Summary
It is now approaching 8pm in Kyiv and the blog is now closing. Here is a wrap-up of the main stories from today:
Russia is exploiting foreign nationals in its effort to acquire more personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties, and probably views millions of migrants from central Asia as potential recruits, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Russian drones hit Danube River port infrastructure that is critical to Ukraine’s grain exports, injuring at least two people in the attack on southern parts of the Odesa region on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s South military command said at least two civilians were injured in the early morning attack on what it called “civil infrastructure of the Danube”. The Ukrainian air force said air defence systems shot down 22 of the 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. The Russian defence ministry was quoted by Interfax as saying that a group of Russian drones successfully struck fuel depots at the Reni port used by the Ukrainian military.
Ukrainian forces have decisively breached Russia’s first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia after weeks of painstaking mine clearance, and expect faster gains as they press the weaker second line, the general leading the southern counteroffensive has told the Observer. Brig Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskiy estimated Russia had devoted 60% of its time and resources into building the first defensive line and only 20% each into the second and third lines because Moscow had not expected Ukrainian forces to get through.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, spoke on Sunday, discussing the “functioning” of a sea corridor set up by Kyiv for safe navigation of ships after Moscow exited a landmark grain deal in July.
Ukraine expects a boom in drone production as early as this autumn, according to its defence minister.
Updated
Ukraine expects a boom in drone production as early as this autumn, according to its defence minister.
According to Reuters, Oleksii Reznikov told the state-run Ukrinform news agency on Sunday: “I think this autumn there will be a boom in the production of various Ukrainian drones: flying, floating, crawling, etc, and this will continue to grow in volume.”
He said one reason for the growth of production was that authorities had reduced various regulations and laws.
Ukraine has been conducting more frequent drone attacks on Russian territory.
Updated
Russian troops have attacked 10 regions of Ukraine with drones, artillery and mortars over the last 24 hours, Euromaidan Press has reported.
According to regional military administrations, more than 92 explosions have been heard in the Chernihiv region, which borders Russia, but no casualties have been reported.
Russian mortar fire on Sumy killed one and injured six civilians. A local building, cars and objects of critical infrastructure were damaged in the attack.
In Donetsk, houses, cars and local cemetery were damaged, two civilians were killed and two were injured.
Four civilians were reportedly injured and one man was killed in Kherson oblast.
These claims have not yet been independently verified.
Updated
There has been more reaction to the reports of Russian drones targeting Ukraine’s southern Odesa region in the early hours of Sunday (see earlier post at 07.14).
The Russian army said it had targeted “fuel storage” facilities in the Ukrainian port of Reni, which lies on the Danube River that separates Ukraine from Romania.
Bucharest’s defence ministry said the attacks were “unjustified and in deep contradiction with the rules of international humanitarian law”.
It also stressed that the Moscow drone attacks did not “generate any direct military threat to the national territory or territorial waters of Romania”.
Updated
Zelenskiy discussed 'functioning of a sea corridor' for safe ship passage with Macron
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, spoke on Sunday, discussing the “functioning” of a sea corridor set up by Kyiv for safe navigation of ships after Moscow exited a landmark grain deal in July.
The phone call came on the eve of a summit in Russia between Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who wants to revive the grain deal (see earlier post at 12.47), AFP reports.
“We also discussed ways to ensure the functioning of the grain corridor and enhance the security of the Odesa region,” Zelenskiy said on social media after a phone call with Macron.
I had a focused call with @EmmanuelMacron.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 3, 2023
I thanked France for its support, including crucial military aid. We discussed the next packages.
We agreed that France and French companies will take part in Ukraine’s upcoming Defense Industries Forum.
We also discussed ways to…
Ukraine this week said four more ships had gone through its temporary maritime corridor in the Black Sea, which it set up last month to ensure safe navigation.
Updated
In this post from Ukraine’s defence ministry a Ukrainian tanker shares his impressions of using a British Challenger 2 tank in battle.
He says:
I tell you this tank is like a sniper rifle … it undoubtedly set a world record when it hit a T-55 from a distance of more than five kilometres.
[…]
When you’re driving in a T-80 [a main battle tank (MBT) manufactured in Russia] and you’re not sure if you’ll even make one shot because the loading mechanism might malfunction or some sensor won’t work. I mean you’re basically scaring the [Russians] with the sound of the engine, so it’s a slightly different feeling.
It’s advantage is that it has a long range, it is very precise.
[…]
If used correctly it will just, I don’t know, death and horror for them, that’s all.
"A sniper rifle among tanks" - A Ukrainian tanker shares impressions of using a British Challenger 2 tank in battle. - "We could use a few more companies in Ukraine... russian tanks would be too scared to come out." pic.twitter.com/18tcMMIRuj
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 3, 2023
Updated
Ukraine’s defence ministry has confirmed the attack on Ukraine’s port infrastructure, saying 22 combat drones out of 25 were shot down. It says a fire that broke out after a hit was “quickly contained”, but two port employees were injured.
Today, russian terrorists once again struck Ukraine's port infrastructure. Out of 25 launched Shahed-136/131 combat drones, 22 were shot down. There were hits, and a fire broke out, which was quickly contained. Unfortunately, two port employees were injured.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 3, 2023
📷 @SESU_UA pic.twitter.com/52Uwl7n0Bh
Updated
Armenia’s prime minister has said it would be a strategic mistake for his country to solely rely on Russia to guarantee its security.
Reuters reports:
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica published on Sunday, Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia of failing to ensure Armenia’s security in the face of what he said was aggression from neighbouring Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Pashinyan suggested that Moscow, which has a defence pact with Armenia and a military base there, did not regard his country as sufficiently pro-Russian and said he believed Russia was in the process of leaving the wider south Caucasus.
Yerevan was therefore trying to diversify its security arrangements, he said, an apparent reference to its ties with the EU and the US and its attempts to forge closer ties with other countries in the region.
“Armenia’s security architecture was 99.999% linked to Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition,” Pashinyan told La Repubblica.
“But today we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons, arms and ammunition [for the war in Ukraine] and in this situation it’s understandable that even if it wishes so, the Russian federation cannot meet Armenia’s security needs.
“This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake.”
His words underscore resentment inside Armenia about what many there see as a failure by Russia to defend their interests.
Updated
Erdogan's Russia visit vital for grain deal, Turkish president's chief aide suggests
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Vladimir Putin will focus on the Black Sea grain deal during their meeting on Monday, as Turkey seeks to bring Moscow back to the deal, Erdoğan’s chief foreign policy adviser has suggested.
Akif Çağatay Kılıç said during an interview on the A Haber television channel:
We play a leading role here. We see strong support from all around the world for the realisation of the grain corridor.
The current status [of the grain deal] will be discussed at the summit on Monday. We are cautious, but we hope to achieve success because this is a situation that affects the entire world.
Russian drones hit Danube River port infrastructure that is critical to Ukraine’s grain exports, injuring at least two people in the attack on southern parts of the Odesa region on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said.
The Danube has become Ukraine’s main route for exporting grain since July, when Russia quit a UN and Turkey-brokered deal that had given safe passage to Kyiv’s exports of grains, oilseeds and vegetable oils via the Black Sea.
You can read more about why the Black Sea grain deal collapsed here:
Updated
Summary of the day so far...
Russia is exploiting foreign nationals in its effort to acquire more personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties, and probably views millions of migrants from central Asia as potential recruits, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Russian drones hit Danube River port infrastructure that is critical to Ukraine’s grain exports, injuring at least two people in the attack on southern parts of the Odesa region on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s South Military Command said at least two civilians were injured in the early morning attack on what it called “civil infrastructure of the Danube”. The Ukrainian air force said air defence systems shot down 22 of the 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. The Russian defence ministry was quoted by Interfax as saying that a group of Russian drones successfully struck fuel depots at the Reni port used by the Ukrainian military.
Ukrainian forces have decisively breached Russia’s first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia after weeks of painstaking mine clearance, and expect faster gains as they press the weaker second line, the general leading the southern counteroffensive has told the Observer. Brig Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskiy estimated Russia had devoted 60% of its time and resources into building the first defensive line and only 20% each into the second and third lines because Moscow had not expected Ukrainian forces to get through.
Updated
Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, has condemned the Russian drone attack reported to have hit southern parts of the Odesa region on Sunday.
I strongly condemn Russia's brutal attack on port infrastructure in Odesa region. Russia must be held accountable for every piece of infrastructure destroyed. My thoughts are with all those affected. Moldova stands firmly with Ukraine.
— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) September 3, 2023
Moldova, like Ukraine, applied to join the EU last year shortly after the Russian invasion, which sent many Ukrainian refugees into the country, and hit the economy.
Relations between Russia and Moldova – once part of the Soviet Union – reached new lows this year after Sandu strongly condemned Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine and accused Russia of plotting to overthrow her.
In May, the EU announced the opening of a civilian mission in Chișinău during a visit by European leaders, in a show of solidarity in the face of the threat from Russia.
Updated
Secret security information on British military and intelligence sites has been leaked online by hackers linked to Russia, the Daily Mirror reports.
They released thousands of pages of data which could help criminals get into the HMNB Clyde nuclear submarine base, the Porton Down chemical weapon lab and a GCHQ listening post.
Information about high-security prisons and a military site key to our cyber defences was also stolen in the raid by group LockBit.
Hackers targeted the databases of Zaun, a firm which makes fences for maximum security sites. The information was then placed onto the internet’s dark web, which can be accessed using special software…
We can reveal the information was stolen last month in a major attack on West Midlands-based Zaun, which makes fences and perimeter security measures for high-risk sites and provided security barriers at the London 2012 Olympics.
Updated
The Russian gas firm Gazprom said it would ship 41.5m cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Sunday, a volume reportedly in line with recent days.
Gazprom’s natural gas exports, mainly to Europe, almost halved last year after the west responded with economic sanctions after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and blasts on the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea.
Updated
The prosecutor general’s office reported that Russian forces shelled the city of Seredyna-Buda in Sumy, northern Ukraine, on Saturday, killing one person and injuring three others, the Kyiv Independent reports.
These claims have not yet been independently verified.
Russian forces crossed into the Sumy region shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine last February, but Ukrainian forces took back control of the region a few weeks later.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has commented on the reported Russian drone attack in the Odesa region that hit Danube River port infrastructure (see earlier post at 07.14).
He wrote on Telegram:
Russian terrorists continue to attack port infrastructure in the hope of provoking a food crisis and famine in the world.
Yermak also posted a photo of a firefighter directing water at the burning ruins of concrete structures, Reuters reports.
Some Ukrainian media reported blasts in the Reni port, one of the two major ports on the Danube that Ukraine operates, but these claims have not yet been independently verified.
The Russian defence ministry was quoted by Interfax as saying that a group of Russian drones successfully struck fuel depots at the Reni port used by the Ukrainian military.
Updated
The Associated Press has some interesting analysis on the state of the war:
The Ukrainian military now considers the battles in the north-east, specifically near the town of Kupiansk, in the northern Kharkiv region, and in the forests near Lyman, to be Russia’s main offensive.
At the same time, Ukraine’s main offensive operations are focused in the south, where they are inching toward the shores of the Sea of Azov in an apparent bid to cut the land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014. Doing this would split in two the Russian-occupied land in southern Ukraine, undermining Moscow’s supply lines.
The deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar urged observers to measure Ukrainian progress not in kilometres or metres but “by the very fact that we are successful in moving forward in such conditions”.
While aiming to keep Ukrainian troops busy along the mostly static north-east front, Russia has also had time to reinforce its defences in the south, including laying widespread mines, Ukrainian officials said. The deep fortifications have slowed Kyiv’s advances in that direction.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians must deal with limitations in manpower, air power and artillery. And the looming autumn rainy season adds even greater urgency to an already difficult battle. The muddy ground will hinder Kyiv’s infantry and heavy machinery.
In the south, Ukrainian forces have recently had more success breaking through Russian lines. Since the start of the counteroffensive, Ukraine has advanced 7km (4.3 miles) in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, overcoming dense Russian fortifications last week to retake the village of Robotyne – Ukraine’s first tactically significant victory in that part of the country.
It is a far cry from the sweeping territorial gains western allies hoped for. But winning control of the village brings Ukrainian forces one step closer to the town of Tokmak, about 30km away, an important Russian-occupied rail hub that would be a major strategic gain.
Updated
About 280,000 people have signed up so far this year for professional service with Russia’s military, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, the former president Dmitry Medvedev, said on Sunday.
“According to the ministry of defence, since 1 January, about 280,000 people have been accepted into the ranks of the armed forces on a contract basis,” including reservists, state news agency Tass quoted Medvedev as saying.
Last year, Russia announced a plan to expand its combat personnel by more than 30% to 1.5 million, an ambitious task made harder by its heavy but undisclosed casualties in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Some Russian lawmakers suggested Russia needs a professional army 7 million strong to ensure the country’s security – a move that would require a huge budget allowance.
Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 reservists in September 2022, prompting hundreds of thousands of others to flee Russia to avoid being sent to fight.
Updated
Hello everyone, this is Yohannes Lowe. I’ll be running the blog until 4pm (UK time). Please do feel free to get in touch on Twitter if you have any story tips.
Russia exploiting foreigners in recruitment drive amid mounting war casualties, says UK MoD
Russia is exploiting foreign nationals in its effort to acquire more personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties and probably views millions of migrants from central Asia as potential recruits, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
It said in its latest intelligence update that since late June Russia had been appealing to citizens of neighbouring countries with recruitment advertisements for people to fight in Ukraine.
Online ads had been seen in Armenia and Kazakhstan offering 495,000 roubles (about £4,100/$5,100) in initial payments and salaries from 190,000 roubles (about £1,500/$2,000), the ministry said. There had also been recruitment efforts in Kazakhstan’s northern Qostanai region, appealing to the ethnic Russian population.
Since at least May, Russia had approached central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine with promises of fast-track citizenship and salaries of up to US$4,160, the ministry said in its update, posted on X/Twitter.
“Uzbek migrant builders in Mariupol have reportedly had their passports confiscated upon arrival and been coerced to join the Russian military.”
The ministry also said:
There are at least six million migrants from central Asia in Russia, which the Kremlin likely sees as potential recruits.
Russia likely wishes to avoid further unpopular domestic mobilisation measures in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections. Exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 03 September 2023
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 3, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/vWtgS987MP
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/uUofSsu6hU
Updated
Here are some of the latest images coming in from Ukraine over news agency wires.
Traffic on the main bridge linking the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula resumed after a brief suspension early on Sunday, the Russian-installed operator of the bridge said on Telegram.
The administration did not disclose the reason for the suspension, Reuters reports.
Russia’s defence ministry said early on Saturday that its forces had destroyed an unmanned Ukrainian boat and three naval drones being used in an attempt to attack the Crimea bridge.
The bridge has been a target of increased air and sea drone attacks in recent months.
Updated
Two injured as Russia attacks Odesa infrastructure with 25 drones
Russia launched a three-and-a-half hour drone attack on the southern parts of the Odesa region early on Sunday, hitting Danube River port infrastructure and injuring at least two people, Kyiv said.
Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down 22 of the 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched on Odesa in the early Sunday hours, Reuters reports Ukraine’s air force as saying on Telegram.
Ukraine’s south military command said on social media at least two civilians were injured in the attack on what it said was the “civil infrastructure of the Danube”.
The Danube has become Ukraine’s main route for exporting grain since the collapse of a UN-brokered deal in July that had allowed Kyiv to ship its grain via the Black Sea.
There was no detail on which port facility was hit. The military said a fire that resulted from the attack at the facility was quickly extinguished.
Some Ukrainian media reported blasts in the Reni port, one of the two major ports on the Danube that Ukraine operates. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Updated
Opening summary
Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This is Adam Fulton and here’s a snapshot of the latest news to bring you up to speed.
Russia launched an attack with 25 drones on the Odesa region’s south early on Sunday, hitting port infrastructure on the Danube River and injuring at least two people, Kyiv said.
Ukraine’s air defence systems shot down 22 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched in the three-and-a-half hour attack.
More on that story shortly. In other key developments:
Ukrainian forces have decisively breached Russia’s first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia after weeks of painstaking mine clearance, and expect faster gains as they press the weaker second line, the general leading the southern counteroffensive has told the Observer. Brig Gen Oleksandr Tarnavskiy estimated Russia had devoted 60% of its time and resources into building the first defensive line and only 20% each into the second and third lines because Moscow had not expected Ukrainian forces to get through.
Ukrainian forces were “on the move”, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as the US acknowledged the “notable progress” of the counteroffensive over the past few days. Zelenskiy said on Telegram: “Despite everything and no matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important thing.”
A Ukrainian court ordered tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky to be held in custody for two months on suspicion of fraud and money laundering on Saturday. The detention of Kolomoisky, who is under US sanctions and is a one-time supporter of Zelenskiy, comes as Kyiv is trying to signal progress in a corruption crackdown.
The Nobel Foundation has reversed its decision to invite ambassadors from Russia and Belarus to this year’s Nobel award ceremony in Stockholm, after the move sparked anger in Sweden and abroad. The foundation said on Saturday that it had chosen “to repeat last year’s exception to regular practice – that is, to not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran”.
Russia has taken down three Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region, the Russian defence ministry said on Saturday, while the regional governor said one man had been killed in a Ukrainian rocket strike on a village close to the border. Separately, the governors of the nearby frontier regions of Bryansk and Kursk said a string of border villages had come under fire from Ukraine, and a woman had been wounded in the Kursk region.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday that two more ships had passed through a “temporary” Black Sea shipping corridor established after Russia withdrew from a UN-backed grain export deal in July. On Friday officials said two vessels had cleared the corridor, bringing to four the number that have used it.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is to host his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for talks on Monday, the Kremlin has announced. It comes just over six weeks after Moscow broke off the deal brokered by Ankara and the UN that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach world markets.
Russia risks dividing its forces as it seeks to prevent a Ukrainian breakthrough in Ukraine’s south, the UK Ministry of Defence said. It said Ukrainian forces continued to take offensive action on the Orikhiv axis in southern Ukraine, with units reaching the first Russian main defensive line.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces destroyed an unmanned Ukrainian boat and three naval drones being used in an attempt to attack the bridge linking the Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland. The vessel had been “spotted and destroyed in time off the Black Sea coast”, it said early on Saturday.
Elections are under way in Russian-controlled provinces of Ukraine as part of a move to cement Moscow’s authorities in its “new territories” despite the ongoing conflict. Russia does not fully control any of the four regions where the votes are being held – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
The largest refugee centre established to home Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion has been closed by Poland after it said the sanctuary was no longer required, since most had now found homes elsewhere.
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