Ukraine war - live: Biden to slam Putin’s ‘naked aggression’ as Russia reveals referendum plan

Joe Biden is likely to rebuke his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in New York today at the UN general assembly, and will underline how Moscow’s “naked aggression” is an affront to the core of what the global body stands for.

White House officials have said that the president’s UN visit this year will see a full-throated condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the war nears the seven-month mark.

Mr Biden will “offer a firm rebuke of Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine and make a call to the world to continue to stand against the naked aggression that we’ve seen these past several months,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of the US president’s address at the UN today.

Russin-held territories in southern and eastern Ukraine have announced moves to hold Kremlin-backed referendums to join Russia in the coming days, amid heavy losses suffered by the country’s troops.

Key Points

• Putin’s troops clearly in panic mode, says Zelensky

• Seven killed in Ukrainian strike on Luhansk region

• Ukraine uses captured Russian tanks to firms up its lines

• Putin’s forces have moved Black Sea fleet from Crimea to Krasnodar amid security threat - British MoD

• Russia loses full control of Luhansk as Kyiv recaptures village in Donbas

• In challenge to West, Russia unfurls plan to annex swathes of Ukraine

• Putin expected to address Russia tonight

World leaders corner Putin at UN meet: ‘Will not accept any peace dictated by Russia’

05:03 , Arpan Rai

Leaders from France, Germany, Japan and the US came down heavily on Moscow at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, condemning the invasion of Ukraine which will soon reach seven months.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Vladimir Putin will only give up his “imperial ambitions” that risk destroying Ukraine and Russia only if he recognises he cannot win the war he launched.

“This is why we will not accept any peace dictated by Russia and this is why Ukraine must be able to fend off Russia’s attack,” Mr Scholz said in his first ever address at the UNGA.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine “tramples the philosophy and principles of the UN charter” and “it should never be tolerated,” Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said.

He also pushed for reform of the United Nations Security Council, saying the global body’s credibility is endangered by the actions of a permanent member in Europe.

French leader Emmanuel Macron denounced the move by pro-Russian separatists who have called for referendums on breaking away from Ukraine 23-27 September in the contested regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces.

If the referendum plan “wasn’t so tragic, it would be funny,” he said ahead of the assembly in New York.

More than 14,500 civilian casualties in Ukraine war

04:42 , Arpan Rai

The war on Ukraine by Russia has killed at least 5,916 civilians and injured at least 8,616 as of 18 September — almost seven months into the war, the UN said.

Officials at the UN human rights agency have said they believe the actual toll and casualties are considerably higher because of delays in receiving ground zero information from war-battered cities like Mariupol, Izyum, Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk.

They added many reports of civilian casualties still need to be confirmed.

Russia revamps Kalashnikov to speed up firing - report

04:40 , Arpan Rai

Russia has modified the design of the Kalashnikov AK-12 weapon used by its troops in Ukraine to speed up firing and help soldiers gain more control over firing modes, Russian state news agency RIA reported today.

The AK-12 model, inducted in the Russian armed forces in 2018, will no longer have its two-round burst cut-off and instead will get a two-way control of firing modes.

The rifle will also have an adjustable cheek rest, Kalashnikov Concern’s President Alan Lushnikov told RIA.

“In the shortest possible time, we selected technical solutions, made a prototype and demonstrated it to representatives of the Russian ministry of defence,” the official said.

However, he did not specify when the redesigned version of the rifle would enter service and said that the design is in the documentation stage.

Developed by Kalashnikov, the AK-12 assault rifle is a general issue weapon of the Russian armed forces using 5.45 millimetres (mm) calibre bullets and is said to boast improved accuracy over earlier versions, among others.

Russia must leave Ukraine and pay ‘proper recompense’, says Truss

03:23 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin must leave Ukraine and pay “proper recompense” for his invasion before he can ever return to the international fold, Liz Truss has said.

The British prime minister made the comment ahead of launching an update to the integrated review of defence and foreign policy to counteract the threat of authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China.

Ms Truss was also doubling down on her campaign trail commitment to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of UK GDP by the end of the decade.

She aims to use her first foreign trip as prime minister to rally United Nations allies in New York to keep up the pressure on Russia.

Russia and Putin must leave Ukraine and pay ‘proper recompense’, says Truss

Volodymyr Zelensky says front line success shows war is Ukraine’s

02:40 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation on the front line with Russian forces clearly showed the initiative belonged to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president made his comments a day after Russian-installed leaders in occupied areas of four Ukrainian regions set out plans for referendums on joining Russia, a move that could sharply escalate the war.

Ukrainian forces reclaimed large amounts of territory from Russia in the east last week, driving Moscow to reassess its strategy in the near seven-month war.

Turkish president Erdogan says Putin wants to end war ‘as soon as possible’

01:27 , Liam James

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, following recent talks he had with the Russian president (Maryam Zakir-Hussain writes).

He said his impression from Putin was that he wanted to end the conflict “as soon as possible” after comprehensive discussions at a summit in Uzbekistan last week.

It comes as Ukraine has recaptured increasingly large amounts of occupied territory, with the most recent victory the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region. This latest setback for Kremlin means they no longer have full control over the province.

Turkish president Erdogan says Putin wants to end war ‘as soon as possible’

Canada condemns Russian referendums

Wednesday 21 September 2022 00:20 , Liam James

Planned referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine to join Russia are “unacceptable” and Canada would never recognize such territories as part of Russia, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said.

Russian-backed leaders in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces announced referendums for 23-27 September which are seen as attempts to falsely claim legitimate power over captured Ukrainian territory.

Macron urges countries against neutrality over Ukraine

Tuesday 20 September 2022 23:15 , Liam James

French president Emmanuel Macron has told countries not to stay neutral about condemning Russia‘s war in Ukraine as he declared Moscow’s invasion to be a new form of imperialism.

The war in Ukraine – and its effects on food prices, fuel costs, Ukrainian nuclear power plants, and the larger context of tensions between Russia and the West – is looming over the annual gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other dignitaries at the UN in New York.

Mr Macron made the war the centrepiece of his speech, asking:“Who here can defend the idea that the invasion of Ukraine justifies no sanction?

“Who of you here can consider that the day when something similar with a more powerful neighbour happens to you, there’ll be silence from the region, from the world?”

Mr Macron called on the United Nations’ member countries “to act so that Russia rejects the path of war,” and he said that staying out of the matter is not an option. Previous votes at the UN general assembly opposing the war have seen dozens of countries abstain, including China, India and South Africa.

EU wouldn’t recognise referendum results, says Borrell

Tuesday 20 September 2022 22:25 , Liam James

The European Union strongly condemns Russia’s plans to hold referenda in parts of Ukraine and will not recognise the results of the votes, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Russia, its political leadership, and all those involved in these ‘referenda’ and other violations of international law in Ukraine will be held accountable, and additional restrictive measures against Russia would be considered,” Borrell said.

Mr Borrell said the referendum votes cannot be considered “as the free expression of the will of the people” in these regions.

Russian-backed leaders in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces announced referendums for 23-27 September which are seen as attempts to falsely claim legitimate power over the regions captured in the war.

Moscow already considers Luhansk and Donetsk, which together make up the Donbas region partially occupied by Russia in 2014, to be independent states. Ukraine and the West consider all parts of Ukraine held by Russian forces to be illegally occupied.

Bosnian Serb separatist leader meets Putin

Tuesday 20 September 2022 21:26 , Tom Batchelor

Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday days after he endorsed Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, Russian and Serbian media reported.

During a rare visit to Moscow by a politician from Europe, the Russian president praised his country’s “strategic partnership” with Serbia.

The visit came amid repeated warnings from the European Union that Serbia must align its foreign policies with the bloc if it really wants to become a member.

Putin’s address to nation delayed to Wednesday - reports

Tuesday 20 September 2022 20:41 , Tom Batchelor

Vladimir Putin’s address to the nation has reportedly been delayed until Wednesday.

Sky News said Sergei Markov, a former close advisor to the Russian president, took to Telegram to announce that the speech had been delayed. No reason was given.

US warns Russia over annexation plan

Tuesday 20 September 2022 20:24 , Tom Batchelor

The United States has also rejected plans to hold referendums in Ukraine and said it would never recognise any Russian claims to annex parts of Ukraine.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Moscow may be making the move to recruit troops in those areas after suffering extensive losses on the battlefield.

Mr Sullivan called the referendums an affront to principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said President Joe Biden, at his speech on Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, will issue a “firm rebuke” to Russia for its war against Ukraine.

“If this does transpire, the United States will never recognise Russia‘s claims to any purportedly annexed parts of Ukraine. We will never recognise this territory as anything other than a part of Ukraine. We reject Russia‘s actions unequivocally,” Mr Sullivan told reporters.

Putin speech delayed

Tuesday 20 September 2022 19:55 , Tom Batchelor

Putin’s speech this evening has been delayed (by an unknown length of time) from its previously billed start time of 8pm Moscow time, 6pm BST.

It is not clear why. Speculation has ranged from an attempt to distract from the UN meetings currently happening in New York, to chaos in the Kremlin.

Referendums ‘cynical’, says Macron

Tuesday 20 September 2022 19:30 , Tom Batchelor

Referendums planned in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions on joining Russia will not be recognized by the international community, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, as he called the plans “cynical” and “a parody.”

“If the Donbas referendum idea wasn’t so tragic it would be funny,” he told reporters.

Speaking in New York, Macron said the referendum proposals for eastern Ukraine were an additional provocation following Russia‘s invasion of its neighbor.

“I think what was announced by Russia is a parody,” Macon said. “This is cynicism, and obviously it won’t be recognized by the international community.”

Olaf Scholz hits out at ‘fake referenda'

Tuesday 20 September 2022 19:05 , Tom Batchelor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said any referenda held in eastern Ukrainian territories that had been seized by Russian forces were “fake referenda” that could not be accepted.

He also said it sounded like Russia might try once more to stop Ukrainian wheat exports.

Germany ‘irritated’ at Turkey’s attempts to join Russian-backed security group

Tuesday 20 September 2022 18:46 , Tom Batchelor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said he was “very irritated” about Turkey’s attempts to join a Central Asian security body dominated by Russia and China.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he was targeting membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation for Turkey, which is also a member of the Nato defence alliance.

“This is not an organisation that is delivering an important contribution to a good global coexistence,” Mr Scholz said at the UN General Assembly in New York after meeting with Mr Erdogan.

“So I’m very irritated about this development. But at the end, it’s important to agree on what is driving us to make clear that the Russian war on Ukraine may not be successful,” he said according to a transcript of a news conference.”

Turkish president Erdogan says Putin wants to end war ‘as soon as possible’

Tuesday 20 September 2022 18:22 , Tom Batchelor

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he believes Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, following recent talks he had with the Russian president.

He said his impression from Putin was that he wanted to end the conflict “as soon as possible” after comprehensive discussions at a summit in Uzbekistan last week.

Read the full story here:

Turkish president Erdogan says Putin wants to end war ‘as soon as possible’

Putin expected to address Russia tonight

Tuesday 20 September 2022 18:11 , Tom Batchelor

Vladimir Putin is expected to make his first national address to the Russian people since the start of the war tonight.

There is speculation that he will announce further measures to shore up his failing military strategy in Ukraine, including the possibility of conscription for Russian nationals.

We will bring updates on what is contained in his speech as soon as we have them.

Russia excluded from Euro 2024

Tuesday 20 September 2022 17:40 , Katy Clifton

Russia’s isolation from international sport continues after UEFA confirmed the country would be excluded from qualification for Euro 2024.

Russia has been banned from UEFA and FIFA competitions since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, with the Court of Arbitration dismissing an appeal against that ban in July.

UEFA confirmed Germany would qualify as hosts for the tournament in two years’ time, with the qualifying draw scheduled to take place in Frankfurt on October 9.

Putin says Russian weapons show high efficiency in combat against Ukraine

Tuesday 20 September 2022 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin said Russian weapons have shown high efficiency during the fighting in Ukraine and told officials to quickly increase output.

“Our equipment efficiently confronts western types of weapons,” Mr Putin said. “Practically all of Nato weapons stockpiles have been brought to support the current regime in Kyiv.”

He added that Russia should study western weapons to improve its own arsenals.

“We can and must learn about these arsenals, everything they have, everything they use against us to qualitatively increase our potential and improve our equipment, our weapons where we need to do it,” he said.

Mr Putin said he has ordered bigger allocations for new weapons, offered more loans to military industries and approved additional payments to their workers to increase output.

“Structures of the military industrial complex must deliver the required weapons and equipment in the shortest time possible,” he said.

Putin blasts US attempts ‘preserve global domination'

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned what he described as US efforts to preserve its global domination, saying they are doomed to fail.

Speaking while receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors to Moscow, Mr Putin said: “The objective development toward a multipolar world faces resistance of those who try to preserve their hegemony in global affairs and control everything - Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.”

He added that “the hegemony has succeeded in doing so for quite a long time, but it can’t go on forever... regardless of the developments in Ukraine“.

He has repeatedly cast his decision to send troops into Ukraine as a response to alleged western encroachment on Russia‘s vital security interests.

The Russian leader said western sanctions against Moscow over its action in Ukraine were part of efforts by the US and its allies to strengthen their positions, but claimed they have backfired against their organisers and also damaged poor countries.

“As for Russia, we won’t deviate from our sovereign course,” he added.

Explained: Referendum of Russian-controlled regions

Tuesday 20 September 2022 16:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The scheduling of referendums starting Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions came after a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin said the votes are needed and as Moscow is losing ground in the invasion it began nearly seven months ago, increasing pressure on the Kremlin for a stiff response.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia‘s Security Council chaired by Putin, said referendums that fold regions into Russia itself would make redrawn frontiers “irreversible” and enable Moscow to use “any means” to defend them.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba denounced the votes as a sham and tweeted that “Ukraine has every right to liberate its territories and will keep liberating them whatever Russia has to say.”

The votes, in territory Russia already controls, are all but certain to go Moscow’s way but are unlikely to be recognized by Western governments who are backing Ukraine with military and other support that has helped its forces seize momentum on battlefields in the east and south.

Russia's referendums 'won't change anything,' Ukraine's Kuleba says

Tuesday 20 September 2022 15:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Moscow’s planned referendums seeking to annex additional territory in Ukraine will have no impact, Ukraine‘s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday after Russian-backed officials in some Ukrainian territories unfurled the requests.

“The Russians can do whatever they want. It will not change anything,” Kuleba said in response to reporters’ questions at the start of a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

In challenge to West, Russia unfurls plan to annex swathes of Ukraine

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia today gave support to plans by separatists which it backs in Ukraine to hold referendums paving the way for the annexation of swathes of additional territory, a direct challenge to the West that could sharply escalate the conflict.

After nearly seven months of war, including a critical battlefield defeat in northeastern Ukraine, Putin is pondering his next steps.

In what appeared to be choreographed requests, Russian-backed officials across 15% of Ukrainian territory - an area about the size of Hungary or Portugal - lined up to request referendums on joining Russia.

The self-styled Donetsk (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republics (LPR), which Putin recognised as independent just before the invasion, and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have asked for votes over less than 24 hours.

Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson officials said the referendums would take place in just days - on Friday Sept. 23 through to Monday Sept. 27. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions, with only around 60% of Donetsk region in Russian hands.

Asked about the referendums, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “From the very start of the operation... we said that the peoples of the respective territories should decide their fate, and the whole current situation confirms that they want to be masters of their fate.”

Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine announce votes on joining Russia

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In what appears to be a coordinated political challenge to the West, four Russian-controlled regions in Ukraine all announced they will hold referendums later this week on officially becoming part of Russia.

Russian-installed separatists in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Luhansk and occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces all made calls on Tuesday for lightning votes to officially leave Ukraine and be controlled by Moscow instead.

The political move comes as Russia has lost territory it gained at the beginning of the war, in the past few weeks.

Our international editor David Harding reports:

Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine announce votes on joining Russia

Moldova chooses alternatives to Russian gas

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ex-Soviet Moldova has selected seven companies to secure gas from next month should supply from Russia‘s Gazprom, be disrupted, a senior government official said.

Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu, who has led Moldova’s team of negotiators in talks with Gazprom through a year of steep price increases, told a Moldovan television programme late on Monday that the Russian giant was “unpredictable”.

Moldova can draw on 300 million euros put up by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the event of a break in Russian supply, he told JurnalTV.

“For now we have chosen seven companies. Gazprom is not among them,” Spinu said.

State gas company Moldovagaz said on Tuesday it had paid for August deliveries and was due to make its 50% advance payment for September amounting to $33.89 million, though a senior company source told Reuters it was uncertain it had the funds to do so.

One of Europe’s poorest countries, Moldova is heavily reliant on Russian gas, and has been hit hard by the increase in spot gas prices since Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Captured Russian tanks used by Ukraine to push into occupied territories in Luhansk

Tuesday 20 September 2022 14:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Captured Russian tanks abandoned in panic by Vladimir Putin’s troops are being used by Kyiv’s forces to push foward into Moscow-occupied territories in Ukraine.

They have been using stranded Russian T-72 tanks to try and push further into Russian-occupied region of Luhansk, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“The initial panic of the counter-offensive led Russian troops to abandon higher-quality equipment in working order, rather than the more damaged equipment left behind by Russian forces retreating from Kyiv in April, further indicating the severity of the Russian rout,” the institute said, citing a Russian claim.

Captured Russian tanks used by Ukraine to push into Luhansk

Russia toughening military punishment amid reports of troops refusing to fight

Tuesday 20 September 2022 13:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Kremlin-controlled lower house of parliament has approved legislation that toughens punishment for soldiers breaching their duties, in an apparent effort to boost discipline in the ranks amid the fighting in Ukraine.

The amendments to Russia‘s Criminal Code, which were quickly endorsed by the State Duma, introduces severe punishments for failure to follow orders, desertion or surrendering to the enemy.

The bill needs to receive the upper house’s approval and then be signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law - steps that are considered to be formalities.

Under the new legislation, deserting a military unit during a period of mobilisation or martial law would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, compared with five years under the current law.

Soldiers who voluntarily surrender to the enemy will also face a prison term of up to 10 years, and those convicted of looting could be handed 15 years.

Another amendment introduces a prison sentence of up to 10 years for those who refuse to go to combat or follow an officer’s order.

The new legislation follows media reports that some Russian soldiers in Ukraine have refused to go into combat and tried to resign from service.

Unlike Ukraine, which conducted a broad mobilisation with the goal of reaching an active military of a million fighters, Russia has continued to rely on a limited contingent of volunteers.

Some nationalist politicians have called for a mobilisation to beef up the ranks, but the Kremlin so far has ruled it out.

Russia's Lavrov says separatist votes on joining Russia are a matter for residents

Tuesday 20 September 2022 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday it was up to the people living in separatist-controlled areas of Ukraine if they wanted to hold referendums on joining Russia.

“From the very beginning ... we’ve been saying that the peoples of the respective territories should decide their fate,” Lavrov said on state TV when asked about several coordinated moves by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine on Tuesday to stage votes on joining Russia.

Russia's Putin says Russian weapons showing 'great effectiveness' in Ukraine

Tuesday 20 September 2022 13:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s president Vladimir Putin today said Russian weapons were showing great effectiveness in Ukraine and that the country needs to enhance the capacity of its arms industry.

It comes after Moscow’s submarines retreated from Crimea to Krasnodar in southern Russia amid a local security threat, the British defence ministry reported.

According to the ministry, the relocation is “highly likely” due to the increased threat of “Ukrainian long-range strike capability”.

Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia eyeing vote to join Russia in 'coming days'

Tuesday 20 September 2022 12:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Russian-controlled part of Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhia region may stage a referendum to join Russia in the coming days, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a local Russian-installed official.

More detail to come shortly.

Russian-backed separatists in Kherson say they will hold vote on joining Russia

Tuesday 20 September 2022 12:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian-installed officials in the Kherson region of Ukraine said they have decided to hold a referendum on joining Russia and have urged the Kremlin to give its permission as soon as possible, the separatist head of the region said on Tuesday.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of Kherson, said he hoped Kherson would become “a part of Russia, a fully-fledged subject of a united country.”

Russian forces control around 95 per cent of Ukraine‘s Kherson territory in the south of country.

Saldo did not name a date for the proposed vote.

Officials in parts of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces, including the two breakaway Russian-backed regions of the Donbas - the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) - have stepped up preparations for long-discussed votes to join Russia this week in a coordinated move.

Saldo said Kherson joining Russia would “secure our region” and be a “triumph of historical justice.”

“I am sure that the Russian leadership will accept the results of the referendum,” he added.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said the issue is a matter for the local Russian-installed officials and citizens of the regions to decide.

Saldo’s remarks echoed those made by Kremlin ally and former President Dmitry Medvedev earlier on Tuesday in which he called for the Kremlin to let the separatists join Russia.

Shortly after Saldo’s announcement about plans for a vote in Kherson, the head of Russia‘s parliament said he would support the regions joining Russia.

“Today, we need to support the republics with which we have signed mutual assistance agreements,” Russia‘s state Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said, referring to agreements signed between Moscow and the DPR and LPR which paved the way for the Kremlin to dispatch tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February.

Russia loses full control of Luhansk as Kyiv recaptures village in Donbas

Tuesday 20 September 2022 12:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine has recaptured a village in the Luhansk region in their bid to take back control in the whole province which was fully occupied by Russian forces until now.

Unverified footage on social media showed Ukrainian forces in the village of Bilohorivka, only 10 km west of the city of Lysychansk, which fell to the Russians after weeks of grinding battles in July.

The regaining of the village is a symbolic victory for Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces as it means Moscow can no longer claim full control over Luhansk.

“There will be fighting for every centimetre,” Luhansk governor, Serhiy Gaidai, wrote on Telegram. “The enemy is preparing their defence. So we will not simply march in.”

Russia’s losses as of today- Ukraine’s Armed Forces

Tuesday 20 September 2022 11:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of 20 September, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian parliament toughens punishment for crimes during mobilisation

Tuesday 20 September 2022 11:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to toughen punishments for a host of crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination if they are committed during military mobilisation or combat situations.

The bill, passed in its second and third readings on Tuesday by the lower house of parliament, the Duma, comes amid debate inside Russia about a possible mobilisation, a step which could significantly escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

Russian-backed separatists in Kherson say they will stage vote on joining Russia

Tuesday 20 September 2022 11:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian-installed officials in the Kherson region of Ukraine said they have decided to hold a referendum on joining Russia, the separatist head of the region said on Tuesday.

The speaker of Russia‘s parliament also said he would support citizens’ decision if they vote to join Russia

Two explosions heard in Russian-occupied Melitopol

Tuesday 20 September 2022 11:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Two explosions have been heard in the Russian-occupied Melitopol, the city’s mayor has said.

Mayor Ivan Fedorov said smoke is seen near the local grain elevator, as reported by The Kyiv Indepndent.

Fedorov said explosions were reported at the airfield near Melitopol. Explosions had already been heard at the same airfield three days earlier.

Captured Russian tanks used by Ukraine to push into occupied territories

Tuesday 20 September 2022 10:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Captured Russian tanks abandoned in panic by Vladimir Putin’s troops are being used by Kyiv’s forces to push foward into Moscow-occupied territories in Ukraine.

They have been using stranded Russian T-72 tanks to try and push further into Russian-occupied region of Luhansk, the Institute for the Study of War said.

“The initial panic of the counter-offensive led Russian troops to abandon higher-quality equipment in working order, rather than the more damaged equipment left behind by Russian forces retreating from Kyiv in April, further indicating the severity of the Russian rout,” the institute said, citing a Russian claim.

Read more here:

Captured Russian tanks used by Ukraine to push into occupied territories

Putin’s forces have moved Black Sea fleet from Crimea to Krasnodar amid security threat - British MoD

Tuesday 20 September 2022 10:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces have “almost certainly” relocated its submarines from Crimea to Krasnodar in southern Russia amid a local security threat, the British defence ministry said today.

“The command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

“This is highly likely due to the recent change in the local security threat level in the face of increased Ukrainian long-range strike capability. In the last two months, the fleet headquarters and its main naval aviation airfield have been attacked,” it added.

The MoD noted that “guaranteeing the Black Sea fleet’s Crimea basing was likely one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s motivations for annexing the peninsula in 2014”.

Base security has now been directly undermined by Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, it added.

PepsiCo ends Pepsi, 7UP production in Russia months after promising halt over Ukraine

Tuesday 20 September 2022 09:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

PepsiCo Inc has stopped making Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew in Russia nearly six months after the U.S. company said it would suspend sales and production after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

Pepsi’s announcement came after Reuters visited dozens of supermarkets, retailers and gyms in Moscow and beyond and found cans and bottles of Pepsi printed with July and August production dates from factories within Russia. The most recent date on a Pepsi product was Aug. 17.

In a statement to Reuters, the U.S. company said it had stopped making concentrates for PepsiCola, Mirinda, 7Up and Mountain Dew in Russia.

A spokesperson said this was “in line with the announcement we made in March 2022” but declined to comment when asked for an update on sales and whether they had been halted.

The continued production means sodas are still widely available in Moscow and also in Vladivostok in the far east and Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, according to a review by Reuters.

Making Ukraine a member of Nato is the ‘only security guarantee’

Tuesday 20 September 2022 09:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Making Ukraine a member of Nato is the “only ultimate security guarantee” for the country, a former commander of the alliance said as he called for Liz Truss to match her words of support with action.

Retired General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former Nato deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, said he was “delighted” with the Prime Minister’s support for Ukraine but called for “significant defence spending”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Now is the time for Nato to take risk, to ramp up the support that Ukraine needs.”

He added: “But as Nato takes risk it has to manage that risk and the way Nato manages that risk is to be prepared for the worst case, and the worst case is war with Russia.”

Ms Truss is committing to spend at least £2.3 billion next year on military aid to help Ukraine fend off Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Sir Richard said: “I note that the Prime Minister, as Foreign Secretary, said that 2% of GDP on defence was the floor not the ceiling in her Mansion House speech. She has called for 3% of GDP and I’d like to see her match that with action.”

He added: “There needs to be a proper strategy for Ukraine and I think we need to look very carefully again at the whole issue of Nato membership for Ukraine because that is the only ultimate security guarantee for Ukraine. But that means a mindset shift in Nato as well.”

On first international trip, Britain’s Truss pledges Ukraine support

Tuesday 20 September 2022 09:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

British Prime Minister Liz Truss will pledge at a UN summit to meet or exceed the 2.3 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) of military aid spent on Ukraine in 2022 in the next year, doubling down on her support for Kyiv after Russia‘s invasion.

Truss, on her first international visit as prime minister, will call on other leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York to help end Russia‘s energy stranglehold on Europe, saying it has allowed too many lives to be “manipulated”.

“My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security,” she said in a statement before her speech to the summit, which begins on Thursday.

“Too many lives in Ukraine, in Europe and around the world are being manipulated by a dependence on Russian energy,” she added. “We need to work together to end this once and for all.”

Britain said it was the second-largest military donor to Ukraine, committing 2.3 billion pounds in 2022, and that support next year would be determined by the Ukrainian army’s needs, although it is expected to include equipment such as rocket artillery systems.

Seven killed in Ukrainian strike on Luhansk region- more details

Tuesday 20 September 2022 08:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian strike on a Russian-controlled village in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine killed seven civilians, including three children, on Monday night, Russian-installed officials said on Tuesday.

The strike hit Krasnorichenske, in part of Luhansk region held Russian forces, Luhansk’s representative to the Joint Centre of Control and Coordination (JCCC) said on Tuesday.

As a result of artillery shelling by Ukraine‘s armed forces on the village of Krasnorichenske, seven civilians were killed, including three children (twins, a girl and a boy born in 2021, and a girl born in 2015,” the representative said in a statement.

Reuters was unable to verify battlefield reports.

The JCCC was set up as part of the failed Minsk Agreement - a deal between Russia and Ukraine designed to mediate and deescalate the conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukraine that started after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Medvedev says Moscow-backed separatists must hold referendums to join Russia

Tuesday 20 September 2022 08:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday it is “essential” that Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine carry out referendums that would see their regions join Russia.

In a post on social media, Medvedev said making the Moscow-backed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics officially part of Russia was a vital step in protecting their interests and could further justify Russia‘s use of military force to protect them.

Seven killed in Ukrainian strike on Luhansk region

Tuesday 20 September 2022 08:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian strike on a village in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine killed seven people on Tuesday, the TASS news agency reported, citing Russian-installed authorities in the region.

The agency said the strike hit the village of Krasnorichenske in part of Luhansk region controlled by Russian forces.

Ukraine uses captured Russian tanks to firms up its lines

Tuesday 20 September 2022 07:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine is now deploying captured Russian tanks to solidify its gains in the northeast amid an ongoing counteroffensive, a Washington-based think tank said Tuesday, as Kyiv vowed to push further into territories occupied by Moscow.The Institute for the Study of War, citing a Russian claim, said that Ukraine had been using left-behind Russian T-72 tanks as it tries to push into the Russian-occupied region of Luhansk.

“The initial panic of the counteroffensive led Russian troops to abandon higher-quality equipment in working order, rather than the more damaged equipment left behind by Russian forces retreating from Kyiv in April, further indicating the severity of the Russian rout,” the institute said.

ICYMI- Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

Tuesday 20 September 2022 07:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has rejected allegations its forces had committed war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Izyum as a “lie”.

It was the Kremlin’s first public statement about the allegations.

Around 450 bodies – most of whom Ukraine says are civilians – were found in mass graves near Izyum after Russian troops were this month forced out of the Kharkiv region, much of which they had controlled since the first weeks of their military campaign in Ukraine.

Our international editor David Harding has more:

Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

Hungary says EU should not consider new sanctions against Russia

Tuesday 20 September 2022 07:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hungary’s foreign minister said on Tuesday the European Union should not consider new sanctions against Russia as that would only deepen the energy supply crisis and hurt Europe.

“The EU should ... stop mentioning an 8th package of sanctions, should stop flagging measures that would only further deepen the energy supply crisis,” Peter Szijjarto said in his statement.

UK will meet or exceed military aid spent on Ukraine in 2022 next year

Tuesday 20 September 2022 07:05 , Arpan Rai

British PM Liz Truss has said the UK will match record monetary aid to Ukraine in 2023 in a statement released today.

The UK will meet or exceed the amount of military aid spent on Ukraine which was £2.3bn this year in 2023, Ms Truss said.

The UK’s military support to Ukraine is likely to include equipment such as the Multiple Launch Rocket System, Truss’ office said in a statement.

In photos: Ukraine exhumes over a hundred bodies with signs of torture in Kharkiv

Tuesday 20 September 2022 06:43 , Arpan Rai

Putin’s forces have moved Black Sea fleet from Crimea to Krasnodar amid security threat - British MoD

Tuesday 20 September 2022 06:27 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have “almost certainly” relocated its submarines from Crimea to Krasnodar in southern Russia amid a local security threat, the British defence ministry said today.

“The command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

“This is highly likely due to the recent change in the local security threat level in the face of increased Ukrainian long-range strike capability. In the last two months, the fleet headquarters and its main naval aviation airfield have been attacked,” it added.

The MoD noted that “guaranteeing the Black Sea fleet’s Crimea basing was likely one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivations for annexing the peninsula in 2014”.

Base security has now been directly undermined by Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, it added.

Putin failed to achieve any strategic objective in Ukraine, says US official

Tuesday 20 September 2022 06:15 , Arpan Rai

A senior US official has said that Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve any strategic objectives in its invasion of Ukraine.

“The bottom line of the whole Russian invasion of Ukraine is that Russian President Vladimir V Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic objectives in launching the brutal and unprovoked attack,” a senior defence official said on background on Monday.

The official added: “It failed, and the Russians withdrew from the region near the capital and moved troops to the east,” referring to the Kremlin’s exit from Kharkiv.

"On September 1 … President Putin called for the entirety of Donetsk province to be under Russian controlled by September 15," the official said, according to a release by the state department.

"But Putin’s forces clearly have failed to deliver," he added.

The US official added that “In contrast, the Ukrainian military has high morale as it continues to push forward in a very deliberate fashion.”

146 corpses buried without coffins discovered in Kharkiv

Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:58 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian forensic experts have so far exhumed 146 bodies buried without coffins in recently liberated city Izium in Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said on Monday.

Close to 450 graves were found at the site, Volodymyr Zelensky had said last week.

Authorities in Ukraine are still trying to assess incidents and war crimes that took place in areas under the control of Russian troops for months.

The workers are using shovels to dig out the partially decomposed bodies, officials said. Locals said the remains were there in the town’s streets long after they died before being buried in the city.

“Soldiers had their hands tied, there were signs of torture on civilians,” Serhiy Bolvinov, the head of investigative police in the Kharkiv region said on Monday.

At least 17 soldiers were found buried in a mass grave at the site, officials said.

Ukrainian soldiers successfully liberated the critical Kharkiv oblast last week, marking a significant and dramatic turn of events in the war.

US may provide Ukraine with tanks, report says

Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:52 , Arpan Rai

The US could be looking to send more heavy artillery into the ongoing war in Ukraine, a senior military official said, reported CNN.

According to the official, tanks are “absolutely on the table,” but are currently not an option due to issues of training, maintenance, and sustainment.

“We’re looking at the entirety of the Ukrainian armed forces and considering for the future what capabilities they will need and how the US and our allies will be able to support Ukraine in building out those capabilities,” the official said on a background call with reporters.

Ukraine war to be tabled at UNGA tomorrow as 'most important issue'

Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:42 , Arpan Rai

The war in Ukraine will be the most important issue at the United Nations general assembly tomorrow, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said.

“Last year we were discussing about Afghanistan, and this week Ukraine will be the most important issue. Because the war in Ukraine is not just a war in Ukraine,” Mr Borrell said in an address yesterday.

He added: “The Ukrainians are fighting, they are being bombed with missiles; and the rest of the world is being affected by the prices increase on energy, on food, by growing insecurity and high interest rates.”

Zelensky asks allies to pour more arms as his troops liberate more territory

Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:20 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky continued his pitch to seek more arms from Ukraine’s allies against the Russian invasion in his nightly address.

“We speak about this honestly - the pace of providing aid to Ukraine should correspond to the pace of our movement,” Mr Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian wartime leader indicated that he will use the upcoming video address to the United Nations general assembly on Wednesday to seek more weapons and accelerate the aid deliveries.

“Tomorrow will be a very important day – we are preparing a speech at the UN General Assembly. There will be important signals from our state,” the Ukrainian president said.

“We are doing everything to ensure Ukraine’s needs are met at all levels - defence, financial, economic, diplomatic,” Mr Zelensky said.

Putin’s troops clearly in panic mode, says Zelensky

Tuesday 20 September 2022 05:02 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian “occupiers” are panicking as his soldiers are further strengthening their hold in other territories recaptured, adding that his fighters will focus on “speed” now in the next stage of war.

“The Kharkiv region – we are stabilising the situation, holding our positions. Firmly. So firmly that the occupiers are panicking tangibly. Well, we warned that the Russian soldiers in Ukraine have only two options: flee our land or surrender,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address last night.

He added that he presents the collaborators with similar options. “...Either they will try to escape, and it remains to be seen whether Russia will let them into its territory, even despite giving them its passports, or the collaborators will be convicted according to the current legislation of Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said.

“The speed at which our troops are moving. The speed in restoring normal life,” he added, underlining Kyiv’s renewed focus on “speed” in liberated areas.

Tuesday 20 September 2022 04:40 , Arpan Rai

Good morning, welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war on Tuesday, 20 September.