Ukraine-Russia war – live: Kyiv says its retaken Klishchiivka as drones target Crimea and Moscow

Ukraine has claimed the recapture of the eastern village of Klishchiivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut after a period of reported heavy fighting.

It follows the recapture of Andriivka, another village in the region, earlier in the week and Kyiv forces are said to be gaining ground. On Sunday they sent drones to disrupt air traffic in Moscow and causing a fire at an oil depot, according to Russian reports.

"Klishchiivka was cleared of the Russians and liberated," Alexander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said Russia is likely building new defences in southern Ukraine amid “growing concern” among Vladimir Putin’s forces about Kyiv’s success in breaching its first defensive line.

Moscow’s troops are believed to be “deploying additional checkpoints, ‘hedgehog’ anti-tank defences and digging new trenches” near the Zaporizhzhia village of Tokmak, which is situated just 16km from Ukraine’s forces, and is set to become a “lynchpin” of Russia’s second defensive line, the ministry said.

Key Points

• Russia likely creating new defences in Zaporizhzhia, says UK

• Drone attacks reported in Moscow, Crimea and other Russian regions

• Ukraine liberates village near Bakhmut, says Kyiv

• Volodymyr Zelensky to meet Joe Biden next week

• Kyiv drone attack wipes out $1.2bn air defence system in Crimea

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?'

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

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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.

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

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'

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

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.

Ukraine’s record tally at Invictus Games celebrated by Zelensky

02:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s president has congratulated his country’s record 34 medals in the Invictus Games - a competition set up by Prince Harry for those injured in service.

Mr Zelensky wrote on Twitter: “I applaud our team: Nazar Vozniuk, Volodymyr Tovkys, Mykola Zaritskyi, Yuliia Shevchuk, and Maksym Zubov.

“They exemplify Ukrainian invincibility.”

'We mustn’t give Putin a break’

11:35 , Lydia Patrick

Zelensky insisted his soldiers will carry on through harsh weather when freezing conditions are set to come in six weeks.

In an interview with CBS the Ukrainian president insisted they will move forward and liberate their territory in whatever way it takes.

He told CBS: “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.”

Video shows gleeful dog being reuinted with soldier

01:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s defence ministry has released a video of a soldier returning from battle being reunited with his adoring dog.

“True happiness,” the caption read of the video which was released at 6pm on Sunday.

Ukraine on the agenda as US and China hold talks

Monday 18 September 2023 00:00 , William Mata

President Joe Biden's national security adviser met with China's foreign minister over the past two days for talks.

The White House said in a statement that Jake Sullivan and Chinese envoy Wang Yi had "candid, substantive and constructive discussions" as the world's two largest economies try "to maintain open lines of communication."

The White House said Mr Sullivan and Mr Wang discussed the relationship between the two countries, global and regional security issues, Russia's war in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait.

"The United States noted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People's Republic of China in the coming months," according to the statement.

Donald Trump “pleased” with Vladimir Putin comments

Sunday 17 September 2023 23:00 , William Mata

Donald Trump has said he was pleased to hear Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks praising him for suggesting that he were elected to the White House again, he would negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Putin on Tuesday said Trump’s statements were “good” and brought “happiness.”

“Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right,” Mr Trump said on NBC.

Mr Trump said he had had a good relationship with Putin, something he has said several times before, and denied that any deal he would seek in Ukraine would be a win for Russia and allow it to keep territory it has seized.

“That’s something that could have been negotiated,” Mr Trump said. He went on and said, “They could have made a deal where there’s lesser territory right now than Russia’s already taken, to be honest.”

Ukraine farm worker killed when tractor hit mine

Sunday 17 September 2023 22:00 , William Mata

One farm worker died and another was injured on Sunday in Ukraine‘s southern Kherson region after their tractor hit a mine while ploughing a field, Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Liberated after a long Russian occupation, the Kherson region is heavily mined and farmers risk their lives trying to work in fields that have not yet been cleared of mines.

“I’m once again appealing to the residents of the region. Do not start any work until the fields have been inspected by sappers. Take care of your safety,” Mr Prokudin said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmygal earlier this year said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had created the world’s largest minefield with an area of 250,000 square kilometres (96,525 square miles).

Ukraine recaptures Klishchiivka village

Sunday 17 September 2023 21:30 , William Mata

The general in command of Ukraine’s ground forces said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had recaptured the eastern village of Klishchiivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut, which the Russians claimed control of in January.

“Klishchiivka was cleared of the Russians and liberated,” Alexander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko also confirmed on Telegram that the village was recaptured in heavy fighting by the “Liut” national police united assault brigade, the 80th airborne assault brigade and the 5th assault brigade. Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield report.

Klishchiivka is around six miles (nine km) south of Bakhmut and had a pre-war population of around 400 people. It is several miles (kilometres) north of Andriivka, which was recaptured earlier this week.

Both settlements were substantially destroyed in months of fighting for Bakhmut.

In pictures - Ukraine and Russia, September 17

Sunday 17 September 2023 21:00 , William Mata

Watch: Ukrainian troops move through destroyed Donetsk settlement as Kyiv announces recapture

Sunday 17 September 2023 20:29 , Andy Gregory

Ukraine released footage on Saturday of troops moving through a war-ravaged settlement in the Donetsk Oblast after Kyiv announced its recapture, reports my colleague Holly Patrick.

Video published by Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade showed troops moving through rubble in Andriivka, 6 miles (10km) south of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut after three months of intense fighting.

The clip also shows soldiers taking cover behind a broken wall amid mortar fire.

It comes after Ukraine announced a tactical victory in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, taking back the village of Robotyne in late August.

Watch: Russian plane with 159 aboard makes emergency landing in Novosibirsk region

Sunday 17 September 2023 19:48 , Andy Gregory

Trump happy with Putin’s praise of his Ukraine negotiation remarks

Sunday 17 September 2023 19:44 , Andy Gregory

Donald Trump has said he was pleased to hear Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks praising the ex-US president for suggesting that, were he elected to the White House again, he would negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The Russian president said on Tuesday that Mr Trump’s statements were “good” and brought “happiness.”

Speaking to NBC, Mr Trump said: “Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I’m saying is right.”

Mr Trump said he had had a good relationship with Putin, something he has said several times before, and denied that any deal he would seek in Ukraine would be a win for Russia and allow it to keep territory it has seized.

“That’s something that could have been negotiated,” Mr Trump said, adding: “They could have made a deal where there’s lesser territory right now than Russia’s already taken, to be honest.”

Pictured: Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia which has alarmed the West

Sunday 17 September 2023 19:11 , Andy Gregory

Here are some of the images from Kim Jong-un’s lengthy visit to Russia this week, where he met with Vladimir Putin and toured various military sites:

Russia ‘amassing more than 50,000 troops near Bakhmut’, says Ukraine

Sunday 17 September 2023 18:35 , Andy Gregory

Russia has concentrated more than 50,000 troops near Bakhmu, an eastern Ukrainian military spokesperson has told domestic broadcasters, reports the Kyiv Independent..Eastern Force Grouping press officer Illia Yevlash said on Ukrainian TV on Sept. 17.

Russia has also amassed nearly 275 tanks, more than 1,000 armored fighting vehicles, 150 artillery systems, and more than 120 multiple launch rocket systems in the area, the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Kim Jong-un ‘gifted kamikaze drones and bulletproof vest'

Sunday 17 September 2023 18:02 , Andy Gregory

Kim Jong-un was gifted with five kamikaze drones, a bulletproof vest and anti-thermal imaging clothes before departing Russia for North Korea, Russian state news outlets say.

The leader’s lengthy visit this week marked “a fresh heyday of friendship and solidarity and cooperation is being opened up in the history of the development of the relations between the DPRK and Russia,” North Korean state news agency KCNA said.

Russia’s Lavrov insists Washington is ‘pursuing war against us'

Sunday 17 September 2023 17:33 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted that Washington “controls” the war in Ukraine, on the sidelines of a domestic economic forum in Vladivostok.

“No matter what it says, it controls this war, it supplies weapons, munition, intelligence information, data from satellites, it is pursuing a war against us,” he claimed.

It comes a day after Norway’s chief of defence argued that Vladimir Putin knows “very well” that Nato poses no direct threat to Russia, given that the forces stationed by Moscow in the Arctic near Norway are currently “20 per cent or less” of the number they were prior to the invasion of Ukraine.

Guerilla agent destroys two Russian vehicles in Kherson, group says

Sunday 17 September 2023 17:02 , Andy Gregory

An anti-Moscow guerilla group claims to have destroyed two Russian vehicles in Kherson, according to a think-tank.

“The Crimea-based Atesh partisan group stated that one of its agents destroyed two Russian trucks with an improvised explosive device (IED) in occupied Henichesk, Kherson Oblast, on September 15,” said the Institute for the Study of War.

Nato chief presses Germany to spend more on defence

Sunday 17 September 2023 16:34 , Andy Gregory

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has urged Germany to increase its defence spending by an even greater proportion than the 2 per cent target set by chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2024.

Mr Stoltenberg told the Funke publishing group: “During the Cold War, when Konrad Adenauer or Willy Brandt governed, defense expenditures consisted of three to four percent of economic output.”

“We did it back then, and we must today also do it again,” he added.

Zelensky pays tribute to Ukraine’s rescue workers

Sunday 17 September 2023 16:08 , Andy Gregory

Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute to “Ukrainian heroes who save lives, clear land mines, and restore critical infrastructure”.

South Korean president warns against Russia-North Korea military cooperation

Sunday 17 September 2023 15:42 , Andy Gregory

South Korea’s president has said the international community “will unite more tightly” to cope with deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as he pushes to raise the issue with world leaders at next week’s UN General Assembly, reports Hyung-Jin Kim.

Concerns over Russian-North Korean ties have intensified since Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia last week for a summit with Vladimir Putin and to tour a slew of high-profile military and technology sites.

Analysts fear Mr Kim could provide Russia with ammunition for its war with Ukraine in return for economic aid and technologies to modernise his weapons systems targeting South Korea and the US.

“Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is illegal and unjust as it contravenes U.N. Security Council resolutions and various other international sanctions,” president Yoon Suk Yeol told the Associated Press.

“The international community will unite more tightly in response to such a move,” he said.

South Korea's Yoon warns against Russia-North Korea military cooperation and plans to discuss at UN

ICYMI: Russian journalist’s horror journey in grips of suspected poisoning

Sunday 17 September 2023 15:13 , Andy Gregory

Prior to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Irina Babloyan hosted Russia’s most popular morning radio show, on the country’s sole independent station, Echo of Moscow.

But within days of Ukraine being plunged into full-scale war, Echo of Moscow – established in 1990, prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union – was taken off air and then shut down completely, as part of the Kremlin’s unsparing clampdown on information about its so-called “special military operation”.

Stalked by the FSB, Ms Babloyan – among the first people to talk publicly about Ukrainian children being forcibly taken to Russia – eventually decided to leave Moscow for Tblisi last October, where she spent 10 days before moving to Berlin, where Echo of Moscow planned to resume programming.

But on the eve of her journey, with stops in both Armenia and Moldova, she very suddenly “felt something strange going on” – and still suffers “burning” skin to this day.

Ms Babloyan told The Independent her story, which you can read here:

Russian journalist’s horror journey across Europe in grips of suspected poisoning

Kherson farm worker killed after tractor hit mine, official says

Sunday 17 September 2023 14:52 , Andy Gregory

One farm worker has died and another left injured in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region after their tractor hit a mine while ploughing a field, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin has said.

Liberated after a long Russian occupation, the Kherson region is heavily mined and farmers risk their lives trying to work in fields that have not yet been cleared of mines.

“I’m once again appealing to the residents of the region. Do not start any work until the fields have been inspected by sappers. Take care of your safety,” Mr Prokudin said on Telegram.

You can read more about Russia’s minefields here:

How ‘industrial-scale’ Russian minefields are hampering Ukraine’s counteroffensive

First cargo ships reach Odesa using Ukraine’s new Black Sea corridor

Sunday 17 September 2023 14:36 , Andy Gregory

The first civilian cargo ships to travel to Odesa since Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal in July have docked at Ukrainian ports, with the aim of delivering some 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Africa and Asia.

Kyiv has established an interim corridor in hugging the coastline of the Black Sea, but in addition to Russian hostility, sea mines also make the voyage risky and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators.

Five vessels have so far used the corridor to leave Odesa, with the two Palau-flagged bulk carriers – Aroyat and Resilient Africa – now the first ships to use it to enter Ukranian ports.

After tearing up the grain deal, Russia intensified attacks on the southern Odesa region, targeting its port infrastructure and grain silos with missiles and drones – with Ukraine’s Air Force Command reporting another attack overnight in which the Odesa region was the main target.

Russian forces fired 10 cruise missiles and six Iranian-made Shahed drones, the statement said. All drones and six missiles were downed, while the rest hit an agricultural facility in the Odesa region.

Watch: Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Russian defence minister on visit to military site

Sunday 17 September 2023 13:55 , Andy Gregory

Lack of Ukrainian vehicles suggests Kyiv ‘yet to complete their breakthrough’ at Zaporizhzia frontline

Sunday 17 September 2023 13:28 , Andy Gregory

While Ukraine’s forces have “widened their breach” of Russia’s first defensive line in Zaporizhzia, a visible lack of Ukrainian heavy equipment and vehicles there suggests Kyiv’s troops “have yet to complete a breakthrough of this defensive layer”, analysts have said.

However, Kyiv continued to make gains in the area near Robotyne on Saturday, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.

“Ukrainian officials have indicated that the series of Russian defensive positions currently ahead of the Ukrainian advance may be less challenging than the initial Russian defensive layer that Ukrainian forces broke through to the north,” ISW analysts said.

“[Russian] forces had concentrated most of their combat power at those forward-most [Russian] defensive positions to defend against [Ukrainian] attacks, and these [Russian] forces have likely suffered heavy losses and conducted fighting withdrawals to prepared positions behind the current defensive layer.”

It came as the UK’s Ministry of Defence suggested Russia was likely creating yet more fortifications in the area into which Ukraine seeks to advance, with Moscow likely planning to make nearby Tokmak a “lynchpin” of its second defensive live.

Kharkiv governor accuses Russia of hitting building housing ‘civilian enterprise'

Sunday 17 September 2023 12:59 , Andy Gregory

Russia’s defence ministry claims to have conducted a missile strike on a plant in Kharkiv where armoured vehicles for Ukraine’s military are repaired, after the regional governor accused Moscow’s forces of striking the building of a “civilian enterprise” with four missiles.

The ministry did not say when the strike had taken place or provide any other details.

Regional governor Oleh Synehubov said on Sunday that Russia had hit the building with four S300 missiles, which are Soviet-era surface-to-air rockets.

Canada to donate £20m to UK-led air defence partnership for Ukraine

Sunday 17 September 2023 12:36 , Andy Gregory

Canada will contribute nearly £20m to a British-led partnership that is buying air defence equipment for Ukraine to help it fend off Russian missile and drone attacks.

The partnership, which also includes the United States, the Netherlands and Denmark, aims to buy hundreds of short and medium-range air defence missiles and associated systems.

In a statement, defence minister Bill Blair said the contribution was part of the £300m of military aid for Kyiv that prime minister Justin Trudeau had announced in June.

Ottawa has committed close to £5bn in aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

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

Sunday 17 September 2023 12:04 , Andy Gregory

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, reports Dominic McGrath.

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.

French president Emmanuel Macron is not expected to attend, while neither is China’s Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Hearings in legal battle over Ukraine war due at UN’s highest court

Sunday 17 September 2023 11:31 , Andy Gregory

Russia and Ukraine will square off at the UN’s highest court tomorrow, in hearings set to run until 27 September.

Ukraine brought the case to the International Court of Justice just days after Russia’s invasion, accusing Moscow of abusing international law by saying the invasion was justified to prevent an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine.

The upcoming hearings will not delve into the merits of the case and are instead focused on legal arguments about the court’s jurisdiction – to which Russia objects.

Based on a preliminary hearing in March, the court ordered Russia to cease military actions in Ukraine immediately – to no avail, given the court has no way of enforcing its decisions. Nevertheless, experts say an eventual ruling in favour of Ukraine could be important for any future reparations claims.

Moscow claims to thwart attack on Crimea as drone attacks reported in multiple Russian regions

Sunday 17 September 2023 10:59 , Andy Gregory

Russia claims to have thwarted a coordinated Ukrainian attack on Crimea, while drones also targeted Moscow, disrupting air traffic in the capital, and caused a fire at an oil depot in the southwest of the country, Reuters reports.

Russian air defence systems destroyed at least six drones targeting Crimea from different directions, Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday, without mentioning whether there had been any damage or casualties.

In the Moscow region, a drone was destroyed over the Istra district and another over the Ramensky district, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, adding there were no casualties or damage from drone debris.

At least 30 flights were delayed and six cancelled at Moscow’s major airports, Russian state news agencies said.

In southwestern Russia, a Ukrainian drone damaged an oil depot early on Sunday, sparking a fire at a fuel tank that was later extinguished, the regional governor said, reporting no casualties.

Another drone was downed in Russia's Voronezh region, local governor Aleksandr Gusev and the ministry of defence claimed, while authorities in Tula also reported a drone crashing on the grounds of a logistics centre.

Poland closes borders to Russian passenger cars

Sunday 17 September 2023 10:30 , Andy Gregory

Poland has begun enforcing a European Union ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country, days after neighbouring Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia did the same.

The move is in line with a recent interpretation of the EU’s sanctions on Moscow. Announcing the imminent imposition of the ban on Saturday, Polish interior minister Mariusz Kaminski said: “A car registered in Russia has no right to enter Poland.

“This is another element of the sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the brutal war in Ukraine, due to the fact that the Russian state today constitutes a threat to international security.”

In addition to Kaliningrad, Poland has Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern borders. It is otherwise bordered by EU and Nato allies Germany, Slovakia, Czechia and Lithuania, where there are no border checks.

The Border Guard’s website said Russian-tagged cars “will be returned to the non-EU country from which they came, regardless of whether it is Russia or another country”. It added: “Such actions will be carried out even if the driver of the car is not a citizen of the Russian Federation.”

Boris Johnson ‘wrong’ to say UK has been too slow in support for Ukraine

Sunday 17 September 2023 10:04 , Andy Gregory

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has said Boris Johnson was “wrong” to say the UK has not moved fast enough on support for Ukraine.

Listing the UK’s support, he said: “During my time as foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak as prime minister, we were the first in the world to commit main battle tanks.

“Other countries in the world then followed our example. We were the first to commit to the training of fast jet pilots. Then other countries followed our example.

“We were the first to commit ... to those long-range missiles that have been instrumental in helping the Ukrainians in their battle in the south and the south-east of Ukraine.

“I take his comments seriously, but I’ve just given you evidence the fact is that he’s wrong on this issue, because we continue to take the lead on the battle-winning equipment that the Ukrainians have specifically asked for,” he told Sky News.

Kim Jong Un on train bound for North Korea, Russian outlets say

Sunday 17 September 2023 09:51 , Andy Gregory

Kim Jong Un is on board a train bound for North Korea, wrapping up his days-long visit to Russia, state news agencies have reported.

It departed from the railway station in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Artyom, and was travelling to Khasan station on Russia’s border with North Korea – a distance of more than 200 kilometres.

Footage published by Russia’s state-run RIA news agency showed Mr Kim walking along a red carpet to the train carriage to the music of a military band and waving goodbye.

Russian natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov, Moscow’s ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, and the governor of the Primorye region, Oleg Kozhemyako, saw off the North Korean leader, RIA reported.

Earlier, Russian media said Mr Kim and Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu had discussed practical issues to boost military cooperation, in what Pyongyang called a “fresh heyday” for bilateral relations.

Odesa governor says none injured in Russian strikes

Sunday 17 September 2023 09:13 , Andy Gregory

A grain silo and agricultural fields were damaged in a Russian drone and missile barrage early this morning, Odesa’s regional governor has said.

“Fortunately, there were no casualties,” Odesa governor Oleh Kiper said of the strikes in the Berezivsky district in the eastern part of the region.

With the entire territory of Ukraine under air raid alerts for several hours, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed to have shot down six Iranian-made Shahed drones and six cruise missiles, with a further four of the latter slipping through their defences.

“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups and other means of attack were involved in repelling the air attack,” the Air Force said.

Armenia ‘sends proposals’ to Moscow on plans to enter ICC jurisdiction

Sunday 17 September 2023 08:51 , Andy Gregory

Armenia has sent “proposals” to Russia on its plans to come under the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction, Russian state news outlets have claimed.

Relations between the traditional allies have frayed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Moscow has warned of “serious consequences” if Yerevan presses ahead with the plans, after the court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes.

The warrant, concerning the forcible transfer of thousands of children from Ukraine to Russia, obliges the court’s 123 member states to detain and transfer Putin if he sets foot on their territory.

The ambassador-at-large of Armenia’s foreign ministry, Edmon Marukyan, said Yereven has sent “proposals” on the issue to Moscow, Tass reported. “A meeting was held and the process is underway,” it quoted him as saying.

Mr Marukyan said Armenia’s plan to become a party to the Rome Statute, bringing it under the international court’s remit, was “not against the Russian Federation but because of war crimes committed on territory of the Republic of Armenia by the Azerbaijani side”, Tass reported.

“Our Russian partners are well aware of this.”

Russia attacks Odesa in drone and cruise missile barrage

Sunday 17 September 2023 08:28 , Andy Gregory

Russia launched a combined drone and missile attack on Ukraine early this morning, largely targeting the southern parts of Odesa and hitting an agriculture facility there, Ukraine’s Air Forces said.

Russia used six Iranian-made Shahed drones and 10 cruise missiles in the attack, with Ukraine’s forces destroying six drones and six missiles before they hit their target, Kyiv’s troops claimed.

The situation in Odesa and its ports has been watched carefully by grain markets, as Kyiv said on Saturday that two cargo vessels arrived there to use a temporary corridor to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets.

“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups and other means of attack were involved in repelling the air attack,” the Air Force said.

The extent of the damage was not immediately known and it was not clear what facility was hit. The Air Force said only that emergency services were on the site. The entire territory of Ukraine was under air raid alerts for several hours.

Ukrainian troops move through destroyed Donetsk settlement

Sunday 17 September 2023 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Ukraine has released footage of troops moving through a war-ravaged settlement in the Donetsk Oblast after Kyiv announced its recapture.

Video published by Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade showed troops moving through rubble in Andriivka, 6 miles (10km) south of the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut after three months of intense fighting.

The clip also shows soldiers taking cover behind a broken wall amid mortar fire.

Watch here.

Ukrainian troops move through Donetsk settlement as Kyiv announces recapture

Putin’s troops ‘creating new defences’ in Zaporizhzia amid ‘growing concerns’

Sunday 17 September 2023 07:39 , Andy Gregory

Following Ukraine’s breach of Russia’s heavily mined and fortified front line near the Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne, Vladimir Putin’s troops have likely been creating new defences in the area, with nearby Tokmak set to become a “lynchpin” of their second line, Britains Ministry of Defence has said.

“In recent days, Russian forces have likely reinforced their defences around the occupied town of Tokmak in southern Ukraine, which is approximately 16 km behind the current front line,” the ministry said.

“Russia is likely deploying additional checkpoints, ‘hedgehog’ anti-tank defences and digging new trenches in the area, which is held by its 58th Combined Arms Army.

“Tokmak is preparing to become a lynchpin of Russian’s second main line of defences. Improvements to the town’s defences likely indicates Russia’s growing concern about Ukrainian tactical penetrations of the first main defensive line to the north.”

UK officially bans Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group

Sunday 17 September 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UK has formally banned Russia‘s mercenary Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation weeks after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The government order, approved on Friday, makes it a criminal offence to be a member or a supporter of the paramilitary group in the UK.

“The Russian mercenary organisation, Wagner Group, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation today after an order was laid in Parliament on Wednesday September 6,” the Home Office said in a statement.

More here.

UK officially bans Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group as terrorist organisation