Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

The Ukrainian authorities prolonged its martial regulation for an additional 90 days as Russia’s conflict marches into its sixth month.

Martial regulation is asserted in an emergency and briefly replaces civilian rule with army authority. The Ukrainian authorities will reassess if martial regulation must be prolonged once more on November 21, in keeping with an replace posted on the Telegram messaging app.

— Amanda Macias

The United Nations has confirmed civilian 5,514 deaths and seven,698 accidents in Ukraine since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

The Workplace of the U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights mentioned the dying toll in Ukraine is probably going larger, as a result of the armed battle can delay fatality experiences.

The worldwide group mentioned a lot of the civilian casualties recorded had been brought about by way of explosive weapons with a large impression space, together with shelling from heavy artillery and a number of launch rocket programs, in addition to missiles and airstrikes.

— Amanda Macias

The World Meals Program estimates that 20% of Ukrainians have inadequate meals as a consequence of Russia’s invasion.

“The scenario is especially regarding within the jap and southern elements of the nation, the place one in each two households is dealing with challenges in placing meals on their desk,” the World Meals Program wrote in a report.

The group estimates that about 40% of female-headed households in hostile areas are meals insecure and need assistance addressing particular dietary wants, particularly those that are pregnant and breastfeeding.

“Individuals with continual sicknesses or disabilities are additionally dealing with growing challenges,” the World Meals Program wrote.

— Amanda Macias

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees Gen. Mark Milley spoke along with his Ukrainian counterpart Armed Forces Gen. Valery Zaluzhny over the weekend.

“They mentioned the unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and exchanged views and assessments. The chairman as soon as once more reaffirmed unwavering help for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” in keeping with a Pentagon readout of the decision.

Milley final spoke with Zaluzhny on Thursday, the third name between the 2 leaders this month.

— Amanda Macias

President Vladimir Putin claimed Russia’s weaponry is doubtlessly many years forward of its overseas counterparts.

“Promising fashions and programs which might be future-oriented and can decide the way forward for the armed forces are of explicit curiosity,” he mentioned. Putin was talking on the opening of the “Military 2022” worldwide military-technical discussion board on Monday.

“We’re speaking about high-precision weapons and robotics, about fight programs primarily based on new bodily rules,” Putin mentioned, in keeping with Russian state information company Interfax. “Lots of them are years, perhaps many years forward of their overseas counterparts, and by way of tactical and technical traits they’re considerably superior.”

Talking on the opening of the discussion board, Putin mentioned Russia was able to share its weapons expertise with its allies.

“Russia sincerely values ​​traditionally sturdy, pleasant, really trusting ties with the states of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and is able to provide its companions and allies probably the most fashionable varieties of weapons – from small arms to armored automobiles and artillery, fight plane and unmanned aerial automobiles,” the president mentioned.

Commenting on the more and more polarized nature of world geopolitics, significantly amid Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, Putin mentioned Russia appreciated “that at the moment our nation has many allies, companions, like-minded folks on completely different continents.”

These are states that, he mentioned, “don’t bend earlier than the so-called hegemon, their leaders present actual masculine character and don’t bend.”

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian forces have launched an enormous shelling marketing campaign in opposition to the Novhorod-Siverskyi group within the Chernihiv area in northeastern Ukraine which borders Russia, in keeping with a Ukrainian official.

Vyacheslav Chaus, the top of Chernihiv’s Regional Army Administration, commented on Telegram this morning that since 8am native time, “there have been greater than 70 explosions” that he mentioned had been doubtless attributable to enemy artillery on the outskirts of a village, Kamyanska Sloboda, earlier than one other village was focused, with nearly 60 explosions reported.

Civilian buildings have been broken, he mentioned however thus far there had been no casualties. Chernihiv and the encircling area was the scene of intense preventing initially of Russia’s invasion in February and March however the epicenter of the preventing rapidly shifted to the east and south of Ukraine.

— Holly Ellyatt

The protection group of Brittney Griner, the U.S. basketball star jailed for 9 years in Russia on medication fees, has appealed in opposition to her conviction for narcotics possession and trafficking, Griner’s lawyer Maria Blagovolina advised Reuters on Monday.

Griner, who had performed for a Russian membership, was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 after cannabis-infused vape cartridges had been present in her baggage.

She pleaded responsible to the fees however mentioned she had made an “sincere mistake” by getting into Russia with hashish oil, which is unlawful within the nation. She was convicted on Aug. 4.

The U.S. authorities says Griner was wrongfully detained. It has provided to change her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms seller serving a 25-year jail sentence in america. 

— Reuters

Russia is prone to be on the “superior planning” stage for a referendum to be held within the pro-Russian “Donetsk Individuals’s Republic” in Ukraine on whether or not to turn into part of the Russia.

It has been broadly reported and presumed by Western officers and specialists that Russia would search to attempt to deliver the breakaway area (and its neighboring self-proclaimed “Individuals’s Republic” in Luhansk, additionally within the Donbas in jap Ukraine) into the Russian Federation sooner or later.

Russia has used the “protection” of those separatist areas, which it has supported since 2014 and made numerous makes an attempt to “Russify,” such because the handing out of Russian passports, as an excuse for invading Ukraine. Moscow has mentioned that the “liberation” of those territories within the Donbas is its fundamental purpose of the conflict and its forces occupy a lot of Donetsk and try to push into Luhansk.

The U.Okay.’s Ministry of Defence mentioned Monday that “it’s doubtless that Russia is within the superior planning levels to carry a referendum, although it’s unclear if the ultimate resolution to go forward with a vote has but been taken.”

It famous that on Aug.11, Russian media reported that Denis Pushilin, head of the so-called Donetsk Individuals’s Republic (DPR), had mentioned that the date of a referendum on the DPR becoming a member of Russia could be introduced after the DPR’s “full liberation.”

“Beforehand, in June 2022, investigative journalists printed proof of a DPR planning technique for operating such a referendum and for guaranteeing that no less than 70% of votes had been in favour of becoming a member of Russia,” the U.Okay.’s ministry mentioned, including that “the Kremlin will doubtless see the army’s failure to occupy the whole thing of Donetsk Oblast to this point as a setback for its maximalist aims in Ukraine.”

Options of referenda being deliberate in Russian-occupied elements of Ukraine, or within the pro-Russian separatist areas, are broadly seen as sham makes an attempt to solidify Russia’s grip on Ukrainian territory, and have been criticized by Ukraine’s authorities and the worldwide group.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian troopers reportedly destroyed a base utilized by the shadowy Russian personal army firm referred to as the Wagner Group, or Wagner PMC, within the Luhansk area of Ukraine.

Serhiy Haidai, the top of the Luhansk Regional Army Administration, mentioned in a Fb put up translated by Ukraine state information company Ukrinform Monday that the nation’s armed forces had “efficiently struck the enemy’s headquarters. This time in Popasna, the place a base of PMC Wagner was destroyed.”

The variety of these killed is being clarified, Haidai mentioned. The Wagner personal army firm is a Russian state-backed paramilitary group, broadly seen as a community of mercenaries, which might be believed to have shut ties to President Putin though the Kremlin denies any such hyperlinks.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly despatched a message of friendship to North Korean chief Kim Jong Un during which he expressed his want for Russia and North Korea to deepen relations.

North Korea’s state media outlet KCNA reported on Sunday that Putin had despatched the North Korean chief a congratulatory telegram for North Korea’s Liberation Day, on Monday, during which he expressed a will to “proceed to increase the excellent and constructive bilateral relations” between the nations.

A deepening of such ties would, Putin reportedly wrote, assist “strengthen the safety and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeastern Asian area.”

Kim then reportedly despatched a reply to Putin during which he famous {that a} North Korean-Russian friendship had been cast in World Conflict II with victory over Japan.

The “strategic and tactical cooperation, help and solidarity between the 2 nations,” Kim mentioned, united them in opposition to what he referred to as “hostile forces’ army risk and provocation, and high-handed and arbitrary practices.”

The North Korean chief didn’t give any extra element on which nations he was alluding to, however North Korea incessantly lambasts the West.

North Korea, a secretive, closed and authoritarian nation, is amongst solely a handful of states which have brazenly supported Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and formally acknowledged the independence of two breakaway pro-Russian areas in east Ukraine.

— Holly Ellyatt

The U.S., U.Okay., EU and different nations have referred to as on Russia to instantly withdraw its army forces from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant and all of Ukraine.

“We urge the Russian Federation to instantly withdraw its army forces and all different unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant, its instant environment, and all of Ukraine in order that the operator and the Ukrainian authorities can resume their sovereign tasks inside Ukraine’s internationally acknowledged borders and the authentic working employees can conduct their duties with out exterior interference, risk, or unacceptably harsh working situations,” mentioned a joint assertion printed on Sunday on the web site of the EU Delegation to the Worldwide Organizations in Vienna.

The assertion, endorsed by 42 nations, mentioned Russia’s management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant — Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant — “poses an amazing hazard” to the worldwide tenets relating to nuclear security and safety, as outlined by the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company.

“Deployment of Russian army personnel and weaponry on the nuclear facility is unacceptable and disregards the security, safety, and safeguards rules that each one members of the IAEA have dedicated to respect,” the assertion mentioned.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant is the biggest nuclear energy plant in Europe and there was widespread consternation when Russian forces captured the unit on March 4, with experiences of army gear and ammunition being positioned there.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have accused one another of shelling the ability plant in latest weeks, elevating fears of a catastrophic incident on the plant.

— Holly Ellyatt

One other grain ship is getting ready to go away Ukraine on Monday, this time heading for Ethiopia.

Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov mentioned on Sunday on Fb that greater than 23,000 tonnes of wheat had been loaded onto the “Courageous Commander” bulk service on the port of Pivdenny, and that the ship was as a consequence of go away dock on Monday.

“As we speak we see how the initiative on the protected transportation of grain and agricultural merchandise, signed in Istanbul, works. On Friday, the Courageous Commander, a ship chartered by the UN World Meals Program (WFP), arrived on the port of Pivdenny for loading. Now we will see the ship lastly getting ready for its departure, carrying greater than 23,000 tonnes of wheat to the folks of Ethiopia,” the minister mentioned.

Grain ships have begun to go away Ukraine tentatively following a deal between Russia and Ukraine, and brokered by the U.N. and Turkey, to permit ships bearing very important produce like wheat to be allowed to go away Ukrainian ports following a blockade of such transport throughout the conflict which has exacerbated an increase in international meals costs.

— Holly Ellyatt

Three British residents, a Swedish citizen and a Croatian citizen who fought for the Ukrainian armed forces are anticipated to face a legal trial Monday.

“The courtroom listening to is scheduled for August 15, will probably be held behind closed doorways,” mentioned Russian state information company Interfax final week, citing a courtroom consultant.

Swedish citizen Matthias Gustavsson, Croatian Vekoslav Prebeg, and British residents John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy will probably be standing trial within the “Supreme Court docket of the Donetsk Individuals’s Republic,” a pro-Russian breakaway area within the Donbas in jap Ukraine.

If the courtroom — broadly seen as a kangaroo courtroom within the West — finds the defendants responsible, they might face the dying penalty.

— Holly Ellyatt