Tuesday, September 12

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Representatives of the Ukrainian government and German company NOTUS energy sign a memorandum of cooperation on the construction of a wind power plant in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on Sept. 11, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources/Telegram)

AP: Kim Jong-Un has departed for Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has departed for Russia, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with Vladimir Putin, AP reported on Sept. 11.

Zelensky: Corruption cases in Ukraine don’t involve foreign funds. In an interview with CNN published on Sept. 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that cases of corruption in Ukraine don’t involve financial or military aid sent by Kyiv’s partners.

Umerov and Austin hold first call, discuss upcoming Ramstein meeting. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and recently-appointed Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov have held their first phone call, the U.S. Defense Department said on Sept. 11.

Poll: Most Ukrainians consider president directly responsible for corruption in government. According to a recent poll published by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, 78% of surveyed Ukrainians believe that the president bears direct responsibility for corruption in the government and regional administrations. Only 18% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

Statue of Soviet secret police founder re-erected in Moscow. A statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police, has been erected in Moscow at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on Sept. 11.

Defense Ministry: Ukraine retakes more than 4 square kilometers on southern front over last week. Ukrainian forces have retaken 4.8 square kilometers of land from Russian troops on the southern front over the past week, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Sept. 11.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia wants to recruit 420,000 contract soldiers in 2023.

Russia plans to recruit 420,000 military contract personnel by the end of the year, likely exacerbating the country’s labor shortage, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence report on Sept. 11.

Military intelligence: Ukraine regains control of oil rigs in Black Sea. The multi-phase operation involved a battle between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian SU-30 fighter jet, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence said.

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Military intelligence: Calls from Russia to surrender hotline rise 70% after helicopter pilot defected. After news broke that a Russian helicopter pilot defected to Ukraine, calls to a hotline set up for Russian soldiers wanting to surrender to Ukraine’s military increased by 70% in one day, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on Sept. 11.

Air Force: Ukraine downs 13 Russian drones overnight. Ukrainian forces shot down 12 Shahed kamikaze drones and one drone of an unknown type overnight, the Air Force reported on Sept. 11.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives in Kyiv. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has arrived in Kyiv for her fourth visit since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the German Foreign Ministry announced on Sept. 11.

UK says Russia targeted civilian cargo ship in Black Sea. The Russian military targeted a civilian cargo ship in Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa on Aug. 24, the U.K. Foreign Office said, citing newly obtained intelligence. Ukraine’s air defenses shot down all Russian missiles heading towards the port, which included two Kalibr missiles launched from a Black Sea Fleet carrier, according to the report.

Defense Ministry: Ukraine liberates part of Opytne in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian forces have liberated part of the village of Opytne, lying between Avdiivka and the city of Donetsk, the Military Media Center reported on Sept. 11, citing Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.

Russian drones, missiles launched toward Kryvyi Rih, explosions recorded.

Russian drones and missiles were reported to be heading toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s Kryvyi Rih, officials said on Sept. 11, as explosions were heard in the city.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine regains control of drilling rigs in Black Sea

Ukraine has regained control of a set of oil drilling platforms located in the Black Sea, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) announced on Sept. 11. The rigs had been occupied by Russia since the 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea.

Photo: Ukraine’s Military Intelligence/Facebook

Human cost of war

General Staff: Russia has lost 269,210 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Sept. 11 that Russia had lost 269,210 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year. This number includes 580 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

Russian strike injures medic, patient in Kherson Oblast. Russian forces launched a strike against a medical facility in Stanislav, Kherson Oblast on Sept. 11, injuring two women, a 33-year-old medic and a 63-year-old patient, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Russian strikes on Nikopol injure 3. The town of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was hit by Russian strikes twice on Sept. 11, Governor Serhiy Lysak said at around 3 p.m. local time.

Russian strikes kill 1, injure 3 over past day. Russian forces launched strikes against nine oblasts over the past day, killing one civilian and injuring three, local officials reported early on Sept. 11.

International response

Armenia holds military drills with US amid souring relations with Russia. Armenian and U.S. forces on Sept. 11 started joint military exercises, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. The drills, which will continue until Sept. 20, come amid deteriorating relations between Armenia and Russia.

US threatens new sanctions against North Korea in case of arms transfer. The United States will closely monitor the results of the planned meeting between the leaders of the Russian Federation and North Korea and “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions “if both countries commit another violation of arms transfer restrictions,” Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department Matthew Miller stated at a press conference on Sept. 11.

Reuters: Biden Administration close to approving cluster munitions for Ukraine.

The Biden Administration is close to authorizing the shipment of longer-range missiles packed with cluster bombs to Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 11.

Ukraine, Germany to build wind farm in Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. The Ukrainian government and the German company NOTUS energy have agreed to jointly build a wind power plant in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, capable of providing electricity to almost 1,000 households.

Kuleba says there is progress in talks on getting Taurus missiles. Ukraine is making progress in talks on receiving long-range Taurus missiles from Germany, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sept. 11.

Rheinmetall to refit, deliver 40 Marder armored vehicles to Ukraine. The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall will deliver 40 more Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) to Ukraine based on an order placed by the German government in August, the company announced on Sept. 11.

New UK ambassador begins his duty in Ukraine. Newly appointed U.K. Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris has officially started his duty, handing over copies of his credentials to the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis.

Lula: Brazil’s judiciary to decide on Putin’s arrest at G20 summit. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said his country’s judiciary would decide whether to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin in the event he attends the Group of 20 (G20) 2024 summit in Brazil, Reuters reported on Sept. 11.

Council of Europe denounces Russia’s sham ‘elections’ in occupied parts of Ukraine. “Held in flagrant violation of international law, [the sham ‘elections’] constitute a further illustration of the denial by the Russian Federation of the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law upheld by the Council of Europe,” the council said in a statement.

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