Ukraine-Russia war – live: Biden warns UN not to allow Putin’s ‘illegal war of conquest’

US president Joe Biden warned world leaders not to allow Putin’s “illegal war of conquest” at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, an annual meeting he described as “dedicated to peaceful resolution of conflicts.”

“Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence,” Biden said in his speech to UNGA. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?”

Drawing applause, he added that the US and its allies would stand with Ukraine’s fight for freedom. “Russia alone bears responsibility for this war,” the president said. “Russia alone has the power to end this war immediately.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended and applauded Biden’s remarks ahead of his own speech at UNGA on Tuesday, was expected to visit Biden at the White House on Thursday and to meet some congressional leaders as well.

The US is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with Zelensky’s visit, and Congress has been asked to approve billions of dollars more in security assistance for the rest of the year.

Key Points

• Explosions shake Ukraine’s Lviv as western parts remain under air raid alerts

• Russian defensive lines breached in capture of villages near Bakhmut

• Ukraine destroys 27 Russian drones and one missile

• Russia says Ukraine struck Kostiantynivka with missile on 6 Sept

• Moscow court declines to consider appeal by US reporter Gershkovich against pre-trial detention

• At UN General Assembly, Biden asks world to stand by Ukraine

At UN General Assembly, Biden asks world to stand by Ukraine

15:49 , Eleanor Noyce

U.S. president Joe Biden appealed to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday to stand with Ukraine against Russian invaders, hoping Republicans in Congress will also take notice.

“Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence,” Biden said in his speech to UNGA. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?”

Biden’s address at the annual gathering was the centrepiece event of his three-day visit to New York, which will include meetings with the heads of five Central Asian nations, and the leaders of Israel and Brazil.

Biden, a Democrat, has made rallying U.S. allies to support Ukraine a leading component of U.S. foreign policy, arguing the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not be able to outlast the West.

Biden has faced criticism from some Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on the war effort.

Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has vowed to seek a quick end to the war if returned to power.

Trump has voiced scepticism about Washington’s engagement with traditional allies, including NATO, and has been complimentary of Putin.

House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in Washington, has questioned whether the United States should keep sending billions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine.

In his speech, Biden argued that Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and occupation of territory violated the founding U.N. Charter, a main principle of which is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Biden echoed remarks of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who in his opening speech to UNGA on Tuesday said Russia’s invasion “has unleashed a nexus of horror.”

Why new fighting in Azerbaijan's troubled region may herald a new war

17:35 , Eleanor Noyce

Azerbaijan’s launch of reportedly intense artillery firing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Tuesday raised fears that another full-scale conflict with Armenia could be underway, less than three years after a war that killed more than 6,000 people.

Nagorno-Karabakh, with a population of about 120,000, is an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that has been a flashpoint since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The region and sizable surrounding territories came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military at the 1994 end of a separatist war. Azerbaijan regained the territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself in fighting in 2020.

The latter war ended with an agreement to deploy Russian peacekeepers in the region, but tensions have soared since December when Azerbaijan began blocking the road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia proper. The artillery firing that Azerbaijan calls an “anti-terrorist operation” started hours after it said four soldiers and two civilians were killed by landmines that it claimed were planted by Armenian saboteurs.

Read more:

Why new fighting in Azerbaijan's troubled region may herald a new war

Biden calls on world leaders to stand up to Russia’s ‘naked aggression’ against Ukraine

17:17 , Eleanor Noyce

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on world leaders to uphold the UN Charter’s “core tenet” of sovereignty and territorial integrity by supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invading forces during remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Mr Biden reminded the world leaders who had gathered to hear him at UN headquarters that the annual gathering, which he described as one that is “dedicated to peaceful resolution of conflicts,” was once again “darkened by the shadow of war, an illegal war of conquest brought without provocation by Russia against its’ neighbour, Ukraine”.

Mr Biden said the US, which has been Ukraine’s chief supporter during the nearly two-year war, wants the conflict to end, and stressed that “no nation wants this war to end more than Ukraine”.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

Biden calls on UN leaders to stand up to Russia’s ‘naked aggression’ against Ukraine

UK pledges tens of thousands of more artillery shells for Ukraine

17:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Britain will supply “tens of thousands” more artillery shells to Ukraine this year, the government’s defence department announced on Tuesday.

“Today we’ve demonstrated the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine and set out more military support, including pledging tens of thousands more artillery shells to enable Ukraine to defend itself,” defence minister Grant Shapps after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Germany said.

“We have also set out how the UK will go further in the coming months in our priority support areas, including air defence and long-range strike capabilities, and training.”

Britain, a key defence supplier for Ukraine, is trying to increase its production of weaponry, particularly artillery shells, to try to help Kyiv push back Russian forces and replenish its own stockpiles.

Russia the ‘aggressor’ stands ‘in the way of peace’, Joe Biden tells United Nations

16:52 , Eleanor Noyce

At the U.N. General Assembly, Joe Biden has warned that Russia the “aggressor” stands “in the way of peace.”

“Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence,” Biden said in his speech to UNGA. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?”

Elsewhere, he described the situation in Ukraine as an “illegal war of conquest.”

Watch:

Ukraine ‘has one month to hold knife to Crimea’s throat’ and force Putin into peace talks

16:37 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine has just four weeks to hold a “knife at Crimea‘s throat” and force Vladimir Putin into peace talks before Russia‘s army recoups over winter, experts have warned.

Professor Mark Galeotti, academic and author of more than 20 books on Russia, said Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops need to move another 10 miles southwards to be in range of striking key Russian supply routes in Crimea.

He claimed this is the only “serious” chance Ukraine has to force Mr Putin into negotiations before the Russian army has the opportunity to regroup over winter.

Alexander Butler reports:

Ukraine warned it has one month window to force Putin into talks

Latvia to shut one of two Belarus border crossings to stop illegal migrants

16:22 , Eleanor Noyce

Latvia’s government decided on Tuesday to close one of its two border crossing points with Belarus as the prime minister accused Minsk of again using illegal migrants as a “hybrid threat” to undermine the Baltic state’s security.

In 2021, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania faced an immigration crisis when thousands of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, began crossing from Belarus.

The three countries, all members of NATO and the European Union, eventually resorted to pushing the migrants back, a policy that remains in place.

Fifty officers now working at the Silene border station will be redeployed to guard the actual border, in what Latvia’s border guard chief has described as “the most tense situation since 2021” due to an influx of migrants from Belarus.

Guards have turned back 894 people attempting to cross the border in the last six days, taking September’s total to 1,773, Latvian news wire LETA reported.

“Border tensions are increasing, and Belarus is engaging more and more in such a hybrid threat, that we have an increasing number of illegal travellers”, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina told reporters.

The border crossing point has been closed to “send signals internationally”, she added.

However, Belarus Border Guard said on its website on Tuesday that the Silene crossing point remained open and that Latvia had not informed it of any changes.

Poland and Lithuania have fenced their borders with Belarus and the new Latvian government has pledged to finish its own fence by the end of the year.

Belarus is a close ally of Russia. It allowed Russian armed forces to use its territory as a staging post to invade Ukraine, Belarus’ southern neighbour, in early 2022. In May this year, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Flames rage from destroyed warehouse after Russian drone strike on Lviv

16:05 , Eleanor Noyce

A Russian drone attack over the city of Lviv, Ukraine, early on Tuesday 19 September heavily damaged a warehouse facility and injured a 26-year-old man, according to the regional governor.

Maksym Kozytsky reported that 15 out of 18 drones were intercepted.

Footage from the ground shows flames raging from a warehouse, as firefighters battle to control the blaze.

The state emergency service said the fire, caused by the drone attack, has reached 9,450 square meters.

A total of 27 out of 30 Shahed drones were intercepted Monday night across Ukraine, according to the Air Force report.

Watch:

Flames rage from destroyed warehouse after Russian drone strike on Lviv

Ukraine complains to WTO about Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banning its farm products

15:50 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine is filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia after they banned grain and other food products coming from the war-torn country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Tuesday.

It lays bare a widening rift with the three members of the European Union, which has been a pivotal backer of Kyiv as it works to fight off Russia’s invasion.

In a break with the wider EU, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced bans on grain and other food from Ukraine, a major agricultural supplier to parts of the world where people are going hungry. The 27-nation bloc last week lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s exports to five member states, also including Romania and Bulgaria.

Read more:

Ukraine complains to WTO about Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banning its farm products

Ukraine lawyers insist that UN's top court has jurisdiction to hear Kyiv's case against Russia

15:21 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine insisted Tuesday that the United Nations’ highest court has jurisdiction to hear a case alleging that Moscow abused the genocide convention to justify launching its devastating invasion last year.

Kyiv wants judges at the International Court of Justice to order Russia to halt its attacks and pay reparations. But it appears unlikely Moscow would comply. Russia has flouted a binding interim order issued by the court in March last year to end its invasion.

“Russia’s defiance is also an attack on this court’s authority. Every missile that Russia fires at our cities, it fires in defiance of this court,” the leader of Ukraine’s legal team, Anton Korynevych, told the 16-judge panel.

Mike Corder reports:

Ukraine lawyers insist that UN's top court has jurisdiction to hear Kyiv's case against Russia

Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them

15:05 , Eleanor Noyce

A senior Kremlin official on Tuesday called for closer policy coordination between Moscow and Beijing to counter what he described as Western efforts to contain them as he hosted China’s top diplomat for security talks.

Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Moscow “seeks progressive development and strengthening of the Russian-Chinese relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”

“Amid the campaign unleashed by the collective West that is aimed at the double containment of Russia and China, it’s particularly important to further deepen Russian-Chinese coordination and interaction on the inetrnational arena,” Patrushev said.

More here:

Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them

UN chief assails Russia's war in Ukraine for 'unleashing nexus of horror'

14:49 , Eleanor Noyce

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday assailed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the U.N. Charter, telling the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders that the war “has unleashed a nexus of horror.”

He warned that the world badly needs Ukrainian food and Russian food and fertilisers to stabilise markets and guarantee food security, adding - to the applause of leaders - “I will not give up on my efforts to make it happen.”

G7 countries recognise Russia settling in Ukraine war for longer term, U.S. says

14:35 , Eleanor Noyce

There is a recognition among the G7 advanced countries that Russia is settling into its invasion of Ukraine for the medium and long term, and therefore the collective response should focus on supporting it accordingly, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, the official said reinforcing Ukraine‘s air defenses was key not only for the battlefield but also to protect Ukraine‘s critical infrastructure as the winter settles in.

Macron and Starmer ‘reaffirm will’ to support Ukraine and its people

14:19 , Eleanor Noyce

French President Emmanuel Macron and British opposition leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday stressed the importance of strengthening the cooperation between the two countries as well as the need to guarantee economic and energetic security in Europe.

“The also reaffirmed their will to bring an ongoing support to Ukraine and its people,” the French presidency said in a statement after a meeting between the two men in Paris.

This meeting took place on the eve of King Charles’ state visit to France, from Wednesday to Friday.

Moscow court declines to consider appeal by US reporter Gershkovich against pre-trial detention

14:05 , Eleanor Noyce

A Moscow court on Tuesday declined to consider the latest appeal by U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention, nearly six months after his arrest on spying charges that he denies.

The court’s press service announced the decision without explanation, after a closed hearing. State news agency RIA said the appeal was being sent back to a lower court because of unspecified “procedural violations”.

Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested on 29 March in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison.

No date has been set for his trial, and last month his detention in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison was extended by three months to Nov. 30.

He had failed in two previous appeals, in April and June, against his pre-trial detention.

The United States has designated Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, an American convicted of espionage in 2020 and serving 16 years in a Russian penal colony, as “wrongfully detained”, meaning that it considers the cases against them to be bogus and politically motivated.

“It is unacceptable that Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan still languish in Russian prisons on charges that are baseless,” U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy told reporters after Tuesday’s hearing.

“The United States will not rest until Evan and Paul are safely at home with their families and friends.”

Russia said Gershkovich was caught “red-handed” on a trip to the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, where the FSB security service said he was trying to obtain military secrets.

Russia using genocide 'lie' as pretext to destroy, Ukraine tells World Court

13:51 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine told the U.N.’s highest court in The Hague on Tuesday that Russia justified waging war against Ukraine by invoking “a terrible lie” that Moscow’s invasion was to stop an alleged genocide.

“The international community adopted the Genocide Convention to protect. Russia invokes the Genocide convention to destroy,” Ukraine‘s representative Anton Korynevych told judges.

He called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to decide that it has jurisdiction to hear the case fully and eventually rule that Russia must pay reparations for invading under a false pretext.

“Can a state use false allegations of genocide as a pretext to destroy cities, bomb civilians and deport children from their homes? When the Genocide Convention is so cynically abused, is this court powerless? The answer to these questions must be ‘no’,” Korynevych said.

On Monday, Russia urged the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to throw out the case, claiming Kyiv’s legal arguments were “hopelessly flawed”.

Ukraine brought the case before the ICJ, also known as the World Court, days after the Russian invasion on 24 February last year.

Kyiv argues Russia is abusing international law by saying the invasion was justified to stop an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine says there was no risk of genocide in eastern Ukraine, where it had been fighting Russian-backed forces since 2014. The convention defines genocide as crimes committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such”.

Ukraine has already cleared one hurdle as the court decided in its favour in a preliminary decision in the case in March last year. Based on that, the court ordered Russia to cease military actions in Ukraine immediately.

Russia has so far ignored the ICJ’s orders to stop its military actions and the court has no way of enforcing its decisions. Experts say a full ruling in favour of Ukraine can pave the way for compensation payments.

Korynevych told journalists after the hearing Tuesday that reparations were a key issue for Ukraine in this case. However, any discussion about amounts and implementation “we will be dealing with further on”, he said.

The hearings, set to run until 27 September, will not delve into the merits of the case, but will instead focus on legal arguments about jurisdiction. The court is expected to rule if the case can go forward in several months.

South Korea urges Russia to halt military cooperation with North Korea

13:36 , Lydia Patrick

South Korea summoned Russia’s ambassador to warn Moscow against any military cooperation with North Korea after last week’s summit raised concerns about a possible arms deal.

First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Russia’s ambassador in Seoul to urge “Russia to immediately halt any moves to expand military cooperation with North Korea and to abide by (UN) Security Council Resolutions,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Chang said Russia should live up to its role as a member of the U.N. Security Council to address North Korea’s nuclear threat, and added that any actions that threaten its security would seriously undermine Russia’s relationship with South Korea.

Russia's defence minister to visit Tehran on Tuesday

13:21 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu will visit Tehran on Tuesday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, adding that he would meet top Iranian officials.

Since the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Tehran and Moscow have deepened their bilateral ties, notably in the military sphere.

Tasnim added that Shoigu would discuss defence cooperation and regional developments with top Iranian officials, including his Iranian counterpart.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan said its armed forces had launched what it called “local anti-terrorist activities” in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to restore constitutional order by disarming and forcing the withdrawal of Armenian military formations there.

Iran borders both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and has called upon Baku and Yerevan to uphold a 2020 ceasefire backed by Russia.

Last month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia’s military cooperation with Iran would not succumb to geopolitical pressure, following a report that Washington had asked Tehran to stop selling drones to Moscow.

Iran’s air force received in recent weeks the delivery of two Russian Yak-130 pilot training fighters, Tasnim said.

Tehran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said in the past that they were sent before Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. Moscow has denied its forces have used Iranian drones in Ukraine.

Russia says Ukraine struck Kostiantynivka with missile on 6 Sept

13:11 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine was responsible for an explosion on 6 September in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka this month that killed at least 16 people.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Ukraine had fired a 9M38 missile from a Buk surface-to-air missile system which struck the city.

“Even if it was done unintentionally, it is obvious to everyone: the complete demilitarisation of the Kyiv regime is not just a requirement, but a vital necessity,” Zakharova said.

The New York Times reported that evidence suggested the explosion had been caused by an errant missile fired by Ukraine.

Ukraine blamed Russia for the attack at the time. President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was evidence of the need to destroy “Russian evil.”

Putin still has ‘well over 200,000 troops’ in occupied Ukraine

13:00 , Lydia Patrick

As Ukraine makes significant gains in its couteroffensive, a US military general has claimed kicking out Putin’ troops, of over 200, 000 could be a lengthy process.

“There’s well over 200,000 Russian troops in Russian-occupied Ukraine,” General Mark A Milley, who is set to retire as the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an “exit interview” to CNN.

“This offensive, although significant has operational and tactical objectives that are limited in the sense that they do not – even if they are fully achieved – they do not completely kick out all the Russians, which is the broader strategic objective that president Zelensky has,” he said.

Read the full story by Arpan Rai here

Putin still has ‘well over 200,000 troops’ in occupied Ukraine, top US general says

Ex CEO of top firm accuses Zelensky’s advisor of corruption

12:36 , Lydia Patrick

The former chief executive of one of Ukraine’s biggest construction firms has accused Zelensky’s aide of bribing public officials and law enforcement, reportReuters.

Oleh Maiborada has spoken out against Oleh Tatarov, a lawyer who is now a senior advisor to President Zelensky. In an interview with Reuters Maiborada alleged when he worked in construction, Tatarov would pay officials to approve building requests.

Maiborada spoke to Reuters in Vienna where has settled to escape prosecution in Ukraine, say Reuters.

Tatarov, the president’s adviser on law enforcement and security agencies since 2020, has denied wrongdoing, report Reuters.

He has said his accusers are trying to settle political scores.

Zelensky has previously said corruption has no place in his administration. He said: “I want to emphasise if those who work with me are suspected of corruption, these people will be fired. And I have not yet seen such examples in my Office,” he said in an interview in December 2020 with Ukraine‘s Focus magazine.

At least three people killed in Russian attack

12:12 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people have been killed in a Russian attack on the northeastern Ukrainian town of Kupiansk on Tuesday, a regional official said.

“Today, the enemy attacked the town of Kupiansk with a guided air bomb,” Kharkiv region governor Oleh Synehubov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian police sergeant killed by Russian shell

12:06 , Lydia Patrick

A Ukrainian police sergeant has been killed by a Russian shell which hit a trolley bus.

Two more civlians have been injured in the attack, according to local reports.

Russia drastically ramped up military hardware production

11:36 , Lydia Patrick

Russia has ramped up the production of missiles, drones, combat vehicles and artillery by more than tenfold to supply its army in Ukraine, Moscow’s biggest weapons producer said today.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered production to be cranked up to ensure Moscow achieves the aims of what he calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine despite the West supplying Kyiv with weapons worth billions of dollars and imposing unprecedented Western sanctions on the Russian economy.

Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the armament complex at Rostec, the Russian state corporation which controls much of the weapons industry, said production volumes for various types of weapons had increased from between two and 10 times.

Ozdoev said: “We are going forward at cruising speed, smoke from all the pipes.”

He said there had been significant growth in production of tanks, armoured vehicles, rocket launchers, artillery, the Iskander short-range ballistic missile, the Pantsir medium-range surface-to-air missile system and the hypersonic Kinzhal missile.

Ukraine lawyers insist that UN’s top court has jurisdiction to hear Kyiv’s case against Russia

11:06 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine have insisted that the United Nations’ highest court has jurisdiction to hear a case alleging that Moscow abused the genocide convention to justify launching its devastating invasion last year.

Kyiv wants judges at the International Court of Justice to order Russia to halt its attacks and pay reparations, but their cooperation remains doubtful.

Russia has flouted a binding interim order issued by the court in March last year to end its invasion.

“Russia’s defiance is also an attack on this court’s authority. Every missile that Russia fires at our cities, it fires in defiance of this court,” the leader of Ukraine‘s legal team, Anton Korynevych, told the 16-judge panel.

Kyiv filed the case shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

It argues that the attack was based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine.

“Russia is waging war against my country in the name of this terrible lie that Ukraine is committing genocide against its own people,” Korynevych said.“

Putin’s brigades ‘suffer heavy losses’ as three Russian brigades targeted

10:31 , Lydia Patrick

Russian troops face ‘significant losses’ as three brigades have been rendered ineffective and a commander has been killed, according to the Institute of Study of War.

Ukrainian military officer Oleksander Syrskyi said troops destroyed the combat capability of the 72nd Motorized Rifle Brigade (3rd Army Corps), the 31st Guards VDV Brigade, and the 83rd Guards VDV Brigade during the liberation of the villages Andriivka and Klishchiivka, south of Bakhmut.

Russian commander Alexander Khodakovosky claimed the 31st VDV brigade commander had been killed as the Ukrainian counteroffensive liberated Bakhmut.

Heartbroken Ukrainian girl breaks down in tears after seeing her nursery destroyed in Russian attack

10:06 , Lydia Patrick

In pictures - the aftermath of Russian blasts on Lviv causing a Warehouse inferno

09:40 , Lydia Patrick

Black smoke billows over the city after drone strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv

Firefighters work at a site of an industrial warehouse damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine

The dramatic blaze at the warehouse struck by Russian attack

Watch Live : World Court hears Ukraine’s response to Russian objections in genocide case

09:06 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine claims Moscow falsely applied genocide law to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Why is Zelensky in New York City today?

08:36 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelesnsky will join other world leaders in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly to make a security speech.

The war in Ukraine and the climate crisis are expected to be discussed at great lengths as more than 140 leaders gather.

It is not yet clear if he will stay for Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov’s speech, last year Lavrov called Zelensky a ‘b*******’ and walked out after a strong line of accusations and condemnation aimed at Russia.

The Ukrainian leader questioned world leaders as to why Russia still has a place in the UN ahead of his speech.

He said: “For us, it’s very important that all our words, all our messages, will be heard by our partners. And if in the United Nations still – it’s a pity, but still – there is a place for Russian terrorists, the question is not to me. I think it’s a question to all the members of the United Nations.”

Ukraine destroys 27 Russian drones and one missile

08:06 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine‘s air defence systems destroyed 27 out of 30 drones and one Iskander ballistic missile that Russia launched on in the early hours of Tuesday, Ukraine‘s air force said on the messaging platform Telegram - as reported by Reuters.

The Iranian-made Shahed drones were destroyed in Ukraine‘s southern, central and western regions, while the missile was launched in the direction of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report.

ICYMI: Ukraine says recapture of key village near Bakhmut a ‘springboard’ for more gains against Russia

07:36 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine’s military claims its latest recapture of a key village in Bakhmut will act as a “springboard” for further offensive actions against Russia’s continuing invasion.

Ukraine scored another victory recently when it recently recaptured village Klishchiivka that lies in the southern flank of Bakhmut, as its forces fought off Russian attempts to get back into the area.

The war-torn country’s forces had last week also recaptured Andriivka, another village a few kilometres to the south of Klishchiivka, after earlier criticism alleged Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had slowed.

Both settlements have been reduced to ghost towns and destroyed in the months of fighting for Bakhmut that had fallen into Russian hands in May this year.

“Now we have gained a springboard for ourselves, which in the future will allow us to continue to develop offensive operations and liberate our land from the invaders,” Illia Yevlash, spokesperson for Ukraine’s troops in the east, said in a national telecast after they retook Klishchiivka.”

Read the full story by Arpan Rai here

Why recapture of key village near Bakhmut is critical for Ukraine

Zelensky asks why Russia still has place at UN ahead of New York address

07:06 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky posed the question of why Russia and Vladimir Putin continued to have representation at the United Nations to world leaders ahead of his UN security council speech.

Mr Zelensky was speaking in the US after visiting wounded Ukrainian military members at a New York hospital shortly after arriving for his diplomatic tour on Monday.

“For us, it’s very important that all our words, all our messages, will be heard by our partners. And if in the United Nations still – it’s a pity, but still – there is a place for Russian terrorists, the question is not to me. I think it’s a question to all the members of the United Nations,” he said.

Zelensky questions why Russia still has place at UN ahead of New York address

How Ukraine’s battle for the Black Sea is inflicting serious pain on Putin’s forces

07:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian warships patrol the surface of the Black Sea, launching missiles at Ukrainian cities and towns as part of a near-daily assault. While also enforcing a de facto blockade, leaving ships in little doubt of the consequences if they try to break it.

Such is the importance of this shipping route for both sides. For a long time, Russian ships moved with relative impunity. And a grain deal that enabled Ukraine to export from its ports on the Black Sea allowed for an uneasy status quo to hold. But, after Moscow withdrew from that deal in the summer and stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s ports, and Kyiv began a counteroffensive to retake land occupied by Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine – the Black Sea has become one of the most active fronts in the war.

Joe Middleton reports:

How Ukraine’s battle for the Black Sea is inflicting serious pain on Putin’s forces

Russian defensive lines breached in capture of villages near Bakhmut, Ukraine commander says

06:45 , Eleanor Noyce

The commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces has claimed the recapture of another village in the east of the country has helped Kyiv‘s forces break through part of Russia‘s defensive lines around the devastated city of Bakhmut.

The area has been a key part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to try and reclaim territory occupied by Russia as part of its near-19 month invasion. Bakhmut has been the scene for some of the bloodiest fighting of the war and in the process taking on symbolic importance for both Russia and Ukraine far greater than its size.

Retaking Klishchiivka is considered tactically important as it will allow Ukrainian forces to further extend their gains around Bakhmut and keep pushing forward.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Russian defensive lines breached in capture of two villages in east, Ukraine says

As Slovakia's trust in democracy fades, its election frontrunner campaigns against aid to Ukraine

05:45 , Eleanor Noyce

A populist former prime minister whose party is favored to win Slovakia’s early parliamentary election plans to reverse the country’s military and political support for neighboring Ukraine, in a direct challenge to the European Union and NATO, if he returns to power.

Robert Fico, who led Slovakia from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, is the frontrunner in the Sept. 30 election. He and his left-wing Direction, or Smer, party have campaigned on a clear pro-Russian and anti-American message.

His candidacy is part of a wider trend across Europe. Only Hungary has an openly pro-Russian government, but in Germany, France, Spain and elsewhere, populist parties sceptical of intervention in Ukraine command significant support. Many have national or regional elections coming up that could tip popular opinion away from Kyiv and towards Moscow.

Read more:

As Slovakia's trust in democracy fades, its election frontrunner campaigns against aid to Ukraine

Explosions shake Ukraine’s Lviv as western parts remain under air raid alerts

05:20 , Arpan Rai

Blasts rocked Ukraine’s western city of Lviv in the early hours of Tuesday as Russia launched large-scale air attacks that struck an industrial warehouse, officials said.

Local officials said air defence systems were engaged in repelling a Russian air attack that started in the early hours.

All of western half of Ukraine was covered under air raid alerts, starting from about 0000GMT.

The mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi and regional governor Maxim Kozitsky asked people to stay indoors due to the threat of continuing attacks in the region. “As a result of the strike on the territory of Lviv, we recorded a fire at an industrial warehouse,” he said.

Explosions shake Ukraine’s Lviv as western parts remain under air raid alerts

Ukraine says recapture of key village near Bakhmut a ‘springboard’ for more gains against Russia

04:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s military claims its latest recapture of a key village in Bakhmut will act as a “springboard” for further offensive actions against Russia’s continuing invasion.

Ukraine scored another victory recently when it recently recaptured village Klishchiivka that lies in the southern flank of Bakhmut, as its forces fought off Russian attempts to get back into the area.

The war-torn country’s forces had last week also recaptured Andriivka, another village a few kilometres to the south of Klishchiivka, after earlier criticism alleged Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had slowed.

Arpan Rai reports:

Why recapture of key village near Bakhmut is critical for Ukraine

Ukraine and its allies battle Russian bid to have genocide case tossed out of the UN's top court

03:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s legal battle against Russia over allegations of genocide used by Moscow to justify its 2022 invasion resumes Monday at the United Nations’ highest court, as Russia seeks to have the case tossed out.

Hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, will see Ukraine supported by a record 32 other nations in a major show of support.

Kyiv launched the case shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, arguing that the attack was based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine and alleging that Moscow was planning genocidal acts in Ukraine. It wants the court to order Russia to halt its invasion and pay reparations.

Mike Corder reports:

Ukraine and its allies battle Russian bid to have genocide case tossed out of the UN's top court

Pope meets with new Russian ambassador as second Moscow mission planned for his Ukraine peace envoy

02:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia’s new ambassador to the Vatican met Monday with Pope Francis for a protocol visit, as signs emerged that the Vatican’s Ukraine peace envoy could soon be undertaking a second mission to Moscow.

The Vatican said Ambassador Ivan Soltanovsky was presenting his credentials to Francis, signalling the official start of his term. His motorcade was seen leaving the Russian embassy Monday morning, bound for the Vatican, and returning about two hours later.

Soltanovsky replaced Ambassador Alexander Avdeev, whom Francis met with on Feb. 25, 2022 in a remarkable in-person papal visit to the embassy the day after Moscow’s forces invaded Ukraine.

More here:

Pope meets with new Russian ambassador as second Moscow mission planned for his Ukraine peace envoy

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

01:45 , 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

Ukraine ‘reboots’ defence ministry as it seeks more gains against Putin’s forces

Tuesday 19 September 2023 00:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine said it is “rebooting” its defence ministry after six deputy defence ministers were fired amid its most significant wartime cabinet reshuffle yet.

This is the second major shake-up in Ukraine’s defence leadership since defence minister Oleksii Reznikov was forced to resign and replaced with Rustem Umerov two weeks ago.

Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar, who frequently issued public updates on Russia’s war against Ukraine, was among the six sacked on Monday. The state secretary for defence was sacked as well.

Read more:

Ukraine ‘reboots’ defence ministry as it seeks more gains against Putin’s forces

Trump welcomes Putin’s praise: ‘That means what I’m saying is right’

Monday 18 September 2023 23:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Donald Trump has welcomed praise from Russian president Vladimir Putin after again claiming that he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours if he is re-elected in 2024.

In a widely-criticised interview with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, Mr Trump said that Putin’s comments proved that “what I’m saying is right” about resolving the 18-month-old war.

The former president has repeatedly claimed without providing any details that he could end the war within days should he be successful in taking back the White House.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Trump welcomes Putin’s praise: ‘That means what I’m saying is right’

Mexico president defends Russia participation in military parade

Monday 18 September 2023 22:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday defended the presence of a Russian military unit in a weekend parade marking Mexico’s independence day, following sharp criticism his country had given a platform to forces that invaded Ukraine.

Ukraine‘s ambassador to Mexico, opposition politicians and critical media blasted the decision to allow a Russian unit to participate on Saturday, but Lopez Obrador said Mexico had allowed any country to join in.

“We have relations with all countries in the world and we invite everyone,” Lopez Obrador said at a regular government press conference after noting that the presence of the Russian unit had sparked a “scandal.”

Lopez Obrador, a leftist, has sought to keep Mexico neutral in the war between Russia and Ukraine, at one point proposing peace talks.

Nonetheless, his government has backed some major U.N. resolutions criticizing Russia’s role in the conflict.

Ukraine‘s ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska, said on X that the parade had been “sullied” by the participation of a Russian unit which she said was “stained with blood.”

“How coherent is it Mr. Lopez Obrador with your policy of neutrality and condemnation of aggression against my country?,” Dramaretska wrote on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Russia’s embassy in Mexico celebrated the 154th Preobrazhenskiy Regiment’s participation in the event.

“Long live the friendship between Mexico and Russia!,” the Russian embassy said on X.

Russian defensive lines breached in capture of villages near Bakhmut, Ukraine commander says

Monday 18 September 2023 21:45 , Eleanor Noyce

The commander of Ukraine‘s ground forces has claimed the recapture of another village in the east of the country has helped Kyiv‘s forces break through part of Russia‘s defensive lines around the devastated city of Bakhmut.

The area has been a key part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to try and reclaim territory occupied by Russia as part of its near-19 month invasion. Bakhmut has been the scene for some of the bloodiest fighting of the war and in the process taking on symbolic importance for both Russia and Ukraine far greater than its size.

Retaking Klishchiivka is considered tactically important as it will allow Ukrainian forces to further extend their gains around Bakhmut and keep pushing forward.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Russian defensive lines breached in capture of two villages in east, Ukraine says

Human rights in Russia have 'significantly' worsened since Ukraine war began, UN-backed expert says

Monday 18 September 2023 20:45 , Eleanor Noyce

The rights situation in Russia has “significantly deteriorated” since President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February last year, an expert commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body said in her first report on the country on Monday.

Mariana Katzarova, the special rapporteur on Russia’s rights situation mandated by the Human Rights Council, chronicled the domestic crackdown that has largely targeted critics of Putin’s war as well as other opposition voices in Russia.

Her report, made public on Monday, is separate from another probe by U.N.-backed investigators that has accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine.

Read more:

Human rights in Russia have 'significantly' worsened since Ukraine war began, UN-backed expert says

Top US House Republican McCarthy to meet Zelensky this week

Monday 18 September 2023 20:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, McCarthy told reporters on Monday.

Democratic President Joe Biden is slated to host Zelensky on Thursday at the White House, and the Ukrainian leader is expected to meet with congressional leaders from both political parties while he is in Washington, the White House said last week.

Ukraine says recapture of key village near Bakhmut a ‘springboard’ for more gains against Russia

Monday 18 September 2023 19:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s military claims its latest recapture of a key village in Bakhmut will act as a “springboard” for further offensive actions against Russia’s continuing invasion.

Ukraine scored another victory recently when it recently recaptured village Klishchiivka that lies in the southern flank of Bakhmut, as its forces fought off Russian attempts to get back into the area.

The war-torn country’s forces had last week also recaptured Andriivka, another village a few kilometres to the south of Klishchiivka, after earlier criticism alleged Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had slowed.

Arpan Rai reports:

Why recapture of key village near Bakhmut is critical for Ukraine

Mondi to leave Russia after agreeing to sell biggest Russian paper mill

Monday 18 September 2023 18:45 , Eleanor Noyce

UK paper and packaging giant Mondi has agreed to sell its largest Russian plant for around 775 million euros (£668 million) to a Moscow-based property development group.

Mondi’s share price jumped by nearly 5% on Monday morning after it unveiled the deal involving Syktyvkar, its last remaining plant in Russia and the country’s biggest paper producer.

The sale to Sezar Invest, a division of property development firm Sezar Group, will involve six monthly payments in Russian rubles.

Anna Wise reports:

Mondi to leave Russia after agreeing to sell biggest Russian paper mill

Brazil's Lula to meet Ukraine's Zelensky on Wednesday - sources

Monday 18 September 2023 17:52 , Eleanor Noyce

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on Wednesday, two sources from the Brazilian government said on Monday.

How Ukraine’s battle for the Black Sea could inflict serious pain on Putin

Monday 18 September 2023 17:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian warships patrol the surface of the Black Sea, launching missiles at Ukrainian cities and towns as part of a near-daily assault. While also enforcing a de-facto blockade, leaving ships in little doubt of the consequences if they try to break it.

Such is the importance of this shipping route for both sides. For a long time Russian ships moved with relative impunity. And a grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export from its ports on the Black Sea allowed for an uneasy status quo to hold. But after Moscow withdrew from that deal in the summer and stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s ports, and Kyiv began a counteroffensive to retake land occupied by Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine – the Black Sea has become one of the most active fronts in the war.

Joe Middleton reports:

How Ukraine’s battle for the Black Sea is inflicting serious pain on Putin’s forces

Poland proposes ban on Russian diamonds, LPG in new sanctions package

Monday 18 September 2023 16:44 , Eleanor Noyce

Poland proposed on Monday that new European Union sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine should include a ban on Russian diamonds and Liquid Petroleum Gas and called for aligning sanctions against Belarus with those against Moscow.

In a proposal seen by Reuters, Poland calls for banning imports of Russian diamonds, the sales of which brought the Russian budget $4.5 billion in 2021, it said, and putting individual sanctions on the Russian Alrosa diamond company.

“Alrosa has supported Russian military forces and the Russian war efforts in Ukraine, both directly and indirectly, for many years,” the Polish paper said.

The EU, which has already agreed 11 sanctions package against Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, should also ban the provision of Information and Communication Technology services to entities from Russia, including computer software, cybersecurity services, and other ICT/IT services.

“In the 8th package of sanctions against Russia, IT consultancy services were banned. This is a fairly narrow scope. No further ICT services were banned in the 9th and 10th sanctions packages. Therefore, we call for other services to be included in the ban, in accordance with Poland’s proposals,” it said.

The EU should also stop buying Russian Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Poland said, to preserve the integrity and transparency of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas market and avoid distortion of competition.

“Although LPG is a petroleum product, it has not fallen within the scope of the EU’s embargo on the products belonging to the aforementioned category,” it said.

Ukraine breached Russian lines by taking two eastern villages - commander

Monday 18 September 2023 16:28 , Eleanor Noyce

The commander of Ukrainian ground forces said on Monday the recent recapture of the eastern villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka had enabled Kyiv’s troops to breach Russian lines near the devastated city of Bakhmut.

“These settlements, at first glance small, were important elements in the enemy’s defensive line which stretched from Bakhmut to Horlivka,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app, referring to a town about 40 km (25 miles) from Bakhmut.

“As a result of our troops’ successful actions, the enemy’s defensive line - which it tried to close by throwing all available reserves into battle - was breached.”

Syrskyi said Russian troops were still trying to regain the positions they had lost in the Bakhmut sector, and that fighting there was heavy. He gave no further details.

Bulgarian army destroys explosives on drone that landed in Black Sea resort

Monday 18 September 2023 16:04 , Eleanor Noyce

A Bulgarian army bomb disposal team on Monday destroyed in a controlled explosion a device attached to a drone that landed on Sunday evening in the Black Sea town of Tyulenovo, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The army unit inspected the site and concluded that transporting the drone to another location with the explosives still attached would not be possible, the defence ministry said.

“We can certainly assume that it is related to the war that Russia launched against Ukraine,” Defence Minister Todor Tagarev told reporters. “This war is inevitably associated with increasing risks to our security.”

Tagarev did not provide more detailed information on where the drone came from and how it reached NATO member Bulgaria.

The tourist resort of Tyulenovo is situated 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of the Romanian border and across the Black Sea from Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 and now a regular target of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Police cordoned off the area on Sunday evening and restricted public access to local restaurant terraces, Marian Zhechev, mayor of Shabla municipality of which Tyulenovo is a part, told Nova TV.

He said the drone had been found on rocks next to moored boats at Tyulenovo, describing it as an “aircraft with standard ammunition”.

It was unclear whether the drone had fallen from the air or had been washed up by the sea currents.

Georgia accuses ex-official of plotting from Ukraine to oust Tbilisi government

Monday 18 September 2023 15:47 , Eleanor Noyce

Georgia on Monday accused a former deputy interior minister now working for Ukrainian intelligence of plotting to encourage civil unrest to try to overthrow the Tbilisi government, testing ties with Ukraine as Georgia deepens relations with Russia.

The State Security Service said it had been monitoring a group led by Giorgi Lortkipanidze, now deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence but previously deputy minister in a strongly pro-Western Georgian government.

“According to confirmed and verified information, the implementation of the plan - developed by Giorgi Lortkipanidze - would involve a rather large group of Georgian fighters in Ukraine and a part of Georgian youth, influenced by interested parties, whose training is taking place near the Polish-Ukrainian state border,” the service said in a statement.

It did not provide corroborating evidence and no comment was immediately available from Kyiv or Lortkipanidze.

The statement said the alleged plotters planned to channel likely frustration among young Georgians if the European Union failed to grant their country candidate status after a process culminating at an EU summit in mid-December.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said the future of Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries was “in our union”, but was more cautious on Georgia, which EU officials say has slid back on its path to membership.

The Caucasus republic, which says it is committed to joining the EU, was denied candidate status last year even as Ukraine and Moldova received it.

For Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, representing Ukraine is a duty to the country

Monday 18 September 2023 15:31 , Eleanor Noyce

Just playing is a small victory for Shakhtar Donetsk, though the Ukrainian champions won’t stop there.

Team captain Taras Stepanenko told The Associated Press on Monday that Shakhtar’s opening Champions League game against Porto on Tuesday is part of his team’s duty to represent Ukraine and show his country’s resilience.

“Our soldiers fight in the battles and we fight in the sports arena. So it’s our duty like citizens of Ukraine,” he said.

More here:

For Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, representing Ukraine is a duty to the country

Ukraine and its allies battle Russian bid to have genocide case tossed out of the UN's top court

Monday 18 September 2023 15:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine‘s legal battle against Russia over allegations of genocide used by Moscow to justify its 2022 invasion resumes Monday at the United Nations’ highest court, as Russia seeks to have the case tossed out.

Hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, will see Ukraine supported by a record 32 other nations in a major show of support.

Kyiv launched the case shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, arguing that the attack was based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine and alleging that Moscow was planning genocidal acts in Ukraine. It wants the court to order Russia to halt its invasion and pay reparations.

Mike Corder reports:

Ukraine and its allies battle Russian bid to have genocide case tossed out of the UN's top court

Kosovo's prime minister blames EU envoy for the failure of recent talks with Serbia

Monday 18 September 2023 14:55 , Eleanor Noyce

Kosovo’s prime minister on Monday accused the European Union special envoy in the normalization talks with Serbia of not being “neutral and correct” and “coordinating” with Belgrade against Pristina.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak had coordinated with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in the EU-facilitated talks held last week in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who supervised the talks in Brussels, blamed the latest breakdown on Kurti’s insistence that Serbia should essentially recognize his country before progress could be made on enforcing a previous agreement reached in February.

Read more:

Kosovo's prime minister blames EU envoy for the failure of recent talks with Serbia

Ukraine ‘reboots’ defence ministry as it seeks more gains against Putin’s forces

Monday 18 September 2023 14:41 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine said it is “rebooting” its defence ministry after six deputy defence ministers were fired amid its most significant wartime cabinet reshuffle yet.

This is the second major shake-up in Ukraine’s defence leadership since defence minister Oleksii Reznikov was forced to resign and replaced with Rustem Umerov two weeks ago.

Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar, who frequently issued public updates on Russia’s war against Ukraine, was among the six sacked on Monday. The state secretary for defence was sacked as well.

Read more:

Ukraine ‘reboots’ defence ministry as it seeks more gains against Putin’s forces

Human rights in Russia have 'significantly deteriorated' since war - UN expert

Monday 18 September 2023 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The human rights situation in Russia has significantly deteriorated since it invaded Ukraine in February last year, a United Nations expert said on Monday, describing a “systematic crackdown” on civil society and calling for redress.

The report by Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova alleges that Russian authorities have carried out mass arbitrary arrests of critics of the war and says those detained risk death due to the “persistent use of torture and ill-treatment”.

It is the first time the 16-year-old U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) has been mandated to examine the record of one of its so-called “P5” members, which hold permanent seats on the Security Council.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he could not comment for the time being because he had yet seen the report.

Moscow has previously called criticism of its domestic rights record unfounded and denied targeting civilians in Ukraine, where it says it is carrying out a “special military operation” to destroy military infrastructure.

“(The expert) has documented the recent legislative restrictions that are being used to muzzle civil society and punish human rights activists and others for their anti-war stance,” the report said in its conclusions.

“The often-violent enforcement of these laws and regulations has resulted in a systematic crackdown on civil society organisations that has closed civic space and independent media,” it said.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has passed stronger laws to punish dissenters and perceived traitors. The report says 20,000 people have been detained between Feb. 2022 and June 2023 for taking part in protests and more than 600 criminal lawsuits were opened for so-called “anti-war” activity.

The U.N. expert Katzarova, a former journalist from Bulgaria who led investigations during the two Chechen wars for Amnesty International, also referred to attempts by Russia to obstruct her mandate, saying such actions showed “a lack of political will to uphold its human rights obligations”.

Moscow told the expert it did not recognise her work and said it would be automatically disregarded, the report said.

A debate on the report’s findings is expected at the HRC’s ongoing session in Geneva on Thursday. European Union countries are set to seek a renewal of Katzarova’s mandate. More than a dozen non-governmental organisations have written to diplomats in Geneva asking them to support the renewal, a letter showed.

Ukraine warns Russia not to attack power plants

Monday 18 September 2023 14:15 , Lydia Patrick

Ukrainian president Zelensky said his troops would not be scared to retaliate if Moscow repeated strategies to freeze Ukrainian civillians by targeting power plants.

Last winter saw millions of Ukrainians without power, heat and water as temperatures plummet below 0C. The leader revealed Kyiv will battle through at whatever cost as temperatures are set to drop in six weeks.

In an interview with CBS he threatened: “If you cut off our power, deprive us of electricity, deprive us of water, deprive us of gasoline, you need to know we have the right to do it”

Four killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine - Ukrainian officials

Monday 18 September 2023 14:13 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia carried out new air strikes and shelling in Ukraine overnight and early on Monday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.

A man aged 72 and an elderly woman were killed, and three others were wounded, in an overnight attack on the southern region of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

The general prosecutor’s office said a man riding a bicycle had been killed in Russian shelling near the eastern town of Toretsk, and that a woman had been killed in an air strike at around noon in the eastern city of Avdiivka.

Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper said the Izmail district, home to Danube River ports that are used to export grain, had been targeted in a drone attack but reported no damage to port or grain infrastructure.

Russia has continued its campaign of air strikes and shelling across Ukraine as Kyiv mounted a counteroffensive to try to push back Moscow’s forces following their invasion nearly 19 months ago.

In the latest overnight Russian attacks, Ukraine‘s air force said 18 out of 24 Russian drones had been shot down, and that 17 cruise missiles had been destroyed over the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Khmelnytskyi regions.

Moscow says Ukraine has increasingly attacked targets inside Russia. In the latest such strike, Russian forces shot down two Ukrainian drones over southwestern Crimea and a third over Belgorod region on Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reports. Russia did not comment on the latest attacks and has said it does not deliberately target civilians.

Russia scrambled fighter to intercept U.S. patrol plane over Barents Sea

Monday 18 September 2023 14:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia scrambled a MiG-31 jet fighter on Monday to intercept a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol plane approaching its airspace over the Barents Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

No casualties in blast at government headquarters in Russian-held Donetsk - governor

Monday 18 September 2023 13:50 , Eleanor Noyce

The Moscow-installed governor of the Russian-held part of Ukraine‘s Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, confirmed on Monday a blast at the local government headquarters, but said that no one had been killed or wounded.

Russia’s state news agency RIA reported earlier on Monday that a series of blasts had been heard at the headquarters of the Russian-installed local authorities in the city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.

The city’s Russian-installed mayor said in a statement on Telegram that central Donetsk had come under fire.

'We mustn’t give Putin a break’

Monday 18 September 2023 13:45 , Lydia Patrick

Volodymyr Zelesnky says Kyiv will do ‘whatever it takes’ to liberate territory and will push through freezing conditions set to arrive in six weeks.

He defiantly spoke out in an interview last night with CBS, saying: “We need to liberate our territory as much as possible and move forward, even if it’s less than [half a mile or] a hundred [yards] we must do it.

“We can’t lose time. Forget about the weather, and the like. In places that we can’t get through in an armored vehicle - let’s fly. If we can’t fly – let’s send drones. We mustn’t give Putin a break.”

EU braces for tussle over 12th sanctions package against Russia - Bloomberg News

Monday 18 September 2023 13:40 , Eleanor Noyce

The European Union is gearing up for a fight over what should be included in its 12th package of sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.

The new measures, which could be presented as early as next month, would likely include the EU’s version of the upcoming G7 ban on purchases of Russian diamonds and possibly a long-awaited proposal to use the profits generated by frozen central bank assets to aid Kyiv, the report added citing people familiar with discussions.

Moscow fires cruise missiles in sea drills between Russia and Alaska

Monday 18 September 2023 13:31 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia fired cruise missiles at mock targets in the seas separating it from Alaska on Monday in what it said was an exercise to protect its northern shipping route in the Arctic.

The defence ministry said Vulcan, Granit and Onyx cruise missiles were fired over distances of hundreds of kilometres to strike targets simulating enemy ships in the Bering Sea.

The exercise involved land-, ship- and submarine-launched missiles and included about 10,000 military personnel, as well as planes and helicopters, the ministry said.

The drills took place on Russia’s Chukotka peninsula and in the Chukchi and Bering Seas, and were supervised by Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, commander-in-chief of the Russian navy.

Russia is keen to demonstrate its continued ability to project force in the Arctic and the far east despite the strains on its armed forces from the 18-month war in Ukraine.

Moscow said last year it planned to spend almost $30 billion by 2035 on developing the northern sea route, which has become more viable as climate change has reduced sea ice in the Arctic. It runs across the top of Russia from Murmansk near the borders with Norway and Finland to the Bering Strait near Alaska.

President Vladimir Putin highlighted the importance of the route in a speech to the BRICS group of countries last month, saying Russia was planning to construct new ports and fuel terminals and expand its icebreaker fleet.

Blasts heard at government headquarters in Russian-held Donetsk - RIA correspondent

Monday 18 September 2023 13:19 , Eleanor Noyce

The Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday that a series of blasts had been heard at the headquarters of the Russian-installed local authorities in the Russian-held city of Donetsk, in east Ukraine.

The city’s Russian-installed mayor said in a statement on Telegram that central Donetsk was under fire.

Reuters could not immediately independently confirm the statement.

Pope meets with new Russian ambassador in phase two of his Ukraine peace convoy

Monday 18 September 2023 13:15 , Lydia Patrick

Pope Francis will meet Russia’s new ambassador to the Vatican today, prompting beliefs that the Vatican’s Ukraine peace envoy could soon undertake a second mission to Moscow.

Soltanovsky replaced Ambassador Alexander Avdeev, whom Francis met with on 25 February, 2022 in an in-person visit to the embassy the day after Moscow’s forces invaded Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was ready to meet again with Francis’ Ukraine peace envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace initiatives.

“The Vatican is continuing its efforts. The papal envoy will come back (to Russia) soon,” Lavrov said at a roundtable discussion on Ukraine, as reported by AP on September 15.

Russia urges the UN’s highest court to throw out Genocide case

Monday 18 September 2023 12:45 , Lydia Patrick

Russia has called a Ukrainian case alleging that Moscow abused the Genocide Convention to justify its invasion last year an “abuse of process”, say AP.

The leader of Moscow’s legal team at the International Court of Justice, Gennady Kuzmin, told the 16-judge panel that Ukraine‘s case that seeks to halt the invasion “is hopelessly flawed and at odds with the longstanding jurisprudence of this court”, say AP.

Kyiv’s case filed shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine argues that the attack was based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine and alleges that Moscow was planning genocidal acts in Ukraine.

Kyiv claimed that: “Russia has turned the Genocide Convention on its head - making a false claim of genocide as a basis for actions on its part that constitute grave violations of the human rights of millions of people across Ukraine“.

Lawyers for Russia insist that the court does not have jurisdiction and that the Genocide Convention cannot be used to regulate use of force by nations. Ukraine‘s legal team will respond on Tuesday and urge judges to press ahead to hearings on the substance of its claims.

Ukraine brought the case to the Hague-based court based on the 1948 Genocide Convention, which both Moscow and Kyiv have ratified.

In an interim ruling in March 2022, the court ordered Russia to halt hostilities in Ukraine, a binding legal ruling that Moscow has flouted as it presses ahead with its devastating attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.

32 of Ukraine‘s allies including Canada, Australia and every European Union member nation except Hungary will also make statements on Wednesday in support of Kyiv’s legal arguments.

Ukraine and Russia pelt each other with 40,000 shells a day

Monday 18 September 2023 12:15 , Lydia Patrick

Kyiv and Moscow fire 40,000 shells from each side per day across the 1,000km front line, says President Zelensky.

The Ukrainian Leader shared details of the explosive battlefield in an interview with CBS published yesterday.

He also sent a message to Russia in the CBS interview, warning: “Your sky is not as well protected as you think.”

He added: “If you cut off our power, deprive us of electricity, deprive us of water, deprive us to gasoline, we have the right to do the same to you.”

Ukraine to sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over food import bans

Monday 18 September 2023 11:45 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine plans to sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over bans on Ukrainian agricultural products, according to Politico.

The Ukrainian Trade Representative Taras Kackha told Politico on Sunday: “It is important to prove that these actions are legally wrong. And that’s why we will start legal proceedings tomorrow.”

Rebelling against the European Comission, the EU countries have decided to impose their own bans on Ukrainian grain after the Comission lifted its temporary restriction.

Kachka told Politico. “I think that Hungary here is making a political statement that it wants to block trade with Ukraine and as well disregard Brussels completely. And that’s why I think that this is a very bold movement against both of us from Budapest.”

The EU countries say they have acted in the best interest of their farmers who are facing depressed prices.

Ukraine government dismisses deputy defence ministers including Maliar

Monday 18 September 2023 11:15 , Lydia Patrick

The Ukrainian government said on Monday it had decided to dismiss six deputy defence ministers including Hanna Maliar, who has provided frequent updates on the latest fighting in the war with Russia.

Reuters report the government haven’t given a reason for the decision, Ukraine appointed Rustem Umerov as new defence minister earlier this month.

He posted on Facebook:

Chinese foreign minister visits Russia for ‘security talks’ day after Kim Jong-un leaves

Monday 18 September 2023 10:45 , Lydia Patrick

China’s foreign minister will be in Russia this week for security talks, arriving in Moscow just a day after North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his own visit to the country.

Wang Yi’s visit comes as an increasingly isolated Russia seeks support from its international allies for its war against Ukraine.

Running from Monday to Thursday, the visit will involve a “strategic security consultation” between China and Russia, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

China’s foreign minister will be in Russia this week for security talks, arriving in Moscow just a day after North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his own visit to the country.

Wang Yi’s visit comes as an increasingly isolated Russia seeks support from its international allies for its war against Ukraine.

Running from Monday to Thursday, the visit will involve a “strategic security consultation” between China and Russia, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Read the full story by Arpan Rai here

Chinese foreign minister visits Russia day after Kim Jong-un leaves country

Human Rights have ‘significantly deteriorated’ in Russia, according to UN

Monday 18 September 2023 10:15 , Lydia Patrick

A United Nations expert said on Monday that the human rights in Russia have significantly deteriorated since it invaded Ukraine in February last year, describing a “systematic crackdown” on civil society organisations.

The UN expert, as reported in Reuters said:“Russian authorities have severely curtailed the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, both online and offline, and have fundamentally undermined the independence of the judiciary and the guarantees of fair trial.”

“An array of administrative sanctions is being applied arbitrarily against dissenters and force used against peaceful protesters.”

The report by the Special Rapporteur is the first time that the 16-year-old Human Rights Council (HRC) has been mandated to examine the rights record of one of its so-called “P5” members, which hold permanent seats on the Security Council.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva, say Reuters.

‘What’s next? A Third World War?'

Monday 18 September 2023 09:45 , Lydia Patrick

Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged for international collaboration in an explosive CBS interview, as he says they are fighting World War I but with drones.

Zelensky told CBS: “I don’t have an answer. The whole world [has to] decide whether we want to stop Putin, or whether we want to start the beginning of a world war.

“We can’t change Putin. Russian society has [lost] the respect of the world. They elected him, and re-elected him and raised a second Hitler.”

He also said he was grateful for the financial aid of $70 billion provided by the United States but asks if they will continue their support to other Baltic states - which will be Putin’s next targets, according to the President.

Two people killed in overnight Russian attacks in South Ukraine, says Kyiv

Monday 18 September 2023 09:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russia carried out a new wave of overnight air strikes and shelling in Ukraine, killing two people in the southern region of Kherson, say Ukrainian officials.

Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin said a man aged 72 and an elderly woman had been killed in a Russian attack on the region last night, and three others were wounded - as reported by Reuters.

He said four others were hurt in a morning drone attack on the town of Beryl, adding: “The occupiers deliberately attacked a crowded place, dropping explosives near the local bus station.”

Odes region governor Ole Kipper said the Izmail district, home to Danube River ports that are used to export grain, had been targeted in a drone attack.

Ukraine‘s air force said 18 out of 24 Russian drones were shot down, and that 17 cruise missiles were downed overnight over the Dnipropetrovs’k, Poltava and Khmelnytskyi regions.

The deputy governor of the Khmelnytskyi region said the blast wave had damaged the roofs and windows of several homes, and debris fell on the territory of an unspecified production facility and damaged a railway track.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the reports. Russia did not comment on the latest attacks and has said it does not deliberately target civilians.

Bulgaria inspect mystery drone in Black Sea resort

Monday 18 September 2023 08:45 , Lydia Patrick

Bulgaria’s defence minsister has sent a special unit to investigate and deactivate a drone carrying explosives which landed on Sunday evening in the town of Tyulenovo.

Following inspection the team from NATO-member Bulgaria will decide how to dispose of it, the defence ministry said in a statement adding that the team was sent upon the request of the regional government, reportReuters.

The town of Tyulnevo is located 70km from the Romanian border and across the sea from Crimea.

Bulgarian media reported that a drone carrying explosives landed late on Sunday evening.

Nova.bg web site reported quoting witnesses that the drone was between 3 and 3.5 metres long. It said that the drone had a container with explosives attached to it.

Ukraine’s legal battle against Russian over genocide allegations continues

Monday 18 September 2023 08:15 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine‘s legal battle against Russia over allegations of genocide used by Moscow to justify its 2022 invasion resumes today at the United Nations’.

Hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the Word Court, will see Ukraine supported by a record 32 other nations.

Kyiv launched the case shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, arguing that the attack was based on false claims of acts of genocide in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine and alleging that Moscow was planning genocidal acts in Ukraine.

It wants the court to order Russia to halt its invasion and pay reparations.Filing its case last year, Ukraine said that “Russia has turned the Genocide Convention on its head — making a false claim of genocide as a basis for actions on its part that constitute grave violations of the human rights of millions of people across Ukraine.

”Ukraine brought the case to the Hague-based court based on the 1948 Genocide Convention, which both Moscow and Kyiv have ratified.

In an interim ruling in March 2022, the court ordered Russia to halt hostilities in Ukraine, a binding legal ruling that Moscow has flouted as it presses ahead with its devastating attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.

Hearings this week are expected to see lawyers for Russia argue that the court does not have jurisdiction to hear the case, while Ukraine will call on judges to press ahead to hearings on the substance of its claims.

The court’s panel of international judges will likely take weeks or months to reach a decision on whether or not the case can proceed. If it does, a final ruling is likely years away.

The ICC has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of responsibility for the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Kim Jong Un returns home with Russian gifts

Monday 18 September 2023 07:45 , Lydia Patrick

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has returned after his Russian summit with a selection of souvenirs- including a rifle, a cosmonaut’s glove a fur hat and military drones.

Kim Jong-un received a Russian-made rifle “of the highest quality,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. In return Jong-un gifted Putin with a rifle “made by North Korean craftsmen”.

Putin also presented a glove from a spacesuit worn in space, Russia’s TASS news agency said.

Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region, presented Kim with a set of modern, lightweight body armour designed for assault operations that protects the chest, shoulders, throat and groin, Russia media said.

Kim was also presented with five one-way attack drones and a Geranium-25 reconnaissance drone, which is widely used in the war in Ukraine, TASS said.

The drones alone are a violation of UN sanactions.

The items will be stored in North Korea’s ‘friendship’ museum - an exhibition dating back to 1978 where the country store items given to them from other countries.

The collection includes crystalware sent from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, tea cup set from French President Francois Mitterrand, a basketball signed by Michael Jordan given by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on her visit in 2000 and a rifle given by the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Nato chief warns Putin eyes ‘long war’

Monday 18 September 2023 07:13 , Arpan Rai

Nato’s secretary general has warned Ukraine it is in for a “long war” with Russia while a Kyiv chief has called for the swift provision of weapons to halt Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Ukraine has been continuing its counteroffensive, claiming to have taken the eastern village of Klishchiivka. Kyiv soldiers reportedly continued their counteroffensive on Sunday, using drones to disrupt air traffic in Moscow and causing a fire at an oil depot in the southwest of Russia.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the attacks. In addition, an anti-Moscow guerilla group claims to have destroyed two Russian vehicles in Kherson.

Nato chief warns Putin eyes ‘long war’ as Ukraine claims eastern village

Recapture of Klishchiivka a ‘springboard’ for more action, says Kyiv

Monday 18 September 2023 07:06 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine’s military claims its latest recapture of a key village in Bakhmut will act as a “springboard” for further offensive actions against Russia’s continuing invasion.

Ukraine scored another victory recently when it recently recaptured village Klishchiivka that lies in the southern flank of Bakhmut, as its forces fought off Russian attempts to get back into the area.

The war-torn country’s forces had last week also recaptured Andriivka, another village a few kilometres to the south of Klishchiivka, after earlier criticism alleged Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces had slowed.

Both settlements have been reduced to ghost towns and destroyed in the months of fighting for Bakhmut that had fallen into Russian hands in May this year.

Arpan Rai reports here:

Why recapture of key village near Bakhmut is critical for Ukraine

From Sunday: Poland imposes EU ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars

Monday 18 September 2023 07:00 , William Mata

Poland began to enforce a European Union ban Sunday on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country — the latest in a series of sanctions on Russia in punishment for its war against Ukraine.

Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc.

“A car registered in Russia has no right to enter Poland,” Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said Saturday, announcing the ban that took effect hours later at midnight.

Read more about the issue in Vanessa Gera’s article here.

New explosions at Sevastopol as Ukraine launches fresh drone strikes on Crimea

Monday 18 September 2023 06:28 , Arpan Rai

Fresh explosions struck Sevastopol and smoke was seen rising from a prominent landmark just kilometres away from the Crimean city as Ukrainian forces announced they were carrying out a joint intelligence operation in the region illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Pro-Russian Telegram channel ChP Sevastopol reported explosions in the area of Cape Fiolent late on Sunday night, while another Telegram channel reporting on Crimea shared visuals of an explosion and smoke arising from the same area.

The location, on the Crimean peninsula’s southern coast about 16km away from Sevastopol, has a marine radio engineering unit and a radio engineering station with a dozen radar antennas, an unnamed intelligence source told Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster.

Arpan Rai reports here:

New explosions at Sevastopol as Ukraine launches fresh airstrikes on Crimea

Update: US sees some ‘limited’ signs of opening on military talks with China

Monday 18 September 2023 05:00 , William Mata

The United States saw some "limited" signs that China may allow some communications between the countries' militaries during 12 hours of talks between senior diplomats in Malta this weekend, according to a senior Biden administration official.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan also raised concerns over China's assistance to Russia and recent actions by Beijing in the Taiwan Strait during his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the official said.

Video ‘shows anti-aircraft missile systems being destroyed'

Monday 18 September 2023 04:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s department for defence has released a video which it claims shows two Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile systems being destroyed.

“And right after, the headquarters of the brigade and division of the Airborne Forces of the occupiers, which they were covering, were also annihilated,” the statement on Twitter added.

From Sunday: UK’s top agenda at UN General Assembly: Ukraine, AI and sustainable development

Monday 18 September 2023 03:00 , William Mata

The world must recommit to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals if the ambitious targets are to be met, UK ministers and diplomats will urge at a UN summit next week.

Prime ministerRishi Sunak has been accused of snubbing the gathering in New York, blaming diary pressures for his absence and instead sending a team headed by his deputy Oliver Dowden.

He is not the only world leader expected to miss the summit, which is set to see discussions on the war in Ukraine, artificial intelligence and the threat of climate change.

Dominic McGrath’s full story is here.