Ukraine war latest: British man found dead in war-torn country; Putin killed mercenary boss Prigozhin, Zelenskyy says
Briton Jordan Chadwick went to fight for the International Legion in Ukraine and was found dead in a body of water with his hands bound behind his back, it was reported; Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Vladimir Putin killed mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Saturday 9 September 2023 08:12, UK
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Key points
British man found dead while fighting in Ukraine View post
Zelenskyy says Putin responsible for death of Yevgeny Prigozhin View post
Musk admits thwarting major Ukrainian attack View post | Furious response from Kyiv View post
Dominic Waghorn analysis: Why Musk development sets a worrying precedent View post
Four killed and scores wounded in fresh wave of Russian airstrikes View post
Explained: How Ukraine is able to sustain drone attacks on Russian soil View post
Cuba arrests 17 on suspicion of trafficking young men to fight for Russia View post
Your questions answered: Could Russian elites turn on Putin? View post
Live reporting by Lucia Binding and (earlier) Richard Williams
9h ago
17:30
Military cadets take part in a swearing-in ceremony in Kyiv
Amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, a powerful and symbolic event took place in the heart of Kyiv on Friday.
Cadets of the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University gathered for a solemn swearing-in ceremony at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
Despite the challenging times and the threat posed by Russia’s attack on their homeland, the young cadets chose to reaffirm their commitment to their country and its defence.
Reuters
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9h ago
17:30
CIA seeks to recruit Russian officials with video about truth
In its efforts to expand its pool of Russian spies, the US Central Intelligence Agency has shared a video directed at Moscow officials, appealing to them to reveal the truth about a system it claims is overrun with lying sycophants.
Back in July, CIA director William Burns pointed out that growing discontent among certain Russians due to the conflict in Ukraine presented a unique opportunity to recruit spies, and the CIA was determined not to miss it.
This video, titled “Why I made contact with the CIA – for myself,” was posted on social media in Russian. In the video, it appears to depict a Russian official walking through the snowy streets of a Russian city.
After major failures over the 9/11 attacks and the US war in Iraq, US and British spy agencies claimed an intelligence victory over the Russian invasion of Ukraine by warning of the Kremlin’s plans way in advance.
Moscow is so difficult for Western spies to operate in that they developed “Moscow Rules” in Soviet times to guard against complacency. It has been updated for modern Russia.
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10h ago
17:01
Watch: Man pulled from rubble after Russian strikes
A total of four people have been killed and scores wounded in Russian air strikes on Ukraine.
The latest wave of aerial attacks saw two women and a 46-year-old man killed in the village of Odradakamianka in the southern region of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
The below video shows a man being pulled from the rubble following the strikes.
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10h ago
16:30
Ukraine tank crews attend military exercise
Ukrainian tank crews were pictured attending a military exercise in north Ukraine today – as the war with Russia continues.
It comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukraine was finding it harder and slower to ensure its allies were securing sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow’s forces.
Speaking at a conference in the Ukrainian capital, he said Ukraine’s three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kyiv’s military received more powerful weapons.
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10h ago
16:30
Watch: Fry meets his ‘bestie’ Zelenskyy
If you missed it this morning, here is a clip of Stephen Fry meeting his “new bestie” Volodymyr Zelensky today.
The 66-year-old was asked to host a summit on mental health devised by the first lady of Ukraine and held in the capital of Kyiv, which he described as a “great honour”, before meeting with the Ukrainian leader at his presidential offices.
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11h ago
16:00
India confident G20 will agree on declaration – but wording on Ukraine unresolved
India expressed optimism today that the G20 major economies would wrap up their summit in New Delhi with a finalised ‘Leaders’ Declaration’.
They revealed the remaining challenge lay in crafting the wording related to the Ukraine war.
Negotiators have been grappling with the issue for several days, aiming to reach a consensus that could bring Russia and China on board – while also addressing global issues such as debt and climate change.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping the G20 and sending Premier Li Qiang in his place, while Russia’s Vladimir Putin will also be absent.
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 negotiator, said the declaration would serve as a representative voice for the global south and developing nations.
“New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration is almost ready, I would not like to dwell on it,” Mr Kant told a news conference. “This declaration will be recommended to the leaders.”
Four Indian government sources said language on the war was the only issue left and a second meeting of sherpas to seek consensus was likely to last into the night.
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11h ago
15:42
British man found dead in Ukraine
A British man has been found dead in Ukraine, the Foreign Office has confirmed to Sky News.
Jordan Chadwick, 31, originally from Burnley in Lancashire, had previously served as a Scots guard in the British Army from 2011 to 2015.
His mother, Brenda Chadwick, expressed her family’s profound sadness over the loss of her son – known as Joe – in an interview with the BBC.
It reported that Mr Chadwick went to fight for the International Legion in Ukraine and was found dead in a body of water with his hands bound behind his back.
“We are providing assistance to the family of a British man who died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities,” a Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News.
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11h ago
15:26
Russia issues ‘harsh’ protest to Armenia over range of ‘unfriendly’ actions
Russia has summoned the Armenian ambassador regarding a series of actions it described as “unfriendly”.
This development underscores the growing tension between Moscow and the smaller ex-Soviet republic, which Russia sees as part of its sphere of influence.
In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry listed these as Armenia’s decisions to sign up to the International Criminal Court and to host a military exercise with the US, as well as a visit to Ukraine by the Armenian prime minister’s wife to deliver humanitarian aid.
It said a “harsh representation” had been made to the ambassador, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, also complaining of “offensive statements” allegedly made by Alen Simonyan, chair of the Armenian National Assembly, about ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Armenia, where a Russian military base is located and which heavily depends on Russia for its defence resources, has been vocal in its recent grievances. It has argued that Russian peacekeepers haven’t effectively resolved the Azerbaijani blockade, preventing essential supplies from reaching Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian region within Azerbaijan.
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12h ago
14:55
Ukraine freezes $80m of oligarch’s assets – reports
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have temporarily frozen more than $80m (£64m) in assets linked to Ihor Kolomoisky, a prominent tycoon, as part of an ongoing embezzlement investigation, as reported by Ukrainian media outlets.
Mr Kolomoisky, an oligarch and among Ukraine’s wealthiest people, had been placed in custody on suspicion of money laundering just last week. Media reports suggest he is also now a suspect in an embezzlement case.
Requests for comments from Mr Kolomoisky’s lawyer went unanswered at the time of reporting, and his legal team has yet to address the embezzlement allegations. The tycoon has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the past.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), they have frozen assets worth over three billion hryvnia, which includes nearly 1,000 properties and more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels, all tied to the former owner of PrivatBank.
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12h ago
14:16
Japan and Turkey discuss Ukraine war before G20
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan engaged in a discussion about Russia’s aggression against Ukraine during their meeting at the G20 summit in New Delhi, Japan’s foreign ministry said today.
The pair also shared their perspectives on the regional situation and explored opportunities for enhancing economic co-operation between their two nations, the ministry said in a statement.
Elsewhere, President Joe Biden started his visit to India today by meeting privately with the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his home.
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13h ago
14:00
Some women in Ukraine will have to sign up to the army from next month
Women with a background in medicine or pharmaceuticals will be required to sign up for military service from 1 October.
But unlike men aged 18 to 60, they won’t be restricted from leaving Ukraine unless they get a call for mobilisation.
This information was revealed by Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence, and Intelligence, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine this morning.
“As for the restriction on travel abroad for conscripted women, such a restriction will apply exclusively to women who have already been mobilised,” Mr Venislavskyi said.
Women who are currently in military uniform will not be under the men’s travel ban, which was brought in on 22 February 2022, the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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13h ago
13:43
Zelenskyy: Ukraine’s allies have eased up on sanctions on Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims Ukraine’s allies had eased up on sanctions imposed on Russia and called for a renewed drive to impose further punitive measures on Moscow.
“At this time, we see too long a pause by our partners in terms of sanctions,” he said in his nightly video address. “And very active Russian attempts to evade sanctions.”
Mr Zelenskyy added his government’s priorities are sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, efforts to stop the flow of electronics to Russia, and further blocks on Russia’s financial sector.
“The world’s sanctions offensive must resume,” he said.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko had earlier said Ukraine rejected any suggestion of easing sanctions against Russia as part of efforts to restore the UN-backed agreement to ship grain through the Black Sea.
“Easing part of the sanctions regime against Russia in exchange for the resumption of the grain agreement would be a victory for Russian food blackmail and an invitation to Moscow for new waves of blackmail,” Mr Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.
Before the recent Ukraine crisis unfolded, Western allies had cautioned Russia that any violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty would trigger significant economic consequences.
The West subsequently initiated the first round of sanctions in 2022.
In addition to trade and financial limitations, Russia currently holds the title of being the most heavily sanctioned country in the world.
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13h ago
13:27
Wounded soldier ties the knot in Kyiv
Pictures have emerged of a wheelchair-bound Ukrainian soldier getting married in Kyiv yesterday.
Topolnitsky Vlad, 26, a soldier who was badly wounded in a battle with the Russian troops, and his 22-year-old wife Hanna were pictured sharing a tender moment during their wedding ceremony at a hospital in the Ukrainian capital yesterday.
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14h ago
12:55
Ukraine opposes trading Russia sanctions relief for grain deal’s revival, official says
Ukraine is against the idea of easing sanctions on Russia in order to revive a grain deal between the two countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said today.
“Easing part of the sanctions regime against Russia in
exchange for the resumption of the grain agreement would be a
victory for Russian food blackmail and an invitation to Moscow
for new waves of blackmail,” he wrote on Facebook.
It comes after Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Monday Moscow could revive the Black Sea grain deal and allow Ukraine to export millions of tonnes of agricultural products to food-importing nations in exchange for Western sanctions on Russia being relaxed.
After discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Russian coastal city of Sochi, Mr Putin said that the UN-facilitated agreement could potentially resume “in the coming days” if limitations on Russian agricultural exports were lifted.
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14h ago
12:30
EU sanctions six people over human rights violations in Crimea
The Council of the EU has sanctioned six people responsible for grave human rights violations linked to their actions against ethnic groups in Crimea.
Among those listed are prosecutors and judges actively involved in courts set up by Russian occupying authorities in the area.
These officials were involved in imprisoning a journalist from the Crimean Tatar community.
They also include two members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) who were either directly involved in the torture of the journalist or took part in the investigation against him and members of both the Crimean Tatar community and Jehovah’s Witnesses in Crimea.
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15h ago
12:05
Chinese opera singer performs at ruined Mariupol theatre – Ukraine wants to know why
A video is circulating online of a Chinese woman, who claims she is an opera singer, performing within the devastated remains of a Mariupol theatre – causing outrage in Ukraine.
The Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre was destroyed by Russian airstrikes in March last year.
The singer, Wang Fang, was accompanied by several Chinese bloggers who had entered the city, which is currently under Russian Federation control.
Ukraine has officially requested an explanation from Beijing regarding this incident, according to the Kyiv Post.
Yesterday, Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the exiled mayor of Mariupol, shared the video of the woman’s performance on his Telegram channel.
“Haven’t there been any dances on the graves of Mariupol’s residents for a long time? Here you are,” he said.
“The Russians brought a so-called ‘famous’ Chinese opera singer, Wang Fang, to Mariupol – so famous that not even Google recognises her – and she performed the song ‘Katyusha’ amidst the ruins of the Drama Theatre.”
He added: “I hope the spirits of the more than 600 Mariupol residents killed by the Russians liked it so much that they will haunt her with horrors for the rest of her life.”
