At least 70,000 people have left their homes in Ukraine’s southern Kherson province in the space of a week, a Moscow-installed official said Wednesday, pointing to Russia’s evacuation efforts amid escalated fighting in the region. Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, personally oversaw drills of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces as the Kremlin persists with its claims that Kyiv is preparing a “dirty bomb”. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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01:00am: UN lawyer pushes back on Russian row over Iran drone inquiry
The chief UN lawyer on Wednesday pushed back on a Russian argument that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cannot report to the Security Council on Western accusations that Moscow used Iran-made drones in Ukraine in violation of a 2015 resolution.
Russia has argued that there is no mandate for Guterres to send UN experts to Ukraine to inspect the downed drones. Tehran denies supplying the drones to Moscow and Russia has denied its forces used Iranian drones to attack Ukraine.
Guterres reports twice a year to the council - traditionally in June and December - on the implementation of a 2015 council resolution that enshrines the Iran nuclear deal. Any assessment of the drones in Ukraine would be included in that report.
10:32pm: Zelensky says ‘fiercest’ battles are near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine
President Zelensky said Wednesday that his army was fighting ferocious battles with Russian forces in the eastern region of Donetsk.
“The situation on the front line hasn’t changed significantly,” Zelensky said in his daily address to the nation. “The fiercest battles are in the Donetsk region, towards (the cities of) Bakhmut and Avdiyivka”.
9:28pm: Italy’s Meloni pledges arms for Ukraine
The only way to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is helping Kyiv to defend itself militarily, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on Wednesday.
“Peace can be achieved by supporting Ukraine ... it is the only chance we have for the two sides to negotiate,” she said.
Meloni has repeatedly pledged support for Kyiv, while her coalition allies Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini have been much more ambivalent on the issue due to their historic ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Berlusconi, who sparked a political storm last week by reiterating his sympathy for Putin and accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of triggering the war, said he had always worked to unite Moscow with the West, but that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meant this was now impossible. “In this situation we naturally stand with the West,” he said.
8:44pm: Zelensky sees 'positive trend' in Israel ties after intel sharing
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he sees a “positive trend” in Kyiv’s relations with Israel after the two countries shared intelligence about Russia’s purported use of hundreds of Iranian drones in its war against its neighbour.
Zelensky’s comments come two days after he criticised Israel’s neutrality in the war, saying the decision by Israeli leaders not to support Kyiv had encouraged Russia’s military partnership with Iran. But on Wednesday, Zelensky stated that Ukraine and Israel were now sharing key information.
“The intelligence data, which is now being discussed, once again confirms what our intelligence was aware of—around 400 Iranian drones have already been used against the civilian population of Ukraine, 60-70 percent of them have been shot down.”
7:13pm: Remains of US citizen killed in Ukraine being returned to family
The remains of a US citizen killed in fighting in Ukraine have been identified and released to Ukrainian authorities and will soon be returned to the person’s family, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price did not identify the individual, citing respect for the family’s privacy. In a statement, he expressed Washington’s support for Ukraine’s help recovering the person’s remains in negotiations with Russia.
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s president’s office, earlier on Wednesday identified the US citizen as Joshua Jones, describing him as a US Army veteran whose remains were recovered in a prisoner swap with Russia.
3:56pm: FRANCE 24 embedded with Ukraine army: Aim is to recapture Kherson ‘before winter’
The Ukrainian counter-offensive to recapture the Russia-occupied Kherson province is going to plan, and its ground forces are growing more and more confident that they will manage to recapture the illegally annexed region “before winter”.
Embedded with the Ukrainian army, FRANCE 24’s Jonathan Walsh reports directly from the battlefield, where morale is high and the stated goal “is not only to take Kherson, but also Crimea”.
Watch his report in the video below:
3:31pm: Ukraine says southern counter-offensive complicated by wet weather, terrain
Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian forces in its southern Kherson region is proving more difficult than it was in the northeast because of wet weather and the nature of the terrain, Ukraine’s defence minister said on Wednesday.
Oleksii Reznikov told a news conference that Russian forces were using water supply channels as trenches in the occupied Kherson region, an agricultural province.
3:08pm: More than 70,000 people have left Kherson province, pro-Russia official says
At least 70,000 people have left their homes in Ukraine's southern Kherson province in the space of a week, a Moscow-installed official in the region said Wednesday.
"I'm sure that more than 70,000 people left in a week since the crossings were organised," Vladimir Saldo told a regional TV channel, referring to efforts by the region's pro-Kremlin authorities to move residents to the Russian-controled areas on the left bank of the Dnieper river
2:54pm: Russia denounces Norway’s ‘spy mania’
Russia’s embassy in Oslo has criticised what it calls Norway’s “spy mania”, a day after the Scandinavian country announced the arrest of a suspected Russian sleeper agent.
The Norwegian counter-intelligence service PST on Tuesday said it had arrested a Russian so-called “illegal” agent masquerading as a Brazilian researcher at the University of Tromso, in northern Norway.
In an email to AFP, the Russian embassy in Oslo said Wednesday it did not know “who or what this is about”, adding: “in general, spy mania has been actively promoted in Norway lately,” it said.
In addition to the suspected spy, Norway has in recent weeks arrested nine Russian nationals accused of flying drones in its airspace in violation of a ban introduced since the war in Ukraine, or having photographed sensitive sites in restricted areas.
1:49pm: Putin oversees training of nuclear deterrence forces
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw the training of Moscow's strategic deterrence forces, troops responsible for responding to threats of nuclear war, the Kremlin said.
"Under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, a training session was held with ground, sea and air strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place," the Kremlin said in a statement. State television showed Putin overseeing the drills from a control room.
1:40pm: Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Luhansk says heavy fighting in Kreminna, Svatove districts
A Russian-backed separatist official in Ukraine's Luhansk region said on Wednesday that heavy fighting was taking place in the region's Kreminna and Svatove districts.
The two districts have been at the frontline since Ukrainian forces routed Russian troops from neighbouring Kharkiv region in September.
12:41pm: Russia bans dealing in capital of 45 foreign-owned banks or banking units
Russia on Wednesday banned dealings in the shares or share capital of 45 banks or banking units, all either owned by parties in countries that Russia terms "unfriendly" or owned through foreign capital. They included Russian units of Intesa, Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen and Unicredit Bank, as well as the Russian Yandex-Bank and Ozon-Bank.
The list followed a decree issued on August 5 by President Vladimir Putin banning dealings in stakes in the financial and energy sectors owned by parties in "unfriendly" countries unless specific permission was given.
12:14pm: Putin did not congratulate Sunak as UK 'unfriendly' country, says Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate Rishi Sunak on his appointment as UK prime minister because Britain is considered an "unfriendly" country by Moscow, the Kremlin said Wednesday.
"Britain currently belongs to the category of unfriendly countries. So no, a (congratulations) telegram was not sent," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
12:07pm: Kremlin says Griner prisoner swap must be negotiated behind closed doors
The Kremlin on Wednesday said that a potential prisoner exchange with the United States to free US WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, who is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Russia on drug smuggling charges, can only be negotiated quietly.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the rejection of Griner's appeal by a Moscow court on Tuesday.
12:05pm: Kremlin says it may transfer assets in annexed Ukrainian regions to Russian companies
The Kremlin on Wednesday said that assets in the four Ukrainian regions that Russia said it had annexed last month may in future be transferred to Russian companies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was obvious that "abandoned assets" could not be left inactive, and the government would deal with the issue. Ukraine, its Western allies and an overwhelming majority of countries at the UN General Assembly have condemned Russia's declared annexation of the four regions as illegal.
11:45am: Russia says its defence minister discussed alleged Ukraine 'dirty bomb' threat with Indian and Chinese counterparts
Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated claims that Ukraine is preparing a provocation using a "dirty bomb" in a videocall with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, according to Moscow's defence ministry.
The ministry said in a separate statement that Shoigu also voiced the same "concern" in a phone call with India's Defence Minster Rajnath Singh as well.
In turn, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that nuclear weapons should not be used by any side in the Ukraine war, according to an Indian government statement. "The prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity," Singh told Shoigu while reiterating the need for an early resolution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
7:00am: 'Zelensky says Ukraine needs 17 billion dollars just for its immediate reconstruction plan'
France 24's Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv on the reconstruction efforts and financial aid from western countries.
4:12am: Ukrainian official: Russia digging in for 'heaviest of battles' in Kherson
"In Kherson, the situation is clear. The Russians are gathering their forces," Ukrainian presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovich said in a video on Tuesday. "This means that no one is ready to back down. On the contrary, the toughest battle will take place in Kherson," he added, without saying when this battle might take place.
2:27am: Biden discussed aid to Ukraine with Italian Prime Minister Meloni, says White House
US President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Tuesday to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and discussed their commitment to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, the White House said.
The Meloni government is Italy's most right-wing administration since World War Two and former close ties between Moscow and two of her coalition partners have raised concerns with NATO allies.
10:15pm: New UK PM Rishi Sunak promises "steadfast" support for Ukraine
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on a call that the UK's support for Ukraine would be steadfast and "as strong as ever under his premiership," a Downing Street spokesperson said.
"The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine would be as strong as ever under his premiership, and President Zelensky could count on his Government to stand in continued solidarity," the spokesperson said.
Sunak took office earlier on Tuesday. "Both leaders agreed on the need to continue to place pressure on Putin’s barbaric regime through continued economic sanctions ... (Sunak) said he hoped they would see each other in person soon," the spokesperson said.
10:05pm: Biden warns Russia that any nuclear attack would be 'incredibly serious mistake'
US President Joe Biden warned Russia on Tuesday against using a nuclear weapon in the war with Ukraine, saying such an escalation would be a grave error. Asked by reporters whether he thinks Russia is preparing a "dirty bomb" attack that it would then blame on Ukraine, Biden said: "Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon."
Russia has repeatedly warned that Ukraine could use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory. This is a conventional bomb laced with radioactive, biological or chemical materials which get disseminated in an explosion.
The US and its allies suspect Russia might itself use a dirty bomb in a "false flag" attack, possibly to justify use of conventional nuclear weapons by Moscow as it finds itself on the back foot in eastern and southern Ukraine. Biden said, "I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation yet. We don't know."
The Pentagon said Tuesday that Russia would face repercussions for using such a device."If Russia were to employ nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb, there would be consequences," spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told journalists, without providing specifics.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
