In the southwestern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, Russian authorities claimed they foiled a Ukrainian sabotage operation, killing two of the alleged saboteurs and detaining five others.
Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as soon as what Moscow claims to be promises become concrete guarantees, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting his Turkish counterpart.
Ukraine appears to make progress along Russia's southern front. Here are other headlines you should know
From CNN staff
Ukrainian forces said they had penetrated the “first line” of Russian strongholds in the Zaporizhzhia region, in a sign that Kyiv is edging closer to Moscow’s sprawling network of fortified trenches along the southern front.
News of the latest progress comes against the backdrop of reports that US and Western allies had noted the slow pace of the counteroffensive. CNN reported earlier this month that the US had been receiving increasingly “sobering updates.”
Here are other headlines you should know:
On the ground developments: Ukrainian shelling wounded 10 people Thursday in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic of eastern Ukraine, according to a Russia-backed official. Also, a British volunteer has been killed while fighting in eastern Ukraine, according to his family.
Weapons: As Ukraine accelerates efforts to develop a sophisticated domestic weapons industry, it has welcomed the opening of an office in Kyiv by UK aerospace and weapons giant BAE Systems. Additionally, a Ukrainian-made long-range weapon has successfully hit a target at a distance of 700 km (about 435 miles), Zelensky said Thursday. He didn’t provide any images or say what kind of weapon it was.
Black Sea grain deal updates: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as soon as what Moscow claims to be promises become concrete guarantees. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that any consideration of supporting Russian grain exports in the Black Sea without resuming exports from Ukrainian ports would bolster Moscow’s “sense of impunity” and “deal a severe blow to international obligations and international law.”
Wagner latest: Demands by the leadership of Poland and the Baltic states for the withdrawal of Wagner Group mercenaries from Belarus are “unreasonable and stupid,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday.
Russian-German national allegedly conspired to smuggle US microelectronics to feed Russian war machine
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Jennifer Hauser
A Russian-German national was arrested and charged with illegally obtaining and exporting large quantities of sensitive US-sourced microelectronics to Russia, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York Thursday.
Arthur Petrov, 33, was arrested in the Republic of Cyprus on Saturday at the request of the United States, the release said. He is a dual Russian-German citizen.
Allegations in a complaint — unsealed in a Manhattan federal court Thursday — said Petrov resided in Russia and Cyprus and worked for a Russian-based supplier of “critical electronics components for the manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military,” the release said.
Petrov was alleged to have been working with two Russian co-conspirators. He initially acquired the microelectronics and sent them through Cyprus but never told the US distributors their true destination was Russia, according to the complaint.
The destination of the microelectronics was a Russian company that has been supplying the Russian military since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Smith said some types of microelectronics were recovered in Russian military equipment on the battlefield of Ukraine.
Petrov has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, violating the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling goods from the US, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering — some on multiple counts — which could carry decades of prison time.
CNN was unable to immediately identify a lawyer for Petrov.
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United Nations presents “concrete proposals” to Russia for Black Sea grain deal renewal
From CNN’s Mariya Knight and Richard Roth
A cargo ship waits to pass through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on October 31, 2022.
Mehmet Emin Calsikan/Reuters/File
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented “a set of concrete proposals” in order to renew the Black Sea grain deal in a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
According to Guterres, it is “extremely important to renew” the grain deal.
He said the initiative “has given a very important contribution to make the food markets more adequate to the UN objectives of food security,” such as bringing down prices and creating “conditions for access to the global markets of many countries, namely the developing world.”
However, he said, the UN “took into concern the Russian requests.”
“We have some concrete solutions for the concerns allowing for a more effective access of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets at adequate prices,” he emphasized.
Guterres said he believes the UN “presented a proposal that could be the basis for a renewal, but a renewal that must be stable.”
Some context: Earlier Thursday, Lavrov said Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as soon as promises made to Moscow become guarantees.
Russia withdrew from the initiative in July, nearly a year after it was brokered by Turkey and the UN to guarantee the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and help facilitate Russian exports of grain and fertilizer.
Russia has persistently complained that benefits due under the agreement never materialized.
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British volunteer killed while fighting in Ukraine, brother says
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Sarah Dean
A British volunteer has been killed while fighting in Ukraine, according to his family.
Sam Newey, 22, was “killed in action” on Wednesday in eastern Ukraine, his brother Dan Newey said in a Facebook tribute Thursday.
“I cannot put into words how broken I feel. I also cannot emphasise how proud I am of my little brother. He’d just turned 21 when he decided to answer the call and travel to Ukraine to push back against Russian Imperialism,” Dan wrote.
When asked about Sam Newey’s death, the United Kingdom’s foreign office spokesperson told CNN they are “providing support to the family of a British man following his death in Ukraine.”
CNN has contacted the International Legion in Ukraine for comment.
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Zelensky touts new Ukrainian-made long-range weapon
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv on August 23.
Oleg Petrasyuk/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
A Ukrainian-made long-range weapon has successfully hit a target at a distance of 700 km (about 435 miles), President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
He didn’t provide any images or say what kind of weapon it was.
Zelensky discussed the launch with top military and government officials and wrote about it on Telegram.
Zelensky didn’t say where or when the weapon was used and CNN is not able to independently verify this claim.
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Shelling wounds 10 people in occupied eastern Ukraine, Russia-backed leader says
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Ukrainian shelling wounded 10 people Thursday in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic of eastern Ukraine, according to a Russia-backed official.
The attacks targeted Donetsk city and the nearby cities of Horlivka and Volnovakha, said Denis Pushilin, the region’s separatist leader. Pushilin said on Telegram that six people were hurt in Donetsk’s Kirovskyi district, and the other four casualties came in Volnovakha.
The shelling also damaged six houses, he added.
Ukraine has not commented.
Some context: The Donetsk People’s Republic, or DPR, is one of two self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine dating back to 2014, when Russia-backed separatists seized territory and fought with Ukrainian forces.
Russia and its allies Syria and North Korea are the only countries that consider the DPR independent. The international community does not recognize the region and its institutions, and considers the territory to be part of Ukraine.
CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed to this post.
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Russian military hackers target Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices to steal battle plans, US and allies say
The new advisory from the US and its “Five Eyes” allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom — corroborates a report from Ukraine’s SBU security service that found the Russian hackers sought to infiltrate the Android tablets that the Ukrainian military used for “planning and performing combat missions.”
The Russian hackers’ malicious code was designed to steal data sent from soldiers’ mobile devices to the Starlink satellite system made by billionaire Elon Musk’s company, according to the SBU. Starlink satellites have been crucial to Ukraine’s battlefield communications, CNN previously reported.
The news shows how the struggle to control sensitive military data in cyberspace has been a key front in Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine.
It’s unclear just how successful the hacking effort was. Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed to have “blocked” some of the hacking attempts but also conceded that the Russians had “captured” the tablets on the battlefield and planted malicious software on them.
The hacking campaign comes amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has been a slow, grinding fight to push Russian forces back. US officials have expressed private concerns that Ukraine has been unable to make any substantial breakthroughs in months of fighting.
The hacking campaign “illustrates how Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine continues to play out in cyberspace,” Paul Chichester, director of operations at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, said in a statement.
Ukraine calls on Turkey to thwart Russia's attempts to establish alternative grain routes
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Radina Gigova
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that any consideration of supporting Russian grain exports in the Black Sea without resuming exports from Ukrainian ports would bolster Moscow’s “sense of impunity” and “deal a severe blow to international obligations and international law.”
The statement comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan are holding talks in Moscow about grain shipments.
On Thursday, Lavrov said the two had discussed Moscow’s initiative to organize deliveries of Russian grain to Turkey at a reduced price to be processed at Turkish facilities, and then shipped to the “most needy countries in the world.”
“After withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Russian Federation commenced systematic missile attacks against the infrastructure of Ukrainian ports and grain storage facilities,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said, accusing Russia of purposefully trying to reduce the availability of Ukrainian grain on global markets and increase food prices “for their own benefit.”
Ukraine remains interested in reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative that Russia pulled out and is also “actively pursuing the launch of alternate routes,” it said.
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Ukrainian forces appear to be making slow progress in southeastern parts of the country
From CNN's Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych and Sana Noor Haq
Ukrainian forces said they had penetrated the “first line” of Russian strongholds in the Zaporizhzhia region, in a sign that Kyiv is edging closer to Moscow’s sprawling network of fortified trenches along the southern front.
The Ukrainian military claimed Thursday that its units had advanced toward two villages to the south and east of Robotyne, a village in Zaporizhzhia that Kyiv secured last week amid a grueling counteroffensive that is yielding incremental gains.
Testimonies reviewed by CNN shed light on the numerous challenges for Ukrainian troops trying to break through a dense system of Russian minefields, antitank obstacles and widespread tunnels in parts of southern and eastern Ukraine.
News of the latest progress comes against the backdrop of reports that US and Western allies had noted the slow pace of the counteroffensive. CNN reported earlier this month that the US had been receiving increasingly “sobering updates.”
Russian military bloggers reported increased activity near the village of Verbove, in southeastern Ukraine, but said Moscow’s forces were resisting Ukrainian advances.
On Monday, satellite imagery of the village of Solodka Balka — 7 kilometers (4 miles) south of Robotyne — showed steel-reinforced communications trenches, vehicle shelters and “dragon’s teeth” fortifications aimed at obstructing Ukrainian advances.
Kyiv has expanded its units toward the strategic town of Tokmak in recent weeks, a logistic center for Russian forces with a railhead through which resupply is carried out and depots for fuel and ammunition are situated.
Combat has ramped up toward the northern outskirts of Novoprokopivka – a small rural settlement about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Robotyne and close to a line of Russian fortifications in Zaporizhzhia, according to the 46th Brigade, which is fighting in the area.
Demands by Poland and Baltic states for Wagner fighters to leave Belarus are unreasonable, Lukashenko says
From CNN's Radina Gigova in London
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko speaks as he meets with foreign media at his residence, the Independence Palace, in the capital Minsk on July 6, 2023.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
Demands by the leadership of Poland and the Baltic states for the withdrawal of Wagner Group mercenaries from Belarus are “unreasonable and stupid,” President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday.
Lukashenko added that Poland and the Baltic states should not have “a single foreign military officer or soldier on their territory. “Only in this case they have the right to protest against the presence of the military from other countries here,” Lukashenko said, according to BelTa. “Otherwise, these are unreasonable and stupid demands.”
Lukashenko condemned the decision by Poland in April to suspend its Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty obligations in relation to Belarus. “This is already a dangerous step, and we should keep reminding Poland’s leadership about this – so that their decisions won’t come back to hurt them,” he said.
However, Lukashenko said Belarus is ready to restore good relations with its neighbors but lamented the lack of willingness on their part.
Lukashenko’s latest comments come as the security situation in the region has become increasingly tense, due to the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus, following the group’s short-lived rebellion in Russia.
On Monday, Poland and the Baltic states pledged to shut their borders with Belarus if a “critical incident” occurs, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said.
Earlier in August, Poland announced it would move around 10,000 troops to its border with Belarus, while Lithuania said it would temporarily suspend operations at two checkpoints at the border due to concerns over Wagner.
In July, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the situation along the eastern border has now become “even more dangerous,” as more than 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to a strategic stretch of Polish territory lying between Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
He also said Wagner mercenaries may try to pose as migrants in order to cross from Belarus into Poland, in an effort to destabilize NATO’s eastern flank.
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Russia waiting for "guarantees" on Black Sea grain deal before rejoining, foreign minister says
From CNN's Darya Tarasova
A tractor works the field on a private farm in Zhurivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as soon as what Moscow claims to be promises become concrete guarantees.
Russia withdrew from the initiative in July, nearly a year after it was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to guarantee safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and help facilitate Russian exports of grain and fertilizer.
Russia has persistently complained that benefits due under the agreement never materialized.
Speaking in Moscow after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Lavrov said that “we conveyed to our Turkish partners our understanding of what needs to be done in the West, first of all, to restore the viability of this initiative.”
“President (Vladimir) Putin has repeatedly, officially and clearly said that as soon as measures are taken — not on negotiations on the Russian part of the Black Sea package, but measures to solve all those problems that have remained unfulfilled, despite the promises of the UN secretary general, whose efforts we appreciate — but as soon as the talks turn into a concrete decision on the same day, we are ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the grain package,” Lavrov said.
“I can only confirm that as soon as there are not promises, but guarantees — with a concrete result that can be put into practice tomorrow — the implementation of this package will resume in full,” he added.
The Russian foreign minister said he and Fidan had also discussed Putin’s initiative to organize “deliveries of up to a million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at a reduced price for processing at Turkish enterprises and shipment to the most needy countries in the world.” Lavrov said Qatar was prepared to help finance the initiative.
Before the war, Ukraine was the fifth-largest wheat exporter globally, accounting for 10% of exports, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Ukraine is also among the world’s top three exporters of barley, maize and rapeseed oil, according to Gro Intelligence, an agricultural data firm.
The deal had allowed for the export of almost 33 million metric tons of food through Ukrainian ports, according to UN data.
CNN’s Anna Cooban contributed reporting to this post.
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US ambassador to UN slams Russia on last day of Security Council monthly presidency
From CNN’s Richard Roth
Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks after a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the war in Ukraine, on August 24, at United Nations headquarters in New York.
John Minchillo/AP
On her last day as United Nations Security Council president, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia “did their best (but) they failed” in disrupting goals in August during the US rotation.
Russia “tried to obstruct the work of the council,” she said, adding that “they are isolated in their obstruction.”
She said she expects “intense pressure” on Russia to remove its troops from Ukraine during the high-level General Assembly week in mid-September.
The US envoy said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “may be here,” and Albania — the next country to hold the monthly council presidency — will host a council meeting on Ukraine during the week.
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UK defense giant BAE Systems agrees to form partnerships to produce weapons in Ukraine
From CNN's Tim Lister and Yulia Kesaieva
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, center left, meets with representatives of BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn, center right, in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 31.
President of Ukraine
As Ukraine accelerates efforts to develop a sophisticated domestic weapons industry, it has welcomed the opening of an office in Kyiv by UK aerospace and weapons giant BAE Systems.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn in Kyiv, telling him, “You are an example for other companies to develop their presence in Ukraine and develop weapons production.”
Several cooperation agreements were signed to develop arms production in Ukraine in partnership with other domestic companies.
Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, whose role includes building a defense industrial base, said BAE’s commitment would help “build the future of the Ukrainian defense industry. Together with the company, we will be able to localize the production of advanced weapons.”
One project will be the joint production in Ukraine of BAE’s L119 light howitzer.
Ukraine has recently announced steps toward producing more of its own artillery munitions and has a rapidly expanding local drone industry.
Some background: BAE Systems (BAESF), Europe’s largest defense contractor by revenue, logged record orders worth £37 billion ($44 billion) last year, though the majority were related to programs predating the war.
CNN’s Anna Cooban contributed reporting to this post.
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It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Russian air defenses repelled drones flying toward Moscow and the southwest Bryansk region bordering Ukraine Thursday, according to officials. Kyiv appears to be again intensifying aerial attacks on Russian territory amid grueling battles on the ground.
Here are the latest developments:
Drone attacks: Russian air defenses destroyed a drone flying near Moscow Thursday morning, the city’s mayor said. Further south, a local governor said Russian forces shot down three drones over Bryansk. On Wednesday, Russia was hit by the biggest drone assault on its territory since launching its full-scale war on Ukraine last year.
Sabotage claims: Russian authorities in Bryansk said they had thwarted a Ukrainian sabotage operation, killing two of the alleged saboteurs and detaining five others, according to a local official Wednesday. Ukrainian officials have declined to comment on the claims, branding them “the fantasies of the Russian special services.”
Counteroffensive gains: Ukrainian forces are making gradual progress in their counteroffensive against Russian defense lines in southeastern regions of the country, according to official Ukrainian accounts and Russian military bloggers. Kyiv claimed its forces are making incremental advances in the Zaporizhzhia regions near two villages to the south and east of Robotyne, which its forces took last week.
Elections in occupied regions: Ukrainian authorities have urged citizens in occupied areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk not to vote in upcoming elections planned by Russian-appointed officials, adding they should “leave the region” if possible. It comes a year after Russian forces staged illegal referendums in the same four regions.
Here’s the latest map of control:
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Ukraine urges people in occupied areas to avoid voting in local elections planned by Russians
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Ukrainian authorities have urged citizens in occupied areas not to vote in upcoming elections planned by Russian-appointed officials, adding they should “leave the region” if possible.
“Russians have started holding ‘elections’ to pseudo-local councils and ‘legislative bodies’ in the temporarily occupied territories,” Ukraine’s National Resistance Center (NRC), an official agency, said on Thursday.
Occupation authorities were planning “early voting” in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions through September 8 at people’s homes, the NRC added. The voting will begin in Kherson and Luhansk on September 2.
Voting will then take place at polling stations between September 8 and 10. “The Russians need this long scheme to hide the turnout and the lack of interest of the locals in the ‘expression of will,’” the NRC said.
The NRC also alleged that “election commission members” accompanied by Russian soldiers are going around Ukrainians’ homes to identify those willing to vote, which happened in referendums last year on the status of the occupied regions in Ukraine universally dismissed as sham by Ukrainian and Western leaders.
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Ukrainian sabotage operation foiled in Russia's Bryansk region, governor claims
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Victoria Butenko
Russian authorities in the southwestern Bryansk region bordering Ukraine have thwarted a Ukrainian sabotage operation, killing two of the alleged saboteurs and detaining five others, a local official claimed Thursday.
In a Telegram post, Bryansk Gov. Alexander Bogomaz claimed the group were armed with Western-supplied weapons and planned to strike military and energy facilities.
“The activities of a Ukrainian sabotage and terrorist group consisting of staff employees of the SBU [Ukrainian security service], military personnel of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the special forces of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine were suppressed,” Bogomaz said.
Russian state news agency TASS also released a video showing weapons and equipment that authorities said were seized from the group.
Ukrainian officials have declined to comment on the claims.
Two members of the Russian National Guard were injured as a result of a clash with the group of Ukrainian saboteurs, according to the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
The agency quoted Valery Gribakin of the National Guard as saying: “The Russian Guards organized pursuit, blocked the enemy, and entered into battle. Despite the injuries received during the clash by two Russian Guard servicemen, two members of the Sabotage and Reconnaissance Group were eliminated, five were captured and held until the arrival of special units.”
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Ukraine's counteroffensive is making gradual gains, Kyiv officials and Russian bloggers say
From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych
A Ukrainian serviceman operates an FPV drone from his positions at a front line near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25.
Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters
Ukrainian forces are making gradual progress in their counteroffensive against Russian defense lines in southeastern regions of the country, according to official Ukrainian accounts and Russian military bloggers.
The Ukrainian military claimed on Thursday that its units advanced towards two villages to the south and east of Robotyne, a village in Zaporizhzhia that Kyiv took last week.
“In the Novodanylivka-Novoprokopivka direction, they have been successful, are consolidating their positions, inflicting artillery fire on the identified enemy targets, and conducting counter-battery operations,” the military’s General Staff said.
Combat moved to the northern outskirts of Novoprokopivka – a small rural settlement about four kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Robotyne and close to a line of Russian fortifications, according to the 46th Brigade, which is fighting in the area.
Units were also stationed on the western edge of the village of Verbove in southeastern Ukraine, the brigade said on Telegram. Fighting was already taking place very close to Russian defensive lines, the brigade added.
“(The) Russians are constantly counterattacking and actively defending – we are moving, squeezing out the occupiers, but a month of fighting has shown that the enemy is not going to give up the captured land – there is a lot of work ahead.”
Two Ukrainian assault groups had tried to break through the defensive line on the outskirts of Verbove “and were destroyed,” the Russian-appointed official in control of occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia, Yevgeniy Balitsky, said.
And a well-known Russian military blogger, WarGonzo, said Ukrainian troops had advanced toward Verbove from the west but Russian units “hold the defense on the outskirts of the settlement.”
Ukraine reported multiple Russian air strikes in the area, amid intense combat on the ground and the persistent use of artillery by both sides.
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Three drones shot down in Russia's Bryansk region, governor says
From CNN's Aruzhan Zeinulla
Russia shot down three drones over its southwestern region of Bryansk on Thursday, a local governor said, as Kyiv continues to ramp up aerial assaults on Russian territory. The Bryansk region borders both Ukraine and Belarus.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our citizens, the call center for emergency operational services received a message about a suspicious aircraft over the city of Bryansk today,” Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
Defense forces downed “three aircraft-type UAVs” using anti-drone weapons and a special carbine, he added. There were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, Bogomaz said.
Several videos appeared on social media channels on Thursday purporting to show the drones in flight.
It came a day after Russia was hit by the biggest drone assault since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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Russia downs another drone near Moscow, mayor says
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Russian air defenses destroyed a drone flying toward Moscow Thursday morning, the city’s mayor said, a day after Russia came under the largest drone assault on its territory since it launched its war on Ukraine.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the latest drone was downed over the Voskresensky district southeast of the capital.
No casualties or damage were reported, he said.
Sergei Sobyanin attends a forum in St. Petersburg on June 16.
Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Image/AP
It comes after six Russian regions including Moscow came under attack early Wednesday, while in the city of Pskov, near the Estonian border, several transport planes were reportedly damaged when drones targeted an airport.
Russian officials did not report any casualties and claimed to have thwarted almost all of those strikes.
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Russia hit by biggest drone assault since war began as Kyiv reels from "massive" strikes. Here's the latest
From CNN staff
Six Russian regions, including Moscow, came under attack early Wednesday in the biggest drone assault on its territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last February. Russian officials haven’t reported any casualties and claimed to have thwarted almost all of the strikes.
A Kremlin spokesman has attributed the assault to the “continued terrorist activity of the Kyiv regime.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the attacks are an indication the “war is increasingly moving to Russia’s territory.” But he stopped short of claiming responsibility.
Meanwhile, Kyiv officials said Russia hit the Ukrainian capital with a “massive” bombardment that killed two men. Kyiv residents told CNN of their panic and fear as the city was shaken by the powerful assault.
An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 30.
Vladyslav Sodel/Reuters
Here’s what else you need to know:
More Ukrainian attacks: A Ukrainian insurgent group has claimed responsibility for an attack Tuesday on the election headquarters of a pro-Russia party in the occupied Kherson region. The group said three Russian soldiers were killed, a claim that was denied by a pro-Russia politician in the area. Additionally, one person has died and 13 others were injured as a result of Ukrainian shelling of Russian-occupied Donetsk, according to the head of the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic. And pro-Ukraine Russian Volunteer Corps guerillas claimed responsibility for an August 27 drone attack on Russia’s Kursk region, saying it worked jointly with the Ukrainian Security Service.
Pilots killed: Six Ukrainian pilots were killed during a combat mission near Bakhmut, a military spokesperson told national broadcaster Suspilne on Wednesday. Details of the incident are not being disclosed due to security reasons, the spokesperson said.
Corruption scandal: Ukraine has begun a review of military medical commissions following revelations that some officers had accepted bribes to help Ukrainians evade conscription, President Zelensky said Wednesday. Thousands of military-aged men have fled abroad since the beginning of Russia’s invasion with the help of bribes and “unreasonable decisions” by military medical commissions, he said.
Prigozhin probe: Russia is considering the possibility of “deliberate” action in its investigation of the plane crash that killed Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, but Moscow will not allow international authorities to intervene, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The possibility of a “deliberate atrocity” is one of many scenarios under consideration, he said.
North Korea links: US intelligence says Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing” negotiations over a potential arms deal that would provide significant ammunition for different types of weapons systems, in the latest indication the Kremlin is desperate to obtain further materiel for its invasion of Ukraine. The report comes despite North Korea’s claims to the contrary.
Grain discussions: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will hold meetings on grain supplies in Moscow on Thursday and Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministers will discuss alternatives to the Black Sea grain deal that is no longer in effect, the ministry said.
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Corruption revelations prompt Ukraine to review military medical commissions
From CNN's Mariya Knight
Ukraine has begun a review of military medical commissions following revelations that some officers had accepted bribes to help Ukrainians evade conscription, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.
In his nightly address, Zelensky said “the inspection of military medical commissions across the country is underway.”
Thousands of military-aged men have avoided conscription and fled abroad since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 with the help of bribes and “unreasonable decisions” by military medical commissions, the president said.
On Tuesday, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that an investigation is underway into the head of the military medical commission in Kyiv, who is suspected of allowing more than 50 men of enlistment age to evade the draft in exchange for bribes on the basis of fictitious documents about “bad” health.
According to the security service, the head of the military medical commission and five others were part of the criminal scheme that helped men who wanted to evade the draft and flee abroad.
Zelensky said all of those who accepted bribes would be brought to justice.
On Sunday, Zelensky announced his intention to equate corruption with treason during wartime in an interview with Ukrainian media. Zelensky said the Ukrainian parliament will get a proposal from him “in the coming week.”
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Pro-Ukraine Russian guerillas claim responsibility for Sunday's drone strike on Kursk region
From CNN's Josh Pennington
A damaged building is seen following a reported drone attack in Kursk, Russia on August 27.
Governor of Russia's Kursk Region Roman Starovoit/Telegram/Reuters
The pro-Ukraine Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) guerilla group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a drone attack attack Sunday on the Russian region of Kursk, saying it worked in tandem with the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU).
On August 27, the Russian defense ministry claimed it destroyed the drones that were launched at the Kursk region. The RVC has disputed this and accused both the Russian defense ministry and the Kursk governor of covering up that a stray air defense missile hit a residential high-rise building. CNN cannot independently verify these claims.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, the Kursk governor and the SBU have not commented on the RVC’s claims.
The Russian Volunteer Corps is a guerilla group made up of Russian citizens fighting on the side of Ukraine. In March, the group claimed responsibility for a cross-border attack on Bryansk, a Russian region bordering Ukraine.
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Ukraine war caused "one of the most disruptive periods" for global food security, US intel says
From CNN's Katie Bo Lillis
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused deep disruptions in the global food supply, raising prices and increasing the risk of food insecurity in poorer nations in the Middle East and North Africa, America’s top spy agency said in an unclassified report released by Congress on Wednesday.
The direct and indirect effects of the war “were major drivers of one of the most disruptive periods in decades for global food security,” the eight-page report found — in large part because Ukraine and Russia were among the world’s largest pre-war exporters of grain and other agricultural products.
Although food security concerns have abated since the start of this year, according to the report, the future trajectory of global food prices likely will depend in part on what happens with the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Russia ended in July. The deal, facilitated by the United Nations, had allowed Ukrainian agricultural shipments to safely exit Black Sea ports and reach the international market.
How much acreage Ukraine is able to cultivate as the war continues to rage and the cost and availability of fertilizers will also have an impact on global food prices, the report found. Global fertilizer prices reached near-record levels in mid-2022 as global oil and natural gas prices rose.
Russia and North Korea "actively advancing" in arms deal negotiations, US says
From CNN's Sam Fossum, Kevin Liptak and Richard Roth
Vladimir Putin welcomes Kim Jong Un prior to their talks in Vladivostok on April 25, 2019.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AFP/Getty Images/File
Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing” their negotiations over a potential arms deal that would provide significant ammunition for different types of weapons systems, including artillery, in the latest indication that the Kremlin is desperate to obtain further materiel for its faltering invasion of Ukraine, according to newly released US intelligence.
The news of the potential deal comes despite North Korea’s public claims to the contrary.
The Biden administration said Wednesday it remains concerned the two pariah states are in the middle of arms negotiations and that, following Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s trip to North Korea last month, a second delegation of Russian officials have visited Pyongyang for further discussions on a potential deal.
In addition to the second delegation, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged letters “pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation,” according to National Security Council strategic communications coordinator John Kirby.
Russia sees biggest drone assault on its territory since invasion began as Ukraine strikes back
From CNN's Rob Picheta, Anna Chernova, Olga Voitovych and Gul Tuysuz
This image shows a large blaze in Pskov, Russia, on August 29.
Ostorozhno Novosti/AP
Russia has seen the biggest drone assault on its territory since it launched its war on Ukraine, while Moscow killed two men in a near-simultaneous bombardment on Kyiv as the aerial intensity of the conflict ratcheted up.
Six Russian regions including Moscow came under attack early Wednesday, while in the city of Pskov, near the Estonian border, several transport planes were reportedly damaged when drones targeted an airport.
Russian officials haven’t reported any casualties, and claimed to have thwarted almost all of the strikes.
They claimed Russian air defense forces also shot down a Ukrainian missile over eastern Crimea and at least one drone over the Bryansk region in western Russia on Wednesday.
Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser for the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said fragments of the missile that fell in eastern Crimea set the grass in the field on fire, but didn’t provide any additional details about the missile.
Popko said several groups of drones were traveling towards Kyiv “from different directions” and later missiles were launched towards the capital. More than 20 “enemy targets” were destroyed by air defense forces, he added.
Two people were killed — men ages 26 and 36 — and three people sustained injuries of varying severity from falling debris, according to the Kyiv city military administration.
