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Ukraine updates: Putin will not attend BRICS summit
Published 12 hours agoPublished 12 hours agolast updated 54 minutes agolast updated 54 minutes ago
Russian President Putin will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit amid concerns he could be arrested in South Africa on an ICC warrant for war crimes. Meanwhile, Ukraine says Russian attacks are targeting grain stores.
https://p.dw.com/p/4U6Uu
Russian President Putin
South Africa said Putin would not represent Russia at a BRICS summit meetingImage: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/AP/piucture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vladimir Putin will not attend a BRICS summit amid concerns he could be arrested for war crimes
Video posted evidently showing Wagner group mercenary leader Prigozhin in Belarus
Russia to consider Ukraine-bound ships as potential carriers of military cargo
The Ukrainian port of Odesa was hit by “very powerful” strikes for the second consecutive night
Skip next section Russia to consider Ukraine-bound ships as potential carriers of military cargo
54 minutes ago54 minutes ago
Russia to consider Ukraine-bound ships as potential carriers of military cargo
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would consider all ships traveling to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as potential carriers of military cargo from midnight on Thursday morning Moscow time (2100 GMT on Wednesday), following the end of the Black Sea grain deal.
In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, the ministry said that it was declaring southeastern and northwestern parts of the Black Sea’s international waters as unsafe for navigation, and that the flag states of ships travelling to Ukrainian ports would be considered parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side.
The Turkey-UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, which was intended to facilitate Russian and Ukrainian agricultural exports, expired on July 17, after Russia declined to renew its participation.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was brokered in a bid to end a global food crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has allowed 32.9 million metric tons to get to the world, according to the UN. Russia pulled out of a deal.
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Skip next section Ukraine says it needs fighter jets to accelerate offensive
54 minutes ago54 minutes ago
Ukraine says it needs fighter jets to accelerate offensive
Ukraine’s military needs an additional 300 armored vehicles and dozens of F-16 fighter jets to accelerate its efforts to wrest Russian forces from entrenched positions in the south and east of the country, a senior aide to Ukraine’s president, Mykhailo Podolyak, told AFP news agency.
He said that Ukrainian offensive was difficult because of heavily mined territory as well as logistical problems, including in arms deliveries.
“Of course, we need additional armored vehicles — two to three hundred tanks first of all,” Podolyak said. “We need 60 to 80 F-16 planes in order to close the skies well, especially in the area near the front,” he added.
However, he claimed that the number of “offensive operations” led by the Ukrainian army was “progressively rising” and said that not all brigades readied for the counteroffensive have been sent to the front.
https://p.dw.com/p/4U8bv
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Skip next section Wagner’s Prigozhin appears in video addressing fighters in Belarus
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Wagner’s Prigozhin appears in video addressing fighters in Belarus
Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was apparently seen in a video welcoming his fighters to Belarus, telling them they would take no further part in the Ukraine war for now and ordering them to gather their strength for “Africa.”
The footage, posted by his press service on Telegram, was taken in twilight, and showed the shadow of man whose voice sounded like Prigozhin’s.
“Welcome lads… Welcome to Belarusian soil,” Prigozhin said. “You have done a great deal for Russia. What is going on at the front is a disgrace that we do not need to get involved in.”
The video, which has yet to be independently verified, would be the first evidence of Prigozhin’s whereabouts since the night of the mutiny.
Wagner’s failed June 23-24 mutiny has been interpreted by the West as a challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule that illustrates the weakness of the 70-year-old Kremlin chief and the strain of the Ukraine war on the Russian state.
Putin initially said he would crush the mutiny, comparing it to the wartime turmoil that ushered in the revolutions of 1917, but hours later a deal was clinched to allow Prigozhin and some of his fighters to go to Belarus.
Wagner fighters training troops in Belarus?
03:57
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Skip next section Russia backs bill to arm National Guard with heavy weapons
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Russia backs bill to arm National Guard with heavy weapons
Russian lawmakers passed a bill that would allow the National Guard to deploy heavy weapons, including tanks, in the wake of a short-lived insurrection by the Wagner mercenary group.The bill still has to be approved by the upper chamber and approved by Putin, steps that are considered a formality.
The National Guard was created by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2016 with the aim of warding off unrest and breaking up protests. The force has since taken on a broader role, joining Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine launched in February last year.
According to the legislation passed by parliament’s lower house, the force, which answers directly to Putin, will be able to possess military-grade weapons, including heavy weapons.
The legislation comes as the Kremlin seeks to bolster its security apparatus after Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin staged the mutiny with a vow to topple the country’s top military brass.
After Prigozhin called off his mercenaries, the head of the National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, who previously led Putin’s own security detachment, said his force could receive heavy weapons, such as tanks.
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Skip next section Putin will not attend BRICS summit in South Africa
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Putin will not attend BRICS summit in South Africa
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month, South Africa said on Wednesday.
Instead, Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit, but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Mr. Lavrov,” said Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The decision follows “a number of consultations” held by Ramaphosa in recent months, the most recent of which took place “last night,” Magwenya said.
However, hours after the announcement was made, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin would join the summit by video link.
Putin’s attendance had been the subject of global speculation after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in deporting Ukrainian children.
As a member of the court, South Africa would have been obliged to arrest Putin. Russia is not a party to the ICC and rejects the charges.
The leaders of the other BRICS member countries — Brazil, India, China and South Africa — will attend the summit from August 22 to 24.
BRICS meeting in SA overshadowed by possible Putin visit in August: DW’s Privilege Musvanhiri
02:47
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Skip next section Finland to cancel permit of Turku Russian consulate
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Finland to cancel permit of Turku Russian consulate
Finland will cancel the operation permit of the Russian consulate in Turku, a city on the Finnish southwest coast, the country’s government said in a statement.
The Finnish government also said it will look into the status of the Russian consulate on the Finnish island of Aland.
Earlier in July, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced the expelling of nine Finnish diplomats and the shutdown of Finland’s consulate in St. Petersburg, the country’s second-largest city.
Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, joined NATO in April as the military alliance’s 31st member. Interaction between Helsinki and Moscow has become restrained in recent months.
https://p.dw.com/p/4U8C9
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Skip next section Ukraine says 60,000 tons of grain destroyed in Odesa attack
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Ukraine says 60,000 tons of grain destroyed in Odesa attack
Ukrainian officials said Russia destroyed 60,000 tons of grain meant for export in overnight strikes around the port of Odesa, and accused Moscow of purposefully targeting grain terminals.
Russia has fired missiles at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region for two nights in a row, hitting ports on the Black Sea, days after it exited the grain deal that allowed the safe passage of cargo ships.
Ukraine’s agriculture ministry said the 60,000 tons of grain were destroyed in the port of Chornomorsk, outside Odesa. It added the grain was meant to be “sent through the grain corridor 60 days ago.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Russia is “deliberately targeting the grain deal infrastructure.”
On Monday, Russia refused to extend the UN-brokered grain deal that allowed for critical grain shipments. Since exiting the deal, Moscow has warned of “risks” over the future of grain exports via the Black Sea.
How will the end of the Ukraine grain deal impact Africa?
03:49
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Skip next section Central European countries urge EU to extend Ukraine grain import ban
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Central European countries urge EU to extend Ukraine grain import ban
Central European EU members want a ban on Ukrainian grain imports to be extended at least until the end of the year, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said Wednesday.
“We signed a joint statement of five countries — Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania — on the extension of the ban on imports… of grain from Ukraine to our countries until the end of the year,” Telus said following a meeting with his counterparts in Warsaw, calling on the EU to approve the extension.
“But also in the agreement is our joint declaration that we are very open to transit,” he added.
Agriculture ministers met in Warsaw to discuss the grain market situation following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal.
The European Union in May allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere. That ban is set to end on September 15.
Solidarity with Ukraine is important, but national grain markets must be protected, Slovakia’s Agriculture Minister Jozef Bires said as he supported a regional call for the extension of a ban on grain imports from Ukraine.
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Skip next section No official confirmation from Kyiv over Crimea fire
5 hours ago5 hours ago
No official confirmation from Kyiv over Crimea fire
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for a large fire at a Russian military base in Crimea, but such a strike would be consistent with Kyiv’s military aims, DW correspondent Mathias Bölinger said on Wednesday.
“Ukraine has not acknowledged its participation or its responsibility for the strike, although it’s of course highly probable that it was Ukraine,” he said.
“Earlier news that the head of military intelligence had taken responsibility for this strike has not been confirmed. It was based on posting on a fake account under his name.”
DW was among the media organizations that initially published incorrect information based on news agency reports that the head of Ukrainian military intelligence referred to the incident a “successful” attack.
Smoke and flames rising from a Russian military base in CrimeaSmoke and flames rising from a Russian military base in Crimea
Russia evacuated some 2,000 people after a major fire at a military base in CrimeaImage: Stringer/REUTERS
Bölinger noted that Ukraine in the past has not claimed responsibility for attacks on Russian military installations.
“So Ukraine does not officially acknowledge this but of course, that’s something that we’ve seen before. Whenever Ukraine strikes deep behind the front line, usually we will not get any official confirmation on that,” he said.
“However, it’s of course, fully in line with Ukraine with what Ukraine is trying to do there, and that is to disrupt the supply lines.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4U7aY
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Skip next section EU ‘solidarity lanes’ provide alternative to grain deal, Germany’s Baerbock says
5 hours ago5 hours ago
EU ‘solidarity lanes’ provide alternative to grain deal, Germany’s Baerbock says
Germany would support Ukraine in finding alternative paths to export its grain, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday.
As an alternative to sending grain to markets via the Black Sea, Baerbock suggested the European Union create solidarity lanes “by barge, rail or road.”
Baerbock in her tweet, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of robbing the world of any hope for Ukrainian grain, saying each of his bombs also hit the poorest in the world.
Ukrainian grain feeds 400 million people worldwide, according to World Food Program figures. Russia on Monday rejected an extension of the grain deal, allowing Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.
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Skip next section Russia issues UN three-month ultimatum to resume talks on grain deal
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Russia issues UN three-month ultimatum to resume talks on grain deal
Russia said on Wednesday that it would not restart talks about the grain deal unless the United Nations implements the terms of a memorandum about Moscow’s agricultural exports within three months.
It is up to the UN to implement the Russian deal if it wants Moscow to engage in talks that could revive the Ukrainian grain export agreement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
A combine harvesters of Astarta-Kyiv agri-industrial holding unloads wheat into a truckA combine harvesters of Astarta-Kyiv agri-industrial holding unloads wheat into a truck
Kyiv and Moscow are among the world’s top grain exporters.Image: Alexey Furman/Getty Images
“The Russia-United Nations Memorandum itself states, and I’ll quote…that the agreement will be in force for three years, and in case one of the parties intends to terminate it (either Russia or the UN), it must give three months’ notice. We have given notice,” Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
Russia unilaterally quit the grain deal on Monday, complaining that promises to facilitate its own shipments of food and fertilizers had not been kept. Zakharova did not address why Russia would not promise to contribute to the safety of Ukrainian grain shipments during the next three months.
“Accordingly, the UN still has three months to achieve concrete results. [The UN] should use these three months to achieve concrete results. If there are concrete results, we will return to the discussion of this (wider) issue,” Zakharova said.
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Skip next section Ukraine: Russia intentionally attacked grain terminals
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Ukraine: Russia intentionally attacked grain terminals
Russia deliberately struck grain terminals and port infrastructure in Odesa in its latest airstrikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a political adviser said.
“Russian terrorists deliberately targeted the grain deal infrastructure, and every Russian missile is a blow not only to Ukraine, but to everyone in the world who wants a normal and safe life,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
Earlier, Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter that the attacks on Ukraine’s main Black Sea port reflected Russia’s attitude towards food security.
“The main objective is to destroy the possibility of shipping Ukrainian grain,” he said after Russia attacked Odesa port for the second straight night.
Russia quit a deal allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea on Monday, a move that raised concerns in Africa and Asia about rising food prices and hunger.
Several politicians, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have denounced Russia for using hunger as a weapon in its war against Ukraine.
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Skip next section UK spy chief: ‘Our door is open to Russians’
9 hours ago9 hours ago
UK spy chief: ‘Our door is open to Russians’
The head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, Richard Moore, called on discontented Russians to join and provide information to Britain’s foreign intelligence agency “as others have done in the last 18 months.”
“Our door is always open. We will handle their offers of help with the discretion and professionalism for which my service is famed. Their secrets will always be safe with us,” he said during a speech Wednesday at the British Embassy in Prague.
The spy chief rarely makes public appearances and the government refused even to confirm the existence of MI6 until 1992. Wednesday’s speech is his second since becoming head of the Secret Intelligence Service in 2020.
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Skip next section Fake account publishes Kyiv claim of successful attack on Crimea base
9 hours ago9 hours ago
Fake account publishes Kyiv claim of successful attack on Crimea base
A fake social media account purporting to represent the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a Russian military base in annexed Crimea.
DW was among the media organizations that published incorrect information based on news agency reports that the head of Ukrainian military intelligence called the attack “successful.”
The Kremlin-backed authorities on the Black Sea territory illegally annexed by Russia said the fire had broken out at the training ground of the military facility.
They did not specify the cause of the blaze but several Russian media reports showed images of columns of black smoke rising to the sky.
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Skip next section Ukraine destroyed 37 of 63 targets launched by Russia
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Ukraine destroyed 37 of 63 targets launched by Russia
Ukrainian forces downed 37 out of 63 targets by Moscow, Ukraine’s air force on Wednesday.
Among those downed were 13 of the 15 Kalibr cruise missiles, 23 of 32 fired Shahed-drones and one Kh-59 missile, said the air force.
Russia fired missile and drone attacks that included 23 suicide drones and 14 cruise missiles, Ukrainian officials said.
Parts of a Russian missile inside a damaged building in OdesaParts of a Russian missile inside a damaged building in Odesa
Ukraine downed multiple targetted strikes by RussiaImage: Ukrainian Armed Forces/REUTERS
Critical infrastructure and military facilities have been attacked in the nighttime strikes, said the air force. It added that the main target was Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.
