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THE UKRAINE WAR
CNBC REPORTING CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine ... September 20th, 2022 Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
UPDATED TUE, SEP 20 20224:10 PM EDT
Putin delays surprise speech; Ukraine’s allies say they will not accept referendums in Russian-held areas
Holly Ellyatt
Amanda Macias
Emma Kinery
This is CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates.
Russian-backed officials in several parts of Ukraine have announced plans to hold referenda on joining Russia. Ukraine has slammed the upcoming votes as fake attempt to legitimize Russia’s invasion and slammed the prospect of “sham” ballots.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Russian producers of military equipment to up their production and supplies to Russian troops. Putin was also set to give a major speech to the country on Tuesday — only to later postpone it until Wednesday without explanation.
In other news, the U.K. has announced that in 2023 it will meet or exceed the amount of military aid spent on Ukraine this year. Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to announce during a visit to the United Nations in New York this week that leaders “must put an end to Putin’s economic blackmail by removing all energy dependence on Russia,” according to a pre-released statement by the government.
On Monday, Russian troops struck a nuclear power plant in the country’s southern Mykolaiv region, but while its buildings sustained damage, its reactors are functioning normally, Ukrainian state energy officials said.
The war “isn’t going too well” for Russia, U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley said from Poland, adding that this could make Moscow’s reactions less certain and that U.S. forces in Europe need to maintain alertness.
39 MIN AGO
Putin postpones surprise speech to Russians for unknown reasons
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of government via a video link in Moscow, Russia August 31, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of government via a video link in Moscow, Russia August 31, 2022.
Gavriil Grigorov | Sputnik | via Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin failed for unknown reasons to deliver a nationally televised speech that would have been his first since the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Putin has postponed the speech, which was expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine, until Wednesday, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Markov, a former advisor to the Russian leader,
“Go to sleep,” wrote Margarita Simonyan, the editor of RT, a Russian state media outlet, on her own Telegram account.
- Dan Mangan
49 MIN AGO
Turkey’s Erdogan offers to broker deal between Moscow and Kyiv to secure Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is willing to help broker negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in order to restore security to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was forcibly taken by Russian troops in the early days of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling and subsequent damage to the facility.
Erdogan said that Turkey’s role in the Black Sea Initiative deal, which helped open three Ukrainian ports for agricultural exports, is an example of how Ankara can help address concerns around Zaporizhzhia.
“As a result of the intensive efforts we carried out together with the Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres], we made sure that the Ukrainian grain was able to reach the world through the Black Sea,” Erdogan said before the international forum.
“A similar approach can also be displayed regarding the crisis at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, which concerns the safety of the entire humanity,” he said, without providing additional details.
— Amanda Macias
1 HOUR AGO
Mass graves in Izyum, Ukraine, may be ‘worse’ than in Bucha, Biden adviser says
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media about the war in Ukraine and other topics at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2022.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media about the war in Ukraine and other topics at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2022.
Leah Millis | Reuters
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said his Ukranian counterparts tell him the mass graves discovered in Izyum, Ukraine, after Russian forces were pushed out, are in some ways “worse” than those discovered in Bucha.
Sullivan said he was briefed on the situation when he spoke with his counterpart, Ukrainian chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
“He gave me a report about what the Ukrainians were discovering around Izyum, and he put it quite bluntly: He said that this is in some ways worse than Bucha, and we will see more of these as we go, as Ukraine de-occupies towns that have previously been occupied by Russian forces. We are finding increasing evidence of these mass atrocities.”
— Emma Kinery
2 HOURS AGO
Ukraine says Russian referendums will destroy possibility of negotiations to end war
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a news conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 23, 2022.REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a news conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, August 23, 2022.
Gleb Garanich | Reuters
Any referendums on joining Russia in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories would destroy any remaining window for talks between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukrainian publication Liga.net cited the Ukrainian president’s office spokesman as saying.
“Without the referendums, there is still the smallest chance for a diplomatic solution. After the referendums - no,” Liga.net quoted Serhiy Nykyforov as saying.
He made the comments in response to Russian-installed officials in four occupied Ukrainian regions announcing plans for referendums over the next week on formally joining Russia.
— Reuters
How to safely trim your dog’s nails
2 HOURS AGO
Blinken meets with Turkish counterpart, hails work on grain exports
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York, United States on September 20, 2022.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York, United States on September 20, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Blinken thanked Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for Ankara’s work in securing a sea corridor for Ukrainian agriculture products.
“I want to particularly praise the work that Turkey has done to help establish the grain port on the Black Sea that is allowing desperately needed food to get out of Ukraine and to the people who need it,” Blinken said, according to a State Department readout of the meeting.
“I’m grateful for the work we’re doing together as NATO allies and partners, many security challenges that we’re facing together,” he added.
— Amanda Macias
3 HOURS AGO
Russian attempts to hold a referendum in parts of Ukraine will not be acknowledged, U.S. says
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier to mark the Defender of the Fatheland Day on February 23, 2015 in central Moscow, Russia. Originally known as 'Red Army Day' and later observed as 'Soviet Army and Navy Day', it was decreed a state holiday in 2002 after being renamed 'Defender of the Motherland Day'. The holiday marks the foundation of Red Army in 1918 and focuses on achievements of military forces and veterans
Russian President Vladimir Putin marks the Defender of the Fatheland Day in 2015 in central Moscow, Russia, with military officials surrounding him.
Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Biden administration said Russian attempts to hold a referendum in parts of Ukraine will not be acknowledged and will not deter the U.S. and its allies from supporting Kyiv.
“It’s part of their playbook and it’s something we saw in 2014,” Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a daily briefing when asked about the potential referendum.
“They will use that as a basis to try and legitimize further annexation,” he said, adding that the outcome will not distract the U.S. from its mission to support Ukraine.
At the White House, national security adviser Jake Sullivan called the referenda an affront to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We know that these referenda will be manipulated,” he said, adding that the “United States will never recognize Russia’s claims.”
— Amanda Macias
4 HOURS AGO
Zelenskyy talked about ‘current security issues’ with Turkey’s Erdogan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet that he discussed “current security issues” in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The tweet followed an interview Erdoğan did Monday with PBS NewsHour, where he said Russia must return all land it has occupied, including Crimea.
Erdoğan is one of only a handful of world leaders with continued ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He told PBS in an interview outside of the United Nations in New York, that when he met with Putin in Uzbekistan last week, Putin gave him the impression he was “willing to end this as soon as possible.”
4 HOURS AGO
‘Our world is in peril,’ U.N. chief says in opening General Assembly address
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2022.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2022.
Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave a somber assessment of global affairs in an opening address of the annual high-level gathering in New York City.
“Our world is in peril and paralyzed,” Guterres told world leaders attending the 77th United Nations General Assembly, which returned in person for the first time in three years.
“We are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” he said, adding that the international community “is not ready or willing to tackle” these challenges.
In addition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the U.N. chief urged global leaders to address the looming climate crisis, gender inequality and extreme poverty. He also pushed them to invest in policies that promote peace around the world.
— Amanda Macias
5 HOURS AGO
WNBA players skip Russia in the offseason with Griner in jail
U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, looks on inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 2, 2022.
U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, looks on inside a defendants’ cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 2, 2022.
Evgenia Novozhenina | Reuters
Brittney Griner’s highly publicized legal woes in Russia and the country’s invasion of Ukraine has the top WNBA players opting to take their talents elsewhere this offseason.
For the past few decades, Russia has been the preferred offseason destination for WNBA players to compete because of the high salaries that can exceed $1 million – nearly quadruple the base salary of top WNBA players -- and the resources and amenities teams offered them.
That all has come to an abrupt end.
“Honestly my time in Russia has been wonderful, but especially with BG still wrongfully detained there, nobody’s going to go there until she’s home,” said Breanna Stewart, a Griner teammate on the Russian team that paid the duo millions. “I think that, you know, now, people want to go overseas and if the money is not much different, they want to be in a better place.”
Griner was arrested in February, then detained and later convicted on drug possession charges amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Griner was sentenced last month to nine years in prison.
Now, Stewart and other WNBA All-Stars, including Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot — who also have made millions of dollars playing in Russia — are going elsewhere this winter. All three played for Ekaterinburg, the same Russian team as Griner. That club won five EuroLeague titles in the past eight seasons and has been dominant for nearly two decades with former greats DeLisha Milton Jones and Diana Taurasi playing there.
— Associated Press
6 HOURS AGO
McDonald’s reopens in Ukraine this week for first time since war began
McDonald’s will begin to reopen its closed restaurants in Ukraine this week, which have been shuttered since the start of Russia’s invasion in February.
Three locations in Kyiv opened for delivery only, Alesya Mudzhyri, McDonald’s spokeswoman for Ukraine, said in a Facebook post. The company plans to reopen restaurants across Kyiv and western Ukraine in the coming weeks. By October, it plans to be able to let customers enter in person and resume drive-through service in the reopened locations.
McDonald’s has 109 restaurants in Ukraine. The reopened locations will service from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. but temporarily close during air raid alerts.
The company closed all 840 of its locations in Russia when the war began and sold franchises there. The former McDonald’s locations reopened in June under a different name and ownership.
— Emma Kinery
6 HOURS AGO
Biden set to rally allies in providing more support for Ukraine in U.N. General Assembly speech
U.S. President Joe Biden walks to board Air Force One as he departs for Spain from Munich International Airport in Munich, Germany, June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
U.S. President Joe Biden walks to board Air Force One as he departs for Spain from Munich International Airport in Munich, Germany, June 28, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Joe Biden is expected to urge allies to continue supplying Ukrainian forces with Western arms in an era-defining conflict against Russia.
Biden’s address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine marches past its 200th day, while governments continue to grapple with the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and as climate change uncertainties mount.
While the Biden administration is expected to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations, there are no plans to meet with counterparts from Russia or Iran.
— Amanda Macias
7 HOURS AGO
Putin calls for boost to Russian weapon production
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his press conference at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on September 16, 2022, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his press conference at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on September 16, 2022, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Getty Images
President Vladimir Putin called for a boost to weapons production in the country, signaling Russia could be looking to continue its invasion of Ukraine over the long term.
Speaking Tuesday at a meeting on the development of the defense industry, Putin said “organizations of the defense industrial complex need to ensure the delivery of the required weapons and equipment to the troops, weapons of destruction as soon as possible” and then added:
“It is necessary to increase production capabilities in the shortest possible time, maximize the load on equipment, optimize technological cycles and, without compromising quality, reduce production time,” according to a translation by NBC News.
— Holly Ellyatt
8 HOURS AGO
Russian-occupied territories push for votes on joining Russian Federation
Russian-backed officials in occupied parts of Ukraine announced Tuesday that they plan to hold referenda on officially becoming a part of the Russian Federation.
Officials in occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine have flagged an intention to hold a referendum on joining Russia — a move seen widely by analysts as an attempt for Russia to justify “defending its citizens” in such territories — as well as officials in Luhansk and Donetsk, which are where two breakaway self-proclaimed “republics” are located, known as the LPR and DPR.
These regions said Tuesday that they would hold referenda between Sept. 23 -27, according to Russian state news agency Interfax. Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia is also reported to be preparing to hold a similar vote in the coming days.
KHERSON, UKRAINE - JULY 21: People arrive to receive Russian passports at a centre in Kherson after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decree to make it easier for residents of Kherson and Melitopol regions to get passports, in Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on July 21, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
People arrive to receive Russian passports at a centre in Kherson after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decree to make it easier for residents of Kherson and Melitopol regions to get passports, in Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on July 21, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Mosco has already begun a move to “Russify” areas it occupies, or where it supports separatists, by handing out Russian passports and promoting Russian culture. The moves to hold votes on joining Russia come as Ukraine continues counteroffensives to reclaim lost territory.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to the reports on Twitter by saying “sham ‘referendums’ will not change anything.”
“Russia has been and remains an aggressor illegally occupying parts of Ukrainian land. Ukraine has every right to liberate its territories and will keep liberating them whatever Russia has to say,” he added.
— Holly Ellyatt
8 HOURS AGO
Russia’s Lavrov says separatist votes on joining Russia are a matter for residents
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a ceremony of receiving letters of credence from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 20, 2022. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a ceremony of receiving letters of credence from newly-appointed foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 20, 2022.
Pavel Bednyakov | Sputnik | Reuters
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday it was up to the people living in separatist-controlled areas of Ukraine if they wanted to hold referendums on joining Russia, Reuters reported.
“From the very beginning ... we’ve been saying that the peoples of the respective territories should decide their fate,” Lavrov said on state TV when asked about several coordinated moves by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine on Tuesday to stage votes on joining Russia.
— Reuters
9 HOURS AGO
Moscow-backed separatists in Kherson say they’ll hold referendum on joining Russia
People arrive to receive Russian passports at a center in Kherson, which is occupied by Russian forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decree to make it easier for residents of Kherson and Melitopol regions to get passports, in Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on July 21, 2022.
People arrive to receive Russian passports at a center in Kherson, which is occupied by Russian forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decree to make it easier for residents of Kherson and Melitopol regions to get passports, in Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on July 21, 2022.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Moscow-backed officials in occupied Kherson in southern Ukraine say they’ll hold a referendum on joining Russia.
Volodymyr Saldo, the head of the Russian-backed administration of the Kherson region, said on Telegram Tuesday that ” the leadership of the Administration of the Kherson region decided to hold a referendum on the entry of the Kherson region into the Russian Federation.”
Pre-empting the result, Saldo said “I am sure that the leadership of the Russian Federation will accept the results of the referendum and the Kherson region will become a part of Russia, becoming a full-fledged subject of a united state.”
Saldo’s comments come as Ukraine’s counteroffensives in the northeast and south of the country prompt Russian-installed officials to try to organize referenda, with the aim of legitimizing Russia’s “defense” of such territory in the likely result of the majority of people voting to join Russia. Referenda in occupied parts of Ukraine are widely seen as illegitimate by the international community. Russia has already tried to “Russify” occupied parts of the country, such as by handing out Russian passports, as in the image above.
There was no mention of when such a vote in Kherson could take place.
Saldo said he was “sure that the entry of the Kherson region into the Russian Federation will secure our region, as well as open up new opportunities on the path to returning to peaceful life and become a triumph of historical justice.”
The Russian proxy leaders of two breakaway republics in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine also look likely to try to hold similar votes in Luhansk and Donetsk.
— Holly Ellyatt
11 HOURS AGO
Top Russian official says breakaway regions must hold votes to join Russia
Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that it is “essential” for Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine to hold referenda on becoming a part of Russia.
Medvedev, now deputy chair of the Security Council of Russia, claimed that the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) would have their interests protected if they became a part of Russia.
“Referendums in the Donbas are essential, not only for the systematic protection of residents of the LPR, DPR and other liberated territories, but also for the restoration of historic justice,” Medvedev said in a message on Telegram.
Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev speaks during a meeting with members of the Security Council in Moscow on February 21, 2022.
“Encroachment on the territory of Russia is a crime, the commission of which allows you to use all the forces of self-defense,” Russia’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev.
Alexey Nikolsky | Afp | Getty Images
“After their implementation and the acceptance of new territories into Russia, the geopolitical transformation in the world will become irreversible,” he added, implying that becoming a part of Russia would enable Moscow to justify defending such territories, which are already seen as under Moscow’s control.
“Encroachment on the territory of Russia is a crime, the commission of which allows you to use all the forces of self-defense,” he said, adding “that is why these referendums are so feared in Kyiv and in the West. That is why they need to be carried out.”
Medvedev’s comments come after the separatist leaders of the DPR and LHR stepped up calls to hold immediate votes on joining Russia, calls that come as Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeast of the country starts to spread, putting pressure on the Luhansk, a region Russia claimed to have fully occupied in July.
— Holly Ellyatt
12 HOURS AGO
Russia likely to have relocated submarines away from Crimea
Russia has almost certainly relocated its Kilo-class submarines from their home port in Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea to southern Russia, according to the latest intelligence update from Britain’s Ministry of Defense.
“The command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia,” the ministry said on Tuesday.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - FEBRUARY 13: The Russian Navy’s Kilo-class submarine Rostov-na-Donu B-237 enters the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on February 13, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Russia has been reinforcing its Black Sea Fleet over the past week as a Russian military invasion of Ukraine being reported as imminent. With the arrival of the Rostov-na-Donu, the Russian Black Sea Fleet will have four improved Kilo-class submarines equipped with Kalibr land-attack missiles deployed in the Black Sea.
The Russian Navy’s Kilo-class submarine Rostov-na-Donu B-237 enters the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on Feb. 13, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Dia Images | Getty Images News | Getty Images
This is highly likely due to a heightened security threat level following an increased Ukrainian long-range strike capability, the ministry added, and following recent attacks on the fleet headquarters and its main naval aviation airfield.
“Guaranteeing the Black Sea Fleet’s Crimea basing was likely one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivations for annexing the peninsula in 2014. Base security has now been directly undermined by Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine,” the ministry said.
— Holly Ellyatt
13 HOURS AGO
Battle to liberate occupied Luhansk proceeds as Russian proxies look worried
Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeast of the country continues, with the region of Luhansk believed to be no longer under the full control of Russian forces.
One Ukrainian official stated on Monday that Kyiv’s forces had retaken control of the village of Bilohorivka in Luhansk. Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said on Telegram on Mondat that Bilohorivka “has been cleared and is completely under the control of the Armed Forces.”
“We should all be patient in anticipation of the large-scale deoccupation of Luhansk region. This process will be much more difficult than in Kharkiv region. There will be a hard fight for every centimeter of Luhansk land. The enemy is preparing for defense,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities and their proxies appear to be worried about Ukraine’s gains in an area of the country where there are two self-proclaimed “republics” in Luhansk and Donetsk.
A photo taken on June 17, 2022, shows a destroyed school in the village of Bilohorivka not far from Lysychansk in the Luhansk region which was seized by Russian forces in early July.
A photo taken on June 17, 2022, shows a destroyed school in the village of Bilohorivka not far from Lysychansk in the Luhansk region which was seized by Russian forces in early July.
Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images
Denis Pushilin, head of the Russia-backed separatist Donetsk region, called on his fellow separatist leader in Luhansk on Monday to combine efforts aimed at preparing a speedy referendum on joining Russia.
In a video posted on his telegram channel, he told Luhansk People’s Republic leader Leonid Pasechnik in a phone call that “our actions should be synchronized.”
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said the desire to hold a rapid referendum “suggests that Ukraine’s ongoing northern counter-offensive is panicking proxy forces and some Kremlin decision-makers.”
The ISW’s analysts said referenda would be “incoherent” as “Russian forces do not control all of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.”
“Partial annexation at this stage would ... place the Kremlin in the strange position of demanding that Ukrainian forces un-occupy ‘Russian’ territory, and the humiliating position of being unable to enforce that demand. It remains very unclear that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be willing to place himself in such a bind for the dubious benefit of making it easier to threaten NATO or Ukraine with escalation he remains highly unlikely to conduct at this stage,” they said.
— Holly Ellyatt
13 HOURS AGO
UK says it will match current support for Ukraine in 2023
The U.K.'s newly elected prime minister Liz Truss is expected to announce a multibillion-pound stimulus package to help people with soaring energy prices.
The U.K.’s newly elected prime minister Liz Truss is expected to announce a multibillion-pound stimulus package to help people with soaring energy prices.
Carl Court / Staff / Getty Images
The U.K. has announced that in 2023 it will meet or exceed the amount of military aid spent on Ukraine this year.
Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to announce during a visit to the United Nations in New York this week that leaders “must put an end to Putin’s economic blackmail by removing all energy dependence on Russia,” acording to a pre-released statement by the government.
Truss will use her visit to New York this week to solidify the U.K.’s “commitment to Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity, with the announcement that the UK will match or exceed our record 2022 military support to Ukraine next year,” the government said.
The U.K. said Ukraine’s gains in the conflict in the last couple of weeks amounted to “a significant moment in the war” and said this success is evidence of what the Ukrainian people can do with the backing of fellow democracies.
24 HOURS AGO
Missile strikes near Ukraine nuclear plant, IAEA says
A. Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control, southeastern Ukraine, May 1, 2022.
A. Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in territory under Russian military control, southeastern Ukraine, May 1, 2022.
AP
An explosion near a Ukraine power plant damaged windows and power lines but did not impact the operation of the three reactors there, Kyiv told the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday.
The blast from the shelling occurred about 300 meters, or 984 feet, from the industrial site of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in Mykolaiv Province, the IAEA said in a press release.
No staff were injured by the missile, which impacted three power lines that were swiftly reconnected, Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom told the IAEA.
Ukrainian authorities reportedly called the shelling an act of “nuclear terrorism” by Russia.
The IAEA also said its experts discovered that a power line used to supply electricity to another nuclear plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, had been disconnected Sunday.
Zaporizhzia, located in southeastern Ukraine, is Europe’s largest power plant, and has six reactors that are currently in a “cold shutdown state,” the IAEA said. The plant still receives the electricity it needs for essential safety functions, but it now does not have access to back-up power from the Ukrainian grid, the IAEA experts said.
The disconnected power line transferred electricity from the Ukrainian grid through the switchyard of a nearby thermal power station, the IAEA said. It was not immediately clear how the line was disconnected.
“The situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant remains fragile and precarious,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the press release.
“Last week, we saw some improvements regarding its power supplies, but today we were informed about a new setback in this regard. The plant is located in the middle of a war zone, and its power status is far from safe and secure. Therefore, a nuclear safety and security protection zone must urgently be established there,” Grossi said.
— Kevin Breuninger
MON, SEP 19 20223:41 AM EDT
Putin relying increasingly on volunteer and proxy forces for Ukraine combat: ISW
Russia is relying more and more on volunteer and proxy forces for its combat operations in Ukraine, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
″(Russian President) Putin’s souring relationship with the military command and the Russian (MoD) may explain in part the Kremlin’s increasing focus on recruiting ill-prepared volunteers into ad-hoc irregular units rather than attempting to draw them into reserve or replacement pools for regular Russian combat units,” the ISW said.
Part of this, it said, is due to Putin “bypassing the Russian higher military command and Ministry of Defense (MoD) leadership throughout the summer and especially following the defeat around #Kharkiv Oblast.”
— Natasha Turak
MON, SEP 19 20223:41 AM EDT
Russian troops strike nuclear power plant; reactors still intact
Russian forces struck a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine in Monday’s early hours, but its three reactors are unharmed, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company said.
The Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region is still functioning normally, Ukraine’s Energoatom said.
The attack, which cause a blast about 300 meters away from the reactors and caused damage to buildings at the plant, also reportedly hit a nearby hydroelectric power plant and transmission lines.
— Natasha Turak
MON, SEP 19 20223:40 AM EDT
War ‘not going too well’ for Russia, Gen. Milley says
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley participates in a news briefing at the Pentagon on July 20, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley at a news briefing at the Pentagon on July 20, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
Things are not going so well for Russia in Ukraine at the moment, U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Warsaw, Poland. That could make Putin unpredictable and Western forces need to be vigilant, he added.
“The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it’s incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert,” Milley said. “In the conduct of war, you just don’t know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next.”
The general added that he wasn’t suggesting there was any increased threat to American troops stationed in Europe, but that readiness is paramount.
Russia’s operations in Ukraine have faced significant setbacks with the rapid counteroffensives in recent weeks that saw Ukrainian forces retake swathes of territory in the country’s northeast.
— Natasha Turak
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