It’s slightly past 11pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft guns and 65 refrigerators to Ukraine, the German government announced on Wednesday. The 4 additional Gepard units now brings the total number of Gepard units provided by Germany to Ukraine to 24.
Kremlin sources “are now working to clear [Russian President Vladimir] Putin of any responsibly of the defeat, instead blaming the loss of almost all of occupied Kharkiv Oblast on underinformed military advisors,” according to The Institute of the Study of War. In a statement reported by CNBC, the institute said that “Kremlin officials and state media propagandists are extensively discussing the reasons for the Russian defeat in Kharkiv Oblast, a marked change from their previous pattern of reporting on exaggerated or fabricated Russian successes with limited detail.”
The prospects for peace in Ukraine are currently “minimal,” the UN secretary-general said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin. “I have the feeling we are still far away from peace. I would be lying if I would say it could happen soon,” Guterres said, adding, “I have no illusion; at the present moment the chances of a peace deal are minimal,” he added, noting that even a ceasefire is “not in sight.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin still believes he was right to launch an invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday after a 90-minute-long telephone call with the Russian president. “Sadly, I cannot tell you that the impression has grown that it was a mistake to begin this war,” Scholz said in a press briefing.
Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft guns and 65 refrigerators to Ukraine, the German government announced on Wednesday.
The Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun can fire 35 mm shells at a rate of up to 1,000 rounds per minute.
The 4 additional Gepard units now brings the total number of Gepard units provided by Germany to Ukraine to 24.
“Under the 2022 budget process, the funds for the security capacity building initiative were increased to a total of 2 billion euros for the year 2022. The additional funds are to be used primarily to support Ukraine,” the German government said in a statement.
“At the same time, they will be used to finance Germany’s increased mandatory contributions to the European Peace Facility (EPF), which in turn goes towards reimbursing EU member states for costs incurred to them in providing support for Ukraine,” it added.
Kremlin sources “are now working to clear [Russian President Vladimir] Putin of any responsibly of the defeat, instead blaming the loss of almost all of occupied Kharkiv Oblast on underinformed military advisors,” according to The Institute of the Study of War.
In a statement reported by CNBC, the institute said that “Kremlin officials and state media propagandists are extensively discussing the reasons for the Russian defeat in Kharkiv Oblast, a marked change from their previous pattern of reporting on exaggerated or fabricated Russian successes with limited detail.”
It went on to add that the Kremlin’s acknowledgement of its defeat in Kharkiv is “part of an effort to mitigate and deflect criticism for such a devastating failure away from Russian President Vladimir Putin and onto the Russian Ministry of Defense and the uniformed military command.”
Prospects for peace are "minimal," says United Nations
The prospects for peace in Ukraine are currently “minimal,” the UN secretary-general said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Antonio Guterres said he and the Russian president discussed efforts to overcome “obstacles” that remain related to Russia’s food and fertilizer exports, but warned it would be “naive” to believe there has been sufficient progress towards a rapid end to the war in Ukraine.
“I have the feeling we are still far away from peace. I would be lying if I would say it could happen soon,” Guterres said, Agence France-Presse reports.
“I have no illusion; at the present moment the chances of a peace deal are minimal,” he added, noting that even a ceasefire is “not in sight.”
Guterres nevertheless reaffirmed that he was maintaining contact with both sides and expressed hope that “one day it will be possible to go to a higher level of discussion.”
In the meantime talks continue on Russian exports. Guterres said he spoke with Putin earlier Wednesday and that they discussed the exports initiative “and its extension and its possible expansion.”
A two-part agreement - allowing both the flow of Ukraine’s grain exports blocked by the war and Russia’s food and fertilizer exports - was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July and is scheduled to last 120 days.
While some three million tons of grain have been allowed to leave Ukraine, Russia says exports of its own foodstuffs and fertilizer continue to suffer under Western sanctions, which have targeted Moscow for its military assault.
“There are some exports of Russian food and fertilizers but much lower that what is desirable and needed,” Guterres said, adding there is discussion about the possibility of Russian ammonia exports though the Black Sea.
Guterres warned the fertilizer crisis has reached a “dramatic” level, repeating his fears of a global food shortage next year.
Updated
Russian president Vladimir Putin still believes he was right to launch an invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday after a 90-minute-long telephone call with the Russian president.
“Sadly, I cannot tell you that the impression has grown that it was a mistake to begin this war,” Scholz said in a press briefing, Agence France-Presse reports.
“And there was no indication that new attitudes are emerging,” he added at joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Garibashvili.
In the call Tuesday with Putin, Scholz urged the Russian leader to seek a diplomatic solution “based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian forces and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukraine.”
The exit of Russian troops from Ukraine was the only way for “peace to have a chance in the region”, Scholz said Wednesday.
While Putin’s positions did not appear to have shifted, the German chancellor said it was necessary to remain in conversation with the Russian leader, saying, “It is right to speak with each other and to say what there is to say on this subject.”
Today so far
It is 9pm in Ukraine.
Eight Russian missiles that struck Kryvyi Rih at about 5pm local time were directed at hydraulic structures, causing enough damage that the water level of the Inhulets river is now rising and posing a serious threat to the city. This aligns with Ukraine’s concerns that Russia will continue to target Ukraine’s infrastructure in retribution for its success in regaining occupied territory. In particular, Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
#Russia launched a missile attack on civilian infrastructure in Kryvyy Rih. The water pumping station was destroyed. The river broke through the dam and overflowed its banks. Residential buildings are just a few meters away from the river.#russiaisateroriststate pic.twitter.com/W6pvs40IfT
— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) September 14, 2022
Speaking of recently regained occupied territory, since 6 September, Ukrainian troops have liberated about 388 settlements, about 8,500 sq km and about 150,000 people. These are updated figures provided by Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian deputy minister of defence, who explained that she is constantly clarifying the figures because the situation is dynamic.
Meanwhile in these recently liberated territories, authorities are working to restore life back to normalcy, which is a tall order given the devastation the Russian troops left behind. In Balakliia, there is no electricity, no water and only part of the city has gas, said the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. But Ukraine’s national railway was able to run a test train today into a station here today.
But in the same city of Balakliia, Ukraine’s ministry of defence found what its officials believe to be a “torture chamber” used by Russian troops to hold Ukrainian prisoners. While some Balakliia residents told the Guardian that they had little interaction with the Russian forces, who mostly stayed on edges of the town, and did not experience the scenes of torture and execution seen elsewhere in the country, Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv Region National Police Investigation Department, said that 40 people had been detained during the occupation. One resident told the The BBC that he was held by Russians in the city’s police station for more than 40 days, and was tortured with electrocution.
Russian troops have returned to Kreminna, a city in the Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast that was “completely empty” yesterday, said Serhiy Hadai, the governor of the Luhansk region, and tore down the Ukrainian flags that local partisans had raised in celebration. Yesterday, a similar situation happened Svatove – Russian troops left, but returned after some time, Hadai said. Russian troops also left Starobilsk, another city in the Luhansk oblast, yesterday, and have so far not returned.
Update: Ukraine has liberated about 388 Kharkiv settlements since 6 September
Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian deputy minister of defence, has an updated account of territory regained by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region since 6 September:
Since 6 September, Ukrainian troops have liberated about 388 settlements, about 8,500 sq km and about 150,000 people, Maliar said.
“The numbers are constantly being clarified because the process is dynamic,” she explained. “In addition, the liberated territories still need additional security and stabilisation measures in order to safely live there. Therefore, official messages with the figures of discharged settlements are provided with conscious delay and may or may not take into account the stabilisation measures undertaken, and therefore vary.”
She said the front line currently measures at 2,500 km, 1,300 km of which are active combat.
“Yes, we have long waited for this success, but we still have to fight and fight,” Maliar said. “Until a complete victory, we release many more of our people and our lands. We need more time, strength and patience.”
Germany has delivered four more Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles to Ukraine, after receiving criticism that the country was not following through on its commitment to supply Ukraine with weaponry.
⚡️Germany delivers 4 more Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles to Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 14, 2022
Germany had previously delivered 20 Gerard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, bringing the total amount to 24, according to the German government. Germany is also preparing to send six more Gepard vehicles.
Yesterday, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, had harsh words for Germany and German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. Early in the invasion, Scholz had shocked the world by announcing a historic 180-degree policy turn on defence spending and exporting lethal weapons and committing Germany to sending missiles and anti-tank weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. But six months later, many of those weapons have yet to arrive.
“Disappointing signals from Germany while Ukraine needs Leopards and Marders now – to liberate people and save them from genocide,” Kuleba tweeted. “Not a single rational argument on why these weapons can not be supplied, only abstract fears and excuses. What is Berlin afraid of that Kyiv is not?”
In light of Ukraine’s recent victories in regaining territory, Ukrainian officials have been particularly outspoken on the need for more foreign aid in the form of military weaponry.
The rising water level of the Inhulets river has already swept a bridge away Kryvyi Rih, according to footage over the area. The water is rising because the hydraulic structures that usually keeps the level regular were damaged when they were struck by eight Russian rockets earlier today.
8 Russian rocket strikes on Kryvyi Rih today.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 14, 2022
Rockets were directed at hydraulic structures.
This caused water level of Inhulets river to increase, threatening the city.
Russia obviously wants to cause a crisis situation, - deputy head of Presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko pic.twitter.com/t7jf6E1qT0
Russian missile strikes hydraulic structures in Kryvyi Rih, causes river level to rise
The eight Russian missiles that struck Kryvyi Rih at about 5pm local time were directed at hydraulic structures, and the damage to the structures are now causing the water level of the Inhulets river to rise, posing a serious threat to the city, officials said.
“Today, the Russian troops sent the maximum number of their weapons at hydrotechnical structures,” Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Telegram. “The goal is obvious - an attempt to create an emergency situation. It is not important to them whether people will remain without water or whether the city will be in water.”
“This is a terrorist act against our people, against a specific city.”
8 Russian rocket strikes on Kryvyi Rih today.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 14, 2022
Rockets were directed at hydraulic structures.
This caused water level of Inhulets river to increase, threatening the city.
Russia obviously wants to cause a crisis situation, - deputy head of Presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko pic.twitter.com/evSrtADNKn
Water levels in the Inhulets river are rising fast. Ukrainian officials say 8 Russian cruise missiles hit a “hydrotechnic installation” — likely a dam — in Kryvy Rih. It’s a city of 700,000 people. https://t.co/Uol0hKiA2F
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) September 14, 2022
“They need our panic, in which it will be difficult to make decisions. So don’t panic,” Tymoshenko said. “Services are already eliminating the consequences of the missile strikes, and the military administration is coordinating the work on the spot. The main thing is that there are no victims among the civilian population. We will restore the rest.”
Kryvyi Rih is a populous city in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast in central Ukraine. It is the hometown of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Updated
It appears that today’s missile strikes on Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast were aimed at the city’s waterworks. This attack aligns with Ukraine’s concern that Russia will continue to target the country’s infrastructure in retribution for Ukraine’s continued success in recapturing occupied territories.
At 5 pm Russia fired eight cruise missiles at waterworks in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown. Failing at the battlefield, terrorists repeatedly try to provoke humanitarian crisis and attack civilian infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/jDVLL3xi4J
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) September 14, 2022
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces reported today that Russia forces hit civilian infrastructure of more than 15 settlements in the Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.
“In total, during the current day, eight rockets, four air strikes and 15 shelling from the enemy’s battalion-fire jet systems were counted,” the general staff posted on Telegram.
Updated
A lot of work lies ahead for the newly liberated territories of the Kharkiv oblast – currently in Balakliia, there is no electricity, no water and only part of the city has gas, said the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Зведений загін ДСНС приступив до виконання робіт у звільненій Балакліїhttps://t.co/23ZFBkqnlY pic.twitter.com/0McLgPEgsW
— DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) September 14, 2022
“Demining of the most important objects of the city’s critical infrastructure has already started today, to enable other emergency and utility services to work to restore safe and normal living conditions for its residents,” officials said.
In a very sweet moment between mother and son, Vyacheslav Zadorenko, the mayor of the Kharkiv suburb Derhachi, reunites with his mother after her village of Kozacha was liberated following six months of Russian occupation.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said troops have so far liberated 8,000 sq km in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv in a counteroffensive launched in early September.
Russia missiles strike Kryvyi Rih, a populous city in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast in southeast Ukraine, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration of Kryvyi Rih.
“We are all in shelters!” Vilkul posted on Telegram. “Another launch of rockets in our direction.”
Just now Russia launched a missile attack on Kryvyi Rih.
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) September 14, 2022
Russian propagandists joke that these are fireworks in honor of Dmitry Medvedev's birthday.#RussiaIsATerroristState
Updated
Ukraine’s officials claim to have discovered ‘torture chamber’ used by Russian troops
Ukraine’s ministry of defence has posted what its officials believe to be a “torture chamber” used by Russian troops to hold Ukrainian prisoners in the recently liberated Balakliia in the Kharkiv oblast.
The cell has the Lord’s Prayer craved into the wall in Ukrainian.
russian torture chamber in liberated Balakliya.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 14, 2022
The Lord's Prayer was carved on the wall by Ukrainian prisoners.
russia must be held accountable for this blatant genocide. pic.twitter.com/ObQJGjfEQw
With about 8,000 sq km (3,100 square miles) recaptured so far, authorities have repeatedly warned of the horrors that the Russian troops likely left behind. After liberating the Kyiv region, Ukrainian forces uncovered a number of war crimes, including mass graves and bodies of civilians that bore the signs of torture. They expect to find the same in the Kharkiv region.
Balakliia residents told the Guardian that they had little interaction with the Russian forces, who mostly stayed on edges of the town. Although they lived amid a near information vacuum – with patchy phone signal, no mobile internet or wifi and TV for most of the period – and had to get by without basic utilities and cope with looting by Russian forces and the terror of shelling, they did not experience the scenes of torture and execution seen elsewhere in the country.
But Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv Region National Police Investigation Department, said that 40 people had been detained during the occupation. One resident told the The BBC that he was held by Russians in the city’s police station for more than 40 days, and was tortured with electrocution. The man, identified only as Artem, said he could hear screams of pain and terror coming from other cells.
“They made me hold two wires,” he said.
“There was an electric generator. The faster it went, the higher the voltage. They said, ‘if you let it go, you are finished’. Then they started asking questions. They said I was lying, and they started spinning it even more and the voltage increased.”
Artem told us he was detained because the Russians found a picture of his brother, a soldier, in uniform. Another man from Balakliia was held for 25 days because he had the Ukrainian flag, Artem said.
Updated
Ukraine’s national railway ran a test train today into a station in Balakliia in the Kharkiv oblast, less than a week after Ukraine’s dramatic counter-offensive led to the liberation of more than 8,000 sq km of the region, which had been living under Russian occupation for almost the entirety of the invasion.
Test @Ukrzaliznytsia train pulling into #Balakliya station, #Kharkiv region, east #Ukraine, today - less than a week since the city's liberation.
— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) September 14, 2022
That's an impressive achievement, @AKamyshin!pic.twitter.com/DuuWGhiGVJ
Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv oblast, said on Telegram that returning “liberated towns and villages to normal life” was a priority at the moment.
“Currently, our main priority is to carry out demining, restore critical infrastructure and provide public services - payment of pensions, social benefits, etc,” he said. “I am sure that normal life will return…very soon.”
Russian troops have returned to Kreminna, a city in the Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast that was “completely empty” yesterday, said Serhiy Hadai, the governor of the Luhansk region, and tore down the Ukrainian flags that local partisans had raised in celebration.
Yesterday, a similar situation happened Svatove – Russian troops left, but returned after some time, Hadai said. Russian troops also left Starobilsk, another city in the Luhansk oblast, yesterday, and have so far not returned.
“We are only waiting for…the (Ukrainian) military,” Hadai said on Telegram.
Like in other parts of the Luhansk oblast, Russian troops have cut off the mobile Internet in Kerminna and other occupied territories “so that people could not transmit information to us,” Hadai said.
Hadai warned that occupied territories were experiencing a shortage of fuel due to the large-scale exodus of Russian occupiers and collaborators.
The Kremlin has given a predictably lukewarm reaction to the draft set of security guarantees published by the Ukrainian President’s office yesterday.
Co-authored by the former Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and Volodomyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, the report said Ukraine’s allies should commit to legally binding large-scale weapons transfers and multi-decade investment in the country’s defences, as an alternative to Kyiv’s long-term aspirations to join Nato.
Today Reuters reports that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia viewed the document negatively, saying the idea of Ukraine joining Nato was “the main threat to Russia”:
“It once again emphasises the relevance and urgent need for us to ensure our own security and our own national interests.”
Peskov also criticised Kyiv’s use of Western support to guarantee its security, saying Zelenskiy could boost Ukraine’s security by giving in to Russian demands right away.
“The leadership of Ukraine must take actions that eliminate the threat to Russia, and they know perfectly well what those actions must be,” he said.
He did not provide any details.
Pope Francis has spoken explicitly about Ukraine during his visit to Kazakhstan, where he is taking part in a multi-faith conference.
Reuters reports that at the end of a Mass for about 6,000 members of Kazakhstan’s Catholic community, he spoke of Ukraine, asking “how many deaths will it still take” before conflict yields to dialogue.
He also expressed concern over the flare up in the South Caucasus between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskiy has posted to Telegram to thank the commander of the ground forces in Ukraine for the recent counteroffensive advances. He writes:
You can temporarily occupy the territory of our state. But you definitely cannot occupy the Ukrainian people. You can brainwash people’s minds, but you cannot do this to the hearts of Ukrainians.
I am thankful to commander of the ground forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky, to all our warriors for liberating the Ukrainian land from the enemy. You save our people, our hearts, children and the future.
Nataliya Gumenyuk is a Ukrainian journalist specialising in foreign affairs and conflict reporting, and she has written for us today, arguing that Ukrainians are joyful as the Russian occupiers flee, but must be wary of an ambush:
People are generally hopeful. For the last five months, the Russian army has waged an artillery war instead of engaging in direct battles. But within days of this new offensive, the Ukrainian army claims to have captured thousands of Russian soldiers as prisoners of war. This raises hopes that at least 8,000 Ukrainian military personnel being held in Russia might be released in exchange.
Make no mistake, though: it’s not an easy path. Ukrainian soldiers are fighting and dying. Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I learned about the death of a fellow soldier of two of my friends, killed in the Kharkiv region during the past few days, and read about members of the national opera joining the army.
I have found that the most excitement is expressed by international experts, diplomats and correspondents. Ukrainians are hopeful but wary. Every one of us has a friend, a relative or somebody we know fighting on the ground at the moment, somebody whom we are unable to contact, or who might be sent on assignment.
Read more of Nataliya Gumenyuk’s piece here: Ukrainians are joyful as the Russian occupiers flee, but we must be wary of an ambush
Today so far:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise visit to Izium, one of the many settlements recently liberated by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region. While there, he met with the victorious troops took part in the flag raising and surveyed some of the damages. “Earlier, when we looked up, we always looked for the blue sky. Today, when we look up, we are looking for only one thing – the flag of Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy said about 8,000 sq km (3,100 square miles) have been liberated so far, apparently all in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv. “Stabilisation measures” had been completed in about half of that territory, Zelenskiy said, “and across a liberated area of about the same size, stabilisation measures are still ongoing”. Ukraine now has set its sights on freeing all territory occupied by invading Russian forces.
While the mood is joyous over the recent gains the Ukrainian military, officials understand the challenges that lie ahead in the newly liberated territories – many of which had been living under Russian occupation for almost the entirety of the invasion. Much of the city of Izium was destroyed, and the people were terrorised. Investigators are now beginning to look into possible war crimes committed by Russian soldiers.
Russia has probably used Iranian-made uncrewed aerial vehicles in Ukraine for the first time, Britain’s defence intelligence said on Wednesday, after Kyiv reported downing one of the UAVs – a Shahed-136 – on Tuesday. The German paper Bild has added weight to the British defence intelligence reports, raising questions of the extent of weaponry that Moscow has at hand.
Russian forces have ordered that the mobile Internet be cut off in the Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast Wednesday, Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk oblast, said on Telegram.
One person was killed and a number more injured by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia oblast in southern Ukraine over the past two days, according to the regional state administration.
Five civilians were killed and 16 more wounded in Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast yesterday, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk oblast. The region has seen heavy fighting in the past day, Kyrylenko said, with Russian troops attacking infrastructure “with tanks, mortars and artillery”. In addition to the casualties in Bakhmut, Russian troops wounded 12 in Toretsk, one in Avdiivka, one in Kurdiumivka and one in Kodema, Kyrylenko said.
A dispatch from Guardian correspondent Lorenzo Tondo, who reports from the recently liberated Izium, where president Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise visit earlier today:
Horror is slowly unfolding from the burned-out rubble of Izium, one of the most strategically vital towns for the Russians before its recapture last weekend by Ukrainian forces.
The carcasses of tanks with Russia’s signature ‘Z’ symbol dot streets peppered with craters. Dozens of bombed-out apartment buildings in the city centre lie derelict along roads covered with debris from what was one of this war’s most fierce battles and which here, in Izium, has resulted in the death of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday described the scene in Izium as “very shocking” but not shocking for him – not shocking for the Ukrainian people, who experienced this same bittersweet victory earlier in the war that is the relief of long-awaited liberation but the horror of what is left behind. “The same destroyed buildings, killed people,” Zelenskiy said.
“Our soldiers are here”, he added. “That’s a very important thing. It supports people. I see how people meet them, in what a sensitive moment. It means that with our army, life comes back.”
#Izyum. Today. #Ukraine #Russia #war pic.twitter.com/wKn2kuV74n
— Lorenzo Tondo (@lorenzo_tondo) September 14, 2022
More to come.
Five civilians were killed and 16 more wounded in Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast yesterday, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk oblast.
The region has seen heavy fighting in the past day, Kyrylenko said, as Russian troops attack infrastructure “with tanks, mortars and artillery”. In addition to the casualties in Bakhmut, Russian troops wounded 12 in Toretsk, one in Avdiivka, one in Kurdiumivka and one in Kodema, Kyrylenko said.
“Every night in Donetsk region is restless. Civilians should leave the area. This is a matter of life and death,” Kyrylenko wrote on Telegram.
⚡️ Governor: 5 civilians killed, 16 wounded in Donetsk Oblast in past 24 hours.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 14, 2022
Over the past day, the Russians have killed five civilians in Bakhmut, wounded 12 in Toretsk, one in Avdiivka, one in Kurdiumivka and one in Kodema, said Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Updated
Governor: Russians ordered mobile internet be cut off in Luhansk oblast
Russian forces have ordered that the mobile internet be cut off in the Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast on Wednesday, Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk oblast, said on Telegram.
“The occupying authorities of Luhansk region continue to claim that nothing threatening is happening in the territory of the region, or as they say, the ‘republic’,” Haidai wrote on Telegram. “Just in case, mobile internet is turned off in the region. As the local operator explains, this is an order of the occupation authorities to ensure defence capability and security. Previously, they did not focus on these issues. At the same time, queues at checkpoints have not been decreasing for several days.”
Updated
One person was killed and others injured by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia oblast in southern Ukraine over the past two days, according to the regional state administration.
A rocket attack damaged two infrastructure facilities in the region’s centre, and shelling destroyed homes and residential buildings in the settlements of Orikhiv and Hulyaipole, as well as in several villages in the Polohy district.
The attacks in Zaporizhzhia come as Ukrainian intelligence warn the Kremlin will begin targeting more and more of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – including the besieged Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which would cause catastrophic harm to the region if damaged.
Updated
“Earlier, when we looked up, we always looked for the blue sky. Today, when we look up, we are looking for only one thing – the flag of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, wrote on Telegram regarding his surprise visit to the recently liberated city of Izium.
Izium was one of more than 300 settlements the Ukrainian military have recaptured since 6 September. Zelenskiy said earlier that troops have liberated about 8,000 sq km (3,100 sq miles) so far, apparently all in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv.
“Our blue-yellow flag is already flying in the de-occupied Izium,” Zelenskiy continued. “And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village. We are moving in only one direction – forward and towards victory.”
Updated
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, made a surprise visit to the recently liberated city of Izium today where he met with troops, took part in the flag raising and surveyed some of the damages.
Here are some images of his visit:
Zelenskiy in Izium is again a sharp contrast with Putin, who hasn't been anywhere near front, made brief visit to a military hospital once in May, and otherwise (as far as we know) has got no closer to troops than looking at them through binoculars at exercises. (pics AP&Reuters) pic.twitter.com/X66OBTch1R
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) September 14, 2022
Updated
The German paper Bild has added weight to British defence intelligence reports that Russia has likely used Iranian-made drones in Ukraine, following the downing of one of them yesterday, as announced by Kyiv.
The tabloid says remains of a Shahed-136 ‘kamikaze drone’ were found in wreckage following the liberation of the town of Kupiansk, near Kharkiv. Existence of the drone was first made public by Iran in 2021, when it described it as “very precise”. However, experts that Bild have spoken tosay there’s doubt about the drone’s efficiency, which was viewed as a prop - or part of the propaganda tool kit - of Iran’s Mullahs.
Nevertheless, the discovery of the Shahed-136 remains have set alarm bells ringing among western intelligence agencies, the paper writes (adding there is evidence, from reports by Russian bloggers, that Iranian Qods Yasir drones have also been used over eastern Ukraine).
In July, the US warned that Russia was on the search for new drones to use in its campaign against Ukraine, and appeared to have found what it was looking for in Iran. The theory goes that Moscow was at pains to use the Iranian drones to replace the considerable losses of its own observation, conflict and kamikaze drones in Ukraine. However, shortly after the US warnings emerged about the existence of the drones, western intelligence services reported that the “Mullahs’ drones” had disappointed Russia’s military and was not planning to buy any more of them ‘beyond a few test examples’.
Yesterday’s discovery in Kupiansk raises the question: were the remains of one of the ‘test drones’ considered by Moscow not worthy of further use; or did western intelligence read the whole situation incorrectly and did Moscow put its faith in what Bild refers to as the ‘Iranian killer drones’ and buy stockpiles of them?
Updated
Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes surprise visit to recaptured Izium
Izium, the recently recaptured city in Kharkiv oblast that Volodymyr Zelenskiy is visiting today, was left devastated after Russian forces withdrew following months of occupation. Like much of the rest of the recaptured parts of region, Ukrainian authorities must now take stock of the damages and get a full scope of what horrors took place under when Russian troops had control of the city of nearly 46,000.
“The view is very shocking but it is not shocking for me,” the Associated Press reported Zelenskiy saying, “because we began to see the same pictures from Bucha, from the first de-occupied territories so the same destroyed buildings, killed people.” When Ukrainian troops retook Bucha, they uncovered a slew of war crimes – mass graves and the bodies of civilians, many of them bearing signs of torture.
Here’s a look at what the Russian troops left behind in Izium:
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Volodymyr Zelenskiy is making a surprise visit today to Izium, one of the many towns recaptured by Ukrainian forces after months under Russian occupation.
Zelensky in a surprise visit today to Izium, the town liberated from months of Russian occupation in recent days. It was used by Moscow as a heavily militarized garrison town buttressing its stalled campaign in the Donbas. pic.twitter.com/1M62RC6fBn
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) September 14, 2022
Zelensky in Izium today pic.twitter.com/qwM3Trddsa
— Illia Ponomarenko (@IAPonomarenko) September 14, 2022
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Summary of the day so far …
Western sanctions on Russia are having a real impact and are there to stay, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday, stressing that the European Union’s solidarity with Ukraine would be “unshakeable”. “This is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement,” she said. “We are in it for the long haul.”
Von der Leyen also sent a strong signal over European Union expansion, saying the European Union is not complete without Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and western Balkan countries. “You are part of our family, you are the future of our union. Our union is not complete without you,” she said.
Ukraine has set its sights on freeing all territory occupied by invading Russian forces after driving them back in a speedy counteroffensive in the north-east. In an address on Tuesday evening, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said about 8,000 sq km (3,100 square miles) have been liberated so far, apparently all in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv. “Stabilisation measures” had been completed in about half of that territory, Zelenskiy said, “and across a liberated area of about the same size, stabilisation measures are still ongoing”.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych held out the prospects of building on the gains made over the weekend in the Kharkiv region by moving on the eastern province of Luhansk. “There is now an assault on Lyman and there could be an advance on Siversk,” Arestovych said. The pro-Russian leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic denied the claims and said in a video post that Lyman remains in their hands, saying “the situation has been stabilised.”
However, the frontline in eastern Ukraine is approaching the borders of territory claimed by the self-proclaimed pro-Russian separatist Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) according to Andrey Marochko, a senior LPR military commander.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces warned that Russian forces were continuing to loot as they withdrew from occupied territories. On a stretch of highway heading into Russian territory, Ukrainian officials spotted civilian vehicles with licence plates from the Kharkiv region, driven by Russian military and weighed down with looted belongings. In the south, there were reports of Russian occupants breaking the gates of private garages and taking cars, as well as removing furniture.
Russia has probably used Iranian-made uncrewed aerial vehicles in Ukraine for the first time, Britain’s defence intelligence said on Wednesday, after Kyiv reported downing one of the UAVs – a Shahed-136 – on Tuesday. The device is a “one-way attack” weapon, the MoD said, and has been used in the Middle East. The shooting down of the drone near the frontline in Ukraine suggests that Russia is using the weapons as a tactical weapon rather than a strategic one, targeting military installations deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Russian oil and gas revenues have fallen to their lowest for almost a year, despite a big rise in prices.
Pope Francis, at a summit of religious leaders in Kazakhstan, has said that God does not guide religions towards war in what appears to be an implicit criticism of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed the invasion of Ukraine.
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In this video explainer, Guardian correspondent Luke Harding chronicles the key historical events that led to the invasion of Ukraine, from the Euromaidan protests to the annexation of Crimea, and explains why Vladimir Putin’s belief that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” is rooted in history from a thousand years ago.
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Reuters reports the frontline in eastern Ukraine is approaching the borders of territory claimed by the self-proclaimed pro-Russian separatist Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). That is according to Andrey Marochko, a senior LPR military commander who has spoken to Russian news agency Tass.
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Here is a video clip of European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen saying this morning that the EU’s solidarity with Ukraine was “unshakeable” and sanctions against Russia were “here to stay”.
Pope Francis has said that God does not guide religions towards war in what appears to be an implicit criticism of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed the invasion of Ukraine.
On his second day in Kazakhstan, Francis addressed the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, a meeting that brings together Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other faiths.
“God is peace. He guides us always in the way of peace, never that of war,” Francis said.
“Let us commit ourselves, then, even more to insisting on the need for resolving conflicts not by the inconclusive means of power, with arms and threats, but by the only means blessed by heaven and worthy of man: encounter, dialogue and patient negotiations,” he said.
Reuters reports the pope, who earlier this year said Kirill could not be Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “altar boy”, told the conference: “The sacred must never be a prop for power, nor power a prop for the sacred!”
Kirill was to have attended, but pulled out. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) sent a delegation headed by its number two, Metropolitan Anthony, who later briefly met the pope. Kirill has given enthusiastic backing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Sir Hugo Swire, previously a minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and who served in the Grenadier Guards during the 1980s has suggested this morning that Russian President Vladimir Putin was misguided in his thinking about how the world would react to his invasion of Ukraine, and how well prepared the Russian military was for the campaign. He told viewers of Sky News in the UK:
I think a lot of his equipment just looks great on parades in Moscow, but actually in the field is proven to be not very effective, and the terrible logistical problems and so forth.
The reaction of the world? I don’t know. Did he really think he could go into Ukraine in a sort of Blitzkrieg operation and it would all be over in a matter of days and then the world would settle down and deal with him on a an equal level? I think we can now see the how wrong he was.
During her state of the union speech this morning, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen sent a strong signal over European Union expansion.
Reuters reports she said the European Union is not complete without Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and western Balkan countries.
“You are part of our family, you are the future of our union,” she told the EU’s eastern neighbours. “Our union is not complete without you.”
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Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, has repeated his refrain that people should evacuate where possible from areas that remain under the control of pro-Russia forces or are being targeted by Russian strikes. Posting images to Telegram of what he claims are recent attacks by Russia on Kramatorsk, Kyrylenko says:
The rocket fell right in the middle of a residential quarter and partially damaged at least three private houses; the garage burned down as a result of the fire that broke out. The Russians are deliberately terrorising the local population. Under such conditions, the only correct way out for civilians is to evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine. Don’t become a target for Russian terrorist forces. Evacuate!
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Von der Leyen: 'Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine will remain unshakeable'
Western sanctions on Russia are having a real impact and are there to stay, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday, stressing that the European Union’s solidarity with Ukraine would be “unshakeable”.
With the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, the guest of honour as she delivered her annual state of the union speech, Von der Leyen told the European parliament in Strasbourg: “Never before has this parliament debated the state of our union with war raging on European soil.”
“And I stand here with the conviction that with courage and solidarity, Putin will fail and Europe will prevail,” Von der Leyen said, adding: “Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine will remain unshakeable.”
Reuters reports many lawmakers and EU commissioners wore Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours.
“Russia’s financial sector is on life-support,” she said, adding that nearly a thousand international companies had left the country. “The Russian military is taking chips from dishwashers and refrigerators to fix their military hardware, because they ran out of semiconductors. Russia’s industry is in tatters.”
At a time when Ukraine is working on securing territory it has reclaimed from occupying Russian forces in a swift counter-offensive, Von der Leyen said this was not the time for the bloc to soften its stance.
“This is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement,” she said. “We are in it for the long haul.”
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On Sky News in the UK, Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay has said that she does not see the Russian president, Vladimir Putin “ending this anytime soon and withdrawing his troops”. She told viewers:
Ukraine does seem to be on the advantage now. And the Russian forces, on a long and overstretched frontline which clearly has weaknesses in it that the Ukrainians have identified, are going to be suffering from pretty poor morale. I think that is the main problem that Russia is facing.
The Kremlin has been pretty tight-lipped about the counteroffensive. But what has been very interesting here [inMoscow] is to watch the kind of comments and criticism from not the liberal camp, but pro-war nationalist bloggers, especially on Telegram, and some military analysts who want Russia to be doing better. They are very angry that they are suffering the kind of setbacks that we are now seeing.
We heard yesterday from the leader of the Communist party saying that Russia should just turn around and call a war a war, and declare full mobilisation. And we’ve heard certain calls from various parties that Russia needs to do that. The Kremlin are understandably very hesitant about mobilising the entire country. It will be politically extremely risky. It would show that this special military operation is not going according to plan.
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Ukraine’s governor of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, has posted to Telegram to say that in shelling on his region by Russia in the last 24 hours two civilians have been killed and six injured. He listed damage to residential and commercial premises, particularly in the city of Mykolaiv, the regional capital.
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This morning Reuters is touting that it has an exclusive that Vladimir Putin’s chief envoy on Ukraine told the Russian leader as the war began that he had struck a provisional deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia’s demand that Ukraine stay out of Nato, but Putin rejected it and pressed ahead with his military campaign.
It reports that, according to three people close to the Russian leadership, the Ukrainian-born envoy Dmitry Kozak told Putin that he believed the deal he had hammered out removed the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine.
Kozak’s recommendation to Putin to adopt the deal is being reported by Reuters for the first time.
Putin had repeatedly asserted prior to the war that Nato and its military infrastructure were creeping closer to Russia’s borders by accepting new members from eastern Europe, and that the alliance was nowpreparing to bring Ukraine into its orbit too. Putin publicly said that represented an existential threat to Russia, forcing him to react.
But, despite earlier backing the negotiations, Putin made it clear when presented with Kozak’s deal that the concessions negotiated by his aide did not go far enough and that he had expanded his objectives to include annexing swathes of Ukrainian territory, the sources said. The deal was dropped, and on 24 February Russia invaded.
Asked for a comment about Reuters’ findings, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “That has absolutely no relation to reality. No such thing ever happened. It is absolutely incorrect information.”
It should be noted that in November 2021 Peskov described accusations that Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine as a “hollow and unfounded” invention of the western media.
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Russian oil and gas revenues have fallen to their lowest for almost a year, despite a big rise in prices, according to a report.
Bloomberg has reported that the Kremlin’s gains from its fossil fuel resources, which account for more than a third of nation’s budget, fell to 671.9bn roubles ($11.1bn) in August, the lowest since June 2021, using calculations based on Russian finance ministry data.
The figure is down 13% from July and is a 3.4% decline from 12 months ago.
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Russia has probably used Iranian-made drones for first time, says UK
Russia has probably used Iranian-made uncrewed aerial vehicles in Ukraine for the first time, Britain’s defence intelligence said on Wednesday, after Kyiv reported downing one of the UAVs – a Shahed-136 – on Tuesday.
The device is a “one-way attack” weapon, the MoD said, and has been used in the Middle East. The shooting down of the drone near the frontline in Ukraine suggests that Russia is using the weapons as a tactical weapon rather than a strategic one targeting military installations deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 14 September 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 14, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/peo4DTIuvL
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/op9M362TuQ
It added:
Russia is almost certainly increasingly sourcing weaponry from other heavily sanctioned states like Iran and North Korea as its own stocks dwindle.
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Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych held out the prospects of building on the gains made over the weekend in the Kharkiv region by moving on the eastern province of Luhansk, which together with Donetsk is known as the Donbas.
“There is now an assault on Lyman and there could be an advance on Siversk,” Arestovych said in a video posted on YouTube.
However, the pro-Russian leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic denied the claims and said in a video post that Lyman remains in their hands. “The situation has been stabilised. The enemy naturally is trying to advance in small groups but (Russian-led) Allied forces are fully repelling them.”
Any such move by the Ukrainian military would be a very bold one after Zelenskiy spoke about trying to stabilise the huge amount of territory retaken in the region. His comments suggested a safety first approach to avoid being outflanked by counterattacking Russian forces.
But it does the question of whether Ukraine can capitalise on its forces momentum and press on and even win the war.
With some answers to that big quesdtion, you can read this piece by our diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour.
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Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that “stabilisation measures” were still ongoing in the Kharkiv region in order to consolidate his armed forces’ spectacular gains over the weekend.
In an address on Tuesday evening, he said that about 8,000 sq km (3,100 square miles) had been liberated so far, apparently all in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv.
“Stabilisation measures” had been completed in about half of that territory, Zelenskiy said, “and across a liberated area of about the same size, stabilisation measures are still ongoing”.
He also said that progress had been made towards shoring up international support for Ukraine’s future security. He said:
We are working to ensure that the guarantors of our state’s security become the strongest entities in the free world.
We have already built together with our partners a powerful anti-war coalition that includes dozens of different countries. And now we are working to turn the most powerful states that are already helping us into a coalition of peace that will last forever.
Welcome and opening summary
I’m Martin Farrer and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’ll be bringing you updates for the next hour or so.
Here are the main developments you need to know:
Ukraine has set its sights on freeing all territory occupied by invading Russian forces after driving them back in a speedy counteroffensive in the north-east. In an address on Tuesday evening, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said about 8,000 sq km (3,100 square miles) have been liberated so far, apparently all in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv. “Stabilisation measures” had been completed in about half of that territory, Zelenskiy said, “and across a liberated area of about the same size, stabilisation measures are still ongoing”.
Major setbacks for Moscow’s forces in Ukraine will further test the “limitless partnership” between Russia and China when Vladimir Putin meets his Chinese counterpart in Uzbekistan on Thursday, analysts say. The meeting scheduled for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, is likely to involve jostling for influence in central Asia, where the two global powers have long waged a “quiet rivalry”.
US president Joe Biden said it was hard to tell if Ukraine had reached a turning point in the six-month war. Asked about the situation on Tuesday, he sai: “It’s clear the Ukrainians have made significant progress,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be a long haul.”
The White House said the United States is likely to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in “coming days”. Russian forces have left defensive positions, particularly in and around Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, a US spokesperson said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych held out the prospects of building on the gains by moving on the eastern province of Luhansk, which together with Donetsk is known as the Donbas. “There is now an assault on Lyman and there could be an advance on Siversk,” Arestovych said in a video posted on YouTube.
The pro-Russian leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic denied the claims and said in a video post that Lyman remains in their hands. “The situation has been stabilised. The enemy naturally is trying to advance in small groups but (Russian-led) Allied forces are fully repelling them.”
Asian shares tumbled in Wednesday’s trading session as a worse-than-expected US inflation report dashed hopes for a peak in the fuel and food inflation that has been partly driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US Federal Reserve bank is now almost certain to raise rates by another 0.75% next week to fulfil its vow of stamping out inflation, meaning more pain for economies facing energy shortages this coming northern winter.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces warned that Russian forces were continuing to loot as they withdrew from occupied territories. On a stretch of highway heading into Russian territory, Ukrainian officials spotted civilian vehicles with licence plates from the Kharkiv region, driven by Russian military and weighed down with looted belongings. In the south, there were reports of Russian occupants breaking the gates of private garages and taking cars, as well as removing furniture.
Russian forces continued to hit a number of civilian and civilian infrastructure facilities throughout the eastern and southern portions of Ukraine on Tuesday, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said. Via air attacks and missile strikes and high mobility artillery rocket systems, Russian force attacked settlements in the Luhansk oblast and the Donetsk oblast in the east, and the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Cherkasy oblasts in the south.
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