Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin to meet Kim Jong-un for weapons talks in Moscow

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely travel to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia this month to discuss supplying Moscow with more weapons.

Kim is expected to travel to Russia’s eastern city of Vladivostok from Pyongyang in an armoured train, where he will meet with the Russian president, reported the New York Times citing American and allied officials.

This comes amid reports of Cuban citizens being trafficked to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine, the country’s foreign ministry said.

A human trafficking operation was being run by criminals working in both the Caribbean island nation and thousands of miles away in Russia, the Cuban government said. Authorities are now working to “neutralise and dismantle” the network.

And on the ground in Ukraine, Russian forces have been pushed back in the south as well as along the eastern front near Bakhmut, according to the Ukrainian military.

Key Points

• Zelensky to replace war-time defence minister

• More than 30 drones hit Ukraine overnight damaging infrastructure

• Russian tries to recruit foreign fighters to replace depleted troop numbers

• Russia bombards Ukraine’s Odesa region with 3-hour drone attack

• Romania denies Kyiv claims Russian drones exploded on its territory

• Ukraine counteroffensive ‘breaks through’ in several locations

Russian general ‘Sergei Surovikin pictured alive’

09:46 , Alexander Butler

A Russian general has been pictured for the first time after he disappeared following the Wagner Group’s aborted mutiny in June.

A new photo was posted to Russian social media claiming to show a photo of Sergei Surovikin, who dissapeared following the aborted coup.

Mr Surovikin was reportedly close to Wagner leader Yevgeny Prighozin, who was killed in a plane crash near Moscow last month.

The image, posted to Telegram, shows a man in sunglasses and a cap walking alongside a woman resembling Surovikin’s wife, Anna.

“General Sergei Surovikin is out. Alive, healthy, at home, with his family, in Moscow. Photo taken today,” the caption read.

Kremlin has ‘nothing to say’ about North Korea meeting

11:18 , Alexander Butler

The Kremlin has ‘nothing to say’ on reports Russian President Vladimir Putin would be meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un this month.

“We have nothing to say on this topic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Ukraines’s breakthrough will come as a ‘shock’ to Russian leadership

09:09 , Alexander Butler

Ukraine’s counter-offensive breakthrough will come as a “shock” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an expert has said.

Mark Galeotti, professor of Slavonic studies at UCL, said Russians had become “complacent” and believed their defence to be more effective than Kyiv’s progress would suggest.

It comes after Ukrainian generals claimed troops had breached Russia’s first line near Zaporizhzhia and were gathering momentum in an offensive many observers claimed had failed.

Professor Galeotti explained there were three aspects to Ukraine’s counteroffensive gains that would particularly concern the Russian leadership.

Russia says it destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Crimea

08:51 , Alexander Butler

Russian air defences destroyed a Ukrainian aeroplane-style drone over Crimea on Tuesday morning, the Russian defence ministry said.

Yesterday, Ukraine reported up to 30 Russian Iranian-made Shahed drones were used in an attack on the port city of Odesa.

Russian authorities plan to hold ‘unfree’ elections in occupied Ukraine, MoD says

08:30 , Alexander Butler

Russian authorities will hold elections with “Kremlin-endorsed” parties in occupied areas of Ukraine next week, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD’s intelligence report said authorities would hold elections between 8 and 10 September, in parallel with those going ahead in the Russian federation.

But the report said: “While over 1,000 candidates have been identified, there is a lack of qualified, experienced and willing candidates.

“There is also an abscence of independent candidates that are not members of the Kremlin-endorsed parties, indicating that these will not be free or fair elections.”

The election is being held in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia has lost 265,680 troops in Ukraine, general staff claims

07:55 , Alexander Butler

The Russian military has lost 265,680 troops in Ukraine, according to The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

It claimed Russia had lost the troops since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has also lost 4,489 tanks, 8,670 armored fighting vehicles, 8,175 vehicles and fuel tanks, 5,649 artillery systems, 747 multiple launch rocket systems, 504 air defense systems, 315 airplanes, 316 helicopters, 4,512 drones, and 19 boats, according to its report.

Moscow’s major airports shut down operations, resume shortly after

07:27 , Arpan Rai

Moscow’s two major airports Vnukovo and Sheremetevo, as well as the Zhukovksy airport resumed normal operations from 7.30am after a temporary traffic suspension in the early hours today, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said.

Earlier, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces shot down at least three Ukraine-launched drones that were targeting the country’s capital.

Olena Zelenska details emotional toll of war on family: ‘Living separately, need my husband’

06:53 , Arpan Rai

Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, divulged the personal side of her life and the emotional toll Russia’s full-scale invasion on the country took on the leader and his family.

She said she was aware it could be a “bit selfish” but she needed her husband, not the political figure, by her side.

As soon as Russia entered Ukraine’s territory, the first lady and her kids went underground in secret locations and the days were filled with a “constant feeling of adrenaline”, she told the BBC.

“We don’t live together with my husband, the family is separated. We have the opportunity to see each other but not as often as we would like. My son misses his father. But we stay strong, we have strength both emotionally and physically. And I am sure we will handle it together,” Ms Zelenska said.

The Russian war, which Vladimir Putin calls a “special military operation” and has claimed thousands of lives and left millions displaced, has served an emotional blow to the family’s children.

Ms Zelenska said she is pained to watch her kids not being able to plan their lives. Her 19-year-old daughter does not have the opportunity to leave the country. Ms Zelenska said her children “dream of travelling, of new sensations and emotions”.

“There are limitations in time in what you can allow yourself, they exist, and we somehow try to live within them,” she told the BBC.

Last month, speaking to The Independent, she had opened up about the concerns she has for Ukraine and her family, with her and her husband being forced to live separately for security reasons – so the president rarely gets the chance to see their children.

“I want to be together again. We really hope that somehow all this will change and we will be able to live a more or less normal family life,” she said.

Kim to meet Putin as Russia seeks closer military ties with North Korea

05:31 , Arpan Rai

Kim Jong-un plans to travel to Russia and meet Vladimir Putin and discuss the possibility of supplying Moscow with weapons for the war in Ukraine, amid Moscow’s push to seek closer military ties with North Korea.

In a rare trip abroad, Kim would travel from Pyongyang, probably by armoured train, to Vladivostok, on the Pacific Coast of Russia, where he would meet Putin, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing US and allied sources.

While in Vladivostok, a port city not far from North Korea, the two leaders would discuss Kim’s sending Russia artillery shells and antitank missiles in exchange for Moscow’s advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the newspaper reported.

At a time when the United States has expressed concern about growing military ties between the two countries, the news of Kim’s planned visit came after Russia said it was discussing holding joint military exercises with North Korea.

Cubans trafficked to fight for Russia in Ukraine, says government

04:29 , Arpan Rai

Cuban citizens are being trafficked to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine, the country’s foreign ministry said.

A human trafficking operation was being run by criminals working in both the Caribbean island nation and thousands of miles away in Russia, the Cuban government said.

Authorities are now working to “neutralise and dismantle” the network.

A Cuban government statement read: “The Ministry of the Interior is working on the neutralisation and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine.”

Russia has yet to comment on these allegations.

Russia downs drones in Moscow, other regions in early morning attacks

04:07 , Arpan Rai

Russia claims to have shot down Ukraine-launched drones in Moscow’s Istra district and another in Kaluga region in the early hours today.

“Tonight, air defence forces destroyed drones in the Kaluga region and in the Istra region that were trying to carry out an attack on Moscow. Emergency services are on the scene,” Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

He later added that a household object was damaged as a result of fallen debris in Moscow and emergency services are “working to eliminate the consequences”.

Another drone was destroyed in the Tver region in the Zavidovo area, which the mayor claimed was flying in the direction of Moscow.

The Russian defence ministry said the three drones were either destroyed or intercepted before they could hit their targets.

Luton Airport buses arrive in Ukraine to help fight war against Putin

03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Buses from Luton Airport have arrived in Ukraine to help troops on the frontline in the war against Vladimir Putin.

The buses, operated by Go-Ahead, were used until March this year to shuttle passengers between Luton Airport and the nearby railway station.

They will now be used as rest areas for soldiers in Eastern Ukraine and to transport supplies for front-line troops after being donated to a charity supporting the Ukrainian war effort.

Martha McHardy reports:

Luton Airport buses arrive in Ukraine to help fight war against Putin

What is Russia’s ‘Satan II’ hypersonic intercontinental nuclear missile?

02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has said that Moscow’s RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), nicknamed “Satan II” – capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads – has been rolled out on “combat duty”.

The head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said that the missiles had entered active duty, the state-run news agency RIA reported. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Sarmat missiles would be deployed for combat duty “soon”.

Prior to that, defence committee deputy chairman Aleksey Zhuravlyov had used it as a threat when he was interviewed by state broadcaster TV Russia 1 in May regarding Sweden and Finland’s aspirations towards joining Nato in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined the alliance earlier this year, while Sweden is still waiting to be ratified.

Joe Sommerlad reports:

What is Russia’s ‘Satan II’ intercontinental nuclear missile?

ICYMI: Ukraine’s defence minister submits resignation to Zelensky after biggest shake-up since invasion

01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine’s outgoing defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has turned in his resignation and said he was honoured to have served the war-hit country in its toughest modern-day history.

From appearing next to president Volodymyr Zelensky in a viral video shot in Kyiv just hours into the Ukraine invasion last year to carrying out deals for military aid with dozens of Western allies, the lawyer-turned-politician had played a critical role in aiding the country against Russia’s continuing full-scale invasion.

On Sunday, Mr Zelensky announced Mr Reznikov’s removal as he believed “the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole”.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine’s defence minister sends resignation letter in biggest shake-up since war

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Tuesday 5 September 2023 00:01 , 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

Seoul's spy agency says Russia has likely proposed North Korea to join three-way drills with China

Monday 4 September 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has likely proposed that North Korea participate in three-way naval exercises with China, according to a lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing with the director of South Korea’s top spy agency Monday.

The briefing came days after Russia’s Ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, told Russian media that including North Korea in joint military drills between Russia and China “seems appropriate.” Matsegora added it was his own point of view and that he wasn’t aware of any preparations, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.

According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, when South Korean National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun was asked about the possibility of such drills, he said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu likely proposed holding trilateral naval exercises with North Korea and China while meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in July.

More here:

Seoul's spy agency says Russia has likely proposed North Korea to join three-way drills with China

ICYMI: Moment Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroys Russian boat as sea war intensifies

Monday 4 September 2023 22:00 , Eleanor Noyce

This is the moment a Russain landing boat was destroyed by a Ukranian drone as the sea battles in the war-torn country intensified.

The footage reportedly shows a Ukrainian Bayraktar-TB2 kamikaze drone destroying a Russian KS-701 Tuna vessel in the northwestern Black Sea.

Russia suffered fatalities and casualties in the strike, with a military helicopter airlifting the wounded according to local reports.

The strike comes as a Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck a FSB security service building in the nuclear town of Kurchatov in a separate attack.

Moment Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroys Russian boat as sea war intensifies

Dodging a constant assault of Russian missiles – the war weary keep fighting in Ukraine’s blood-soaked east

Monday 4 September 2023 21:30 , Eleanor Noyce

The missile aimed at the mayor’s office took an estimated 64 seconds to fly 55 miles and detonate in shrapnel and flames after being fired by Russian forces.

Thankfully for Oleksandr Goncharenko, the mayor of Kramatorsk – near the frontline in east Ukraine – it missed the target by 200 metres, hitting a garden square.

The municipal headquarters was swiftly moved to another building for safety. But that building was bombed as well, resulting in a move to yet another location, dodging the missiles coming from the city of Horlivka which has been captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces.

There is plenty of pride in the cities around the frontline in managing to keep Putin’s forces at bay, writes Kim Sengupta from Druzhkivka. But it has come at the cost of crushing loss:

Dodging Russian missiles, the war weary keep fighting in Ukraine’s blood-soaked east

Nobel-winning Russian journalist to challenge ‘foreign agent’ designation

Monday 4 September 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Nobel Prize-winning Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov will mount a legal challenge to try to overturn his designation as a “foreign agent” by the authorities in Russia, Novaya Gazeta, the newspaper he edits, said on Monday.

Russia’s justice ministry on Friday added Muratov, a veteran editor and co-laureate of the 2021 Nobel peace prize, to the growing list of people it has formally labelled “foreign agents” - a designation used to stigmatise and complicate the life of people it deems to be working against Russian state interests.

It said Muratov, who sold his Nobel medal at auction to help Ukrainian child refugees, had “created and disseminated material (produced by) foreign agents and used it to spread negative opinions of Russia’s foreign and domestic policies on international platforms”.

Novaya Gazeta, which is famous for its investigations which have sometimes taken aim at the Kremlin, government policy and top officials, said on Monday Muratov would temporarily step aside from his role as editor-in-chief in order to challenge his designation through the courts.

“Muratov categorically disagrees with the decision of the Ministry of Justice and is filing a lawsuit,” Novaya Gazeta said in a statement.

“At his own request, the editorial board is suspending Dmitry Muratov as editor-in-chief for the duration of the legal proceedings. Sergei Sokolov has been appointed acting editor-in-chief.”

It said Muratov had been targeted by the authorities for his opinions and beliefs, something it said ran counter to constitutional guarantees about freedom of thought and speech.

The justice ministry has significantly expanded its “foreign agent” list since Russia launched what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, using it to tar people and organisations who publicly criticise or question the war.

Journalists designated “foreign agents” must include a disclaimer about their status on every piece of work, are subject to greater official scrutiny and financial checks, and media given the same label have seen Russia-based funders and sponsors withdraw their support.

Novaya Gazeta suspended publication in 2022 in response to legislation imposing harsh penalties for discrediting the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine. Many of its journalists have since regrouped with a new publication in Latvia.

Ukraine will need to be cunning – and patient – in its push to break through Russia’s defensive lines

Monday 4 September 2023 20:31 , Eleanor Noyce

The advance of Kyiv’s troops against Vladimir Putin‘s forces on Ukraine’s bloody frontlines will be welcomed by Western allies, after weeks of having to scrap for every inch gained.

The suggestion of some in Ukraine’s military that units have punched through a section of Russia’s first defensive line in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, as part of the longer-term aim of reaching the Azov Sea to sever the land bridge from Russia to southeastern Ukraine, may therefore be greeted with cautious optimism. It is not like there haven’t been other suggestions of progress in the region in recent days, not least from White House officials.

Any kind of gains Kyiv makes in pushing back the forces of Vladimir Putin is a positive, writes Askold Krushelnycky in Ukraine. But it is brutal work:

Ukraine will need to be cunning in its push to break through Russia’s defensive lines

ICYMI: Ukraine’s defense minister resigns following Zelensky’s announcement of his replacement

Monday 4 September 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted a letter of resignation on Monday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be replaced and named his successor.

Oleksii Reznikov’s removal follows a scandal around the defense ministry’s procurement of military jackets. It was not the first similar case during the ongoing war.

Zelensky made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through “more than 550 days of full-scale war.” He named Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker, as the new defense minister.

Read more:

Ukraine's defense minister resigns following Zelenskyy's announcement of his replacement

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet Putin in Russia this month - NYT

Monday 4 September 2023 19:33 , Eleanor Noyce

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plans to travel to Russia in September to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the possibility of supplying weapons for the war in Ukraine, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing U.S. and allied sources.

Kim would travel from Pyongyang, probably by armoured train, to Vladivostok, on the Pacific Coast of Russia, where he would meet with Putin, the newspaper said.

Moment Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroys Russian boat as sea war intensifies

Monday 4 September 2023 19:31 , Eleanor Noyce

This is the moment a Russain landing boat was destroyed by a Ukranian drone as the sea battles in the war-torn country intensified.

The footage reportedly shows a Ukrainian Bayraktar-TB2 kamikaze drone destroying a Russian KS-701 Tuna vessel in the northwestern Black Sea.

Russia suffered fatalities and casualties in the strike, with a military helicopter airlifting the wounded according to local reports.

The strike comes as a Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck a FSB security service building in the nuclear town of Kurchatov in a separate attack.

Moment Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroys Russian boat as sea war intensifies

Pope insists Vatican-China relations are on track but says more work is needed

Monday 4 September 2023 19:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Pope Francis insisted Monday that the Vatican‘s relations with China were going well, but said work must still be done to show Beijing that the Catholic Church isn’t beholden to a foreign power.

Francis spoke about the Holy See’s dealings with China during a press conference en route home from Mongolia, where Beijing and its crackdown on religious minorities overshadowed an otherwise historic first papal visit to the majority Buddhist nation.

Francis sent a telegram of greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping as his aircraft flew through China’s airspace coming and going to Mongolia. The pontiff also gave a special shout-out to the Chinese people at the end of his main Mass in Ulaanbaatar. He brought up to the altar the current and retired bishops of Hong Kong to demonstrate his “warm” affection for the Chinese people.

Nicole Winfield has more:

Pope insists Vatican-China relations are on track but says more work is needed

Luton Airport buses arrive in Ukraine to help fight war against Putin

Monday 4 September 2023 18:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Buses from Luton Airport have arrived in Ukraine to help troops on the frontline in the war against Vladimir Putin.

The buses, operated by Go-Ahead, were used until March this year to shuttle passengers between Luton Airport and the nearby railway station.

They will now be used as rest areas for soldiers in Eastern Ukraine and to transport supplies for front-line troops after being donated to a charity supporting the Ukrainian war effort.

Go-Ahead donated the vehicles to local charity, Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership, which provides vehicles to Ukraine that can be used as field hospitals and rest areas for troops or for transporting supplies.

Martha McHardy has the full story:

Luton Airport buses arrive in Ukraine to help fight war against Putin

Photo purports to show Russia's 'General Armageddon' for first time since Wagner mutiny

Monday 4 September 2023 18:01 , Eleanor Noyce

A new photo appearing to show Russian General Sergei Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since a brief mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in June, was published on social media on Monday by a well-known Russian media personality.

“General Sergei Surovikin is out. Alive, healthy, at home, with his family, in Moscow. Photo taken today,” Ksenia Sobchak wrote in a caption to the picture.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the photo, which showed a man in sunglasses and a cap walking alongside a woman resembling Surovikin’s wife, Anna.

Various media outlets reported that Surovikin had fallen out of favour with the Kremlin following the aborted mutiny by Wagner in June, and that he was being investigated for possible complicity. State news agency RIA said last month he had been removed as head of the air force and his deputy Viktor Afzalov had assumed the job on a temporary basis.

Surovikin, who gained the nickname “General Armageddon” during Russia’s military intervention in Syria’s civil war, was briefly in charge of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine before that role was handed in January to General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff.

Surovikin was widely viewed by Russian war commentators as a forceful and capable figure. The late Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a private jet crash last month, was fiercely critical of Russia’s defence establishment but spoke highly of Surovikin, calling him “a man who is not afraid of responsibility”.

Russia scraps big Zapad military drills because of Ukraine war

Monday 4 September 2023 17:39 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has scrapped its huge Zapad military drills this year because of the war in Ukraine, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying on Monday.

“No, this year we are having exercises in Ukraine,” state news agency RIA quoted Shoigu as saying in reply to a question.

Russia last staged the Zapad (West) drills with its ally Belarus in September 2021, five months before its invasion of Ukraine. It said then that 200,000 troops were taking part.

Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update on X, formerly Twitter, last week that it believed Russia would not hold the exercises this year because it did not have enough troops and equipment to stage them while fighting the war, now in its 19th month.

Western officials plan to warn UAE over trade with Russia -WSJ

Monday 4 September 2023 17:20 , Eleanor Noyce

U.S., British and European Union officials are planning to jointly press the United Arab Emirates this week to halt shipments of goods to Russia that could help Moscow in its war against Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday citing U.S. and European officials.

A UAE official, in response to Reuters’ request for comment, said the country “strictly abides by UN sanctions and has clear and robust processes in place to deal with sanctioned entities.”

The UAE “is continuously monitoring the export of dual-use products,” which have both civilian and military applications, under its export control legal framework, the official added.

Officials from Washington and European capitals were visiting the UAE from Monday as part of a collective global push to keep computer chips, electronic components and other so-called dual-use products out of Russian hands, the WSJ report said.

The UAE, a member of the OPEC+ oil alliance that includes Russia, has maintained good ties with Moscow despite Western pressure to help to isolate Russia over the invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. It has not matched global sanctions imposed on Moscow.

The U.S. State Department declined to comment when asked about the WSJ report.

The UAE official added the UAE remained in close dialogue with international partners including the U.S. and European Union about the conflict in Ukraine and its implications for the global economy.

“UAE banks, under the supervision of the Central Bank and other relevant authorities, monitor compliance with sanctions imposed on Russia to prevent violations of international law,” the UAE official said.

Zelensky needed to sack his defence minister – but it goes beyond just corruption scandals

Monday 4 September 2023 17:01 , Eleanor Noyce

The dismissal of a defence minister who helped to secure billions of pounds in military aid for Ukraine, and forged strong relationships with Western officials, reflects the challenges President Volodymyr Zelensky faces in the 18th month of Russia’s invasion.

Oleksii Reznikov became well known in international diplomatic and defence circles, as he lobbied for more support for Ukraine and the need to form a pathway for his country’s future membership of Nato.

But it was pressure from abroad which ultimately played a part in Reznikov’s removal from his post. The defence minister became one of the highest-profile casualties in a crackdown demanded by the US and EU, as concern has grown about corruption in Ukraine.

Last week, American officials let it be known that the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, had met Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigators and urged them to pursue cases “no matter where they lead”.

Embarrassing headlines about the defence ministry buying food at inflated prices is one thing, writes Kim Sengupta, but tackling allegations of graft is key to Kyiv’s integration into the EU and placating concerns from Washington:

Zelensky had to sack his defence minister – but it goes beyond corruption scandals

Russia discusses joint military exercises with North Korea - Shoigu

Monday 4 September 2023 16:40 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia is discussing holding joint exercises with North Korea, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying on Monday, at a time when the United States has expressed concern about growing military ties between the two countries.

“Why not, these are our neighbours. There’s an old Russian saying: you don’t choose your neighbours and it’s better to live with your neighbours in peace and harmony,” Interfax news agency quoted Shoigu as saying.

When asked about the possibility of joint exercises between the two countries, he said they were “of course” being discussed, it said.

South Korean news agency Yonhap earlier cited South Korea’s intelligence agency as saying Shoigu had proposed to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that their countries hold a naval exercise, along with China.

Shoigu met Kim in July when he visited North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, celebrated in North Korea as “Victory Day”.

The United States said last week it was concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were advancing actively, and that Shoigu had tried during his visit to convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia. Washington has warned before that North Korea could provide weapons to Moscow for use in its war in Ukraine.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told the National Assembly that Shoigu appeared to have held a private meeting with Kim during his July trip to agree on broad military expansion, Yonhap reported.

On Saturday, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, told TASS news agency that he was not aware of any plans for North Korea to participate in trilateral military drills with China and Russia but that in his opinion it would be “appropriate” in light of U.S.-led exercises in the region.

Russia and North Korea have recently called for closer military ties but North Korea has denied having any “arms dealings” with Russia.

The United States recently imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006 and had been testing various missiles over recent years but it rarely holds military exercises with its neighbours.

The United States and its ally, South Korea, hold regular military exercises, which North Korea denounces as preparations for war against it.

Moment Ukrainian girl, 12, who lost both legs in Russian missile attack completes half marathon

Monday 4 September 2023 16:18 , Eleanor Noyce

This is the heartwarming moment a young Ukrainian girl, who tragically lost both of her legs during a Russian shelling, crosses the finish line of a half marathon.

The 12-year-old girl, named locally as Yana Stepanenko from Kramatorsk, took part in the half-marathon in Lviv on Sunday.

Yana and her mother Natalia were among thousands attempting to flee eastern Ukraine in April 2022, when a Russian missile hit Kramatorsk train station,killing nearly 60 people and injuring more than 100.

Both were knocked unconscious by the impact of the missile and severely injured.

Ukrainian girl who lost both legs in Russian missile attack completes half marathon

Putin says Russia's gas pipelines to Turkey coming under constant attack

Monday 4 September 2023 16:01 , Eleanor Noyce

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that Russia’s gas pipelines to Turkey are coming under constant attack, and that grain deal corridors should not be used for military purposes.

Putin: plan to supply grain to Africa via Turkey and Qatar not an alternative to grain deal

Monday 4 September 2023 15:45 , Eleanor Noyce

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that a Russian proposal to supply African countries with one million tons of grain via Turkey, with financial support from Qatar, was not intended as an alternative to the Black Sea grain deal.

Putin’s forces pushed back in the south, says Ukrainian deputy defence minister

Monday 4 September 2023 15:25 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine said on Monday its troops had regained more territory on the eastern front and were advancing further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv’s forces had retaken about 3 square km (1.16 square miles) of land in the past week around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May after months of heavy fighting.

She also reported unspecified “success” in the direction of the villages Novodanylivka and Novoprokopivka in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, but gave no details.

Ukraine has now taken back about 47 square km of territory since starting its counteroffensive in early June, Maliar wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters was not able to verify the reports. Russia has not confirmed the Ukrainian gains.

Kyiv has retaken a number of villages and settlements in its three-month-old offensive but its soldiers have been hampered by vast Russian minefields and trenches.

Ms Maliar said last week that Ukrainian troops had broken through the first line of Russian defences, and Ukraine’s military expects now to advance more rapidly.

Moscow has continued to carry out air strikes on Ukrainian targets including port infrastructure, and has reported drone attacks on Russian territory.

Talks between Russia and Turkey ‘constructive’, Kremlin spokesman claims

Monday 4 September 2023 14:05 , Alexander Butler

The first part of talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Erdogan were “constructive”, the Kremlin’s spokesman said.

Russian attack on Kherson Oblast injures child, governor says

Monday 4 September 2023 13:15 , Alexander Butler

An 11-year-old boy was injured by a Russian attack on Soniachne in Kherson Oblast, according to its governor.

Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said the boy was hospitalised with a mine-explosive injury to both legs, and is now in stable condition.

He said: “Doctors are doing everything possible to save the child’s life and health.”

Morning round up

Monday 4 September 2023 12:51 , Alexander Butler

For those of us just joining us, it has been a busy morning in Russia and Ukraine. The day began with the UK’s Ministry of Defence reporting a Russian cyber group had likely used malware to steal Ukrainian military intelligence, and talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Erdogan began in Russia.

Grain deal: Vladimir Putin said Russia would be “open” to discussions on a new Ukraine grain export deal, as Turkish president Erdogan said it was the “most” important issue of their talks in Russia today

Drones over Romania? Kyiv claimed Russian drones exploded in Romanian territory - which Romania “firmly” denied.

Defence minister sacked: Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted his resignation letter to the chairman of Ukraine’s parliament.

Russian drone strikes: The Ukrainian Air Force claimed Russian forces had fired around 32 kamikaze drones at the port town of Odesa, damaging industrial facilities and infrastructure.

Cyber attack: The British Ministry of Defence said a Russian cyber threat group has likely used a malware called “Infamous Chisel” to steal sensitive military information from Ukrainian military.

What was the Black Sea export deal?

Monday 4 September 2023 12:15 , Alexander Butler

The Black Sea grain deal was negotiated between Turkey, the UN and Russia in July 2022 as a way of ensuring Ukraine, a huge agricultural producer, could continue to export grain to the world through its southern ports despite Russia’s invasion.

The deal allowed for commercial food and fertiliser to be exported in large quantities through Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, instead of through road and rail across Romania and Poland.

Exports were severly disrupted after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But the deal saw almost 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs exported through the ports between July 2022 and July 2023.

Over 50 per cent of the cargo was maize, the grain most affected by blockages in Ukrainian granaries at the beginning of the war. But the deal broke down when Russia felt part of the deal, which allowed for a greater quantity of Russian exports, wasn’t being honoured by the West.

Erdogan says Ukraine export deal is ‘most important’ issue in talks

Monday 4 September 2023 11:54 , Alexander Butler

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the Ukraine grain export corridor was the most important issue in his talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday and that the message after the meeting would be a very important step.

“The most important step everyone is looking at in Turkey-Russia relations today is the grain corridor,” Erdogan said in preliminary comments to Putin. “I believe the message at the news conference will be a very important step, especially for underdeveloped countries in Africa.”

Putin says Russia is “open” to discussions on grain deal

Monday 4 September 2023 11:36 , Alexander Butler

Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he is “open” to discussions on a Ukraine export grain deal.

It comes as Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan arrived for talks in Sochi, Russia, and is seeking to revive a deal which allowed Ukraine to export grain from Black Sea ports.

In July, Russia quit the deal complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s key agricultural producers, and major players in the wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed and sunflower oil markets.

Putin has said Russia could return to the grain deal if the West fulfils a separate memorandum agreed with the United Nations at the same time to facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports.

Russian attacks on Ukraine break ‘all international humanitarian rules', Romania says

Monday 4 September 2023 10:52 , Alexander Butler

Russian attacks break “all international humanitarian rules”, Romania’s ministry of national defence said.

In a statement, the ministry denied Kyiv’s claims that Russian drones had detonated on Romanian territory during an attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure last night.

But it reaffirmed its support for the country, and said it reiterated the “fact” Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure were “unjustified” and broke “all international humanitarian rules.”

It said: “The Ministry of National Defence firmly denies the information circulating in the public space with regard to a so-called situation occurred during the night of 3-4 September, when Russian drones would have fallen on Romania’s national territory.

The Ministry of National Defence reiterates the fact that these attacks targeting the Ukrainian sites and civilian infrastructure are unjustified and break all international humanitarian rules.”

Abduction of Ukrainian children being investigated as potential genocide, commission says

Monday 4 September 2023 10:31 , Alexander Butler

The abduction of Ukrainian children and their transportation to the Russian Federation is being investigated as potential genocide, a commission said.

Erik Møse, chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, said the body was trying to establish what was happening to Ukrainian children once they got to Russia.

He said this was difficult as access to information in Russia was “limited” and “not always the same”. Mr Møse added: “In order to find that there is such a genocidal act with respect to the transfer of children, you would have to know exactly what is happening further on in the Russian Federation.

“We have limited access to this and the information we are receiving is not always the same.

“We receive some information from persons who have been able to reach from Ukrainian parents who have been able to go either into the occupied territories or even into Russia to retrieve their children or grandchildren and that gives an indication.

“We will pursue these investigations and see whether, as a whole, there is an intent to destroy a group and these are the strict qualifications under the genocide convention. As of now, we have no such conclusion and our work continues.”

Ukraine claims the Russian Federation has abducted 19,546 of its children since Putin invaded the country in February 2022, according to the UN press.

Russian drones detonated on Romanian territory during Danube strike, Ukrainian claims

Monday 4 September 2023 09:17 , Alexander Butler

Russian kamikaze drones fell and detonated on Romanian territory during an overnight attack on Ukrainian port infrastructure, Ukraine’s defence ministry claimed.

It comes after Russia fired around 32 drones at Ukraine in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, damaging industrial facilities and infrastructure. But Romania’s defence ministry has “categorically” denied Kyiv’s claims.

Ukraine’s air force said at least 23 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones were shot down by the country’s military. It claimed the drones were launched from the annexed Crimea.

The attack damaged warehouses, production facilities, agricultural machinery, and industrial equipment in several settlements of the Izmail district.

Romania is a member of the NATO military alliance. In a statement on Facebook, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko, urged Western partners to speed up supplies of air defence systems to Ukraine.

Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's likely new defence minister?

Monday 4 September 2023 08:51 , Alexander Butler

Rustem Umerov, 41, is a leading member of the Crimean Tatar community, and has been part of the Ukrainian government task force working on a strategy to end Russia’s occupation of the Crimean peninsula since 2020.

He was born in Soviet Uzbekistan, after his family was exiled there from Crimea under Stalin, and moved back to the peninsula as a child when the Tatars, an Turkic ethnic group, were allowed to return in the 1980s and 1990s.

In September 2022, Mr Umerov, then a lawmaker from the pro-European Holos party, became head of the State Property Fund, an agency selling state assets to private investors.

He was also a member of the Ukrainian team that held negotiations with Russia in March 2022, one month after Russia’s full-scale invasion. He also took part in talks on the Black Sea Grain deal and on exchanges of prisoners, including Ukraine’s Azov fighters who were captured during the battle for the southern city of Mariupol in 2022.

Mr Umerov was a member of the delegation during a visit by Zelensky to Saudi Arabia in May, and accompanied first lady Olena Zelenska during a visit to the United Arab Emirates in March.

Ukraine’s defence minister submits resignation letter

Monday 4 September 2023 08:14 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted his resignation letter to the chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

He wrote: “It was an honor to serve the Ukrainian people and work for the #UAarmy for the last 22 months, the toughest period of Ukraine’s modern history.”

It comes after Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky said he decided to dismiss Mr Reznikov and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s main privatisation fund.

It marks the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s defence establishment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

More than 30 drones hit Ukraine overnight damaging infrastructure

Monday 4 September 2023 07:53 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have fired around 32 kamikaze drones at Ukraine in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts overnight, causing damage to industrial facilities and infrastructure.

At least 23 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones were shot down by Ukraine’s military, the country’s Air Force said.

The drones were launched from Cape Chauda in annexed Crimea and Russia’s port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Azov Sea coast, the Air Force said.

Of these, Ukraine’s air defences downed 17 drones launched at Odesa oblast, but some hits were still reported in the region, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

The attack damaged warehouses, production facilities, agricultural machinery, and industrial equipment in several settlements of the Izmail district, he said.

Drone debris fell on civilian sites, causing fires that have already been put out, the official added.

No immediate casualties have been reported.

Russia using malware to steal Ukraine’s sensitive military information, claims UK MoD

Monday 4 September 2023 07:45 , Arpan Rai

A Russian cyber threat group has likely used a malware called “Infamous Chisel” to steal sensitive military information from Ukrainian military, the British Ministry of Defence said today.

It cited a report by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on a malware campaign targeting Android mobile devices used by the Ukrainian military.

“The malware, referred to as ‘Infamous Chisel’, has been used by the Russian cyber threat group known as Sandworm. NCSC has previously attributed Sandworm to the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate’s (GRU) Main Centre for Special Technologies (GTsST),” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It added that the malware Infamous Chisel enables “persistent access to, and the collation and exfiltration of data from, compromised Android devices” and this includes targeting applications used by the Ukrainian military.

“Infamous Chisel has highly likely been used with the aim of stealing sensitive military information. This activity demonstrates Russia’s continued use of cyber capabilities to support the invasion of Ukraine,” the ministry said.

Putin strikes Ukraine grain exporting port ahead of talks with Erdogan

Monday 4 September 2023 06:38 , Arpan Rai

Russia launched a major Ukraine grain exporting port this morning, damaging warehouses and setting buildings on fire, Ukraine said, hours before Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, were due to hold talks.

The drone assault lasted three and a half hours on the Danube River port of Izmail, in Ukraine’s Odesa region.

Regional governor said drone debris also set several civilian infrastructure buildings on fire, the governor of the Odesa region said.

After quitting the Black Sea grain deal, Moscow has launched frequent attacks on the ports of the Danube River, which has since become Ukraine‘s major route for exporting grain.

About 17 drones were shot down, but some hit their targets in the broader Izmail area, governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. He added that according to preliminary reports, there were no casualties or injuries.

The Russian president and his Turkish Putin and Erdogan are expected to meet today in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi as Ankara and the United Nations seek to revive a Ukraine grain export deal that helped ease a global food crisis. Ankara called the talks vital for the deal.

Russia says four Ukraine inflatable boats in Black Sea destroyed

Monday 4 September 2023 05:17 , Arpan Rai

Four US-made inflatable boats with Ukraine’s landing forces in the northwestern part of the Black Sea has been destroyed by Russia’s naval force, the Russian defence ministry said on its Telegram channel.

The ministry said the US-made Willard Marine Sea Force inflatable boats were heading in the direction of Cape Tarkhankut on the Crimean Peninsula.

Military offensive and combat in the Black Sea waters has picked up in the recent weeks with Russia regularly claiming to strike Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv has not issued a comment on the reports of growing offensive in its southern waters it shares with Russia.

Putin awards first crew who used hypersonic Kinzhal missile in Ukraine – report

Monday 4 September 2023 05:09 , Arpan Rai

The first Russian crew to use hypersonic, air-launched Kinzhal missiles during Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine has been presented with state awards, the Russian TASS state news agency reported today.

“The Su-34 aircraft used the Kinzhal hypersonic missile during the special military operation,” TASS cited an unnamed military source as saying.

“The first crew that successfully completed this task was presented with state awards.”

While Moscow has said very little so far about the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, Ukraine’s military says Russia uses them frequently in the continuing invasion against civilian targets.

TASS did not say when Russia used the Kinzhal missiles for the first time in Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said in March that the missiles had been deployed to destroy Ukrainian targets, according to the ministry’s Telegram channel.

The Kinzhal is one of six “next generation” weapons unveiled by Vladimir Putin in a speech in March 2018.

Russia claims Ukraine launched drone attacks on Kursk region

Monday 4 September 2023 04:48 , Arpan Rai

The Russian defence ministry has blamed Ukraine for launching drone attacks on the Kursk region of Russia overnight from yesterday to this morning.

The ministry claimed its forces had shot down two drones after midnight today.

Kursk region, bordering Ukraine to its west, saw attacked around 1am, the ministry said on its Telegram channel.

Last evening, regional governor claimed debris from a downed drone sparked a fire at a non-residential building in the city of Kurchatov.

The site of attack is about 4km from one of Russia’s biggest nuclear plants, but there were no reports the plant was affected or targeted.

Who is Oleksii Reznikov, the war-time defence face of Ukraine?

Monday 4 September 2023 04:38 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has said time has come for Ukraine for new changes, which will involve exit of Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister since November 2021.

The 57-year-old former lawyer turned defence minister has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the war effort, but has been dogged by graft allegations surrounding his ministry that he has described as smears.

In the continuing war, Mr Reznikov’s defence ministry lobbied the West to overcome taboos on supplying powerful military gear to Ukraine, including German-made main battle tanks and HIMARS rocket artillery. And after much bidding and pushing, Kyiv now looks poised to receive US-made F-16 fighter jets soon.

An English-speaker, Mr Reznikov is seen as having built up a strong rapport with allied defence ministers and military officials.

One member of parliament has tipped him as Ukraine’s possible new ambassador to London.

His apparent exit appears to bring an end to months of domestic media pressure that began in January when Mr Reznikov’s ministry was accused of buying food at inflated prices.

Though he was not personally involved in the food contract, some Ukrainian commentators said he should take political responsibility for what happened.

Last month, a Ukrainian media outlet accused his ministry of corruption during the procurement of winter coats for the army. He has denied any wrongdoing and repeatedly said he was being targeted by a smear campaign.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

Monday 4 September 2023 03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

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

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

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

Read more:

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

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

Monday 4 September 2023 02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

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

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

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

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

What is Russia’s ‘Satan II’ hypersonic intercontinental nuclear missile?

Monday 4 September 2023 01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Russia has said that Moscow’s RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), nicknamed “Satan II” – capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads – has been rolled out on “combat duty”.

The head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said that the missiles had entered active duty, the state-run news agency RIA reported. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Sarmat missiles would be deployed for combat duty “soon”.

Prior to that, defence committee deputy chairman Aleksey Zhuravlyov had used it as a threat when he was interviewed by state broadcaster TV Russia 1 in May regarding Sweden and Finland’s aspirations towards joining Nato in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined the alliance earlier this year, while Sweden is still waiting to be ratified.

Joe Sommerlad has more:

What is Russia’s ‘Satan II’ intercontinental nuclear missile?

Dodging a constant assault of Russian missiles – the war weary keep fighting in Ukraine’s blood-soaked east

Monday 4 September 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

The missile aimed at the mayor’s office took an estimated 64 seconds to fly 55 miles and detonate in shrapnel and flames after being fired by Russian forces.

Thankfully for Oleksandr Goncharenko, the mayor of Kramatorsk – near the frontline in east Ukraine – it missed the target by 200 metres, hitting a garden square.

The municipal headquarters was swiftly moved to another building for safety. But that building was bombed as well, resulting in a move to yet another location, dodging the missiles coming from the city of Horlivka which has been captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces.

There is plenty of pride in the cities around the frontline in managing to keep Putin’s forces at bay, writes Kim Sengupta from Druzhkivka. But it has come at the cost of crushing loss:

Dodging Russian missiles, the war weary keep fighting in Ukraine’s blood-soaked east

Zelensky says he struck key deal on pilot training in France

Sunday 3 September 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had struck a “very important agreement on training our pilots in France” in conversation with President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.

“Our coalition of modern fighters is becoming stronger,” he said in his nightly video address.

He did not elaborate on what training would be undertaken. France does not have the F-16 fighter jets Ukraine has recently been promised by Denmark and the Netherlands. It does have French-made Rafale warplanes and previous-generation Mirage 2000 jets.

Zelensky said he and Macron had also discussed what France could do to help protect the Ukrainian city and region of Odesa, critical to grain exports, but did not elaborate.

The French foreign ministry said last month that it would reinforce its military support for Ukraine, notably in strengthening air defence capabilities.

Zelensky to replace wartime defence minister

Sunday 3 September 2023 22:05 , Eleanor Noyce

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had decided to dismiss Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine‘s main privatisation fund.

The announcement, made in his nightly video address to the nation, sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine‘s defence establishment during the war launched by Russia in February 2022.

Reznikov, who was named defence minister in November 2021, has helped secure billions of dollars of Western military aid to help the war effort, but been dogged by graft allegations surrounding his ministry that he described as smears.

“I’ve decided to replace the Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has been through more than 550 days of full-scale war,” Zelenskiy said.

“I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole.”

The change of defence minister must be approved by parliament, but is likely to be supported by a majority of lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada. Zelensky said he expected parliament to approve Umerov’s appointment.

Umerov, a 41-year-old ex-lawmaker who is a Crimean Tatar, has headed Ukraine‘s State Property Fund since September 2022 and has played a role in sensitive wartime negotiations on, for instance, the Black Sea grain deal.

Ukraine drone sparks fire in Russia's Kurchatov - governor

Sunday 3 September 2023 21:25 , Eleanor Noyce

A non-residential building in the western Russian city of Kurchatov caught fire on Sunday after an attack by a Ukrainian drone but emergency services put the fire out and there were no casualties, Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region, said.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Starovoit did not say which building was affected. Ukraine‘s Babel online outlet quoted an unnamed source as saying a drone hit a building belonging to the FSB security service.

Starovoit also blamed a Ukrainian drone for damage to a building facade in Kurchatov on 1 September.

Kurchatov is home to one of Russia’s biggest nuclear plants, but there were no reports it was affected in either incident.