Live blog: Prigozhin made 'mistakes' but 'achieved results', says Putin

Thursday, August 24, 2023

1645 GMT — Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his "condolences" over a plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, describing him as a man who made mistakes but "achieved results".

An investigation is currently underway into what caused Wednesday's crash, which came exactly two months after Wagner's short-lived rebellion against Moscow's military leadership.

"First of all I want to express words of sincere condolences to the families of all the victims," Putin said in a televised meeting, calling the incident a "tragedy".

"I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. He was a man of complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life, but he achieved the right results," Putin added.

He said that an investigation had been launched into the crash, and that "it will take some time".

"It will be conducted in full and brought to a conclusion. There is no doubt about that," Putin said, in footage showing a meeting with the Russian-installed head of the Donetsk region Denis Pushilin.

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1507 GMT -- Norway to give F16 fighter jets to Ukraine: official

Norway will become the third country to donate F-16 fighter jets to Kiev to bolster its Soviet-era air force, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

"We are planning to donate Norwegian F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and will provide further details about the donation, numbers and time frame for delivery, in due course," Store said in a statement that confirmed earlier media reports.

The announcement came as Store made a surprise visit to Kiev on Thursday -- Independence Day in Ukraine -- as the country pursues a grinding counteroffensive against Russian forces in the east.

According to Norwegian news agency NTB, which spoke to the prime minister during his visit, Norway will give Kiev between five and 10 planes, most likely in the lower range.

1330 GMT — Ukraine asks Lebanon to bar Syrian ship carrying 'stolen' corn from docking

Ukrainian officials asked Lebanon to bar a Syrian state-owned cargo ship carrying allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain from docking in Lebanon's Tripoli port, according to the Ukrainian embassy and a diplomatic note seen by Reuters.

The Ukrainian mission said in comments to Reuters that the Finikia was transporting 6,000 metric tons of corn, which it considered stolen, from the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.

In the note to Lebanon's ministries of transport, finance and economy, as well as the customs directorate, the embassy said the corn had been "stolen from storage units in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions".

It said the ship was "in violation of international law" and expressed its hope that Lebanon "does not allow the entry of the aforementioned cargo ship FINIKIA to Lebanese ports to sell stolen Ukrainian grain."

1225 GMT — Ukraine had 'nothing to do' with Prigozhin plane crash: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country had "nothing to do" with the presumed death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, instead implying the Kremlin's responsibility.

"We have nothing to do with this situation, that's for sure. I think everyone knows who this concerns," he told reporters a day after a private jet on which Prigozhin was registered as a passenger crashed between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

1140 GMT — Germany: Russia to continue its ‘cynical’ plans ‘with or without Wagner’

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that she is not expecting any major changes in Russia’s aggressive policies or actions following the death of Wagner's mercenary chief.

“I don’t want to speculate about where the whole thing will now lead to but we must fear that Russia, with or without Wagner, will continue in i ts cynical games not only in Ukraine but above all in Africa,” Baerbock told public radio Deutschlandfunk.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, was confirmed to be onboard a private jet that crashed on Wednesday in Russia’s northwestern Tver region, killing all 10 passengers.

1130 GMT — Ukrainian flag raised on Russian-annexed Crimea in 'joint operation'

Ukraine said it flew its flag on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula overnight after conducting a "special joint operation" there with its Navy as the country celebrates Independence Day.

Kiev has repeatedly said it aims to take back Crimea, which is recognised internationally as part of Ukraine but controlled by Russia since 2014 when Moscow's forces seized the peninsula.

Ukraine's GUR intelligence agency said in a statement that its special forces landed on Crimea's western shore near the towns of Olenivka and Mayak, where it "engaged in combat".

1116 GMT — BRICS countries support mediation proposals to end Russia-Ukraine conflict

The BRICS leaders said that they note with appreciation the pertinent mediation proposals aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy.

“We recall our national positions concerning the conflict in and around Ukraine as expressed at the appropriate fora, including the United Nations Security Council and United Nations General Assembly,” the leaders said in the Johannesburg II Declaration at the end of the three-day 15th BRICS summit.

They also lauded the efforts of the African Leaders Peace Mission that recently traveled to both Ukraine and Russia in pursuit of mediation.

1022 GMT — One killed, 16 wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine's Independence Day

At least one person was killed and 16 people were wounded in Russian attacks across Ukraine, local officials said, as Kiev marked 32 years of independence from Moscow.

The cities of Kherson and Dnipro, and the frontline town of Kurakhove, were hit by attacks which wounded civilians, and a farmer was killed by shelling in southern Ukraine, the officials said.

A Russian missile strike on a bus terminal in Dnipro wounded 10 people, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.

0850 GMT — Zelenskyy hails Ukrainians as 'free people' on Independence Day

"Today we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of our independence -- the independence of Ukraine. A holiday of free people," Zelensky said in an statement on social media.

Freedom "is a value for each of us, and we are fighting for it," Zelensky said as the war in Ukraine enters its 19th month.

The country's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Telegram that the fight for independence "continues to this day - now with the imperial aggressor" Russia.

0335 GMT — Destroyed two Russian bombers in airfield strikes, Kiev claims

Ukraine's intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has claimed that recent attacks on Russian airfields had destroyed two TU-22 bombers and damaged two more bombers.

"Two were destroyed, two were damaged. Two can not be repaired," Budanov said in a TV interview on Wednesday night for the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

He said a fifth Russian aircarft could have been hit.

Russian officials reported drone attacks on military airfields Soltsy in the Novgorod region on Saturday and Shaykovka in the Kaluga region on Monday and sa id that one warplane was damaged during the first attack.

0247 GMT — Russia says it downed three Ukrainian drones over Russian regions

Russian air defences downed three Ukrainian drones, Moscow's defence ministry said, without giving details of damage or casualties.

Two drones sent by Kiev "were destroyed by air defence over the territory of the Bryansk region" which borders Ukraine, the defence ministry wrote on Telegram.

Another drone "was detected and destroyed by air defence over the territory of Kaluga region" southwest of Moscow, it added.

0001 GMT — EU military chief casts doubt on Ukraine regaining territory - WELT

The European Union's military leadership has expressed doubts that Ukraine will regain any territory lost in the war with Russia, according to German newspaper Die Welt.

"It remains questionable whether Ukraine's full sovereignty can be restored with the resources available," said Robert Brieger, chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), the highest military body in the EU which is composed of the 27 member states.

Regarding the Ukraine's counter-offensive, which has been ongoing since June, Brieger said he would be "cautious to expect a breakthrough of the Ukrainian forces through the Russian defence lines."

For our live updates from Wednesday (August 23), click here.