The United States "won't hesitate" to impose more sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they conclude any new arms deals, the US State Department warned on Wednesday after the two countries' leaders met for talks in Vladivostok. Earlier, Ukraine's military said its forces had struck naval targets and port infrastructure in Crimea's Sevastopol, in what appeared to be the biggest attack yet on the home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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03:30am: South Korea expresses concern over N.Korea-Russia military cooperation
South Korea's unification minister in charge of relations with the North has expressed concern over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.
Kim Young-ho's remarks came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Vladimir Putin in Russia's Far East and discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and possible Russian help for the North's satellite programme.
02:45am: Kim invites Putin to North Korea as he continues Russia visit
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to his country during their talks in Russia, state media reported on Thursday, with Kim expected to continue his trip with visits to military production facilities.
Putin accepted the invitation, state news agency KCNA said, without mentioning when any visit might take place.
Kim told Putin the meeting in Russia's Far East brought bilateral ties to a new level, and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, KCNA said.
The invitation from Kim for Putin to visit the North came at the end of a reception hosted by the Kremlin chief after they toured the Vostochny Cosmodrome space center and held talks on bilateral ties and boosting cooperation, KCNA said.
"At the end of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time," KCNA said, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name.
"Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship," it said.
02:30am: Ukrainian drones downed in Russia's Bryansk, Belgorod regions, says Russian media
Russian anti-aircraft units downed Ukrainian drones overnight in two regions of southern Russia, Bryansk and Belgorod, the Russian military and news agencies reported on Thursday.
Russian news agencies, quoting local officials and the Defence Ministry, said five drones had been downed over Bryansk region and one over Belgorod region. No casualties or damage were reported. Both regions border Ukraine.
01:50am: US ambassador visits American imprisoned for espionage
Russia met Wednesday with imprisoned American Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that both Washington and Whelan dispute.
Ambassador Lynne Tracy traveled to the prison colony about 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of Moscow where Whelan is held, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
“We believe Paul continues to show tremendous courage in the face of his wrongful detention. Ambassador Tracy reiterated to him that President Biden and Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken are committed to bringing him home,” he said. "Secretary Blinken had a call with Paul Whelan around a month ago, a little under a month ago, and delivered that same message to him: that we are working very hard to bring him home and we will continue to do so.”
The 53-year-old Whelan, a corporate security director and former Marine, was detained in Moscow in 2018 and convicted in 2020.
Another American jailed in Russia is Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested March 29 and accused of trying to obtain classified information.
Gershkovich is the first US correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, which his family and the newspaper vehemently deny.
9:50pm: US says Russia-North Korea satellite cooperation 'troubling'
The United States has voiced alarm on new military cooperation between Russia and North Korea after the two countries' leaders met earlier today.
The cooperation announced during North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Vladivostok is "quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
He noted US concerns that North Korean satellites, on which President Vladimir Putin promised cooperation, have been used to develop Pyongyang's ballistic missiles.
The United States "will not hesitate" to impose sanctions if appropriate, Miller said.
Below, FRANCE 24's international affairs editor Philip Turle takes a look at shifting relations between North Korea and Russia and the possible implications of Putin's meeting with Kim.
7:05pm: Russia says it destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones
Russia says its forces have destroyed three Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea, hours after Ukraine's early-morning attack against a shipyard in Russian-annexed Crimea.
The defence ministry in Moscow said in a statement on Telegram that its Black Sea Fleet aviators had "detected and destroyed three unmanned boats of the Ukrainian army".
5:15pm: Ukraine claims 'successful' missile attack on Crimean port
Ukraine says it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure early this morning in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, in what appeared to be the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet.
Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk posted an image on social media of what appeared to be a large blaze at the port, and said Russia was "still recovering" from the attack.
Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat told AFP that "the operation was successful", without elaborating.
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, said that Ukraine used three maritime drones and ten cruise missiles in the attack, which it claimed damaged two ships undergoing repairs.
"As a result of the attack, according to preliminary information, a total of 24 people were injured, four of them in moderate condition," said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-backed governor of Sevastopol, in a social media post.
3:45pm: Moldova expels head of Russia's Sputnik news agency
Moldova has expelled the country chief of Russia's Sputnik news agency, accusing the outlet of spreading "propaganda and disinformation" as tensions between the two nations run high.
A 56-year-old Russian citizen "was removed under escort" from Moldova after being "declared an undesirable person... for a period of ten years", Moldova's interior ministry said in a statement.
"The measure to remove the foreigner was ordered in connection with his involvement in the internal affairs of the Republic of Moldova, a fact that endangers the informational security of our country," it added.
Tensions between the two countries have increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moldova's pro-EU government has firmly condemned – while also alleging a Russian plot to try and overthrow it.
Read moreMoscow attempting to 'reinstall a pro-Russian government' in Moldova, minister says
2:35pm: Ukraine says 105 port infrastructure facilities damaged since July
More than 100 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since July 18, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has said in a social media post.
He also said Ukrainian grain exports had fallen by almost 3 million tons per month since July 18 – one day after Russia quit the UN-backed Black Sea grain export deal.
"Since July 18, due to Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, 105 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged and partially destroyed. As a result of strikes on the ports of the Danube cluster and the blocking of seaports, grain exports to Asia, Africa and Europe were reduced by almost 3 million tons per month," Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.
2:05pm: North Korea's Kim vows full support for Russia’s 'just fight'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed support for Russia’s “just fight” during a summit with President Vladimir Putin earlier today, with US officials warning that the talks could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
After touring launch pads with Putin at a remote space base in Russia’s Far East, Kim expressed “full and unconditional support” and said Pyongyang will always stand with Moscow on the “anti-imperialist” front.
The leaders met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome for a summit that underscores how their interests are aligning in the face of their countries' separate, intensifying confrontations with the United States.
1:49pm: Russia keeps up 'active defence' on Ukrainian front, says Shoigu
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday that his forces were maintaining "active defence" in the face of Ukraine's counteroffensive, and that Moscow had no choice but to win.
Shoigu said the autumn campaign was now under way and acknowledged in comments to a reporter for Rossiya-1 state TV that the situation on the front was difficult in places.
"The forces are maintaining active defence on the necessary, essential fronts. In some places it's harder, in others simpler," he said.
11:52am: Ukraine's military says it hit naval targets, port infrastructure in Sevastopol bay
Ukraine's military said its forces had struck naval targets and port infrastructure on Wednesday in the bay of the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
10:13am: Ukraine has made 'great strides' in EU bid, says von der Leyen
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that Ukraine has made "great strides" in its quest for EU membership, as Kyiv presses to open accession talks this year.
"The future of Ukraine is in our Union," the European Commission president said, during her annual state of the EU address to lawmakers.
8:56am: Ukraine says large Russian landing ship, submarine hit in Sevastopol strike
A Ukrainian military spy agency official said on Wednesday that an overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, had struck a large Russian landing ship and a submarine.
"We confirm a large landing vessel and submarine were hit. We do not comment on the means (used) for the strike," Andriy Yusov, the official, told Reuters.
8:56am: Russia hikes inflation forecast, sees much weaker rouble
Russia has significantly raised its inflation forecast for the next two years and expects a much weaker rouble rate against the US dollar, according to macroeconomic forecasts prepared by the economy ministry, as the costs of fighting the war in Ukraine mount.
President Vladimir Putin is girding the $2.1 trillion economy for a long war and though Western hopes of stoking a swift Russian economic crisis were proven misplaced, higher inflation and a weaker rouble could spur calls for higher rates and tougher currency controls to stem the outflow of capital.
Rising prices are also a concern for the Kremlin as it prepares for a closely controlled 2024 presidential election that Putin, Russia's longest serving leader since Josef Stalin, is certain to win if he runs.
The economy ministry raised its 2023 inflation forecast to 7.5% from the 5.3% forecast published in April, and also raised its 2024 forecast to 4.5% from 4.0%, according to economy ministry documents, which have been submitted to government as a draft forecast.
7:51am: Putin meets Kim, says Russia will help North Korea build satellites
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday began talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East after touring space rocket assembly and launch facilities at the spaceport.
Russian state television images showed Putin saying he was "very glad" to see Kim as the two delegations met for talks in which Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were also taking part.
5:00am: Russian drones strike Ukraine's Izmail port, says governor
Russian drones damaged the Danube river port of Izmail in Ukraine, causing a fire and civilian injuries, the regional governor said Wednesday.
Russia "once again attacked the south of Odesa region", Odesa regional governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.
"Several groups of strike drones were directed to the Izmail district," he added.
"Damage to port and other civil infrastructure was recorded ... rescuers are putting out the fire."
He said six civilians were injured and taken to hospital, with three in a serious condition and three others in "moderate condition".
2:55am: Ukraine launches missile attack on Sevastopol in Crimea, says Russia-installed governor
Ukraine carried out a missile attack on Sevastopol in Crimea in early hours on Wednesday, with Russia's air defence systems engaging in repelling the assault, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol said on Wednesday.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, said on the Telegram messaging app that the missile attack had caused a fire at a "non-civilian facility".
The scale and other details of the attack were not immediately known. Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.
12:00am: UN panel urged to declare US reporter's Russian detention arbitrary
The Wall Street Journal's parent company on Tuesday requested that a panel of experts declare its correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who is in Russian jail, as being "arbitrarily detained".
Gershkovich, a US reporter, was detained in March during a reporting trip to the Urals and accused of spying – charges that he, the US government and his employer The Wall Street Journal vehemently deny.
His pre-trial custody had been due to expire on August 30, but several days prior a judge ruled it would be extended to November 30, a decision criticised by the WSJ and US State Department.
Key developments from Tuesday, September 12:
Ukraine may take legal action, including turning to the World Trade Organization to obtain compensation, after Poland extended a ban on importing its grain, Ukraine’s prime minister said Tuesday.
Russia's Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday dismissed Kyiv's claims that it will soon receive F-16 fighter jets from the West, saying deliveries of the aircraft to Ukraine will only prolong the war with Moscow.
Denmark will donate a package worth 5.8 billion Danish crowns ($833 million) to Ukraine, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, tank ammunition and anti-aircraft guns, the ministry of defence said in a statement on Tuesday.
Read yesterday’s blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
