassified intelligence, we know the Russian military targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles on the 24th of August,” Sunak said in an update to parliament on the G20 summit he attended in New Delhi.

The missiles had targeted a Liberian-flagged cargo ship berthed in port and were successfully shot down, Britain’s foreign office said in a statement. The missiles included two “Kalibr” missiles fired from a Black Sea Fleet missile carrier, it added.

Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for a comment.

Since Russia quit a U.N.-brokered deal allowing Ukraine to safely export its grain via the Black Sea in July, Moscow has been accused by Ukraine of threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea.

Both the United States and Britain had warned in July that Russia might expand its targeting of Ukrainian grain facilities to include attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

“Putin is trying to win a war he will not win, and these attacks show just how desperate he is,” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

“In targeting cargo ships and Ukrainian infrastructure, Russia is hurting the rest of the world.”

US and UK holding UN screening of documentary on Russia's siege of Ukrainian city of Mariupol

Monday 11 September 2023 19:07 , Sam Rkaina

The United States and Britain are hosting a U.N. screening of the award-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” which follows a trio of journalists during Russia’s relentless siege of the Ukrainian port city in the early days of the war.

UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the Monday evening showing at U.N. headquarters is important because “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens what the U.N. stands for: an international order where the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries is fundamental.”

The screening comes at the start of the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly and a week before world leaders arrive for their annual meeting, where the more than 18-month war in Ukraine is expected to be in the spotlight — especially with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky scheduled to speak in person for the first time.

The harrowing documentary, which was produced by the AP and the PBS series “Frontline,” is culled from 30 hours of footage AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues shot in Mariupol following Russia’s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine and its siege of the city.

‘Desperate’ Putin attacked civilian cargo ship, Sunak reveals after G20 summit

Monday 11 September 2023 18:10 , Sam Rkaina

Sunak accuses Russia of targeting civilian cargo ship

Monday 11 September 2023 17:40 , Sam Rkaina

Rishi Sunak has accused the Russian military of targeting a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with “multiple missiles” on 24 August.

“Thanks to declassified intelligence, we know the Russian military targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles on the 24th of August,” Mr Sunak said in an update to parliament on the G20 summit he attended in New Delhi.

Since Russia quit a U.N.-brokered deal allowing Ukraine to safely export its grain via the Black Sea in July, Moscow has been accused by Ukraine of threatening civilian vessels in the Black Sea.

Both the United States and Britain had warned in July that Russia might expand its targeting of Ukrainian grain facilities to include attacks against civilian shipping in the Black Sea.

White House urges North Korea not to sell arms to Putin

Monday 11 September 2023 16:50 , Sam Rkaina

With North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly on a trip to Russia, the White House on Monday urged North Korea not to sell arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

“As we have warned publicly, arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia.

“We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

German minister says Ukraine's place is in EU, hears calls for arms during Kyiv visit

Monday 11 September 2023 16:20 , Eleanor Noyce

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during a visit to Kyiv on Monday that Ukraine‘s place was in the European Union, but urged it do more to fight corruption.

On her fourth visit to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion over 18 months ago, she said Germany would provide an additional 20 million euros ($21.44 million) in humanitarian aid, bringing the amount provided by Berlin to 380 million euros this year.

At meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders, she also heard calls for Western partners to provide Kyiv with more weapons including long-range missiles to fight Russian forces.

“Ukraine is defending the freedom of us all with great courage and determination,” Baerbock was quoted by her ministry as saying on arrival in the Ukrainian capital.

“Just as Ukraine is standing up for us, it can also rely on us and on our understanding of EU enlargement as a necessary geopolitical consequence of Russia’s war. And on our firm support for Ukraine on its path towards the European Union.”

Despite Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is trying to carry out reforms requested by the EU before it can join the 28-country bloc, a process that usually takes years.

“Reform results in the areas of judicial reform and media legislation are already impressive. But there is still a long way to go in the implementation of the anti-oligarch law and the fight against corruption,” Baerbock said.

She also warned that Russia would target Ukraine‘s energy facilities in air strikes this autumn and winter.

“Russia’s perfidious goal is to starve the people again this winter and to let them freeze to death,” she said.

Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea's annexation

Monday 11 September 2023 16:06 , Eleanor Noyce

The Ukrainian military said Monday that it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine left in ruins after the war’s longest and deadliest fighting.

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said.

“Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said.

Read more:

Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea's annexation

Lula rows back from comments that Brazil would not arrest Putin

Monday 11 September 2023 15:50 , Eleanor Noyce

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rowed back on Monday from saying Brazil would ignore a war crimes arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while saying he would review Brazil’s membership in the International Criminal Court.

On Saturday, while in India for a Group of 20 nations meeting, Lula told a local interviewer that there was “no way” Putin would be arrested if he attended next year’s summit, which is due to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which obliges members to comply with its arrest warrants. The court issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest in March, accusing him of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.

Russia has denied its forces have engaged in war crimes or forcibly taken Ukrainian children.

Putin has yet to travel abroad since the ICC sought his arrest, notably missing a summit of the BRICS group in South Africa last month as well as this month’s G20 summit in India. He also skipped the G20 summit in Bali last year.

“If Putin decides to join (next year’s summit), it is the judiciary’s power to decide (on a possible arrest) and not my government,” Lula said at a press conference on Monday, rowing back from his earlier remarks.

He would review why Brazil had signed up to the ICC treaty, he said: “I want to know why the U.S, India and China didn’t sign the ICC treaty and why our country signed it.”

Lula’s earlier comments that Putin would not be arrested had drawn criticism in Brazil.

Oliver Stuenkel, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo, said on social media site X that the comments were “damaging and unnecessary”.

“Rather than projecting himself as the elder statesman, Lula came across as inexperienced and ignorant,” Stuenkel wrote.

Lula has sought unsuccessfully to mediate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and has said that U.S. President Joe Biden could have done more to prevent the conflict.

Russia invaded Ukraine last year and claims to have annexed around a sixth of its territory. Ukraine says any peace agreement that would leave Russian troops on Ukrainian soil would reward Putin for his decision to invade. Moscow says there can be no peace unless Ukraine accepts its territorial claims.

Sweden adds another SEK 700 mln to its 2024 defence spending

Monday 11 September 2023 15:35 , Eleanor Noyce

Sweden has again boosted its planned defence budget for 2024, taking the total planned increase for the year to 27 billion crowns ($2.44 billion) and exceeding the NATO threshold of 2% of GDP, the government said on Monday.

The defence minister announced that Sweden would add 700 million to the defence in its upcoming autumn budget, lifting the overall defence spending to 119 billion crowns in 2024, almost double that of 2020.

The spending is expected to be equivalent to 2.1% of Swedish GDP, he said.

“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the end of the Second World War,” Minister of Defence Pal Jonson told a news conference.

Sweden is scrambling to boost its defence following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Sweden was invited to join NATO in 2023 but is waiting for Turkey and Hungary to approve its application.

Russia's largest untapped copper deposit starts concentrate production

Monday 11 September 2023 15:20 , Eleanor Noyce

Copper concentrate production started at Russia’s largest undeveloped copper deposit on Monday following a ceremony overseen by President Vladimir Putin via video link.

The long-awaited Udokan project in Russia’s far east is coming on stream at a challenging time. The United States imposed sanctions on its operator - Udokan Copper LLC - in April as part of a wave of restrictions placed on Russia due to its activities in Ukraine.

Copper prices also fell 14% in 2022 and are flat so far this year due to weaker than expected demand.

The project, however, relies on its proximity to top metals consumer China and on demand there, as well as future demand from the global green energy transition.

“Go ahead,” Putin said during the ceremony, broadcast by state TV.

The processing plant at Udokan will produce sulphide copper concentrate with 40-45% metal content, the company said. It plans commercial sales this year, but has not disclosed potential buyers yet.

Once the first stage of the metallurgical plant is launched in 2024, Udokan will be able to handle up to 15 million metric tons of ore per year, with annual production of up to 150,000 tons of copper in the form of copper cathode and concentrate.

The deposit is the largest in Russia with an estimated 26.7 million tons of copper resources. It has been untapped since its discovery in 1949 because the technology didn’t exist to exploit its unique and difficult-to-extract ore.

In the 1970s, a student at the Moscow Mining Institute researched the idea of a “clean” nuclear blast to extract Udokan’s ore, but that remained on paper.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov bought the right to develop Udokan for $500 million from the government just before the 2008 financial crisis. It took 10 years to solve the technical challenges of the project, create a new geological model and start construction.

By 2028, Udokan plans to build the second stage of its mining and metallurgical complex, increasing annual capacity to 24–28 million tons of ore and up to 450,000 tons of copper.

North Korea's Kim en route to Russia for talks with Putin

Monday 11 September 2023 15:05 , Eleanor Noyce

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has set off for Russia aboard a special train, a South Korean source said, as Pyongyang and Moscow on Monday confirmed a summit with President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s deepening isolation over the war in Ukraine.

Kim would visit Russia in the coming days at the invitation of Putin, the Kremlin said, while North Korean state news agency KCNA said the two would “meet and have a talk”, without elaborating.

U.S. officials have said the pair would discuss possible arms deals to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine and provide North Korea with a much-needed economic and political lifeline.

Washington and its allies have been voicing concern at recent signs of closer military cooperation between Russia and the nuclear-armed North. It will be Kim’s second summit with Putin, after the pair met in 2019.

Despite denials by both Pyongyang and Moscow, the United States has said talks are advancing actively for North Korea to supply arms to Russia, which has expended vast stocks of weapons in more than 18 months of war.

The North Korean leader left aboard his train late on Sunday, a senior South Korean government official told Reuters.

The special train would take Kim to North Korea’s northeastern border with Russia and the summit could take place as early as Tuesday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing intelligence concerns, and added that details could change depending on the situation there.

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang immediately confirmed an exact schedule for the visit.

North Korea is one of the few countries to have openly supported Russia since the invasion of Ukraine last year, and Putin pledged last week to “expand bilateral ties in all respects in a planned way by pooling efforts”.

Kim’s last trip abroad in 2019 was also to Vladivostok for his first summit with Putin after the collapse of North Korea’s nuclear disarmament talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Red Cross cuts 2024 budget as donations fall

Monday 11 September 2023 14:50 , Eleanor Noyce

The International Committee of the Red Cross will cut its budget next year by about 13%, its director-general said on Monday, as major donors including the United States have reduced funding.

Surging humanitarian needs amid a deepening set of crises around the world including wars in Ukraine and Sudan have strained aid budgets, forcing governments to rethink decisions about who to help and how.

“This reduced ICRC budget forecast which is the consequence of shrinking aid budgets globally is taking place at a time where global humanitarian needs have never been higher,” Robert Mardini told journalists, saying he was concerned about he impact of the cuts.

“This trend comes at a significant human cost,” he added.

The humanitarian body is present in more than 90 countries and its activities range from providing basic humanitarian aid to visiting prisoners of war.

The 2024 budget would be 2.1 billion CHF ($2.36 billion), resulting in 270 further job cuts in its Geneva headquarters, he said.

The ICRC’s website says it is funded by voluntary contributions from states party to the Geneva Conventions, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, supranational organisations such as the European Commission, and public and private donors.

At the end of March, its governing board approved a plan to reduce 430 million CHF in global costs over 2023 and early 2024, having revised its overall budget down to 2.4 billion CHF.

Asked about U.S. funding, Mardini said that the United States was the organisation’s biggest donor and had cut back its 2023 contributions versus the previous year, without giving details of the amounts.

“We need to rethink the humanitarian system,” said Mardini. “The whole system relies on a handful of countries and donors and I think this is by design a big problem and a big risk,” he added.

'No risk' that NATO member Romania will be dragged into war, senior alliance official says

Monday 11 September 2023 14:35 , Eleanor Noyce

NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana said on Monday there is “no risk” that Alliance member Romania will be dragged into a war following the recent discovery of drone fragments on its territory near the border with war-torn Ukraine.

“The most important thing is to re-confirm the fact that there is no indication of a deliberate action (by Russia) to strike Romanian territory and therefore NATO territory,” Geoana told journalists during a visit to a school near Romania’s capital, Bucharest.

The NATO deputy chief’s comments come days after Romanian authorities have twice confirmed the discovery of drone fragments on the country’s soil amid sustained attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine’s Danube River ports across the river from NATO member Romania.

Stephen McGrath and Vadim Ghirda report:

'No risk' that NATO member Romania will be dragged into war, senior alliance official says

Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that

Monday 11 September 2023 14:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Complacency could be the enemy of success in Ukraine. It is 564 days since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine shook to the core assumptions about our UK and European security. War in Europe is a brutal reminder that to be secure at home, we must be strong abroad – and that our allies are the UK’s great strategic strength. Defence of the UK starts in Ukraine.

Despite deeply-dug and heavily mined Russian defences, the Ukrainians are gradually getting the upper hand on the battlefield in the South, as well as diversifying the ways it is hitting the enemy – from airfields at depth in Russia, to targets in Crimea, to Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Some have criticised the slow pace of Ukraine’s counter-offensive. Yet its forces are making a similar rate of progress as British troops advancing into Normandy after the D-Day landings. Now is the time for Ukraine’s allies to double down on our support.

Britain’s military backing of Zelensky has been dwarfed by our EU allies, writes shadow defence secretary John Healey. If we are serious about defeating Putin – and defending Britain – we must double down on our support:

Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that | John Healey

Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 2 foreign aid workers and target Kyiv

Monday 11 September 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers

Two foreign aid workers were reportedly killed in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as Russian shelling hit a van carrying a team of four working with a Ukrainian nongovernmental organization, while dozens of Russian drones targeted Kyiv and wounded at least one civilian.

The four volunteers from the Road to Relief group, which helps evacuate wounded people from front-line areas, were trapped inside the van as it flipped over and caught fire after being struck by shells near the town of Chasiv Yar, the organization said on its Instagram page.

Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 2 foreign aid workers and target Kyiv

Ukraine says Russia may soon launch big mobilisation drive

Monday 11 September 2023 13:47 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s military said on Monday Russia could launch a big mobilisation campaign soon to try to recruit hundreds of thousands of soldiers from inside Russia and occupied Ukraine.

The Ukrainian General Staff provided no evidence in a statement to support its assertion. Russian officials have said there are no current plans for a new wave of mobilisation and that Moscow is focused on recruiting professional soldiers.

“A mass forced mobilisation of the population is expected soon in the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine due to the occupiers’ catastrophic losses,” the General Staff said in a battlefield roundup.

The mobilisation campaign could target between 400,000 and 700,000 recruits, it said, citing different estimates.

It said the number of Russians recruited in Moscow and St Petersburg would remain “minimal”, while Russians would be drawn heavily from the regions outside the two big Russian cities.

The General Staff issued its statement days after a senior Ukrainian military spy official said there were 420,000 Russian servicemen currently inside Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine both treat their losses on the battlefield as a state secret.

Last month, the New York Times cited unnamed U.S. officials who said nearly 500,000 Ukrainian and Russian troops had been killed or wounded in the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

ICYMI: G20 summit ends with no ‘family photo’ and criticism of watered-down Ukraine declaration

Monday 11 September 2023 13:40 , Matt Mathers

The G20 summit in India has ended without the usual “family photo”, as some members questioned the watered-down language used in the joint declaration issued by leaders in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Most of the leaders departed from Delhi earlier in the day, having paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial on the banks of the Yamuna River. The absence of the customary group photograph – intended to signify unity between the world’s largest economies – exemplified the fact that deep divisions still remain over the Ukraine war.

Shweta Sharma reports:

G20 summit ends with no ‘family photo’ and criticism of watered-down declaration

Germany to provide Ukraine additional €20 mln in aid - Baerbock in Kyiv

Monday 11 September 2023 13:23 , Eleanor Noyce

Germany will provide an additional €20 million ($21.44 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday during a visit to Kyiv.

The additional aid will bring Germany’s total to 380 million euros this year, the minister said.

Baerbock also warned that Russia would again target Ukraine‘s energy facilities this autumn and winter: “Russia’s perfidious goal is to starve the people again this winter and to let them freeze to death.”

Ukraine needs more air defences to protect ports - FM

Monday 11 September 2023 13:20 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s foreign minister said he discussed air defence supplies with his German counterpart in Kyiv on Monday and that Ukraine needed more systems to protect its ports from Russian air strikes to ensure grain could be exported.

Dmytro Kuleba also urged Berlin to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible.

"You will do it anyway, its just a matter of time, and I don’t understand why we are wasting time," he said in response to a question at a news conference in Kyiv.

Russia says ban on Russians bringing cars, some goods into EU is racist

Monday 11 September 2023 12:46 , Matt Mathers

Russia said on Monday that a European Union ban on Russians bringing their cars and some personal goods into the bloc was racist, and one ally of president Vladimir Putin suggested that all diplomatic relations should be severed in response.

In an explanatory note to its rules on sanctions imposed over the Ukraine war, the European Commission said Russians were temporarily barred from bringing some personal goods or vehicles into the 27-nation EU.

The annex referred to in the advice also appears to ban the import of a host of items which could be dual use alongside more mundane items such as make-up, toothpaste, deodorants, toilet paper and mobile phones.

"It’s just racism," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said of the Commission’s advice. "This is racism pure and simple."

Kremlin and North Korea confirm Kim Jong-Un visit

Monday 11 September 2023 12:28 , Matt Mathers

Russia and North Korea confirmed Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia.

A brief statement on the Kremlin’s website said Kim’s visit is at the invitation of president Vladimir Putin and would take place "in the coming days."

The visit also was reported by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, saying he would meet with Putin.

Monday 11 September 2023 11:56 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine soldiers search ‘road of death’ for fallen Russians in hope of exchange

Ukrainian soldiers have told the harrowing details of how they search for the bodies of dead Russian troops who they hope to exchange for their own fallen comrades.

Wearing face masks, the Ukrainian soldiers poked sticks into the undergrowth along a deserted country lane, which they have named the “road of death” after a number of Russian soldiers were killed there when Ukrainian forces retook the southeastern village of Blahodatne at the start of their counteroffensive in June.

Three months on, the frontline had shifted south and it was finally safe enough for the three-man team of Ukrainian soldiers to start their operation in this liberated part of Donetsk region.

“We’re going to search,” said Volodymyr, a 50-year-old marine, as artillery fire boomed in the distance. “Search with our eyes. And using smell.”

Russia pulling out of Black Sea grain deal risks ‘many people’ going hungry

Monday 11 September 2023 11:34 , Matt Mathers

Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain initiative has put “many more” people at risk from hunger, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights has said,

Volker Türk spoke at the opening of the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday.

“A year and a half of horrific warfare has ravaged Ukraine, with a heart-wrenching toll on its people, and damage to vast areas of agricultural land,” he said.

“The Russian Federation’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, and attacks on grain facilities in Odesa and elsewhere, have again forced prices sky-high in many developing countries – taking the right to food far out of reach for many people."

Putin arrives in Vladivostock for Eastern Economic Forum - state TV

Monday 11 September 2023 10:59 , Matt Mathers

Vladimir Putin has arrived in Vladivostock for a meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, according to Russian state TV.

Russia has hosted the forum since 2015 as it tries to drum up investment from the far east. China, Myanmar, Mongolia, India, Armenia and South Korea are among the countries that send delegates to the forum.

This year’s event is taking place at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) campus.

“The Eastern Economic Forum is a “key international platform for establishing and strengthening ties within the Russian and global investment communities, and for comprehensive expert evaluation of the economic potential of the Russian Far East, the investment opportunities it offers, and business conditions within advanced special economic zones,” it website says.

Ukraine retakes offshore drilling platforms near Crimea - military intelligence

Monday 11 September 2023 10:27 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s military intelligence service said on Monday its forces had regained control of several offshore drilling platforms close to Crimea.

It said on the Telegram messaging app that Kyiv’s forces had retaken the drilling platforms known as the ‘Boiko Towers’ in a "unique operation".

It said the platforms had been occupied since 2015 by Russia, which seized and annexed Crimea in 2014, and had been used by Moscow for military purposes since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.

Up to judiciary if Putin should be arrested when visiting Brazil for G20 - Lula

Monday 11 September 2023 10:01 , Matt Mathers

Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said it is up to the country’s judiciary whether or not to arrest Vladimir Putin if he visits for the G20 summit next year.

"If Putin decides to join, it is the judiciary’s power to decide and not my government,” Lula told reporters in New Delhi, where he was attending this year’s G20 summit.

"I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil," he said in an on-camera interview with Indian news outlet Firstpost.

"What I can say to you is that if I’m president of Brazil, and he comes to Brazil, there’s no way he will be arrested."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ‘on way to Russia'

Monday 11 September 2023 09:27 , Matt Mathers

A North Korean train presumably carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has departed for Russia for a possible meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, South Korean media said Monday.

Citing unidentified South Korean government sources, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the train likely left the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Sunday evening and that a Kim-Putin meeting is possible as early as Tuesday.

The Yonhap news agency and some other media published similar reports. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service didn’t immediately confirm those details.

US officials released intelligence last week that North Korea and Russia were arranging a meeting between their leaders that would take place within this month as they expand their cooperation in the face of deepening confrontations with the United States.

G20 summit ends with no ‘family photo’ and criticism of watered-down Ukraine declaration

Monday 11 September 2023 09:03 , Matt Mathers

The G20 summit in India has ended without the usual “family photo”, as some members questioned the watered-down language used in the joint declaration issued by leaders in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Most of the leaders departed from Delhi earlier in the day, having paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial on the banks of the Yamuna River. The absence of the customary group photograph – intended to signify unity between the world’s largest economies – exemplified the fact that deep divisions still remain over the Ukraine war.

Shweta Sharma reports:

G20 summit ends with no ‘family photo’ and criticism of watered-down declaration

Zelensky pays tribute to aid workers killed in Donetsk

Monday 11 September 2023 08:41 , Matt Mathers

Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute to aid workers after a Russian anti-tank missile struck a volunteer van in Donetsk yesterday.

Canadian Anthony Ignat was killed in the incident and it is likely Emma Igual of Spain also died, the Ukraine president said.

German citizen Mawick Ruben and Swedish citizen Johan Mathias, two other volunteers, were seriously injured and are being treated in hospitals in Dnipro.

“This Russian shelling once again confirms how close the war against Ukraine is to everyone in the world who truly values human life and who believes it is the common moral duty of humanity to stop terror and defeat evil,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post.

Ukraine's place is in the EU, says German foreign minister in Kyiv

Monday 11 September 2023 08:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that Ukraine‘s place is in the European Union during a visit to the embattled country’s capital, Kyiv, on Monday morning.

Ukraine can “rely on us and on our understanding of EU enlargement as a necessary geopolitical consequence of Russia‘s war,” said Baerbock upon arrival, according to a statement.

Ukraine already has candidate status, said Baerbock. “And now we are preparing to take a decision on opening EU accession talks.”

On judicial reform and media legislation, Ukraine‘s reform results are already impressive, she said.

But there is still a long way to go in the implementation of the anti-oligarch law and the fight against corruption, added the foreign minister.

The visit is Baerbock’s fourth since the war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022.

Putin to recruit 420,000 by year end in blow to industrial workforce – UK MoD

Monday 11 September 2023 08:03 , Arpan Rai

The Russian military intends to recruit 420,000 contract personnel by the end of 2023, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today, warning of the negative effect this would have on its industrial workforce.

On 3 September, Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dimitry Medvedev stated that so far 280,000 personnel had been recruited, the ministry said, adding that the numbers cannot be verified.

“Russia’s conscription continues to have negative effects on its industry workforce. The Yegor Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy found that Russia’s industry shortage of workers reached a new high of 42% for July 2023, 7% higher from April 2023,” the MoD said.

It added that in contrast to conscription efforts elsewhere, the IT sector Russia has taken steps to preserve the workforce. “This likely highlights the particularly acute shortages in the sector after about 100,000 IT workers left Russia in 2022,” it said.

“This equates to 10% of the IT sector workforce. On 4 September 2023, President Putin signed a decree to increase the exemption age of military recruitment for IT professionals from 27 to 30.”

“This shows that mobilisation and conscription within Russia has worsened non-defence workforce shortages. In the run-up to the Russian presidential elections scheduled for March 2024, Russian authorities will likely seek to avoid further unpopular mobilisations,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

Ukrainian military makes ‘thunderous assault operation’ amid advances in Donetsk and south

Monday 11 September 2023 07:21 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine’s armed forces have made gains in different parts of eastern Donetsk region, the focal point of Russia’s continuing invasion of the country, and in the south, officials said yesterday.

Ukrainian troops near the frontline town of Avdiivka took advantage of Russian forces focusing on one sector to advance and capture part of the village of Opytne south of the city, the head of the local military administration said.

“In my opinion, this is very significant,” Vitaliy Barabash told national television. “To be frank, the enemy overlooked this southern direction a bit.”

He called the advance a “thunderous assault operation” and said fighting was underway in the settlement.

Avdiivka, site of a major coking plant, has been under near-constant Russian attack for many months.

The General Staff of Ukraine‘s armed forces reported successes near Bakhmut.

In its evening report, the General Staff reported “partial success as a result of assault operations” near Klishchiivka, a village on heights south of Bakhmut, seen as critical to recapturing the town.

The report also described a measure of success near Robotyne – a settlement it captured late last month – as part of its drive southward through Russian-held areas to the Sea of Azov.

US treasury secretary denies G20 watered down statement on Ukraine

Monday 11 September 2023 06:56 , Arpan Rai

The US treasury secretary Janet Yellen has denied the G20 toned down its stance on Ukraine in the Delhi Declaration released over the weekend, which did not mention Russian aggression in Ukraine directly.

Calling the statement “substantively very strong”, Ms Yellen said: “The US does not see this language as in any way weakening the G20’s stance on Ukraine.”

“Clearly it was hard to find language that would satisfy the US and other countries but we felt we wanted strong language, and substantively strong language, and this was substantively very strong,” she told the Financial Times.

Ukraine rejected the joint statement, saying “the G20 has nothing to be proud of in the part about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.

Zelensky suggests Ukraine could be set for big breakthrough: 'They will run'

Monday 11 September 2023 05:21 , Arpan Rai

In an interview with The Economist published yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky said steady progress was essential to maintaining Ukrainian morale.

“Keeping morale high is crucial. This is why even limited progress on the frontline is essential,” Mr Zelensky told the publication.

“Now we have movement. It’s important,” the publication quoted him as saying.

“If we push them from the south, they will run,” he said, hinting that a big breakthrough can still come before the onset of Ukraine’s infamously wet autumn weather makes battlefield movement more difficult.

Ukraine has had some success in dismantling the first of Russia’s three main defensive lines in the Zaporizhzhia region after facing initial losses in the early stages of the counteroffensive.

Mr Zelensky added that victory will not come “tomorrow or the day after tomorrow”. The Russian army is losing “lots of people”, Mr Zelensky said, adding that the invading country has had to redeploy its reserves to stop the Ukrainian advance.

“It means they lose,” he said.

Zelensky says troops advancing in south, movement in east

Monday 11 September 2023 04:17 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops pressing a counteroffensive against Russian occupying forces have advanced on the southern front in the past week while there had also been movement near Bakhmut in the east.

“Over the past seven days we have made an advance in the Tavria (southern) sector,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“There is movement in the Bakhmut sector. Yes, there is movement.”

He added that Ukrainian forces were holding their ground on other fronts in the east – Avdiivka and Maryinka near the focus of Russia’s main attacks, and Lyman and Kupiansk, also subject to Russian attempts to advance further north.

The war-time president’s latest comments confirm assessments by other officials of gains, however modest, in the east and south.

Near Avdiivka, the head of the local military administration said Ukrainian troops took advantage of Russian forces focusing on one sector to advance and capture part of the village of Opytne south of the city.

Two drones downed near Russia’s Belgorod region

Monday 11 September 2023 03:55 , Arpan Rai

Russia’s air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Belgorod region in the early hours today, the Russian defence ministry said on its Telegram channel, claiming to have thwarted an attack by Ukraine.

No immediate injuries have been reported after drone debris fell on a road in the Yakovlevsky district, according to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

ICYMI: Foreign aid workers killed in Russian strikes

Monday 11 September 2023 03:00 , Lydia Patrick

A charity confirmed four of their workers were hit by Russian shells in the Bakhmut region whilst trying to get to civilians who were caught in a crossfire.

Their vehicle came under Russian attack leading the van to catch on fire and flip, according to a Road to Relief spokesperson.German medical volunteer Ruben Mawick, Swedish volunteer Johan Mathias Thyr, Canadian volunteer Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat, and Spanish volunteer and Road to Relief Director Emma Igual were all in the vehicle.According to the charity, Ruben and Johan were badly injured with shrapnel wounds and burns but are now in a stable condition.

Tragically, Tonko has been confirmed dead, whilst Emma’s current status is still unknown as the organiation cannot trace her whereabouts.

Zelensky urges the West to maintain support for Ukraine

Monday 11 September 2023 02:00 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukranian president says Europeans must prepare for a long war as Kyiv make ‘modest’ progress three months into counter offensive.

In an interview with The Economist, the leader expresses a seeming change in morale amongst Western leaders as Kyiv make ‘modest’ gains.

In conversation with The Economist, he said: I have this intuition, reading, hearing and seeing their eyes [when they say] ‘we’ll be always with you.

“But I see that he or she is not here, not with us.”

The ex TV actor is aware of the importance of western economic support.

Mr Zelensky added: “If you are not with Ukraine, you are with Russia, and if you are not with Russia, you are with Ukraine. And if partners do not help us, it means they will help Russia to win. That is it.”

ICYMI: Russia carries out overnight drone attack on Kyiv

Monday 11 September 2023 01:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv early on Sunday, with blasts ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and its region for almost two hours and drone debris falling on several of the city’s central districts, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine’s Land Forces said that the country’s air defence systems destroyed 25 out of 32 Russia-launched Iran-made Shahed drones, most of which targeted Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

Reuters witnesses heard at least five blasts across Kyiv, and Ukrainian media footage showed a number of cars damaged.

“Drones came onto the capital in groups and from different directions,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Read the full story here

Tributes pour in for the volunteers killed in Kyiv strike

Monday 11 September 2023 00:00 , Lydia Patrick

Two foreign aid workers were killed this morning as shells hit their van - causing it to catch fire and flip.

Candian Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat was one of the volunteers who lost their life in the attack.

Paracrew Humanitarian Aid, an organisation he had previously worked for shared their sadness on Facebook.

They wrote: “His compassion, empathy and strength will forever be an inspiration to all of us. And we will keep his memory alive by working on to help Ukraine in every possible way. Rest in peace dear friend.”

Director of NGO killed in Russian strike

Sunday 10 September 2023 23:00 , Lydia Patrick

A 34-year-old Spanish humanitarian worker has been named as one of the victims of a Russian attack in Kyiv this morning.

Emma Igual was the director of Road to Relief, a Ukrainian-registered humanitarian NGO created in March 2022 with the purpose of helping Ukranian civillians.

The charity’s main aims are to evacuate civillians, provide humanitarian aid and mobile healthcare.

According to the Huff Post she dedicated her life to help others and had previously carried out volunteer work in Kenya, Morocco. Greece and Myanmar.

Zelensky says a big breakthrough could lie ahead in counter offensive as Kyiv make gains

Sunday 10 September 2023 22:00 , Lydia Patrick

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian troops had made advances on the southern front and made movements near Bakhmut in the east.

“Over the past seven days we have made an advance in the Tavria (southern) sector,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“There is movement in the Bakhmut sector. Yes, there is movement.”

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were holding their ground on other fronts in the east -- Avdiivka and Maryinka near the focus of Russia’s main attacks, and Lyman and Kupiansk, also subject to Russian attempts to advance further north.

Near Avdiivka, the head of the local military administration said Ukrainian troops took advantage of Russian forces focusing on one sector to advance and capture part of the village of Opytne south of the city.

“In my opinion, this is very significant,” Vitaliy Barabash told national television. “To be frank, the enemy overlooked this southern direction a bit.”

Zelensky and other officials have said the counter offensive requires time, dismissing criticism in the Western media that it is proceeding too slowly because of tactical errors.

In an interview with The Economist published on Sunday, Zelensky said making steady progress was essential to maintaining morale.

He suggested a big breakthrough could lie ahead.