Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s drones rain down on Kyiv in attack that lasted two hours

Russian drones rained down on Kyiv in an aerial attack that lasted two hours overnight, with blasts ringing out across the city and debris falling on several of its central districts, Ukrainian officials said.

Reporters on the ground heard at least five blasts across the capital early on Sunday, while Ukrainian media footage showed a number of cars damaged. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that one person was injured in the attacks and a fire broke out near one of the city’s parks.

“Drones came onto the capital in groups and from different directions,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that drone debris sparked a fire in an apartment.

Ukraine’s Land Forces said air defence systems destroyed 25 out of 32 Russia-launched Iran-made Shahed drones on Sunday, as Moscow conducts near-nightly assaults on Ukraine’s territory.

Meanwhile, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces estimated 600 Russian troops were killed in one day on Friday, bringing the total lost since February 2022 to 268,140.

The headquarters of the United Russia political party in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Polohy was destroyed in an attack on the same day, according to the mayor of Melitopol, reported the Kyiv Independent.

Key Points

• ‘600 members of Putin’s forces killed in one day’ as party HQ destroyed

• British man who went to fight in Ukraine found dead

• IAEA ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘increased military activity’ around Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant

• Zelensky’s home town hit by missile

• Ukraine reports successes in counteroffensive for second day in a row

Ukraine says Russia launches overnight drone attack on Kyiv

08:03 , Tara Cobham

Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv early on Sunday, with blasts ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and its region for almost two hours and drone debris falling on several of the city's central districts, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine's Land Forces said that the country's air defence systems destroyed 25 out of 32 Russia-launched Iran-made Shahed drones, most of which targeted Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

Reuters witnesses heard at least five blasts across Kyiv, and Ukrainian media footage showed a number of cars damaged.

"Drones came onto the capital in groups and from different directions," Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's city military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that one person was injured in the historic Podil neighbourhood and a fire broke out near one of the city's parks.

Debris from downed drones fell on the Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Podil districts, Klitschko and the city's military administration said.

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, drone debris sparked a fire in an apartment, which was quickly extinguished. There were no immediate reports of injuries, Popko said on the Telegram messaging app.

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attacks. Moscow has been conducting near-nightly assaults on Ukraine's territory. A Russian attack killed 17 on Wednesday in the eastern city of Kostiantynivka, according to Ukrainian officials.

Drones came ‘in groups from different directions’ in overnight attack on Kyiv, says military official

06:31 , Anuj Pant

An overnight aerial attack launched in Ukraine capital Kyiv had drones coming in from “different directions” and “in groups”, according to a military official.

Ukrainian officials earlier said they destroyed 25 out of 32 Iran-made drones launched by Russia, most of which had targeted Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

Witnesses cited by Reuters said they heard at least five blasts overnight. Kyiv’s mayor had said one person was injured in the Podil neighbourhood and a fire had broken out near one of the city’s parks.

“Drones came onto the capital in groups and from different directions,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The affected districts included Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Podil, according to the city’s military administration.

Signs indicate Russia turning to isolated North Korea to replenish military supplies

07:12 , Anuj Pant

Russia’s military arsenal has been depleted enough for it to turn to isolated North Korea amid its now year-and-a-half-long invasion of Ukraine.

The country is set to host a regional summit on Sunday that could see the participation of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un who, reports said, could reach the country by armoured train.

The visit is significant as Russia faces depleted reserves due to its invasion. And estimates cited by The Associated Press have revealed that North Korea has tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets that could give a huge boost to the Russian army.

US officials have said they expected Mr Kim to seal a deal to transfer munitions to Russia in the coming days, in a marked reversal from the 1950s during the Korean war, when it was the Soviet Union that supplied weaponry to the North.

“We know that Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has visited recently for artillery shells predominantly, and most likely that will be discussed between Putin and Kim Jong-un,” Alexander Gabuev, head of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

ICYMI: Elon Musk sparks fury by admitting he thwarted Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s naval fleet

06:58 , Anuj Pant

Elon Musk has admitted that his refusal to grant Ukraine permission to use his Starlink satellite network was an attempt to prevent a drone attack on a Russian naval fleet – with one Ukrainian official saying that his country is paying “the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego”.

The Starlink satellite internet service, which is run by the technology billionaire’s SpaceX company, has been a digital lifeline both for Ukraine’s military and for civilians in areas where Russia’s invasion has left infrastructure devastated or jammed.

An extract of a new biography of Musk, published by CNN on Thursday, said that the drones – packed with explosives – “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly” during the thwarted assault last year, after Musk ordered his engineers to turn off the network.

Musk is said to have feared that a strike on the ports of Russian-occupied Crimea would amount to a “mini Pearl Harbor”.

Having apparently spoken to the Russian ambassador to the United States – who is reported to have told him that an attack on Crimea would trigger a nuclear response – Musk is then said to have ordered his engineers to turn off Starlink coverage “within 100km of the Crimean coast”.

Read more below.

Elon Musk sparks fury by admitting he thwarted Ukraine drone attack on Russian ships

Russia ships Su-30 fighter jets to Myanmar junta

06:08 , Anuj Pant

The Myanmar junta government has received its first shipment of Russian Su-30 fighter jets, the country’s trade minister told Russian state-run media.

Russia and Myanmar had signed a contract last year for the delivery of six Su-30SME fighter jets, according to Russian state-run RIA.

“Two aircraft have already been delivered,” Charlie Than, Myanmar’s trade minister, told the state-run news agency.

The minister was speaking on the sidelines of a Russian economic summit in Vladivostok. He also said a number of bilateral agreements will be signed at the East Economic Forum, including on developing tourism between the two countries.

Myanmar has seen the junta increase its grip on the country ever since it launched a military coup in 2021.

The US has also warned Russia against backing Myanmar’s military rulers and said its supply of weapons to the country is fueling a conflict that has become a catastrophe for Myanmar.

Just in: Ukraine says it downed 25 drones launched by Russia early on Sunday

05:47 , Anuj Pant

At least 25 of the 32 drones launched by Vladimir Putin’s forces early on Sunday have been drowned, Ukraine’s land forces said.

The announcement comes as Kyiv was subjected to aerial attacks overnight, with witnesses hearing as many as five blasts, reported Reuters. The scale of the attack has not yet been ascertained.

India avoids condemnation of Russia to produce united G20 declaration

05:36 , Anuj Pant

India has defied expectations to produce a New Delhi Declaration backed by all countries at this weekend’s G20 summit at the expense of any meaningful condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced “the good news” shortly before 1600 local time [1000 GMT] on the first day of the G20 leaders’ summit in Delhi – much to the surprise of many observers and analysts, who felt that the Ukraine issue would stand in the way of a consensus on any joint statement at all, much less an early one.

Ukraine rejected the joint statement, saying “the G20 has nothing to be proud of in the part about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.

Ukraine does feature in the full 37-page declaration released by the Indian foreign ministry on Saturday, which says leaders “highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine” without directly mentioning Russia.

“There were different views and assessments of the situation,” it adds, in something of an understatement.

Read more below.

India avoids condemnation of Russia to produce united G20 declaration

ICYMI: What are depleted uranium shells?

05:30 , Anuj Pant

The depleted uranium anti-tank rounds soon to be in Ukraine’s military stockpiles have kicked up a debate over its use in the continuing Russian invasion.

Announced by the Pentagon in the latest military tranche on Wednesday, the controversial rounds have spread alarm among Vladimir Putin’s ministers who have warned against the escalation yet again.

Britain has already promised armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium to Ukraine in March. Prime minister Rishi Sunak had backed drawing out the rounds from the UK military’s stockpiles ultimately “to degrade and deter – primarily – Russian aggression”.

But what are these depleted uranium munitions?

Read more below.

Ukraine: What are depleted uranium shells and why are they controversial?

Russia claims to have downed eight drones over Crimea

05:15 , Anuj Pant

Vladimir Putin’s defence ministry has claimed it destroyed eight drones over the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday even as overnight drone attacks were launched on capital Kyiv.

The incident, reported by Reuters, could not be independently verified. Russia accused Ukraine of launching the drones.

The Russian defence ministry has also not said if there were any casualties. Ukraine’s officials have not commented on the incident yet.

Putin launches overnight aerial attacks on Kyiv

04:48 , Anuj Pant

Air attacks were launched on Kyiv early on Sunday, with blasts heard across the capital. Drone debris fell on its central districts and the scale of the attack has not been ascertained yet.

Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was injured in the Podil neighbourhood and a fire broke out near one of the city’s parks.

The debris from the downed drones fell on the Darnytskyi, Solomianskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Podil districts, according to the city’s military administration and Mr Klitschko.

The debris also sparked a fire in the Shevchenkivskyi district, but this was immediately put out, according to officials.

Reuters cited its witnesses as saying they heard at least five blasts.

India avoids condemnation of Russia to produce united G20 declaration

03:00 , Joe Middleton

India has defied expectations to produce a New Delhi Declaration backed by all countries at this weekend’s G20 summit, at the expense of any meaningful condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced “the good news” shortly before 1600 local time [1000 GMT] on the first day of the G20 leaders’ summit in Delhi – much to the surprise of many observers and analysts, who felt that the Ukraine issue would stand in the way of a consensus on any joint statement at all, much less an early one.

Ukraine does feature in the full 37-page declaration released by the Indian foreign ministry on Saturday, which says leaders “highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine” without directly mentioning Russia. “There were different views and assessments of the situation,” it adds, in something of an understatement.

India avoids condemnation of Russia to produce united G20 declaration

British man fighting in Ukraine found dead in water with his hands bound

02:00 , Joe Middleton

A British man who fought in Ukraine was found dead in a body of water with his hands tied behind his back, his family have revealed.

Jordan Chadwick, 31, who travelled to Ukraine in early October 2022, was fighting in the International Legion.

His mother, Brenda Chadwick, told the BBC her family was “devastated” by her son’s death.

Mr Chadwick, known as Joe, was from Burnley in Lancashire. He served as a Scots Guard in the British Army from 2011 to 2015.

British man fighting in Ukraine found dead in water with his hands bound

Elon Musk sparks fury by admitting he thwarted Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s naval fleet

01:09 , Lydia Patrick

Elon Musk has admitted that his refusal to grant Ukraine permission to use his Starlink satellite network was an attempt to prevent a drone attack on a Russian naval fleet.

The Starlink satellite internet service, which is run by the technology billionaire’s SpaceX company, has been a digital lifeline both for Ukraine’s military and for civilians.

In posts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the billionaire denied accusations that he had turned off the Starlink network in the area, but said that he had not agreed to a request from Ukraine to activate it all the way to the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, which is currently (as it was at the time) occupied by Russia and home to its Black Sea fleet.

“The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything,” Musk said.

“There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol,” he added, “the obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”

Read the full story here

Popular messaging service says it will combat Russian ‘fake news'

Sunday 10 September 2023 00:09 , Lydia Patrick

The founder of Japanese technnology enterprise Rakuten Group says messaging service Viber will block any attempt at Russian propaganda ‘unlike other social media’.

Hiroshi Mikiani told Reuters: “Unlike other social media, we’ve made it crystal clear we’re going to block all these fake news and propaganda of Russia.”

Viber, which launched in 2010 and was acquired by Rakuten in 2014, has a 98% market penetration rate in Ukraine and is also popular in Russia.

The billionaire entrepreneur has previously been vocal in his support for Ukraine and made a 1 billion yen ($6.77 million) donation to its government at the start of the invasion.

Rakuten has announced plans to work with Ukraine‘s largest mobile operator, Kyivstar, to provide Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) telecommunications technology that uses software to run network functions on the cloud, something Mikitani has touted as a technology of the future.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive will withstand severe Winter conditions, says intelligence chief

Saturday 9 September 2023 22:18 , Lydia Patrick

Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces will continue to fight throughout harsh cold conditions, Kyiv’s intelligence chief said on Saturday.

Kyrylo Budanov said: “Combat actions will continue in one way or another. In the cold, wet and mud, it is more difficult to fight. Fighting will continue. The counteroffensive will continue.”

The comments, made at a conference in Kyiv hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, inidicate Ukraine does not plan to halt its push when the weather worsens later this year.

Vadym Skibytskyi, an official from Ukraine‘s military spy agency, said earlier on Saturday that Russia currently had 420,000 servicemen inside Ukraine.

The push in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, now centred around the villages of Robotyne and Verbove, is seen as a crucial part of an operation that seeks to split Russia’s occupying forces in half in the south, but remains far from that goal.

“Our counteroffensive is happening in several directions,” Budanov said, acknowledging that progress had been slower than he had wanted and describing the situation as difficult.

Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed.

Russia shoots down three drones in Crimea

Saturday 9 September 2023 20:18 , Lydia Patrick

Drone attacks on Russian-occupied territory and inside Russia itself have increased sharply across the summer, with Kyiv seeking to back-up its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces on the ground in Ukraine by disrupting Moscow as much as it can.

The latest such strike came on Saturday when Russian air defence shot down three enemy drones in northwestern Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of the peninsula’s administration.

Rishi Sunak said that G20 leaders have agreed to a “very strong” joint message about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Saturday 9 September 2023 19:20 , Lydia Patrick

The British prime minister expresses his support of a New Delhi declaration backed by all countries at the summit.

Defying the odds, India was able to get all G20 members to agree that “the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissable” in a 37-page declaration.

Mr Sunak told broadcasters, as reported by Reuters: “The news that we’ve just had, which I’m happy to share, is that under Prime Minister Modi and India’s presidency, the G20 have agreed a joint communique with very strong language about Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

“What you’ll see in the communique is strong language, highlighting the impact of the war on food prices and food security, calling on Russia to re-enter the Black Sea grain initiative to allow exports to leave that part of the world and help feed millions of the most vulnerable people as well as the communique recognising the principles of the UN Charter respecting territorial integrity.

“So I think that is a good and strong outcome. And as you can see from this summit, Russia is completely isolated.”

Zelensky meets with Japanese foreign minister who vows support for reconstruction of Ukraine

Saturday 9 September 2023 17:00 , Rachel Flynn

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Saturday and agreed to begin discussions on security guarantees and cooperate on reconstructing Ukraine’s economy, the Japanese foreign ministry said.

The security guarantee discussions come after the G7 group of countries, of which Japan is a member, said in July that its members would begin bilateral security guarantee talks with Ukraine.

Hayashi also pledged support from both the public and private sectors in Japan to reconstruct Ukraine’s economy in the surprise visit to Ukraine, where he was accompanied by executives of Japanese firms, including Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and chief executive Rakuten Group, the ministry said.

Japan is planning to host a meeting on the economic reconstruction of Ukraine early next year.

In talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Hayashi was set to reiterate Japan’s firm support for Ukraine and the urgency of ending the Russian invasion with the help of the international community, the ministry said.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy in March.

Romania finds new possible fragments of Russian drone on its territory

Saturday 9 September 2023 16:30 , Rachel Flynn

New fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military were found on Romanian soil, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

Romania’s president, President Klaus Iohannis, said this indicated an unacceptable breach of Romania’s air space had occurred.

In a statement, Iohannis said he had informed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the pieces of drone - the second to crash in Romanian territory this week - and that Stoltenberg reiterated the alliance’s complete solidarity with Romania.

“The identification by Romanian authorities on Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine of new drone fragments ... indicates an unacceptable breach occurred of the air space of Romania, a NATO state, with real risks to the security of Romanian citizens in the area,” Iohannis said.

“I firmly condemn this incident caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian Danube river ports.”

The attacks on Ukraine’s river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border, have increased security risks for NATO whose members have a mutual defence commitment.

The U.S. State Department said earlier this week it would rotate additional U.S. F-16 fighter jets to bolster NATO’s air policing mission in Romania.

Ukraine says G20 summit declaration is ‘nothing to be proud of’

Saturday 9 September 2023 15:45 , Rachel Flynn

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Saturday the G20’s joint declaration was “nothing to be proud of” and criticised it for not mentioning Russia.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko posted a screenshot of the relevant section of the joint declaration, with several pieces of the text crossed out in red and corrected with wording which reflects Ukraine’s position that it is a victim of unprovoked Russian aggression.

“It is clear that the participation of the Ukrainian side (in the G20 meeting) would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Here’s what the main elements of the text could look like to be closer to reality,” he added.

Despite his disappointment with the overall G20 text, Nikolenko thanked Ukraine’s allies for doing their part to advance Ukraine’s position in the declaration.

“Ukraine is grateful to the partners who tried to include strong formulations in the text,” he said.

G20 summit statement calls for peace but avoids condemning Russia for Ukraine war

Saturday 9 September 2023 14:24 , Tara Cobham

The Group of 20 nations adopted a consensus declaration at a summit on Saturday that avoided condemnation of Russia for the war in Ukraine but called on all states to refrain from the use of force to seize territory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of host India announced that the Leaders' Declaration had been adopted on the first day of the weekend summit.

The consensus came as a surprise as the group is deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations earlier pushing for strong condemnation of Russia in the Leaders' Declaration, while other countries demanded a focus on broader economic issues.

There was no immediate reaction from most other members.

"We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability," the declaration said.

"We ... welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine.

"The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible," the statement added.

Russia sticks to demands on Black Sea grain deal

Saturday 9 September 2023 11:27 , Tara Cobham

Russia said on Saturday it was sticking to its conditions for a return to the Black Sea grain deal which it quit in July.

In particular, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia needed its state agricultural bank - and not a subsidiary of the bank, as proposed by the United Nations - to be reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system.

"All our conditions are perfectly well known. They do not need interpretation, they are absolutely concrete and all this is absolutely achievable," Peskov said. "Therefore Russia maintains its responsible, clear and consistent position, which has been repeatedly voiced by the president."

The Black Sea deal was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 to enable Ukraine to export grain by sea despite the war and help ease a global food crisis.

It was accompanied by an agreement to facilitate Russia's own exports of food and fertiliser, which Moscow says has not been fulfilled. Since quitting the grain deal, Russia has repeatedly bombed Ukrainian ports and grain stores, prompting Kyiv and the West to accuse it of using food as a weapon.

Moscow's uncompromising restatement of its position came five days after President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan and discussed the grain issue.

Russia appears to have drawn encouragement from Erdogan's statement at that meeting that Ukraine should "soften its approaches" in talks over reviving the deal, and export more grain to Africa rather than Europe. Ukraine said it would not alter its stand and would not be hostage to "Russian blackmail".

British man fighting in Ukraine found dead in water with his hands bound

Saturday 9 September 2023 10:45 , Tara Cobham

A British man who fought in Ukraine was found dead in a body of water with his hands tied behind his back, his family have revealed.

Jordan Chadwick, 31, who travelled to Ukraine in early October 2022, was fighting in the International Legion.

His mother, Brenda Chadwick, told the BBC her family was “devastated” by her son’s death.

Mr Chadwick, known as Joe, was from Burnley in Lancashire. He served as a Scots Guard in the British Army from 2011 to 2015.

Rachel Flynn reports:

British man fighting in Ukraine found dead in water with his hands bound

‘600 members of Putin’s forces killed in one day’ as party HQ destroyed

Saturday 9 September 2023 10:32 , Tara Cobham

Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost 600 of his troops in one day, according to Kyiv, while his conservative party’s headquarters in Ukraine was destroyed on Friday.

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces is estimating that 600 of Moscow’s personnel were killed on Friday, bringing the total lost since February 2022 to 268,140.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the United Russia political party in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Polohy was destroyed in an attack on the same day, according to the mayor of Melitopol, reported the Kyiv Independent.

Ivan Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging app that local residents described Russians as “burned out” of the headquarters amid the “hellish pseudo-elections”. Alluding to casualties, he said: “Some went to the hospital, and some went straight to the morgue.”

IAEA ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘increased military activity’ around Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant

Saturday 9 September 2023 09:26 , Tara Cobham

Experts are “deeply concerned” by “increased military activity” in the region around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrote on Friday of reports of “numerous explosions over the past week”, which could “pose a potential threat to nuclear safety and security at the site”.

Over the three days from last Saturday, the IAEA team heard around two dozen explosions, followed by several more in recent days - although there was no damage to the Russian-occupied facility itself.

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant “remains highly precarious”.

“The reports I receive from our experts indicate that the explosions occurred some distance away from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” he said. “Nevertheless, I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region.

“Whatever happens in a conflict zone, wherever it may be, everybody would stand to lose from a nuclear accident, and I urge that all necessary precautions must be taken to avoid it happening.”

British man who went to fight in Ukraine found dead

Saturday 9 September 2023 07:19 , Vishwam Sankaran

A 31-year-old British man who went to fight in Ukraine was found dead in a body of water.

The man, recognised as Jordan Chadwick from Burnley in Lancashire, fought as part of the foreign legion in Ukraine, and was killed under unknown circumstances, BBC reported.

An inquest into the possible cause of Mr Chadwick’s death will reportedly be held in February.

“His passion to support freedom and assist others with his skills led him to leave the UK and travel to the Ukraine in early October 2022,” his mother told BBC.

G20 summit in India begins with no consensus on Ukraine

Saturday 9 September 2023 06:37 , Vishwam Sankaran

The G20 summit hosted by India in New Delhi began with negotiators leaving a paragraph on Ukraine blank in the leaders’ draft declaration, Reuters reported.

The paragraph relating to Ukraine and the “geopolitical situation” was reportedly left blank, while those on several global issues, including climate change and cryptocurrency had consensus agreed upon by member nations.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, whose country has juggled good relations with both Russia and the West, said he does not want the war to dominate the meeting intended to highlight the Global South’s needs.

Zelensky discusses Ukraine peace efforts with Saudi Crown Prince

Saturday 9 September 2023 06:30 , Vishwam Sankaran

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud on Friday to discuss Ukraine’s path to peace.

Mr Zelensky’s office noted that the two leaders discussed ongoing cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia as an extension of the Jeddah peace talks held in August.

At the peace talks in August, global leaders discussed Ukraine’s 10-point plan for an end to Russia’s war.

On Friday’s call, Mr Zelensky “expressed gratitude” to the Saudi Crown Prince for the successful meeting in Jeddah.

‘Russia is actively trying to evade sanctions’ - Zelensky

Saturday 9 September 2023 04:00 , William Mata

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has tweeted in support of further sanctions being made to impact on Russia’s economic output.

“Russia is actively trying to evade sanctions,” he wrote on Twitter.

“The global sanctions offensive must be resumed. Three priorities are: more sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, real restrictions on the transfer of chips and microelectronics, and further blocking of the Russian financial sector.”

Pictures of the day: Friday, September 8

Saturday 9 September 2023 03:00 , William Mata

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

Saturday 9 September 2023 02:00 , William Mata

Local elections are being held this weekend in Russia as the Kremlin looks to tighten its grip on territories it seized from Ukraine a year ago.

The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions has already begun and concludes Sunday. It has been denounced by Kyiv and the West.

“It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard,” the council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights body, said this week.

Kyiv echoed that sentiment, with the parliament saying in a statement that the balloting in areas where Russia “conducts active hostilities” poses a threat to Ukrainian lives. Ukrainian officials have urged other countries not to recognize the results of the vote, which the Foreign Ministry called “fake elections.”

EU rebukes its representative in Austria over 'blood money' comment on Russian gas imports

Saturday 9 September 2023 01:00 , William Mata

From earlier on Friday:

The European Union's executive branch strongly criticised the bloc's representative in Austria for accusing the country of paying “blood money” to Russia for gas supplies and said Friday he has been ordered back to Brussels.

EU representative Martin Selmayr said during an event on Wednesday that Austria continues to get 55 per cent of its gas from Russia — but no one, he noted, is out on Vienna's central Ringstrasse boulevard to protest that, the Austria Press Agency reported.

See the full article here.

German intelligence employee and acquaintance charged with treason for passing secrets to Russia

Saturday 9 September 2023 00:00 , William Mata

An employee of Germany’s foreign intelligence service and an acquaintance have been charged with treason for allegedly passing secret documents to Russia, prosecutors said Friday.

The intelligence officer, who has been identified only as Carsten L. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Berlin on December 21 last year.

The second suspect, a self-employed German businessman identified as Arthur E., was arrested at Munich airport on January 22 as he arrived from the United States.

See the full article here.

Zelensky: ‘Our allies have eased up on sanctions’

Friday 8 September 2023 23:00 , William Mata

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that his country’s allies had eased up on sanctions imposed on Russia and called for a renewed drive to impose further punitive measures on Moscow.

“At this time, we see too long a pause by our partners in terms of sanctions,” he said in his nightly video address. “And very active Russian attempts to evade sanctions.”

Musk ‘feared being complicit in major act of war’

Friday 8 September 2023 22:07 , William Mata

Elon Musk said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea’s port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia‘s fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a “major” act of war.

The billionaire businessman made the comment on Twitter after CNN cited a excerpt from a new biography of Musk that says he ordered the Starlink network turned off near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt the Ukrainian sneak attack.

In the post on late on Thursday, Musk said he had no choice but to reject an emergency request from Ukraine “to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.” He did not give the date of the request and the excerpt did not specify it.

“The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor,” Musk wrote. “If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”

Injury count now at 73

Friday 8 September 2023 22:05 , William Mata

The number of people injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Thursday night into Friday is now confirmed to be 73.

Kremlin forces carried out assaults on major cities as well as the home town of Volodymyr Zelensky. Four people died in total, including one policeman.

The strikes were among multiple Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said.

"Elon Musk has taken over my world, and I don’t like it”

Friday 8 September 2023 22:00 , William Mata

For the comment section, Sean O’Grady says he is having issues with Elon Musk’s influence.

“The Twitter/X CEO has access to the world’s leaders, and the power to influence wars, the future of AI, and the tech that dominates our lives,” he writes, “But where should we draw the line?”

You can read Sean’s column here.

Musk irked Ukrainian generals by deactivating a satellite to stop it being used as part of a plan to strike Russian ships - and also drew the wrath of a British MP on Friday by saying both Russia and Ukraine need to work to a treaty.

Seventeen arrested in Cuba in connection with “network” to recruit foreign nationals for Ukraine fight

Friday 8 September 2023 21:00 , William Mata

Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people in connection with what they described as a network to recruit Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

The head of criminal investigations for Cuba’s interior ministry, Cesar Rodriguez, said late Thursday on state media that at least three of the 17 arrested are part of recruitment efforts inside the island country.

He did not identify the alleged members of the network but said they had previous criminal records.

Some families started speaking up about the case on Friday, and at least one mother said that her son was promised a job in construction in Russia.

Cuba’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the government had detected a network operating from Russia to recruit Cuban citizens living both in Russia and in Cuba to fight in Ukraine.

It said authorities were working “to neutralise and dismantle” the network but gave no details.

“Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine,” the foreign ministry said in a news release.

Cuba and Russia are political allies and Cubans do not require a visa to travel to Russia. Many go there to study or to work.

Message of courage from president Zelensky

Friday 8 September 2023 19:30 , William Mata

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has released a video intended to rally his troops as fighting continues.

He shared the short film on Twitter alongside a message.

“Ukraine is more than a country fighting Russian aggression,” the tweet read.

“It is a personal moral choice about what is truly valuable, what you believe in, and what your true priorities are.

“This war lays a moral foundation that transcends borders. It must be humanistic. It must prevail.”

‘Battlefield situation’ update for September 8

Friday 8 September 2023 19:00 , William Mata

In case you missed it, the British Ministry of Defence shared its daily update on the development in the battle for Ukraine.

It showed “likely Ukrainian advance” towards Bakhmut in the north east and Orikhiv in the south.

A tweet read: “The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.

“The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 8 September 2023. “

Video: Zelensky says ‘Russia must be held accountable for genocide’ at conference in Kyiv

Friday 8 September 2023 18:30 , William Mata

Armenia millitary summoned to Russia after ‘series of unfriendly steps'

Friday 8 September 2023 18:06 , William Mata

The Russian foreign ministry on Friday summoned the ambassador from longtime ally Armenia to protest upcoming joint military exercises with the United States and other complaints, highlighting growing tensions that are straining traditionally close relations.

“The leadership of Armenia has taken a series of unfriendly steps in recent days,” the ministry said in a statement, citing the exercises that will begin Monday, Armenia’s provision of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and its moves to ratify the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court, which this year indicted president Vladimir Putin for war crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine.

The ministry also complained of remarks by the chairman of Armenia’s parliament that it regarded as insulting to ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who is noted for her harsh comments about other countries.

About 175 Armenian troops and 85 from the United States will start exercises on Monday focusing on peacekeeping operations.

Landlocked Armenia has close military ties with Russia, including hosting a Russian military base and participating in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization alliance.

However, Armenia has become increasingly disillusioned with Russia since the 2020 war with Azerbaijan. The armistice that ended the war called for a Russian peacekeeping force to ensure passage on the road leading from Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan.

CIA seeks to recruit Russian officials with video about truth

Friday 8 September 2023 17:48 , William Mata

The CIA is reportedly trying to attract Russian dissidents to become spies for the US.

Reuters has reported that the agency has released a video in Russian entitled “Why I made contact with the CIA - for myself” on social media with the hope of luring those who might be dissatisfied with the Ukraine situation.

CIA director William Burns said in July that disaffection among some Russians over the war in Ukraine was creating a rare opportunity to recruit spies, and that the CIA was not letting it pass.

In the video, the voice over says in Russian: “I insisted to everyone that it was unscrupulous to distort the truth in reports but those who rose through the ranks were those who did that very thing.

“Before I believed that the truth had some value,” the video shows as the actor playing a Russian official enters a Russian government building and shows his pass above the double-headed eagle of Russia.

“Those around you may not want to hear the truth. But we do,” the video says before detailing ways to contact the CIA, which is based in Langley, Virginia. “Integrity has rewards.”

Musk criticised, again, this time over Ukraine “truce” comments

Friday 8 September 2023 17:28 , William Mata

A British MP has called-out Elon Musk for saying that Ukraine and Russia to agree a truce over the war.

The Tesla founder had already caused controversy on Friday when he admitted to playing a part in thwarting a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian naval fleet.

Late on Thursday, Mr Musk had tweeted: “Both sides should agree to a truce.

“Every day that passes, more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land, with borders barely changing. This is not worth their lives.”

Tory MP Alica Kearns, chair of the influential Commons foreign affairs committee, used Twitter - which Mr Musk owns - to call him out over his idea.

She responded: “Wrong. Your home was not illegal invaded. It is not your people being massacred, raped, tortured and castrated. It is not your children being kidnapped in what increasingly appears to meet the definition of genocide.”

Full story: Elon Musk sparks fury by admitting to thwarting Ukraine drone attack on Putin’s naval fleet

Friday 8 September 2023 17:10 , William Mata

Elon Musk has admitted refusing Ukraine permission to use his Starlink satellite network to prevent a drone attack on a Russian naval fleet – with one Kyiv official saying his country is paying “price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego”.

The Starlink satellite internet service, which is run by the technology billionaire's SpaceX company, has been a digital lifeline for both Ukraine's military and civilians in areas where Russia's invasion has left infrastructure devastated or jammed.

An extract of a new biography of Musk, published by CNN on Thursday, said that the drones – packed with explosives – “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly” during the thwarted assault last year after Musk had ordered his engineers to turn off the network.

Read the full story here.

So-called Ukranian ‘oligarch’ has $80 million in assets frozen in corruption proceedings

Friday 8 September 2023 17:05 , William Mata

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have frozen more than $80 million in assets belonging to tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky for 48 hours as part of an embezzlement investigation.

Ukrainian media outlets reported that Mr Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine’s richest men and a so-called oligarch, was ordered into custody on suspicion of money laundering last week, and, according to media reports, is being treated as a suspect in an embezzlement case.

A lawyer for Mr Kolomoisky did not immediately respond to written requests for comment about asset seizures. The tycoon’s lawyers have not commented on the embezzlement case. Kolomoisky has denied wrongdoing in the past.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said it had frozen more than 3 billion hryvnia in assets in addition to nearly 1,000 properties and more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels from the former owner of lender PrivatBank.

The bureau’s statement did not name Mr Kolomoisky.

Full story: ‘Weak’ Putin killed Wagner mercenary chief Prigozhin, Zelensky says

Friday 8 September 2023 16:50 , William Mata

Vladimir Putin orchestrated the killing of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin thanks to his own weakness, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president made the off-hand remark during a conference in Kyiv on Friday, without providing any additional evidence. Mr Prigozhin died in an unexplained crash when a plane carrying himself and some of his top lieutenants went down when flying between Moscow and St Petersburg in late August.

Mr Prigozhin offered the most severe challenge to the Russian president’s authority in more than 20 years in power when he and his Wagner fighters rose up against Moscow in June.

Read the full story here.

‘Getting weapons and sanctions on Russia is getting harder ‘ says Zelensky

Friday 8 September 2023 16:36 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine is finding it harder and slower to secure sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow’s forces.

Speaking at a conference in the Ukrainian capital, he said Ukraine‘s three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kyiv’s military received more powerful weapons.

He said: “The war is slowing down. This is true, we recognise this.

“All the processes are becoming harder and slowing down: from sanctions to the delivery of weapons.”

Ukraine opposes trading Russia sanctions relief for grain deal’s reviva

Friday 8 September 2023 16:31 , William Mata

Ukraine opposes the idea of easing sanctions on Russia in order to revive a grain deal between the two countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on Friday.

"Easing part of the sanctions regime against Russia in exchange for the resumption of the grain agreement would be a victory for Russian food blackmail and an invitation to Moscow for new waves of blackmail," he wrote on Facebook.

EU sanctions six people over human rights violations in Crimea

Friday 8 September 2023 16:28 , William Mata

The EU Council on Friday announced additional sanctions on six people for serious human rights violations in connection with their action towards members of ethnic groups in Crimea.

The individuals listed include prosecutors and judges active in courts established by Russia’s occupying force in Crimea who played a role in handing a prison term to a journalist who belongs to the Crimean Tatar community.

Friday’s listings also include two members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) who either took part in torturing the journalist or participated in the investigation against him and members of the Crimean Tatar community and of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Crimea.

Zelensky faces internal pressure over declaration of assets loophole

Friday 8 September 2023 16:19 , William Mata

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have asked Volodymyr Zelensky to send back some legislation that critics believe hampers an effort to hold officials accountable by delaying a requirement to publicly declare their assets.

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Tuesday to restore the declaration rule, which was suspended after Russia’s 2022 invasion as a security precaution, but - in a key loophole - to keep the disclosures closed to the public for another year.

Anti-graft campaigners and opposition lawmakers among others believe that defeats the primary purpose of the measure, which was first introduced as a showcase, pro-transparency reform after the 2014 Maidan Revolution that ousted a pro-Russian president.

A public petition asking Mr Zelensky to veto the amended measure had collected more than 83,000 signatures by Friday - well beyond the 25,000 needed for presidential consideration.

Corruption remains a top concern among Ukrainians, who have traditionally harboured deep distrust of most public officials.

Volodymyr Zelensky: ‘Putin’s only step left is to instil fear with nuclear weapons’

Friday 8 September 2023 16:11 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has used a press conference to say that Russian president Vladimir Putin could look to instil fear in the west with the threat of nuclear weapons. “Putin is left with just one step: instil fear in the west with his nuclear weapons,” the Ukrainian president said in Kyiv on Friday.

“There will be moments when they are moving their nuclear weapons from one place to another to exert pressure on the United States.”

The president also addressed the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“People tend to want everything immediately, and understandably so, but this is not a feature movie when everything can happen in an hour and a half,” he said.

“Some partners ask what’s up with the counteroffensive, what are the next steps. My current answer is ‘Our steps are faster than your sanction packages’.”

Zelensky says ‘Russia must be held accountable for genocide’ at conference in Kyiv

Friday 8 September 2023 16:00 , William Mata

Ukrainian official says Elon Musk ‘committed evil’ with Starlink satellite action

Friday 8 September 2023 15:39 , William Mata

A senior Ukrainian official has said Elon Musk was “committing evil and encouraging evil” with his actions over his Starlink satellite which effectively stopped a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, commented after claims made in a new biography of the billionaire written by Walter Isaacson.

Mr Podolyak quoted a CNN article - which revealed extracts from the book, which is titled ‘Elon Musk’.

Mr Isaacson wrote that Mr Musk called his engineers to stop his Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to stop a Ukrainian submarine drone assault on Russia’s naval fleet.

After losing connectivity, the drones then washed ashore to the irritation of Ukrainian generals who had urged Mr Musk to turn the satellite back on.

Mr Musk had, according to Mr Isaacson, taken the action to avoid Russian retaliation with nuclear weapons.

But Mr Podolyak has hit out with a message on Twitter - a social media platform owned by Mr Musk.

His tweet on Friday read: “By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian fleet via Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, and children are being killed,” Podolyak wrote.

“Why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realise that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?”

Mr Musk is yet to respond.

First Leopard 1 tanks provided by Denmark, Germany and Netherlands arrive

Friday 8 September 2023 15:18 , William Mata

The first Leopard 1 tanks provided by Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, have arrived in Ukraine - it has been reported.

Denmark’s armed forces said on Friday that the first ten were now in the country and it is the first step to fulfiling the 100 that were promised in February.

“The first 10 tanks have been sent to Ukraine. And more are on the way,” the Danish armed forces said in a statement.

“A further 10 tanks have been delivered from the factory.”

AFP reported that Danish soldiers in Germany are training Ukrainian forces to use the tanks.

Volodymyr Zelensky says Putin was behind the death of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Friday 8 September 2023 14:38 , William Mata

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Vladimir Putin was behind the death of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The mercenary leader died in an unexplained plane crash with his top lieutenants last month.

Ukrainian president Mr Zelensky made the claim on Friday but provided no evidence to back up his assertion made during a press conference in Kyiv.

“The fact that he killed Prigozhin - at least that’s the information we all have, not any other kind - that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak,” Mr Zelensky said.

The Kremlin says all possible causes of the crash will be investigated, including the possibility of foul play. It has called the suggestion that Russian president Mr Putin ordered the deaths of Mr Prigozhin and his men an “absolute lie”.

Mr Prigozhin this summer led a brief mutiny in Russia that posed the biggest challenge to Mr Putin’s rule since he rose to power in 1999. It prompted the Kremlin chief to accuse its authors of “treason” and a “stab in the back”.

Many critics of Mr Putin have died in unclear circumstances during his 23 years in power, or narrowly escaped dying.

One dead after Russian missile attack on Zelensky’s hometown

Friday 8 September 2023 14:27 , William Mata

A Russian missile attack on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine has killed one policeman and injured at least 44 others, emergency officials said.

The incident was one of several Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said, and ten buildings were damaged in the attack on Kryvyi Rih.

Three of the people who were pulled out of the rubble were in serious condition, according to Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine‘s minister of internal affairs. Photos posted by Mr Klymenko on Telegram showed a building on fire and emergency services evacuating the injured.

Three people were also killed on Friday after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, Mr Klymenko said.

He added that three people were also injured in a Russian missile attack in the eastern city of Sumy.

Russian forces also struck the Odesa region in the west with drones for the fifth time in a week, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. No casualties were reported.

ICYMI: Ukraine drone strike map reveals key places where Kyiv is taking the war to Russia

Friday 8 September 2023 13:15 , Matt Mathers

As drone strikes continue to rain down on Russian soil, Vladimir Putin’s bloody war has reached his own doorstep.

The strikes are now daily and on Tuesday the Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain has mapped the attacks:

Ukraine drone strike map reveals key places where Kyiv is taking the war to Russia

What are depleted uranium shells? The controversial armour-piercing munitions being used in Ukraine

Friday 8 September 2023 12:50 , Matt Mathers

The depleted uranium anti-tank rounds soon to be in Ukraine’s military stockpiles have kicked up a debate over its use in the continuing Russian invasion.

Announced by the Pentagon in the latest military tranche on Wednesday, the controversial rounds have spread alarm among Vladimir Putin’s ministers who have warned against the escalation yet again.

Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine: What are depleted uranium shells and why are they controversial?

India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

Friday 8 September 2023 12:24 , Matt Mathers

It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but the global ramifications of Russia’s war on Ukraine mean even greater challenges for meaningful agreement at the Group of 20 meeting this year.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s host, has pledged not to let Ukraine overshadow the needs of the mostly developing nations in the so-called “ Global South,” but many of those issues are closely affected by the war.

David Rising reports:

India seeking greater voice for developing world at G20, but Ukraine war may overshadow talks

Russian air strike kills three in Ukraine’s Kherson region - interior minister

Friday 8 September 2023 11:34 , Matt Mathers

A Russian air strike killed three civilians and wounded four other people on Friday in a village in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the air strike was on the village of Odradokamianka.

Ukraine targets Crimea in drone attack - Russian installed official

Friday 8 September 2023 10:52 , Matt Mathers

Russian air defences have downed a hostile aerial drone over northern Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of the peninsula’s administration, said on Friday.

Five drones were shot down over three Russian regions overnight on Thursday, with one targeting the capital, officials said Thursday.

There were reports of no casualties.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a fourth day of air attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Izmail, located on the Danube river. Oleh Kiper, regional Governor of Odesa, said infrastructure was damaged in the attack, including grain silos, and one person was injured.

The attack came one day after a Russian missile struck a busy market in the eastern city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk, killing 17 and wounding at least 32. The attack overshadowed a two-day visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aimed at assessing Ukraine’s 3-month-old counteroffensive and signaling continued U.S. support for the fight.

Full report:

Russian officials say five drones shot down, including one targeting capital

Ukraine condemns Russian ‘sham elections’ in Ukrainian occupied territories

Friday 8 September 2023 10:39 , Matt Mathers

Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned "sham elections" being staged by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories, saying they were "worthless" and would have no legal standing.

The ministry called on Ukraine’s international partners to denounce the votes and not to recognise the results.

The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in four regions only partly controlled by Russia began on Friday and is set to conclude on Sunday.

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

Friday 8 September 2023 10:00 , Matt Mathers

Russian authorities are holding local elections this weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine in an effort to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.

The voting for Russian-installed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions begins Friday and concludes Sunday. It has already been denounced by Kyiv and the West.

"It constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, which Russia continues to disregard," the Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights body, said this week.

Kyiv echoed that sentiment, with the parliament saying in a statement that the balloting in areas where Russia "conducts active hostilities" poses a threat to Ukrainian lives. Lawmakers urged other countries not to recognize the results of the vote.

For Russia, it is important to go on with the voting to maintain the illusion of normalcy, despite the fact that the Kremlin does not have full control over the annexed regions, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said.

"The Russian authorities are trying hard to pretend that everything is going according to plan, everything is fine. And if everything is going according to plan, then the political process should go according to plan," said Gallyamov, who worked as a speechwriter for Russian president Vladimir Putin when Putin served as prime minister.