One person was killed and dozens wounded in a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, officials said. Three people were also reportedly killed in strikes in the southern region of Kherson.
Ukraine accused a group of Chinese bloggers of violating its borders after opera singer Wang Fan was filmed singing a Soviet war song inside the theater where hundreds were killed during Russia’s assault on Mariupol.
Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.
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Ukraine plans to provide humanitarian aid to African and Asian countries through Danube ports, official says
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
Ukraine will use Danube ports to ship humanitarian aid to African and Asian countries, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The government of Ukraine, during a meeting held in Kyiv on Friday, supported a resolution to involve Ukrainian ports on the Danube River in providing humanitarian aid in the form of wheat and corn to those countries in the two continents.
“This is our contribution to global food security. We are working with the UN and our other partners to fully restore agricultural exports from Ukraine and finally unblock our Black Sea ports,” Shmyhal said.
Russia pulled out of a deal to allow the safe passage of ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports in July. Since then, Russia also ramped up attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure.
The Black Sea initiative was significant in stabilizing global food markets since the war started in February last year, particularly for poorer countries relying more heavily on grain supplies from the region.
Ukraine harvested 34 million tonnes of crops this year, including 22 million tonnes of wheat, according to the country’s prime minister.
The country’s domestic demand is 6-7 million tonnes per year, Shmyhal said.
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UN watchdog warns of increased fighting around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq
A Russian service member stands guard at a checkpoint near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant outside Enerhodar on June 15.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Experts from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency are once again warning of “a potential threat to nuclear safety” at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after hearing explosions there over the past week.
The plant – which is the largest of its kind in Europe – is located along the banks of the Dnipro River, next to the town of Enerhodar. It has been under full Russian control since March of last year but is operated mostly by Ukrainian staff, who were initially forced to work by invading Russian troops.
Experts from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency are stationed at the plant and “have reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week, in a possible sign of increased military activity in the region that could also pose a potential threat to nuclear safety and security at the site,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement Friday.
The director general said the IAEA team heard about two dozen explosions over the course of last Saturday, Sunday and Monday, followed by several more during “the last few days.”
Reports indicate the explosions occurred “some distance away” from the plant, Grossi said. “Nevertheless, I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region,” he wrote.
Power plant staff told the watchdog agency that more drone strikes hit Enerhodar, where many employees live with their families, on Thursday morning, according to the statement. No casualties were reported.
The IAEA team was also informed that the plant has reduced the number of on-site staff to minimum levels over the next few days due to the risk of further fighting nearby.
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Zelensky to CNN on suggestions to negotiate with Putin: It's impossible to compromise "with a liar"
From CNN's Andrew Carey in Kyiv
Ukraine’s president says the example of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary leader who died in a plane crash last month, shows what happens when you try to make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive so far has resulted in only modest gains, but Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN he rejected suggestions it was time to negotiate peace with the Kremlin.
The Wagner leader’s fiery end, after apparently receiving promises over his freedom to continue operating, just weeks after leading a revolt against Putin’s handling of the war, was a warning to be heeded, Zelensky suggested.
While the United States and other key Ukrainian allies continue to supply weapons to Kyiv, stressing that conditions to pursue a “just and durable” peace are not yet in place, several other prominent world leaders, such as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, have put the onus on Ukraine to end the war.
Ukraine’s leader pointed to examples of other countries that have been attacked by Russian soldiers and continue to be partly occupied by Moscow, as support for his position.
“Did you see any compromise from Putin on other issues? With Georgia? With Moldova?” Zelensky asked rhetorically.
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At least 1 dead and more than 70 injured in missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, say Ukrainian officials
From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Vasco Cotovio in London
Burning buildings are seen at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on September 8.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters
A Russian missile strike on the center of Kryvyi Rih killed one person and injured a further 72 people on Friday, Ukrainian officials said.
The head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Serhii Lysak, said there was also extensive damage.
“Three administrative buildings were damaged. 7 residential buildings were damaged, including a multi-story building,” he said.
Klymenko later confirmed that “search and rescue operations have been completed in Kryvyi Rih.”
Earlier, Klymenko said nine police officers were among the injured.
Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Editor’s note: The number of injured has been updated to reflect the latest information provided by authorities.
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Russia shoots down Ukrainian drone over Bryansk, defense ministry says
From CNN's Darya Tarasova and Vasco Cotovio
The Russian Ministry of Defense says it foiled what it called another attempt by Ukraine to “carry out a terrorist attack” with drones — this time over Bryansk.
“Around 5:30 p.m., an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted,” the ministry said in a statement Friday. “Air defense forces on duty over Bryansk intercepted three unmanned aerial vehicles, two of which were destroyed in the air.”
The Bryansk region borders both Ukraine and Belarus.
Earlier today, the ministry said it had repelled another Ukrainian drone attack attempt in Belgorod.
Voting underway in Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions as residents "know who will win anyways"
From CNN's Rob Picheta and Yulia Kesaieva
Sixty miles northeast of Melitopol, a Ukrainian counteroffensive is grinding laboriously through Russian-held territory, hoping to liberate regions from the grips of Moscow’s rule.
But in this city – one of the first captured by Russian forces after their invasion last February – another operation is in full swing. There is one key difference: everyone knows how this one is going to end.
Voting is underway in Russia-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, as Moscow attempts to exert authority with elections the international community have widely dismissed as a sham.
Campaign material has apparently been dropped in from Russia to give the appearance of a proper contest. “It seems like there is nothing left in the city except the headquarters of (Russia’s ruling party) United Russia, the military and the billboards,” said a Melitopol resident in her early 30s who has refused to flee the city. CNN is referring to the woman by the pseudonym Baska, because of concerns for her safety.
Russia held similar sham referendums in the four regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk last year, in an attempt to project authority over the parts of Ukraine its troops had captured. The new round of elections is being held alongside local votes inside Russia.
While Melitopol was struck earlier in the year by Ukrainian missile attacks on Russian targets, recently, it has been quiet. “People here do not feel the war. If last year almost every person standing at the queue at the market was talking about Mariupol or Crimea, now people have different feelings,” Baska added. “There are now fewer local people in the city than newcomers … soon there will be a complete replacement of the local population (by Russians), it feels like.”
Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN. But to Moscow, the votes across occupied Ukraine are another tool through which to enforce control – even if international observers are unmoved.
First batch of Leopard 1 tanks arrives in Ukraine, Denmark says
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in London
Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks arrive at a military training ground where Ukrainian tank crews are being trained to operate and maintain them by German and Danish military personnel on May 5, near Klietz, Germany.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The first 10 German-made Leopard 1 tanks pledged by Denmark have arrived in Ukraine, the Danish Armed Forces said in a statement on Friday.
An additional 10 tanks have since been delivered from the factory after undergoing renovation, and they should be sent to Ukraine soon, it added.
Denmark has joined efforts with Germany to donate the vehicles, first introduced in 1960s, most of which had been decommissioned in the early 2000s. They will also provide training to the Ukrainian crews that are going to be operating them once they reach Ukraine.
Around 135 of the vehicles are expected to be donated to Ukraine after undergoing refurbishment, having been in storage for nearly 20 years.
Remember: In late January, the United States and Germany each announced they would send contingents of tanks to Ukraine, reversing their longstanding trepidation at providing Kyiv with offensive armored vehicles. The announcement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that he will send Leopard 2 tanks was coupled with an announcement from US President Joe Biden that he was providing 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
The modern German Leopard 2 tanks were introduced in 1979 and have been upgraded several times since, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
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Lithuania announces donation of 4.5 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in London
Lithuania has announced it has donated 4.5 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced on Friday.
“NASAMS missile launch systems, anti-drones, logistical equipment and other support will soon be transferred to Ukraine,” it added.
Lithuania has also been regularly training Ukrainian soldiers, and its contribution are among the highest in terms of percentage of GDP.
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UK prime minister vows to highlight "devastating impact" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the G20
From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks with journalists onboard the Voyager aircraft as he travels to India for the G20 Summit on September 7.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday said he will highlight the “devastating impact” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the upcoming G20 Summit in the Indian capital New Delhi this weekend.
Speaking to Indian news agency ANI on Friday, Sunak said, “When it comes to Ukraine and Russia and their conflict, one thing I will be doing is highlighting the devastating impact that Russia’s illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world, particularly on food prices and Russia has recently pulled out of the grain deal that we are shipping grains to many poor countries around the world and now you see food prices go up, that is causing suffering to millions of people and that’s not right. So one of the things we are doing is making people aware of the impact of Russia’s illegal war.”
Some context: India has repeatedly called for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have had at least seven official phone calls since the start of the Russian invasion and a bilateral on the side lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Samarkand last September, according to past statements issued by the Indian government.
Modi has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky five times since the start of the war, including a meeting on the side lines of the G7 Summit in Japan earlier this year.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office at the time read, Modi had “noted that the conflict in Ukraine has had a significant impact on the whole world,” reiterating India’s “clear support for dialogue and diplomacy to find a way forward.”
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Chinese opera singer's visit to Mariupol theater sparks Ukrainian condemnation
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv and Vasco Cotovio in London
The destroyed Mariupol theatre building in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 25, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused a group of Chinese bloggers of violating its state borders and entering the country illegally, after opera singer Wang Fan was filmed singing the Soviet war song “Katyusha” inside the Mariupol Drama Theater where hundreds were killed.
“The performance of the song “Katyusha” by Chinese “opera singer” Wang Fan on the ruins of the Mariupol Drama Theater, where the Russian army killed more than 600 innocent people, is an example of complete moral degradation,” the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Nikolenko said in a Facebook statement on Friday.
Wang was part of a group of Chinese bloggers visiting the occupied Ukrainian city, which Ukraine says is illegal.
The Ukrainian Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boichenko echoed criticism of the visit.
China has not yet commented on the incident.
More background: On March 16, the theater was struck by a heavy bomb while hundreds of people were taking shelter there. At the time, Mariupol was under siege by Russian forces. The theater was struck even though it had a large sign spelling out “children” on the ground outside.
The number of casualties was never confirmed, but several investigations estimated that as many as 600 people were killed.
The Russian military denied striking the building, and some Russian-appointed officials accused Ukrainian militants of carrying out the attack. No evidence for that claim has emerged.
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Russia says air defense shot down Ukrainian drone over Belgorod
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in London
The Russian Ministry of Defense says it foiled what it called an attempt by Ukraine to “carry out a terrorist attack” with a drone over Belgorod.
“On September 8, at about 15.00, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
“An unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty,” it added.
Ukraine denounces "sham" elections in Russian-occupied regions
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio in London and Yulia Kesaieva in Kyiv
A voter sits in front of members of an electoral commission at a polling station during local elections held by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on September 8.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Russian-installed officials are holding what they say are local elections in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea regions, a process which Ukrainian officials have described as a sham, a farce and a propaganda move.
The so-called vote, which is taking place from September 8 to September 10 has been denounced by the international community and officials in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the so-called elections further violated Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“Russia’s sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void,” it said in a statement on Friday. “They will have no legal consequences and will not bring any changes in the international status of Ukrainian territories seized by Russian military forces.”
The statement further called on international organizations to denounce the so-called vote.
The Council of Europe said ahead of the so-called elections they were “a flagrant violation of international law which Russia continues to disregard,” adding that the territories “will remain an integral part of Ukraine.”
But Russian-installed officials are pressing ahead, billing the so-called vote as a defining moment for the occupied regions.
Early voting has been taking place in most of the occupied Ukrainian regions, with officials going door to door, allegedly to facilitate the voting process. Russian officials have declared Friday a public holiday in a bid to encourage people to take part but local Ukrainian officials say the move is designed to keep people at home and facilitate coercion.
The Ukrainian head of the Zaporizhzhia region Yurii Malashko said the so-called election is “being held at gunpoint, a lot of cases known, where people are being told who to vote for and where the check mark to put.”
CNN could not independently verify Makashko and Fedorov’s claims but they match accounts of previous votes carried out by Russian installed officials in occupied Ukraine, since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The so-called vote is taking place at the same time as local elections in parts of Russia and observers and analysts believe it is designed to feign stability and normalcy in regions Moscow still does not fully controls.
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It’s mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know
From CNN staff
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been underway for months. While its progress has not been as swift and decisive as initially hoped, Kyiv’s forces have begun to make progress – especially in the south – after breaching the first line of Russia’s heavily fortified defenses at a number of locations.
Trench by trench, inch by inch, Ukraine is trying to reclaim the territory occupied by Moscow. To help make sense of the grueling, grinding conflict, CNN has been taking a look at the key battles of the latest phase of the war – and today has published its visual guide to Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Meanwhile, Russia has launched a deadly missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
Here are the latest developments:
Kryvyi Rih strike: A Russian missile attack on the center of Kryvyi Rih killed one person and injured a further 54 people on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that the person killed was a police officer. Three more police officers were rescued from the rubble, Klymenko said, and they remain in serious condition. Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian military draft: Ukrainian women with a medical education must register at military enlistment offices from the start of October, Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced Thursday. “All medical women, these are doctors, nurses, dentists, midwives, pharmacists, ages 18 to 60, will be required to register,” the statement said. These women, like Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60, will have to remain in Ukraine in the event that they are called up.
Ukrainian POWs tortured: About 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been subjected to torture, rape and other forms of inhumane treatment, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin. Ukraine found “evidence of these horrors in all the liberated territories,” Kostin said Thursday. His report found 11 torture chambers in Kherson region, and claimed that more than 700 victims had been identified in Kharkiv region. So far, 35 people have been convicted of torture, he said.
Russia weaponizing food: European Union Council President Charles Michel accused Russia of “weaponizing food” and “hurting the most vulnerable,” in comments made at a press conference in India ahead of the G20 summit beginning this weekend. Michel called Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal as “scandalous,” and highlighted that more than 250 million people face acute food insecurity worldwide, which Russia’s termination of the grain deal and subsequent bombardment of Ukraine’s ports will make worse.
Cuba arrests traffickers: Cuban authorities arrested 17 people linked to a human trafficking network operating from Russia that it alleges has recruited Cuban citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine, Cuban state media reported Thursday. The Cuban foreign affairs ministry, which first revealed the operations of the trafficking ring on Monday, said the human trafficking network had been dismantled.
Here’s the latest map of control:
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Sweden says it is "waiting" for Turkey to kickstart NATO ratification process
From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy in London
Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom attends a press conference in Riga, Latvia, on September 7.
Toms Kalnins/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Sweden says it is “waiting” on Turkey to kickstart the process to ratify its application to join NATO, according to the country’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom.
Speaking during a press conference in Riga, Latvia on Thursday, Billstom outlined Sweden’s readiness to continue with its membership application.
“Yes, we are completely ready, and we are waiting for the ratification process to start in Ankara,” Billstrom said after meeting with his Nordic and Baltic counterparts.
After months of negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan finally agreed to back Sweden’s membership bid at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Sweden is now waiting for the Turkish parliament to vote on a document approving its accession to the military alliance.
Some background: Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but while the latter has acceded to the alliance, Sweden’s application was stalled due to opposition from Turkey. Ankara raised a number of concerns, in particular claiming that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
In a surprise about-face from the Turkish president, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the eve of the Vilnius summit that Erdogan had dropped his opposition and would put the accession protocol to Turkey’s parliament for ratification. However no timeline was given for doing so.
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Three killed by Russian strikes in Kherson, says Ukrainian official
From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv
Russian strikes on the southern region of Kherson have killed three people and injured another four, according to Ukrainian officials.
Among the injured are four women, two in moderate condition, and two with light injuries, officials said.
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Women who have medical education must register for military service, says Ukraine
From CNN's Mariya Knight in Atlanta
Ukrainian women who have medical education must register at military enlistment offices starting October 1, the country’s Armed Forces said in a Facebook post Thursday.
The statement added that eligibility will be determined “by the diploma and by the actual place of work.”
This means that these women, like Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60, will have to remain in Ukraine as they “may be called up for military service,” according to the Armed Forces.
“If they (women) are on the register, then they acquire the status of conscripts. And conscripts leave abroad according to the order established for them. That is, if there are separate documents that give the right for a temporary departure – then yes, they will be able to leave. If not, then they, like men, will be limited in their right to leave,” Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of Ukraine’s parliament who is on the National Security Committee, said in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet RBC on Thursday.
Pregnant women, current students or women with certain medical conditions will be exempt from service.
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About 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been tortured, says Ukraine’s prosecutor general
From CNN's Mariya Knight in Atlanta
Items are seen inside a cell at a preliminary detention centre which is believed to have been used by Russian forces to jail and torture civilians in Kherson, Ukraine, on November 16, 2022.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Roughly 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been subjected to torture, rape, threats of sexual violence or other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment, according to recent estimates, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said Thursday.
Ukraine found “evidence of these horrors in all the liberated territories,” Kostin said, during a meeting with Alice Kill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Kostin noted that 156 suspects have been identified in cases involving various forms of torture, adding that indictments have been sent to court against 114 of these suspects.
The suspects include “Russian military personnel and representatives of the occupying authorities,” according to Kostin.
35 people have been convicted of torture and cruel treatment as war crimes, he said.
Kostin called on the world community “to destroy the Russian torture machine and ensure the punishment of each of its participants.”
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of torture and human rights abuses in Ukraine – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, which has been investigated and brought to light by international human rights organizations and media outlets. Russian officials have not yet commented on the latest report.
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Seeking a breakthrough: A visual guide to Ukraine’s counteroffensive
From CNN's Lou Robinson, Sophie Tanno, Tim Lister and Byron Manle
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been underway for months, but the country’s hopes of a rapid and decisive breakthrough have long faded.
Kyiv launched the campaign aiming to recapture Russian-seized territory, especially in the south. But while there is a renewed sense of optimism, gains have been marginal and won at great cost.
As Ukrainian forces probe for vulnerabilities in Russian defenses, Moscow too is seeking to make gains, and has been trying to advance toward the city of Kupiansk, a city it seized early on in the war before losing it a year ago.
While it is impossible to get an exact, real-time picture of the situation on the ground, CNN has been taking a look at the key battles of the latest phase of the war.
The conflict so far: While Ukraine has struggled in its counteroffensive, it is important to remember the war is nowhere near where Russia’s President Vladimir Putin wanted it to be either.
When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it hoped to sweep across the country and topple the government in a matter of days.
Those goals floundered due to a combination of Russian hubris and stronger than expected Ukrainian resistance. After seeing Putin quickly withdraw his forces from around Kyiv and elsewhere in northern Ukraine, the rest of the year saw significant victories for Ukraine in the Kharkiv region to the east and the Kherson region to the south.
This year has been different: Troops from both sides have been bogged down in a slow-moving conflict with no clear end in sight. The current fighting is focused on Ukraine’s south and east, with Ukrainian forces struggling to break through defensive lines Russia had months to prepare. Success means capturing a village rather than an entire city.
Russia is "weaponizing food, hurting the most vulnerable," says EU Council president
From CNN’s Manveena Suri in New Delhi
Charles Michel attends a press briefing ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, on September 8.
Amit Dave/Reuters
Russia is “weaponizing food” and “hurting the most vulnerable,” European Union Council President Charles Michel said Friday.
His comments were made in a press conference held in the Indian capital New Delhi on Friday, ahead of the G20 Summit due to take place this weekend.
Michel described Russia’s termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July as “scandalous.”
Michel also called the Kremlin’s offer to deliver 1 million metrictons of grain to Africa “absolutely cynical” in comparison to the 32 million metrictons of grain delivered to international markets led by the United Nations.
He added that the EU is stepping up to provide alternative export routes and have so far delivered 41 million metric tons of grain.
Some context: Ukraine has been exploring alternative shipping routes after Russia pulled out of a deal in July that allowed Ukrainian ships to navigate safe passage through the Black Sea to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait in order to reach global markets.
Ukraine has also already started shipping grain through Croatian seaports, a top official said on Thursday.
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1 injured in Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine officials say
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
At least one person was injured following Russian missile strikes in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia Friday morning, according to Yuri Malashko, head of the region’s military administration.
The blast waves had “damaged windows in multi-story buildings and educational institutions,” said Anatolii Kurtev, Secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council.
Emergency services are at the site, both officials said.
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Ukraine destroys 16 drones targeting Odesa, air force says
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Ukraine’s air force said it destroyed 16 drones heading toward the southern port city of Odesa in the early hours of Friday.
A total of 20 Shahed drones were launched in the direction of Odesa region, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement on Telegram.
“Anti-aircraft missile units, fighter aircraft, mobile fire groups of the Air Force, and air defense of other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces were used to repel the attack,” it said.
The Odesa region has come under heavy fire in recent weeks by Russian forces, mainly targeting port facilities used for food exports, with Ukrainian officials accusing the Kremlin of trying to create a “food crisis” with the attacks.
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Cuba arrests 17 people linked to Russian trafficking network recruiting Cubans for war in Ukraine
From CNNE’s Gerardo Lemos in London
Cuban authorities arrested 17 people linked to a human trafficking network operating from Russia that is allegedly recruiting Cuban citizens to fight with Moscow’s military forces in Ukraine, Cuban state media reported Thursday, citing the Ministry of the Interior.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the human trafficking network had been dismantled, according to Cuba Debate in Havana.
Colonel César Rodríguez, from the interior ministry’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, reportedly said the network’s traffickers were looking for people with criminal records.
On Monday, the Cuban foreign ministry said it had uncovered the network, which was trafficking Cubans living in Russia and “even some in Cuba,” to be “incorporated into the military forces taking part in the war in Ukraine.”
At the time the ministry gave few details about the alleged trafficking operations, but said that authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network.
Cuba stressed in its statement earlier this week that it “is not part of the war in Ukraine.” The Kremlin has not commented on the allegations.
Some context: Cuba was a major ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and relations between Havana and Moscow have remained cozy since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Cuba has been a staunch defender of Russia’s war on the country, blaming the US and NATO for the conflict.
As Cuba grapples with its worse economic crisis in decades, Russia has supplied the communist-run island with badly needed food and shipments of crude oil. Since the war began the two nations have signed a flurry of agreements promising increased Russian foreign investment in Cuba.
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Analysis: Why Russia’s failures in Ukraine could be a win for North Korea
Analysis from CNN's Brad Lendon
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Monday, the US National Security Council claimed arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were “actively advancing,” after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in July in an attempt to convince it to sell artillery ammunition to Moscow.
The US also believes there could be a Putin-Kim meeting in the near future.
Should it materialize, such a meeting would come after more than a year and a half of war in Ukraine has left the Russian military battered, depleted and in need of supplies.
It would also come after 17 years of UN sanctions aimed at hampering North Korea’s ability to build a fully functioning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile force.
Bodnar noted in an interview with Ukrainian media that cargo vessels are already sailing through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey without restrictions. And a top official said Thursday that Ukraine has started shipping grain through Croatian seaports.
Ukraine has been exploring alternative shipping routes after Russia pulled out of a deal in July that allowed Ukrainian ships to navigate safe passage through the Black Sea to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait in order to reach global markets.
Also, UK insurance firm Lloyd’s of London is in discussion with the United Nations to provide coverage for shipments if a new Black Sea grain corridor agreement can be reached, CEO John Neal told Reuters.
Here’s the top headlines:
Depleted uranium munitions: The US has decided to send controversial depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine for the first time, as part of a new aid package worth more than $1 billion announced Wednesday.The US Defense Department is pushing back against Russian claims that the rounds would cause an increase in cancer and other diseases. A spokesperson said that the munitions are “standard-issue” antitank rounds used with the Abrams tanks that the US is sending to Ukraine.
Ukraine claims further marginal gains: Accounts from the front lines in southern Ukraine suggest further incremental gains for Ukrainian forces amid constant artillery, mortar and rocket fire from both sides. Geolocated videos show a wasteland of shell holes, abandoned trenches and wrecked military hardware in the area between Robotyne, Verbove and Novoprokopivka — a triangle of villages that hold the key for Ukrainians to getting closer to Tokmak, an important hub for Russian defenses.
Russia says it intercepted 2 drones: Russian air defense systems intercepted two drones over the country’s southwestern region of Bryansk on Thursday. One of the drones, which was aimed at an “industrial facility” in the city of Bryansk, “was suppressed by the electronic warfare,” the region’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz, said in a post on Telegram.
Russian embassy staff in North Korea: 20 new diplomats and staff members arrived at the Russian embassy in North Korea as part of a personnel rotation, according to a Facebook post from the embassy. It comes amid US reports that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un may meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss an arms deal. These staffers are the first to join the embassy since the height of the Covid pandemic.
Explosion in Rostov-on-Don: A drone attack caused an explosion near Russia’s military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, as Kyiv continues a campaign of strategic aerial strikes in Russian territory. Rostov-on-Don is in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border and was briefly occupied by Wagner troops during the group’s brief rebellion against the Kremlin earlier this year.
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Ukraine says it has started exporting grain through Croatian seaports
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Mariya Knight
Ukraine has already started shipping grain through Croatian seaports, a top official said on Thursday.
Ukraine has been exploring alternative shipping routes after Russia pulled out of a deal in July that allowed Ukrainian ships to navigate safe passage through the Black Sea to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait in order to reach global markets.
“After all, Russia continues to launch missile strikes on the grain infrastructure on the Black Sea coast, which significantly limits the possibilities of domestic grain exports,” Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said during the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest.
“Ukrainian grain has already been exported through Croatian ports. Thank you for this opportunity. Although this trade route is niche, it is already popular,” Svyrydenko added.
Earlier this month, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian port facilities on the Danube River used for food exports.
“We are ready to develop it, expanding the possibilities of the transport corridor. We believe that this logistics route will play an important role in bilateral trade between our countries even after the war,” according to Svyridenko.
Svyrydenko did not give further details on how much grain had already been shipped through Croatian seaports.
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Ukraine submits official proposal to Turkey to open grain corridor in Black Sea without Russia
From CNN's Mariya Knight and Yulia Kesaieva
Vasyl Bodnar speaks during an interview in Ankara, Turkiye on August 18.
Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Ukraine has submitted an official proposal to Turkey to operate a “grain corridor” in the Black Sea without Russia’s participation, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said Thursday.
Bodnar noted in an interview with Ukrainian media that cargo vessels are already sailing through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey without restrictions.
Four vessels have passed through a temporary corridor since Ukraine’s Naval Forces announced new temporary routes for civilian vessels moving to or from the Black Sea on August 10. This came after the United Nations-brokered grain deal broke down on July 16.
Bodnar said that Ukraine expects Ankara and Kyiv to communicate on the issue in the coming days or “within the framework of the UN General Assembly, in order to understand how to move forward.”
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia will be ready to consider reviving the grain deal “as soon as all the agreements on lifting restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products are fully implemented.”
Bodnar called lifting restrictions against Russia “absolutely wrong path” and said that the international community “shouldn’t give into Russian blackmail.”
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Thursday that the UN “continues to engage at all levels to make sure that both Ukrainian exports of food and fertilizer and Russian Federation exports of food and fertilizer can go out.”
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Pentagon pushes back against Russian claims of depleted uranium munition health risks
From CNN's Michael Conte
The United States Defense Department is pushing back against Russian claims that the depleted uranium rounds that the US announced it would send Ukraine would cause an increase in cancer and other diseases.
Singh said that the munitions are “standard-issue” antitank rounds used with the Abrams tanks that the US is sending to Ukraine.
The new US military assistance package was announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken while he was in Kyiv on Wednesday. The depleted uranium munitions were part of the aid for the first time, a US official told CNN.
The munitions are mildly radioactive because they are made from dense metal, a byproduct from fuel production for nuclear power plants. They can be fired from the US-made Abrams tanks that are expected to arrive in Ukraine this fall.
Singh said she would let the Ukrainians announce when the rounds have arrived.
Why is it controversial?: The International Atomic Energy Agency – the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog – has said that depleted uranium is “considerably less radioactive than natural uranium,” but urged caution when handling.
While depleted uranium does not significantly contribute to the background radiation that soldiers and civilians encounter, it can pose a danger if it enters the body. When depleted uranium munitions strike a tank’s armor, it can ignite and produce uranium dusts or aerosol particles, which, if inhaled, can enter the bloodstream and may cause kidney damage.
CNN’s Christian Edwards and Natasha Bertrand contributed reporting to this post.
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Ukrainians claim further marginal gains amid intense combat in the south
From Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Yulia Kesaieva
Accounts from the front lines in southern Ukraine suggest further incremental gains for Ukrainian forces amid constant artillery, mortar and rocket fire from both sides.
Geolocated videos show a wasteland of shell holes, abandoned trenches and wrecked military hardware in the area between Robotyne, Verbove and Novoprokopivka — a triangle of villages that hold the key for Ukrainians to getting closer to Tokmak, an important hub for Russian defenses.
Here’s where the situation stands in and around each of the three villages:
Novoprokopivka: There was an advance in this direction and Ukraine captured several Russian positions east of this settlement, according to an unofficial Telegram account of soldiers of the Ukrainian 46th separate airmobile brigade. “Currently, the success is being secured and counterattacks are being repelled,” the Telegram channel said Thursday, adding that the effort to capture the heights near Novoprokopivka is underway.
This area is just 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) south of Robotyne.
Verbove: The 46th airmobile brigade suggested a harder fight around this area, saying there “was an attempt to gain ground to the north and northwest. Controlling the heights in these areas could strengthen the position of our units in the area of the settlement.”
The channel, which has frequently proven accurate in the past, said that Russian planes continue to bombard rear positions and artillery and drones on both sides were constantly working. In this situation, “it is hardly possible to expect a sharp change in the situation in anyone’s favor in the near future,” the channel said.
Robotyne: Ukrainian forces “got Robotyne at a very high price. But the capture of this settlement opens the gates to Tokmak,” according to a soldier with the callsign “Bruce”, commander of the 47th Brigade’s reconnaissance unit.
What’s Russia saying: Russian-appointed official in control of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, Yevgeniy Balitsky, gave a different account of the situation, claiming that Moscow’s forces “inflicted massive fire damage” on Ukrainian forces, including loss of soldiers and equipment. A Russian military blogger also claimed that several enemy attacks had been repelled.
What does independent analysis show: “Ukrainian forces have advanced along the trench line west of Verbove,” the Institute for the Study of War says, citing geolocated footage. It also noted claims by Russian military bloggers that Ukrainian forces were now trying to break through in the direction of Novoprokopivka.
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What you need to know about the depleted uranium munitions that the US is sending to Ukraine
The 120mm rounds can be fired from the US-made Abrams M1 tanks and are set to arrive on Ukraine’s frontlines this fall, which both Washington and Kyiv hope will help Ukrainian forces to build on recent hard-earned gains in their ongoing counteroffensive.
But the munitions are mildly radioactive, raising queries about their safety and the risk they could pose to civilians, and drawing fierce criticism from Moscow.
Here’s what you need to know about depleted uranium munitions – and why their use has sparked questions.
What is it? Depleted uranium is what is left over when most of the highly radioactive isotopes of uranium have been stripped out of the metal for use in nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons. It is far less radioactive than enriched uranium and unable to produce a nuclear reaction. But depleted uranium is extremely dense, making it a highly effective projectile. It has the ability to tear through the armor of enemy tanks, as it becomes sharper on impact with a target.
Why is it controversial? The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has urged caution when handling it. Citing studies done on the health of military personnel exposed to depleted uranium, the agency said that while depleted uranium does not significantly contribute to the background radiation that soldiers and civilians encounter, it can pose a danger if it enters the body. When depleted uranium munitions strike a tank’s armor, it can ignite and produce uranium dusts or aerosol particles, which, if inhaled, can enter the bloodstream and may cause kidney damage.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told CNN on Wednesday that the US is confident the Ukrainians would use the munitions responsibly.
Previous reporting from CNN’s Jessie Gretener and Darya Tarasova.
