Summary
It’s just after 9pm in Ukraine. Here’s a round-up of all the latest from the conflict.
The Ukrainian military said at least 12 Russian were killed in a strike on a base in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka. Footage posted to Telegram by the State Border Guard Service showed numerous burnt-out trucks, collapsed buildings, and debris.
Also in occupied southern Ukraine, the mayor of the city of Melitopol said explosions were heard near a Russian command centre. Ivan Fedorov said that a “loud explosion rang out near the enemy’s lair” in the centre of the city.
The top official in Russian-annexed Crimea has claimed the FSB security service has broken up what he described as a six-person terrorist cell of a banned Islamist group. It followed a series of strikes on Russian bases and other infrastructure across the region which Russia has sought to blame on “sabotage”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has told Ukrainians living in Crimea to avoid Russia military bases following the strikes. “Do not approach the military objects of the Russian army,” he said in his latest video address, adding that they might also explode because of “bungling”.
Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has said that, contrary to Russian claims, Ukraine has not lost any of the Himars rocket launchers provided to it by the US. Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has received at least 20 of the US-made launchers, and has used them to attack Russian ammunition depots, command posts, and air defences. Russia has repeatedly claimed to have destroyed a number of the systems.
The mayor of the village of Verkhnyo Rogachytsk in the Kherson region has been kidnapped, according to the deputy chair of the regional council. Yuri Sobolevsky said Svitlana Ivanivna was taken from her home at around 11am on Tuesday.
A Russian soldier has become one of just a handful to speak out publicly against the war in Ukraine. Speaking to the Guardian, Pavel Filatyev, who fled Russia this week after publishing a 141-page account of his time fighting as part of a paratrooper unit, said: “I don’t see justice in this war. I don’t see truth here.”
Four more vessels carrying agricultural products have sailed from ports in Ukraine. Turkish state media said the ships departed Odesa and Chernomorsk on Wednesday morning carrying sunflower meal, sunflower oil and corn, it said. They are the latest vessels to leave Ukraine under the terms of a grain export deal agreed between the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia last month.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is in Lviv to review the deal in talks with the Ukrainian and Turkish presidents. The three will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a UN spokesperson said.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz has criticised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his opposition to a proposal to ban all Russian nationals from the European Union. Asked about the comments, Przydacz said: “[Scholz] did not read all those reports about the enormous support for Vladimir Putin’s policy among ordinary Russians, maybe he did not see all the videos in which people gather with the letter Z.”
Russia has appointed a new commander for its Black Sea fleet, according to Russian state media. Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov is said to have been presented to a meeting of the fleet’s most senior figures in the Sevastopol in Crimea. The previous commander of the fleet, Igor Osipov, is thought to have been removed following the sinking of its flagship, the Moskva, in April.
"I don’t see justice in this war", says Russian soldier
A Russian soldier has become one of just a handful to speak out publicly against the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to the Guardian, Pavel Filatyev said: “I don’t see justice in this war. I don’t see truth here.”
Filatyev fled Russia earlier this week after publishing a 141-page document providing a day-by-day account of his time fighting as part of a paratrooper unit.
He was eventually evacuated from the conflict after being wounded and contracting an eye infection. He says that, by then, he had decided he needed to expose the rot at the core of the invasion.
“We were sitting under artillery fire by Mykolaiv,” he said.
“At that point I already thought that we’re just out here doing bullshit, what the fuck do we need this war for? And I really had this thought: ‘God, if I survive, then I’ll do everything that I can to stop this.’”
Read the full story here.
A key advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeated a call for the Crimean Bridge to be destroyed.
Writing on Twitter, Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine had never granted permission for the construction of the bridge and that it was an “illegal object”.
“It harms the peninsula’s ecology and therefore must be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not,” he said.
The Crimean Bridge, built following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, spans the Kerch Strait, connecting the peninsula to mainland Russia.
The bridge was closed overnight on Tuesday following a series of strikes on Russian bases and other infrastructure in Crimea. The closure is thought to have come amid fears that it would also be targeted.
Speaking to the Guardian this week, Podolyak signalled that Ukraine regarded the bridge as a legitimate military target.
“It’s an illegal construction and the main gateway to supply the Russian army in Crimea. Such objects should be destroyed,” he said.
About "Kerchen bridge". As recorded in international law: Crimea – 🇺🇦. So this bridge is an illegal object, permission for the construction of which was not given by Ukraine. It harms the peninsula’s ecology and therefore must be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 17, 2022
Poland’s deputy foreign minister has criticised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his opposition to a proposal to ban all Russian nationals from the European Union.
In a press conference in Olso on Monday, Scholz said that this was “not the war of the Russian people, but it is Putin’s war”.
Asked about the comments during an appearance on Polish state broadcaster TVP1, Marcin Przydacz said he rejected the idea of “good Russians and a bad tsar”.
“[Scholz] did not read all those reports about the enormous support for Vladimir Putin’s policy among ordinary Russians, maybe he did not see all the videos in which people gather with the letter Z,” he said.
“Russian society, unfortunately, fed by propaganda for not even the last years, but for decades, hundreds of years, lives in an imperialist dream in which its position would depend on how many territories it seizes, how many countries it conquers.”
Avoid Russian bases, Zelenskiy tells Ukrainians after explosions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has told Ukrainians living in Crimea to avoid Russia military bases after three strikes on the peninsula in the past week.
“Do not approach the military objects of the Russian army,” he said in his latest video address, adding that they might also explode because of “bungling”.
Russia has blamed the explosions on “sabotage”, and earlier claimed to have detained six members of an Islamist terror cell.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but speaking about them to the Guardian a key adviser to the president said that “Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouse explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves”.
Read the full story here.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is in Lviv ahead of talks with the Ukrainian and Turkish presidents on Thursday.
A photo showing Guterres arriving in the city was posted to Twitter by an official UN account.
Guterres is set to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Tayyip Erdoğan to review the grain export deal agreed between the UN, Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia last month.
The three will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a UN spokesperson said previously.
.@antonioguterres arrived Lviv where, tomorrow, he will meet @ZelenskyyUa & @RTErdogan. pic.twitter.com/PC1tBbXOF6
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) August 17, 2022
Russia has appointed a new commander for its Black Sea fleet, according to state media agency RIA Novosti.
The agency said Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov had been presented to a meeting of the fleet’s most senior figures in the Sevastopol in Crimea.
It added there was no public event because of what it called the “yellow level of terrorist threat” in the city.
The previous commander of the fleet, Igor Osipov, is thought to have been removed following the sinking of its flagship, the Moskva, in April.
Solokov previously served as the head of Saint Petersburg’s Kuznetsov Naval Academy, the main staff college for the Russian Navy.
Ukraine has not lost any Himars, says defence minister
Ukraine has not lost any of the Himars rocket launchers provided to it by the US, the Ukrainian defence minister has said.
Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has received at least 20 of the US-made launchers, and has used them to attack Russian ammunition depots, command posts, and air defences.
Russia has repeatedly claimed to have destroyed a number of the systems.
Himars stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Speaking to the Ukrainian-language arm of the US outlet Voice of America, Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine still had all the systems it has been given.
The claim was later repeated on the official Twitter account of the country’s defence ministry.
.@oleksiireznikov for @holosameryky
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 17, 2022
🚮30% of russian elite troops (paratroopers, marines, special forces) were eliminated in Ukraine
✅#UAarmy has not lost any #HIMARS
🔄We need a political decision about ATACMS supplies
⏩Our plan: total de-occupation of 🇺🇦 territories
Updated
The seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russia has raised the risk of a nuclear incident at the site, the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said.
The area around the plant, situated in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, has been under Russian control since March. The plant remains near the frontline and has been hit by shells multiple times in recent weeks.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vučić, Stoltenberg said: “The seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russian forces poses a serious threat to the safety and the security of this facility, raises the risks of a nuclear accident or incident, and endangers the population of Ukraine, of neighbouring countries, and of the international community.
“It is urgent to allow the inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and to ensure the withdrawal of all Russian forces.”
Updated
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises led by Russia, China’s defence ministry has said.
Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” [East] exercises from 30 August to 5 September, saying that some foreign forces would also participate.
China said the exercises would include forces from India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan.
The exercises will be the first conducted by Russia since 2018, when China took part for the first time.
The ministry said the exercises were “part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia” and “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”.
Updated
Four more vessels carrying agricultural products have sailed from ports in Ukraine, according to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.
Citing Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence, the agency said the ships departed the ports of Odesa and Chernomorsk on Wednesday morning.
They were carrying sunflower meal, sunflower oil and corn, it said.
On Tuesday, the first ship to depart Ukraine carrying wheat under the terms of a grain export deal agreed last month docked in Syria.
Since 1 August, a total of 21 ships carrying agricultural products have left Ukraine.
Updated
At least 12 Russians killed in strike on base, says Ukraine
At least 12 Russians have been killed in a strike on a base in the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka, according to the Ukrainian military.
Footage posted to Telegram by the State Border Guard Service showed numerous burnt-out trucks, collapsed buildings, and debris.
“The base of the occupiers was destroyed in Nova Kakhovka,” the post read. “At least 12 Rashists [supporters of Russian militarism] were liquidated.”
Updated
A “freeze” of the conflict in Ukraine of the sort that followed the Russian occupation in Donbas is currently not possible, the Ukrainian defence minister has said.
Speaking to the Ukrainian-language arm of US outlet Voice of America, Oleksiy Reznikov said: “I don’t think that the option of freezing is possible.
“The option of reducing activity is possible, depending on the season. And again, modern war is a war of resources.
“Resources, of course, are being depleted on both sides. And, accordingly, each side needs time to recover.”
Reznikov also claimed that Russian forces had lost at least a third of their combat capacity since the start of the invasion in February.
Updated
Russia expects its average price for gas exports to more than double over the course of this year, according to economy ministry forecasts seen by Reuters.
The figures suggested that the average price charged by state-owned energy giant Gazprom in 2022 would be $730 (£605) per 1,000 cubic metres, up from $305 (£253) in 2021.
Based on those forecasts, the ministry expects Russia to earn $338bn (£280bn) and $256bn (£213bn) from its total energy exports this year and next, respectively, up from $244bn (£202bn) in 2021.
The forecast also said that, after this year, prices would gradually fall until the end of 2025.
The reduced supply of Russian gas to Europe since the invasion of Ukraine has seen prices surge. Gazprom has said supplies to China are increasing, but Europe remains by far the largest market for Russian gas.
Updated
Explosions heard in occupied city of Melitopol, says mayor
Explosions have been heard near a Russian command centre in the occupied city of Melitopol, according to the city’s mayor.
Writing on Telegram, Ivan Fedorov said that a “loud explosion rang out near the enemy’s lair” in the centre of the city.
“Let me remind you that one of the commandant’s offices of the occupiers is located here,” he said.
“The earth will burn under the occupiers - this unshakable truth is proven every day by our soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the south of Ukraine.”
Melitopol is located in the southern Zaporizhzhia region near Ukraine’s Black Sea coast.
Fedorov added that he was still waiting for further details of any losses sustained by Russian forces.
Russia has not yet commented on the explosions and the Guardian was not able to independently verify the claims.
Updated
The top official in Russian-annexed Crimea has claimed the FSB security service has broken up what he described as a six-person terrorist cell of a banned Islamist group.
It comes a day after a series of strikes in the region destroyed a key railway junction used for supplying Russian troops and a military airbase.
“All of them are detained. The activities of the terrorists were coordinated, as one would expect, from the territory of the terrorist state of Ukraine,” said Sergei Aksyonov on Telegram.
He claimed the detainees were members of Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in Russia.
Russia earlier said the strikes had been carried out by saboteurs.
The attack followed similar strikes last week on a Russian military base in Crimea, with satellite images showing around nine warplanes had been damaged or destroyed.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but speaking about them to the Guardian a key adviser to President Zelenskiy said that “Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouse explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves”.
Updated
The mayor of the village of Verkhnyo Rogachytsk in the Kherson region has been kidnapped, the deputy chair of the regional council has said.
Writing on Telegram, Yuri Sobolevsky said Svitlana Ivanivna was taken from her home at around 11am on Tuesday.
He said it was not known where she had been taken, though speculated it would be the nearby port city of Kakhovka.
“She rejected all offers to cooperate with the orcs,” he added.
Updated
Summary
It is just past 1pm in Ukraine. Here is what you may have missed:
Russian military leaders are likely to be “increasingly concerned” about security in Crimea after reported explosions yesterday, a British intelligence update said. Posting on Twitter, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that both Russian and Ukrainian authorities admitted that an ammunition dump exploded on Tuesday near Dzhankoi in the north of the region and that a nearby railway and sub-station were also damaged. The update said that the Russian media also reported smoke rising near the Gvardeyskoye Airbase. And while the “the cause of these incidents and the extent of the damage is not yet clear”, Russian commanders are likely to be “increasingly concerned” with security in the region that Russia annexed in 2014.
In the Donetsk region at the forefront of the Russian offensive, two civilians were killed and seven others were wounded by recent Russian shelling of several towns and villages. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, confirmed the latest casualties on Telegram. The area has been the subject of heavy shelling by the Russian military in recent weeks as they try to make tactical advances in the Donbas region.
A recreation centre has been destroyed and three people injured after Russian shelling in Odesa, a top official has said. Sergey Bratchuk, a representative of the Odessa military administration, said a fire broke out and nearby buildings were damaged after the attack. In a post on the Telegram messaging app he said the damage was caused by two enemy rockets. A rescue operation is continuing, he added.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi has warned residents in the western city to prepare for a tough winter. In a video posted to his social media accounts, he said: “It’s likely that we’re in for a difficult winter. It’s logical - there can’t be anything simple in a country that fights for its independence. But we have to be prepared for everything.” He added that the city’s authorities have worked on an action plan for any emergencies “that may arise as a result of an enemy attack.”
Ukraine has hinted it was behind a series of mysterious and devastating strikes in occupied Crimea that destroyed a key railway junction used for supplying Russian troops and a military airbase. Several explosions on Tuesday appeared to have destroyed a Russian ammunition depot and an electricity substation about 125 miles (200km) from the frontline with Ukrainian forces. Russia blamed saboteurs for orchestrating the series of explosions.
There could be more attacks in the “next two or three months” similar to the strikes in Crimea, a key adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine is engaged in a counteroffensive aimed at creating “chaos within Russian forces” by striking at the invaders’ supply lines deep into occupied territories.
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are set to meet to review the grain export deal in Lviv on Thursday. UN secretary-general António Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Ukraine’s nuclear operator reported what it called an “unprecedented” cyberattack on its website, but said its operations have not been disrupted. “On August 16, 2022, the most powerful cyberattack since the start of the Russian invasion occurred against Energoatom’s website,” the operator said, adding it “was attacked from Russian territory”.
North Korea and the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”, Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin said in a letter to Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media reported on Wednesday.
The first ship to depart Ukraine under a grain export deal docked in Syria on Tuesday, according to a shipping source and satellite data. Another ship carrying the first cargo of food aid bound for Africa also left Ukraine’s ports.
Russia’s defence ministry has warned Britain against a planned spy plane flight over Russian territory, saying its air force has been given orders to prevent an intrusion. The ministry said the UK sent a notice informing about a planned flight of an RC-135 reconnaissance plane along a route that partly passes over Russian territory. “We regard this action as a deliberate provocation,” the ministry said.
Estonian authorities removed a Soviet-era tank from its pedestal in the eastern city of Narva, the most significant removal yet out of an estimated 200 to 400 such monuments that the government has pledged to take down by the end of the year. “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbour foment tensions in our home,” prime minister, Kaja Kallas, said on Tuesday. Estonia will also this week close its border to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas.
Finland announced it will cut the number of visas it issues to Russians to 10% of current volumes from 1 September after Russian tourists begun using the country as a gateway to European holiday destinations. Finland will also join the Baltic states in jointly proposing the discontinuation of an EU visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it easier and cheaper for Russians to travel to and within the EU, foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, said.
Donald McRae interviews Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk as he prepares to face Britain’s Anthony Joshua in a rematch on Saturday:
It was the day she turned 12 and so of course she cried a bit,” Oleksandr Usyk says quietly as he remembers how his daughter Yelizaveta’s birthday was overshadowed earlier this year, on 24 February, the day that Russia invaded Ukraine. The world heavyweight champion runs his hand through his damp hair, which is cut in the style of a Cossack warrior, and for a moment it feels as if he is back home on that terrible winter morning when the first bombs rained down.
“My wife spoke to her, explaining what had happened, and soon my daughter understood very well what we are all facing in Ukraine,” Usyk says. “It was difficult but she got it and the main thing is that she is safe now. She will be OK.”
On a ferociously hot Saturday evening for him in Dubai, almost six months since that abandoned birthday party, the ominous shadow of war still hangs over Usyk as he prepares to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO titles against Anthony Joshua. This coming Saturday night in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Usyk and Joshua will step into the ring for their fascinating rematch.
Read more here: Oleksandr Usyk: ‘In the first month of war I lost 10lb, but now feel incredibly strong’
Russian military leaders 'increasingly concerned' about Crimea security, says UK defence ministry
Russian military leaders are likely to be “increasingly concerned” about security in Crimea after reported explosions yesterday, a British intelligence update said.
Posting on Twitter, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that both Russian and Ukrainian authorities admitted that an ammunition dump exploded on Tuesday near Dzhankoi in the north of the region and that nearby railway and sub-station were also damaged.
The update said that the Russian media also reported smoke rising near the Gvardeyskoye Airbase.
Dzhankoi and Gvardeyskoye house two key Russian military airfields in Crimea, the update added.
And while the “the cause of these incidents and the extent of the damage is not yet clear”, Russian commanders are likely to be “increasingly concerned” with security in the region that Russia annexed in 2014.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 17 August 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 17, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/donFcuoRUL
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/AlVp64C9Bn
Updated
Two civilians killed by Russian shelling in Donetsk
In the Donetsk region at the forefront of the Russian offensive, two civilians were killed and seven others were wounded by recent Russian shelling of several towns and villages.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, confirmed the latest casualties on Telegram.
The area has been the subject of heavy shelling by the Russian military in recent weeks as they try to make tactical advances in the Donbas region.
Updated
These latest pictures from the newswires show the damage from the Russian missile attacks on the southern region of Odesa we reported earlier.
Sergey Bratchuk, a representative of the Odessa military administration, said three people were injured, a fire broke out and nearby buildings were damaged after the attack overnight.
Press service of the Operational Command South of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS Photograph: Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters
Dan Sabbagh and Luke Harding report for us from Kyiv:
Ukraine is engaged in a counteroffensive aimed at creating “chaos within Russian forces” by striking at the invaders’ supply lines deep into occupied territories, according to a key adviser to the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Mykhailo Podolyak told the Guardian there could be more attacks in the “next two or three months” similar to Tuesday’s mysterious strikes on a railway junction and an airbase in Crimea, as well as last week’s hit on Russian warplanes at the peninsula’s Saky aerodrome.
Russia said a fire on Tuesday had set off explosions at a munitions depot in the Dzhankoi district of Crimea – an incident that Podolyak said was a reminder that “Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouse explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves”.
Read more: Ukraine aiming to create chaos within Russian forces, Zelenskiy adviser says
United States defence secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Twitter that he spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov to discuss US support for the country.
Earlier today, I again spoke with my good friend and 🇺🇦 Ukrainian counterpart @oleksiireznikov to discuss U.S. support for Ukraine as Russia’s brutal invasion nears its sixth month. pic.twitter.com/ppFn23th4Q
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) August 17, 2022
Three injured as Russian shelling destroys recreation centre in Odesa
A recreation centre has been destroyed and three people injured after Russian shelling in Odesa, a top official has said.
Sergey Bratchuk, a representative of the Odessa military administration, said a fire broke out and nearby buildings were damaged after the attack.
In a post on the Telegram messaging app he said the damage was caused by two enemy rockets.
A rescue operation is continuing, he added.
Updated
The next few weeks may determine Ukraine’s de facto borders for years to come.
In the eastern Donbas, Russian troops continue to advance. In the south, by contrast, their grip appears shakier.
The Guardian’s Luke Harding visits the city of Mykolaiv where he meets determined Ukrainians.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi has warned residents in the western city to prepare for a tough winter.
In a video posted to his social media accounts, he said:
It’s likely that we’re in for a difficult winter. It’s logical - there can’t be anything simple in a country that fights for its independence. But we have to be prepared for everything.
He added that the city’s authorities have worked on an action plan for any emergencies “that may arise as a result of an enemy attack.”
The mayor of #Lviv Andriy Sadovyi urged the city's residents to prepare for a difficult winter.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 17, 2022
People should prepare for a situation "that is difficult to imagine," he said. pic.twitter.com/yDezKA6K0v
Samantha Lock and Justin McCurry report:
North Korea and the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”, its self-appointed leader has said in a letter to Kim Jong-un, according to state media.
Denis Pushilin made the pledge in a message congratulating Kim on the 15 August Korean liberation day, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported, two days after reporting a similar message from Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to Kim.
“The people of the Donbas region, too, are fighting to regain their freedom and justice of history today just as the Korean people did 77 years ago,” the report cited Pushilin’s letter as saying.
“The message expressed the conviction that an equally beneficial bilateral cooperation agreeing with the interests of the peoples of the two countries will be achieved between the People’s Republic of Donetsk and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” KCNA added, using the official name of North Korea.
Read more here: Donetsk self-proclaimed leader pledges ‘bilateral cooperation’ with North Korea
Russian forces launch missile attacks on Odesa region, reports say
Russian forces have reportedly launched missile attacks on the Odesa region overnight.
Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa regional administration, reported that Russian forces launched several missiles at the region, injuring three.
Ukraine’s armed forces also provided an update, saying the missiles destroyed a recreation centre and several private buildings.
⚡️ Official: Russian forces launch missile attacks on Odesa Oblast.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 17, 2022
Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for Odesa Oblast’s administration, reported that Russian forces have launched several missiles at the region. Details are reportedly being clarified.
Updated
A comparison of satellite images taken by US company Planet Labs shows the aftermath of Tuesday’s explosions at a Russian ammunition depot in Crimea.
Kirill Ovsyany, a journalist from the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty, posted the images to Twitter.
New satellite images by @planet. Explosions at the Russian army ammunition depot near #Dzhankoy in the occupied Crimea. 16/08/2022@cxemu pic.twitter.com/LABop49nYy
— Kyrylo Ovsianyi (@KOvsianyi) August 16, 2022
Russian-backed Donetsk leader pledges cooperation with North Korea
North Korea and the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”, its self-appointed leader has said in a letter to Kim Jong-un, according to state media.
Denis Pushilin made the pledge in a message congratulating Kim on the 15 August Korean liberation day, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported, two days after reporting a similar message from Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to Kim.
“The people of the Donbas region, too, are fighting to regain their freedom and justice of history today just as the Korean people did 77 years ago,” the report cited Pushilin’s letter as saying.
“The message expressed the conviction that an equally beneficial bilateral cooperation agreeing with the interests of the peoples of the two countries will be achieved between the People’s Republic of Donetsk and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” KCNA added, using the official name of North Korea.
Pushilin has previously said he hoped for “fruitful cooperation” and increased trade with North Korea.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 20,500 Jewish people are believed to have emigrated from Russia, according to Israeli Jewish agency Sokhnut.
The agency said around 165,000 people of Jewish origin lived in Russia before the Russian invasion, as cited by the BBC.
Moscow’s chief Rabbi, Pinchas Goldschmidt, resigned from the position on 6 July, a role he held for almost 30 years.
Two weeks after the start of the war, Goldschmidt and his family left Russia, first going to Hungary and then to Israel. He then resigned and opposed the war with Ukraine.
I felt that I had to do something to show that I had nothing to do with and did not agree with the invasion of Ukraine. But if I had done this while I was staying in Moscow, I would have put myself in danger,” Goldschmidt said.
Updated
UN chief to visit Ukraine for talks on grain and nuclear safety
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, will travel to Ukraine to meet its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Turkish president, Tayyip Erdoğan, on Thursday, it has been announced.
The leaders will review the UN-backed grain export deal and discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” as well as the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Lviv in western Ukraine.
On Friday, Guterres will visit the Black Sea port of Odesa, where grain exports have resumed.
On Saturday, the top UN official will visit the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which is made up of Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN. officials overseeing the Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain and fertiliser.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while. Whether you’ve been following our coverage overnight or you’ve just dropped in, here are the latest lines.
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, will travel to Ukraine to meet its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and Turkish president, Tayyip Erdoğan, on Thursday. The leaders will review the UN-backed grain export deal and discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” as well as the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
It is 7.30am in Ukraine. Here is everything you might have missed:
Ukraine has hinted it was behind a series of mysterious and devastating strikes in occupied Crimea that destroyed a key railway junction used for supplying Russian troops and a military airbase. Several explosions on Tuesday appeared to have destroyed a Russian ammunition depot and an electricity substation about 125 miles (200km) from the frontline with Ukrainian forces. Russia blamed saboteurs for orchestrating the series of explosions.
There could be more attacks in the “next two or three months” similar to the strikes in Crimea, a key adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine is engaged in a counteroffensive aimed at creating “chaos within Russian forces” by striking at the invaders’ supply lines deep into occupied territories.
The leaders of Ukraine, Turkey and the UN are set to meet to review the grain export deal in Lviv on Thursday. UN secretary-general António Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan will also discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict” and the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Ukraine’s nuclear operator reported what it called an “unprecedented” cyberattack on its website, but said its operations have not been disrupted. “On August 16, 2022, the most powerful cyberattack since the start of the Russian invasion occurred against Energoatom’s website,” the operator said, adding it “was attacked from Russian territory”.
North Korea and the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine will develop “equally beneficial bilateral cooperation”, Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin said in a letter to Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media reported on Wednesday.
The first ship to depart Ukraine under a grain export deal docked in Syria on Tuesday, according to a shipping source and satellite data. Another ship carrying the first cargo of food aid bound for Africa also left Ukraine’s ports.
Russia’s defence ministry has warned Britain against a planned spy plane flight over Russian territory, saying its air force has been given orders to prevent an intrusion. The ministry said the UK sent a notice informing about a planned flight of an RC-135 reconnaissance plane along a route that partly passes over Russian territory. “We regard this action as a deliberate provocation,” the ministry said.
Estonian authorities removed a Soviet-era tank from its pedestal in the eastern city of Narva, the most significant removal yet out of an estimated 200 to 400 such monuments that the government has pledged to take down by the end of the year. “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbour foment tensions in our home,” prime minister, Kaja Kallas, said on Tuesday. Estonia will also this week close its border to more than 50,000 Russians with previously issued visas.
Finland announced it will cut the number of visas it issues to Russians to 10% of current volumes from 1 September after Russian tourists begun using the country as a gateway to European holiday destinations. Finland will also join the Baltic states in jointly proposing the discontinuation of an EU visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it easier and cheaper for Russians to travel to and within the EU, foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, said.
