Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin’s forces pushed back by counteroffensive after ‘largest’ drone strike

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces have been pushed back amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive, as deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar reported new “successes” in the south and east.

“There have been some successes, in particular in the direction of Novodanylivka-Novoprokopivka,” Ms Maliar said on Telegram, referring to two southeastern villages in Zaporizhzhia region.

Novoprokopivka lies further south of the strategic settlement of Robotyne, which Ukraine said on Monday it had liberated.

Ms Maliar also said Kyiv’s forces were pressing on with their offensive operations south of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Wagner mercenary troops in May.

This comes as the UK Ministry of Defence said Putin faced the largest attack on Russia since the start of the war, after it was hit by five separate drone strikes overnight on 29 and 30 August.

The MoD said explosions were recorded in Moscow, Bryansk, and Ryazan, as well as at Pskov airbase close to the Estonian border.

Key Points

• Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone strikes in Russia – destroying war planes

• Russia-backed official claims cruise missile downed over Crimea

• Putin ‘pulling Russia deeper into abyss of chaos’, says Kyiv

• Dozens of flights delayed at Moscow airports

• Two killed in Kyiv as Russia launches counter drone strikes

• Closed-door ‘farewell’ held for Yevgeny Prigozhin

• Pentagon vows to continue flying jets over Black Sea

Russia heavily guarding Kerch Strait as threat from Ukraine grows, says UK MoD

07:20 , Arpan Rai

Russia is resorting to multiple defences to protect the Kerch Strait owing to its heavy dependence on the Crimean bridge which aids its military supplies, the British Ministry of Defence said today.

Moscow is “employing a range of passive defences such as smoke generators and underwater barriers, alongside active defence measures such as air defence systems, to strengthen the survivability of water crossings and minimise damage from future attacks,” it said.

The Kerch Strait is a bottleneck for military logistics support to Russian forces in occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts and Russia is heavily reliant on the Crimean bridge and ferries to cross the Straits, the MoD noted.

“The bridge’s importance for both logistics and symbolism of Russian occupation mandates these extensive protection measures,” it said in an update.

“As of 29 August 2023, imagery confirms Russia has created an underwater barrier of submerged ships and containment booms to deter against Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) attacks against the Crimean Bridge. At the southern part of the bridge, this includes several vessels 160 metres apart. These are located at the same place as the Ukrainian “Sea Baby” USV attacks on 17 July 2023,” the latest intelligence update read.

In September last year, the Russian Navy briefly trialled radar decoys on barges for several days, likely to deter radar seeking missiles, the UK MoD said.

“Other countermeasures to protect the bridge include the use of TDA-3 truck-mounted smoke generators, with an exercise conducted on 24 May 2023. This smoke was activated to deter incoming air threats on 12 August 2023,” it added.

Drones attack Russian town home to nuclear plant

06:51 , Arpan Rai

A Ukrainian drone attacked the Russian town of Kurchatov, home to a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region, early this morning, governor Roman Starovoit said.

Emergency services were assessing the damage suffered by an administrative building and a residential one in the attack, he said on his official Telegram channel.

The regional official did not mention any potential damage to the Kursk nuclear power plant or give details of the targeted buildings.

The Soviet-era Kursk nuclear power station has the same graphite-moderated reactors as the Chernobyl nuclear plant.

An explosion and fire at the Chernobyl plant in 1986, in then Soviet Ukraine, was the world’s worst nuclear accident, spreading radiation across Europe.

Currently three RBMK-1000 reactors in Kursk are operational with one shut down, according to Russia’s state nuclear corporation.

Drone downed near Moscow, says mayor

05:51 , Arpan Rai

Russian air defences shot down a drone that was approaching the city this morning, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

“Today, air defence forces near Lyubertsy thwarted another attempt to fly a drone to Moscow. There were no preliminary casualties or damage. Emergency services are working at the scene of the incident,” he said.

The drone was downed near Lyubertsy, southeast of the Russian capital, he said.

Ukraine says ‘need ammunition, not advice’ after criticism on counteroffensive

05:47 , Arpan Rai

The Ukrainian ministry of defence has shot back at the growing criticism of Ukraine’s counteroffensive amid several reports that officials in the US are not pleased with the gains in the slow-moving warfare.

“It seems like everyone is now an expert of Ukrainian warfare. While we appreciate all the attention, we’d like to humbly remind you that if we listened to what non-Ukrainians said in February 2022, we would no longer exist,” the ministry of defence said in a minute-long video shared on social media.

Thanks all the same but we need ammunition, not advice, it added.

Zelensky makes rare boast on attacks inside Russia

05:10 , Arpan Rai

President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to boast about the Pskov attack twice a day after Moscow reported attempted Ukrainian drone strikes in six Russian regions.

One of the strikes caused a huge fire at a military air base in Pskov in northern Russia, damaging several giant military transport planes on the tarmac.

“The results of our weaponry – new Ukrainian weaponry – 700km away,” he said in his nightly video address. “And the task is to do more.”

Ukraine’s Western allies generally forbid Kyiv from using weapons they supply to attack Russian territory, but say Ukraine has a right to attacks military targets with its own weapons.

Ukrainian troops hit Russia's main defensive lines

04:57 , Arpan Rai

After months of fighting their way through heavy minefields, Ukraine’s forces have finally reached the main Russian defensive lines in recent days, south of the village of Robotyne, which they captured last week in the Western Zaporizhzhia region.

They are now advancing between the nearby villages of Novopokropivka and Verbove, looking for a way around the anti-tank ditches and rows of concrete pyramids known as dragon’s teeth that form Russia’s main fortifications visible from space.

A breakthrough would provide the first test of Russia’s deeper defences, which Ukraine hopes will be more vulnerable and less heavily mined than areas its troops have traversed so far.

A Ukrainian commander in the area told Reuters last week that his men had breached the most difficult line, reaching less heavily defended areas, and now expected to advance more quickly. Kyiv rarely gives details of its offensive operations.

In a statement yesterday, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar reported unspecified successes near Novopokropivka, without giving details.

She also said Ukrainian forces were advancing near Bakhmut, in the east, the only city Russia captured in its own offensive earlier this year. Heavy battles were engulfing villages south of the city, she said.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, reported a “positive dynamic” near Bakhmut.

Ukrainian MP urges Grant Shapps to ‘personally visit Ukraine’

04:08 , Arpan Rai

A Ukrainian MP has urged newly appointed defence secretary Grant Shapps to “personally come to Ukraine” to establish good relations.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun considered Mr Wallace a “friend” of Ukraine and expressed her gratitude for his time as defence secretary after four years.

“Ben Wallace is a friend to Ukraine and we very much appreciate everything that he has done,” she said from Kyiv. She has urged Mr Shapps to visit Ukraine to gain a “better understanding” of the situation.

It comes after Mr Wallace formally resigned from his position yesterday, prompting a mini-reshuffle.

Ukrainian MP urges new Defence Secretary Shapps to ‘personally visit Ukraine’

Ukraine tells critics of counteroffensive to ‘shut up'

04:02 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine has asked critics of the pace of its three-month-old counteroffensive to “shut up”, serving the sharpest rebuke yet of Kyiv’s frustration at leaks from Western officials who say its forces are advancing too slowly.

“Criticising the slow pace of (the) counteroffensive equals ... spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters yesterday.

“I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves,” he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain.

Several US and other Western officials have suggested that the grinding war’s counteroffensive stage was falling short of expectations but did not choose to be quoted on their claims. Some of the officials have pointed holes in Ukraine’s strategy and blamed it for concentrating its forces in the wrong places.

In its pushback against more than a year old Russian invasion, Ukrainian forces have recaptured more than a dozen villages and has managed to penetrate Russia’s first line of defence.

The counteroffensive has been backed by billions of dollars worth Western military equipment as nation’s rallied against Moscow’s unjust war on Ukraine.

Ukraine war: Zelensky makes long-range weapon claim a day after strike deep inside Russia

02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday his country has developed a weapon that hit a target 700 kilometres (400 miles) away, in an apparent reference to the previous day’s strike on an airport in western Russia.

Zelensky said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.

On Wednesday, a four-hour wave of drones that Moscow blamed on Ukraine hit an airport near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia, damaging four Il-76 military transport planes, according to local reports.

Zelensky makes long-range weapon claim after strike deep inside Russia

Poland and South Korea defense ministers discuss security cooperation, support for Ukraine

01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The defense ministers of Poland and South Korea held talks in Warsaw Thursday on security and support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s aggression, as well as on further cooperation in the armaments sector.

Poland is purchasing tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons and military equipment from South Korea as it upgrades its defense potential with concern rising because of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The new equipment is also replacing that which Poland has given to Ukraine to help it defend itself against the Russian invasion.

Read more:

Poland and South Korea defense ministers discuss security cooperation, support for Ukraine

Foreign Office confirms death of British volunteer in Ukraine

Friday 1 September 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

The Foreign Office has confirmed the death of a British man who, his family said, had been fighting in Ukraine.

Samuel Newey, 22, from Solihull in the West Midlands, was “killed in action” on Wednesday in eastern Ukraine, his brother, Daniel Newey, said in a social media post.

He wrote on Facebook: “I cannot put into words how broken I feel.

“I also cannot emphasise how proud I am of my little brother.”

Foreign Office confirms death of British volunteer in Ukraine

Putin’s forces pushed back in southern Ukraine – as Zelensky claims new long-range weapon

Thursday 31 August 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s forces have pushed back Russian troops in areas of the country’s south and east as Kyiv pushes on with its counteroffensive – with President Volodymyr Zelensky also claiming that his country has developed a new long-range weapon.

The pronouncement by Mr Zelensky that the unnamed weapon reached a target of more than 400 miles (700 kilometres) away comes a day after a wave of drone strikes across six regions in Russian. Those strikes included an assault that caused a huge fire at a military air base in Pskov in northern Russia, damaging several giant military transport planes on the tarmac. That air base is roughly 400 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Chris Stevenson has the full story:

Putin’s forces pushed back in south Ukraine – as Zelensky claims new weapon

UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal

Thursday 31 August 2023 22:08 , Eleanor Noyce

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday that he had sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “a set of concrete proposals” aimed at reviving a deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Russia quit the deal in July - a year after it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey - complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need. Guterres’ letter comes ahead of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports.

The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are both leading grain exporters.

“I believe we presented a proposal that could be the basis for a renewal, but a renewal that must be stable,” Guterres told reporters, without elaborating on details of the proposal.

“We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. We need to have something that works and that works to the benefit of everyone,” he said.

A Russian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters earlier on Thursday “there are no revelations” in Guterres’ letter to Lavrov and that it just “sums up of previous U.N. ideas, which didn’t fly.” Lavrov said earlier on Thursday, after meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow, that Russia sees no sign that it will receive the guarantees that will allow it to resume the Black Sea grain deal.

Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertiliser were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement. One of Moscow’s main demands is for the Russian Agricultural Bank to be reconnected to the SWIFT international payments system. The EU cut it off in June 2022.

Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison

Thursday 31 August 2023 21:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

The Russian ruble’s wobble in value has exposed a crack in president Vladimir Putin‘s fortress economy, a vulnerability quickly plastered over by the Kremlin‘s economic team in a move that allowed the currency to regain its footing, at least for now.

Yet the patch — an emergency interest rate increase — cannot hide the dilemma at the heart of the Russian economy: how to fund the military while not undermining the national currency and overheating the economy with corrosive and politically embarrassing inflation.

Read more here:

So far, Russia sanctions are working like a slow poison

ICYMI: Putin jails Russian soldiers for refusing to return to Ukraine

Thursday 31 August 2023 20:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Two Russian soldiers have been jailed for refusing to return to the frontline in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

In an intelligence update posted on Twitter, the ministry said two Russian soldiers were sentenced to serve at least two years in a penal colony by a military court for refusing to obey orders to return to the front in Ukraine.

It comes after Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported that Russia was convicting close to 100 soldiers a week for refusing to fight.

Martha McHardy has the full story:

Putin jails Russian soldiers for refusing to return to Ukraine

Russia destroys Ukrainian drone over Bryansk region - Defence Ministry

Thursday 31 August 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed a Ukrainian drone on Thursday over Bryansk region in the south of the country, the Defence Ministry said on Telegram.

Bryansk region has been the target of several of Ukraine‘s recent attempts to launch drone strikes on Russian territory.

Ukraine thanks Ben Wallace for inspiring other countries to support embattled nation

Thursday 31 August 2023 19:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukraine‘s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov thanked Ben Wallace on Thursday for his “energy and dedication”, after Rishi Sunak appointed ex-energy minister Grant Shapps the UK’s new defence secretary.

Mr Reznikov wrote on X/Twitter:“His authority has inspired other countries to join in assisting Ukraine.”

Mr Shapps vowed to continue to support Ukraine against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric invasion” in a post on X, shortly after his appointment was announced.

Lukashenko says demands by Poland and Baltics for Wagner to quit Belarus are 'stupid'

Thursday 31 August 2023 18:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said demands by Poland and the Baltic states for the withdrawal of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group from Belarus were “groundless and stupid”, state news agency BELTA reported on Thursday.

BELTA quoted Lukashenko as saying that opposition to Wagner’s presence in Belarus was unjustified as long as foreign troops are stationed in Poland and the Baltics, which are all members of NATO.

Wagner, whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in Russia last week, relocated some of its fighters to Belarus under a deal brokered by Lukashenko to end a brief mutiny by the mercenary army against the Russian defence establishment in June.

Poland and its neighbours see Wagner’s presence in Belarus as a security threat, and Warsaw in response has moved some of its own troops eastwards towards the Belarus border.

BELTA quoted Lukashenko as saying that Poland and the Baltics had no right to complain about Wagner in Belarus as long as they had “even one foreign serviceman” on their soil

“In the meantime, these are groundless and stupid demands,” he said.

What next for the Wagner Group as leader presumed dead in plane crash?

Thursday 31 August 2023 17:40 , Maanya Sachdeva

Options for the mercenary group – in the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s demise – include complete dissolution, nationalisation into the conventional Russian army or finding a new leader.

In any case, Russian president Vladimir Putin is set to hold the key to the group’s future.

Read more here:

What next for the Wagner Group in Russia?

Who is Grant Shapps, the man taking over as Defence Secretary?

Thursday 31 August 2023 17:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Grant Shapps will take the reins at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) against a backdrop of war in Europe and with his predecessor Ben Wallace warning the world will become more insecure and unstable.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new defence secretary:

Who is Grant Shapps, the man taking over as Defence Secretary?

British man killed in Ukraine ‘acted with courage, morality and honour’

Thursday 31 August 2023 16:40 , Maanya Sachdeva

A British man has died while fighting Russian forces in Ukraine.

Sam Newey, 22, died while serving on the frontline in Ukraine. The 22-year-old was killed in action in Eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, according to his brother.

His brother paid tribute to him on social media, saying he was “broken” at the news of his death, but said he was “proud” of his younger brother.

Read more here:

British man killed in Ukraine ‘acted with courage, morality and honour’

Russia says it will deepen ties with North Korea, doesn't confirm Putin-Kim letter exchange

Thursday 31 August 2023 16:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Russia said on Thursday it intended to develop ties with North Korea, while not confirming a statement by the White House that Russian president Vladimir Putin had exchanged letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The White House said on Wednesday it was concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were advancing actively, and said Putin and Kim had written to each other pledging to increase their cooperation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not answer directly when asked by reporters if the letter exchange had taken place.

“Moscow and Pyongyang maintain good, mutually respectful relations. We intend to develop them further. Contacts are being made at various levels,” he said, calling North Korea “a very important neighbour”.

Washington has warned before that North Korea could provide more weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine.

Earlier this month the United States imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia.

First Indian companies sanctioned over trade with Russia, report reveals

Thursday 31 August 2023 15:40 , Maanya Sachdeva

Sanctions were slapped on two Indian firms over their alleged ties to a Russian state-owned diamond major, revealed a report that underscored the first instance of the country’s businesses coming under American penalties imposed after the Ukraine invasion.

Full story here:

First Indian companies sanctioned over trade with Russia, report reveals

Prigozhin's right-hand man in Wagner buried quietly near Moscow

Thursday 31 August 2023 15:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

The co-founder and military commander of the Wagner was buried near Moscow on Thursday, after dying in an unexplained plane crash that also killed his boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Dmitry Utkin, 53, whose call-sign “Wagner” gave the private army its name, was buried in Mytishchi, on the outskirts of the capital, in a ceremony cordoned off by Russian military police, according to the popular online news channel Shot.

Prigozhin had been buried on Tuesday in an equally discreet ceremony in his hometown of St Petersburg that contrasted starkly with his loud and often foul-mouthed presence on social media.

Before helping to found Wagner as Prigozhin’s shadowy right-hand man, Utkin served as a special forces officer in the GRU military intelligence service, where he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He fought for Wagner to support Moscow’s military campaigns in Syria and Ukraine, and was photographed in 2016 at the Kremlin with president Vladimir Putin.

At the end of June, a source told Reuters that Utkin was the leader of an armed convoy of Wagner mutineers that advanced towards Moscow to back Prigozhin’s demand that the military leadership resign over its failures in what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Zelensky says Ukraine has developed a long-range weapon, a day after a strike deep inside Russia

Thursday 31 August 2023 14:10 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his country has developed a weapon that hit a target 700 kilometers (400 miles) away, in an apparent reference to the previous day’s strike on an airport in western Russia.

Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine‘s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.

On Wednesday, a four-hour wave of drones that Moscow blamed on Ukraine hit an airport near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia, damaging four Il-76 military transport planes, according to local reports.

The airport is in Russia’s Pskov region, about 700 kilometers (400 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

In all, six Russian regions were targeted in the barrage amid the 18-month war.

It was not immediately clear whether the drones were launched from Ukraine or inside Russia.Kyiv officials normally neither claim nor deny responsibility for attacks on Russian soil, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them.

Zelenskyy’s remark was the clearest hint that Ukraine was behind the strike.

Ukraine defence minister Kuleba tells critics of counteroffensive to ‘shut up’

Thursday 31 August 2023 14:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out on Thursday at critics of Kyiv’s tactics in its counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and should “shut up”.

“Criticising the slow pace of (the) counter-offensive equals ... spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another,” Mr Kuleba told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.

The New York Times last week quoted US and other Western officials as saying that the offensive had made limited progress because Ukraine had too many troops in the wrong places.

“I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves,” Kuleba said, standing alongside Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

Ukraine reports some battlefield 'successes' in the south, east

Thursday 31 August 2023 13:38 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukrainian troops have secured some new “successes” in the south and east as they try to push forward their counteroffensive against Russian forces, the deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Thursday.

Kyiv’s forces have been making slow progress against Russian minefields and trenches blocking a southern push intended to reach the Sea of Azov and split Russian forces.

“There have been some successes, in particular in the direction of Novodanylivka-Novoprokopivka,” Ms Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app, referring to two southeastern villages in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Novoprokopivka lies further south of the strategic settlement of Robotyne, which Ukraine said on Monday it had liberated.

She also said Kyiv’s forces were pressing on with their offensive operations south of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May.

Heavy fighting raged on in the villages of Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka and Andriivka, Ms Maliar said.

She added that “active” fighting was also underway on the Lyman front in the east, where Russian troops had attempted to advance near the villages of Novoyehorivka and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region.

Britain’s Royal Navy tracks Russian vessels close to UK waters

Thursday 31 August 2023 13:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Britain’s Royal Navy said in a statement on Thursday that its warships and patrol aircraft tracked a series of Russian vessels close to its waters in what it called “a concerted monitoring operation”.

The Royal Navy said submarine hunting frigates and P8 Poseidon patrol aircraft monitored movements of the Russian Navy in the Channel, North Sea and North Atlantic, without specifying when the operation had taken place.

The Russian vessels included corvettes Boikiy and Grad, cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk, as well as others, according to the statement.

Britain is a key defence supplier for Ukraine and Russia has condemned the help Britain has provided to Kyiv.

The Royal Navy routinely tracks the movements of Russian warships sailing near its waters.

Erdogan to meet Putin in Russia to discuss grain deal, sources say

Thursday 31 August 2023 13:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia‘s resort of Sochi on 4 September to primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports, two Turkish sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The two leaders will discuss fallout from the war in Ukraine as well as a deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, one of the sources said.

The Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in 2022, ended after Russia withdrew in July.

Ankara has since sought to convince Moscow to return to the agreemen

Zelensky expresses condolences after Johannesburg fire kills 73

Thursday 31 August 2023 12:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his condolences after a building fire broke out in Johannesburg last night, killing at least 73 people.

“Tragic news of a deadly fire in Johannesburg. My heartfelt condolences, as do those of all Ukrainians, go out to President Cyril Ramaphosa and all the victims’ friends and family members.

“Terrible tragedy. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Ukraine pilot films moment drone flies into Russian truck

Thursday 31 August 2023 12:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukraine‘s Ministry of Defence has released footage of a soldier appearing to use a drone to shoot at a Russian truck.

This clip, posted on Twitter/X on Wednesday (30 August), purportedly shows a border guard from the “Steel Border” unit watching on as a shot hits the vehicle.

“The hand of a master,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said.

Disclaimer: The video contains scenes some viewers might find distressing.

Ukraine pilot films moment drone flies into Russian truck

ICYMI: Zelensky decries corruption in military medical exemptions

Thursday 31 August 2023 11:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky decried on Wednesday what he described as systematic corruption in medical exemptions to people avoiding military service, saying the system was subject to bribes and mass departures abroad.

During his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said the National Security and Defence Council had considered data showing the extent of false exemptions, bribe-taking and flight abroad since the February 2022 invasion.

The investigation of dubious medical exemptions was still being conducted, he said.

“There are examples of regions where the number of exemptions from military service due to medical commission decisions has increased tenfold since February last year,” Mr Zelensky said.

“It is absolutely clear what sort of decisions these are. Corrupt decisions.”

He said the investigation had exposed corrupt practices in different regions and by officials in different positions, involving bribes ranging from $3,000 to $15,000.

Mr Zelensky said a separate analysis was needed to determine the numbers of people who had fled abroad, largely on the basis of medical commission decisions.

“We are talking about at least thousands of individuals,” he said.

Grant Shapps promises continued support to Ukraine against ‘barbaric invasion’

Thursday 31 August 2023 11:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

Grant Shapps said he is “honoured” to be named Defence Secretary and promised the UK’s continued support to Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric invasion”.

Shortly he was appointed defence minister by PM Rishi Sunak, Mr Shapps tweeted: “I’m honoured to be appointed as Defence Secretary by RishiSunak.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Ben Wallace has made to UK defence & global security over the last four years.

“As I get to work at DefenceHQ I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security.

“And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion.”

Wagner boss Prigozhin seen in new footage ‘dismissing reports of his elimination’

Thursday 31 August 2023 10:30 , Maanya Sachdeva

A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his wellbeing and possible threats to his security.

“For those who are discussing whether I’m alive or not, how I’m doing – right now it’s the weekend, second half of August 2023, I’m in Africa,” Prigozhin says in the short video published by the Grey Zone Telegram channel which is linked to his Wagner Group.

“So for people who like to discuss wiping me out, or my private life, how much I earn or whatever else – everything’s ok,” he adds with a wave of his hand.

Reuters was not able to verify the location or the date of the video, which was filmed in a moving vehicle.

Prigozhin’s camouflage clothing and hat, as well as the watch on his right hand, matched his appearance in a video released on 21 August, which he also claimed was filmed in Africa.

His “weekend” reference implied the latest clip must have been made on 19 or 20 August, only three or four days before he and other top Wagner figures and bodyguards were killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on 23 August.

His comments in the video reflected Prigozhin’s awareness of risks to his life.

Grant Shapps replaces Ben Wallace as UK defence minister

Thursday 31 August 2023 10:00 , Maanya Sachdeva

The British government named ex-energy secretary Grant Shapps as the country’s new defence minister on Thursday, replacing Ben Wallace who said he wanted to step down after four years in the role and would quit as a lawmaker at the next national election.

The defence role will be Shapps’ fifth government job over the last year, after serving in four different ministries - transport, interior affairs, business and then at energy and net zero.

Mr Wallace, who had been touted as a potential successor to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, had taken a leading role in shaping Britain’s response to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Under him, Britain provided 2.3bn pounds ($2.9bn) of military aid to Kyiv in 2022 and became the first country to start supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles in May this year to help end Europe’s biggest land war since World War Two.

Mr Wallace remained in post last year when Britain went through one of the most turbulent times in its political history, with the departure of two prime ministers over scandal and economic turmoil.

Mr Shapps’ appointment is unlikely to change Britain’s support for Ukraine against Russia.

Ben Wallace confirms resignation in letter to PM Sunak

Thursday 31 August 2023 09:45 , Maanya Sachdeva

Ben Wallace has confirmed his resignation as UK defence secretary in a letter to the prime minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday.

Mr Wallace’s letter to the PM read: “The Ministry of Defence is back on the path to being once again world class with world class people.

“The United Kingdom is respected around the world for our armed forces and that respect has only grown more since the war in Ukraine.

“I know you agree with me that we must not return to the days where defence was viewed as a discretionary spend by Government and savings were achieved by hollowing out.”

Mr Wallace announced last month that he would resign from the senior Cabinet role at the next reshuffle, bringing an end to his four years in the job.

Mr Sunak praised Mr Wallace, telling him he leaves office with the prime minister’s “thanks and respect”.

US says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea

Thursday 31 August 2023 09:15 , Maanya Sachdeva

The White House said that it has new intelligence that shows Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea for munitions for the war in Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby shared this finding just weeks after the US said that it had determined that Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu asked North Korean officials to increase the sale of munitions to Moscow for during a recent visit to Pyongyang.

He added that the letters, exchanged following Mr Shoigu’s visit, were “more at the surface level” but that Russian and North Korean talks on a weapons sale were advancing.

Mr Kirby declined to provide more detail on how the White House had gathered this intelligence.

Rishi Sunak expected to appoint new defence secretary to replace Ben Wallace

Thursday 31 August 2023 08:15 , Maanya Sachdeva

Rishi Sunak will reportedly appoint a new defence secretary later on Thursday, replacing Ben Wallace.

Mr Wallace announced last month he would resign from the senior Cabinet role at the next reshuffle, bringing to an end his four years in the job.

Mr Wallace, who served under three prime ministers in his current role, played a key role in the UK’s response to Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine and was a close ally of Boris Johnson.

His successor will take on the high-profile role as the war in Ukraine continues.

After weeks of speculation over who might replace Mr Wallace, the BBC and multiple newspapers are reporting the prime minister will on Thursday appoint a new defence secretary.

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen have both been linked with the role.

The Daily Telegraph also suggested former defence secretary Liam Fox is a possibility.

Dr Fox, who served in the role under prime minister David Cameron between 2010 and 2011, was forced to resign after allowing his friend and best man Adam Werritty to take on an unofficial and undeclared role as his adviser.

The senior Tory MP backed Mr Sunak in last summer’s Conservative leadership race.

Mr Wallace ruled himself out of the running for the Conservative leadership last year despite being an early frontrunner in the race to replace Mr Johnson.

Russia facing difficulty in detecting and destroying drones, says UK MoD

Thursday 31 August 2023 07:14 , Arpan Rai

Russia has experienced up to five separate strikes by one-way attack of uncrewed aerial vehicles in the past 24-48 hours, the UK’s MoD said today.

Russia is facing the largest attack since the start of the conflict and is likely facing difficulty in tackling such a sustained bombardment, the MoD said.

“Many of these UAVs have reached their targets, which likely means that Russian air defence is having difficulty detecting and destroying them. Russia is likely rethinking its air defence posture in the area between Ukraine and Moscow to better deal with these attacks,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

It noted explosions recorded in Moscow, Bryansk, and Ryazan, as well as at Pskov airbase close to the Estonian border. “The attack on Pskov likely damaged several Russian military transport aircraft. During August 2023 Russia experienced 25 separate drone attacks, almost certainly carried out by OWA-UAVs,” the ministry said.

“Previous strikes against Russian military airbases have led to the dispersal of Russian aircraft to locations across Russia. However, the recent strikes against Soltsy and Pskov have demonstrated that the UAVs have significant reach, making further dispersal more challenging,” it said.

Russia will likely “have to consider the addition of further air defence systems to airfields that it considers to be at risk from UAV attacks”, the MoD said.

Drone destroyed by air defences near Moscow

Thursday 31 August 2023 07:05 , Arpan Rai

Russian air defences have shot down a drone headed for the capital city, Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

“Today, air defense forces in the Voskresensky district destroyed a drone flying towards Moscow. There were no casualties or damage. Emergency services are on the scene,” he said.

This is the second such attack in Moscow in less than 24 hours. The earlier attack was made by using a swarm of drones, officials had said.

Russian media reported earlier that dozens of flights had been delayed at Moscow airports, which has now frequently resorted to suspending operations during drone attacks.

Russia-backed official claims cruise missile downed over Crimea

Thursday 31 August 2023 06:10 , Arpan Rai

Russia-backed officials in Crimea said anti-aircraft units downed a cruise missile fired at the peninsula last night amid speculation that it was a Ukrainian “Storm Shadow” missile.

Unconfirmed visuals showed a huge explosion over a Crimean town last night.

Prominent Russian military bloggers also mentioned prevention of “another attempt by the enemy” to attack the Crimean peninsula.

“Anti-aircraft forces in eastern Crimea have downed a cruise missile,” Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram, and asked residents to remain calm.

The advanced Storm Shadow class of cruise missiles have been provided to Ukraine by the UK.

Dozens of flights delayed at Moscow airports

Thursday 31 August 2023 05:40 , Arpan Rai

Around 60 flights were delayed and cancelled this morning at Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, the Kommersant daily reported, citing a flight tracking website, with no reason given for the delays.

“According to information at 7.15am local time, 23 flights were delayed at Vnukovo, three were cancelled. 29 flights were delayed at Domodedovo, one was canceled, seven flights were delayed at Sheremetyevo,” the report claimed.

Airports in the Russian capital have in the past weeks suspended flights repeatedly due to what Russian authorities said were Ukrainian drone attacks on the city.

Ukrainian troops making progress near Bakhmut

Thursday 31 August 2023 05:31 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian forces were making progress in the east, near Bakhmut, and in the Melitopol sector, where they are trying to move southward to the Sea of Azov, military spokesperson Andriy Kovalyov told national television today.

The besieged country’s air defences had shot down 28 Russian missiles and 15 out of 16 drones fired overnight.

Russian military accounts spoke of forces repelling five attempted Ukrainian advances in the east.

After launching its much-awaited counteroffensive nearly three months ago, Ukrainian forces are yet to achieve a breakthrough of Russia’s heavily mined and fortified defences acting as several lines of obstruction. However, this week they had penetrated the first main defensive lines.

Putin ‘pulling Russia deeper into abyss of chaos’, says Kyiv

Thursday 31 August 2023 04:50 , Arpan Rai

Officials in Ukraine have indirectly blamed Russian president Vladimir Putin for the growing attacks inside Moscow, stating that his regime will see “chaos”.

“So long as Putin remains president, the war will continue. Pulling Russia deeper and deeper into the abyss of chaos,” Mykhailo Poldolyak, a senior aide to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on social media.

Attacks on Russia in recent weeks, including repeated drone strikes on central Moscow are being witnessed by many Russians for the first time, even as Ukrainians have spent the past year and a half in constant peril from air strikes.

Moscow has relentlessly pounded Ukrainian cities with long range missiles and drone strikes throughout the war claiming that it only targets military targets but has instead struck schools, hospitals and theatres. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed.

Ukrainian military says six servicemen killed in helicopter incident

Thursday 31 August 2023 04:20 , Arpan Rai

At least six Ukrainian servicemen were killed aboard two helicopters while they were “carrying out missions” in eastern Ukraine, the military said.

There was no indication what happened involving two widely-used Mi-8 helicopters on Tuesday.

A military statement on Telegram aid the men were “carrying out missions” in the sector of the Russian-held eastern city of Bakhmut when they died.

The news site Ukrainska Pravda said the incident occurred near Kramatorsk, a large town west of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, theatre of much of the fighting in Russia’s 18-month invasion of its neighbour.

The two helicopters were “completely destroyed” and the bodies were found at the site, it added.

An air force spokesperson identified as Yevhen Rakita told public broadcaster Suspilne that the men aboard were officers.

Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone strikes on six regions of Russia – destroying war planes

Thursday 31 August 2023 04:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian drones have hit at least six regions deep inside Russia in one of the largest such strikes since the start of Moscow’s invasion.

Russian officials confirmed attacks on targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions, with the assault on the military airfield in Pskov that damaged aircraft as the most significant. Situated more than 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine, it was where a number of elite paratroopers are stationed. The state-run Tass news agency reported at least four giant Il-76 transport planes were damaged, two of which had “burst into flames”.

Chris Stevenson reports:

White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea

Putin informed after drone hit Russian planes

Thursday 31 August 2023 03:57 , Arpan Rai

The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was working out where the drones were launched from to prevent further strikes on Russian soil.

President Vladimir Putin had been informed immediately, as would be the case in any such “massive attacks”, Mr Peskov said.

A huge fire with sounds of sirens emerged from northern Russia yesterday as an explosion was seen at a military airfield in Pskov, more than 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine, where Moscow has gathered all its elite paratroopers. At least four Il-76 transport planes were damaged, two of which had “burst into flames”, local news agencies reported.

While Moscow said it had thwarted all the attacks, it has always typically described all Ukrainian drone strikes as unsuccessful, regardless of the damage on the ground.

In a rare confirmation, the Kyiv government said the Russian planes had been destroyed in Pskov, without commenting on the nature of their destruction.

It generally withholds comment on strikes on territory inside Russia though it says it has a right to hit military targets.

“Yes, four IL-76 transport planes were destroyed in Pskov at an airfield, they are beyond repair. Also, several other of those (aircraft) are damaged, but the information is being checked,” Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s GUR military agency said.

Ukraine’s Western allies have publicly forbidden it from using weapons they supply to attack Russia but say Ukraine has a right to carry out such strikes with its own weapons.

Recap: Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone strikes in Russia, destroying war planes

Thursday 31 August 2023 03:43 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian drones struck at least six regions deep inside Russia on Tuesday night, in one of the largest such strikes since the start of Moscow’s invasion.

Russian officials reported attacks on targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions, with the assault on the military airfield in Pskov that damaged aircraft as the most significant.

Situated more than 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine, it was where a number of elite paratroopers are stationed. The state-run Tass news agency reported at least four giant Il-76 transport planes were damaged, two of which had “burst into flames”.

Russia has already been stuck by more than 70 drones this month in attacks it blames Ukraine for carrying out hostile attacks. While Kyiv has never taken any public responsibility for these attacks, it has never not denied striking targets inside Russia.

Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone strikes on six regions of Russia

White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea

Thursday 31 August 2023 03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The White House on Wednesday said that it has new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea for munitions for the Ukraine war.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby detailed the latest finding just weeks after the White House said that it had determined that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a recent visit to Pyongyang called on North Korean officials to increase the sale of munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Kirby said that Russia is looking for additional artillery shells and other basic materiel to shore up Russia’s defense industrial base.

Aamer Madhani has the full story:

White House says Putin and Kim Jong Un traded letters as Russia looks for munitions from North Korea

The key to Ukraine punching through Russia’s defences – and putting Putin’s forces on the back foot

Thursday 31 August 2023 02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Long-range strikes by drone and missile and a raid on territory in occupied Crimea that took Russian forces by surprise – all part of Kyiv’s recent push towards the peninsula that is a symbol of Vladimir Putin‘s territorial ambitions.

Perhaps most significant of all is the capture of the key village of Robotyne, about three hours drive east of Crimea. Gaining that foothold will help Ukraine build a foundation to punch through to the coastline of the Sea of Azov.

Kyiv has been stepping up drone attacks on Crimea as it looks to break key supply lines from the Russian-occupied peninsula, writes Askold Krushelnycky in Ukraine:

The key to Ukraine punching through Russia’s defences | Askold Krushelnycky

Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison

Thursday 31 August 2023 01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

The Russian ruble’s wobble in value has exposed a crack in President Vladimir Putin‘s fortress economy, a vulnerability quickly plastered over by the Kremlin‘s economic team in a move that allowed the currency to regain its footing, at least for now.

Yet the patch — an emergency interest rate increase — cannot hide the dilemma at the heart of the Russian economy: how to fund the military while not undermining the national currency and overheating the economy with corrosive and politically embarrassing inflation.

Life in Moscow presents a facade of normality despite sweeping sanctions tied to the war in Ukraine and the departure of hundreds of name-brand Western companies.

David McHugh reports:

Russia earns less from oil and spends more on war. So far, sanctions are working like a slow poison

Putin jails Russian soldiers for refusing to return to Ukraine

Thursday 31 August 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Two Russian soldiers have been jailed for refusing to return to the frontline in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

In an intelligence update posted on Twitter, the ministry said two Russian soldiers were sentenced to serve at least two years in a penal colony by a military court for refusing to obey orders to return to the front in Ukraine.

It comes after Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported that Russia was convicting close to 100 soldiers a week for refusing to fight.

Read more:

Putin jails Russian soldiers for refusing to return to Ukraine

Putin and Kim Jong-un are deepening their relationship, White House says

Wednesday 30 August 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have exchanged letters and are pledging to deepen the relationship between their two countries, the White House has said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday said arms negotiations between Moscow and Pyongyang have been “actively advancing” as Russia has sought to evade the US and western sanctions that have made it harder to prosecute the country’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Mr Kirby added that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu recently travelled to Pyongyang in an effort to convince North Korean officials to sell Russia domestically-manufactured artillery shells, since North Korea’s military equipment is largely Russian or Soviet-made.

Andrew Feinberg has more:

Putin and Kim Jong-un are deepening their relationship, White House says