Live blog: UK announces $245M for Ukraine nuclear fuel purchases

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

2300 GMT – Britain will guarantee a $245 million export finance deal for Ukraine to buy nuclear fuel from producers, including British companies, British energy minister Grant Shapps announced during a visit to Kiev.

"This guarantee that we will be providing is to help Ukraine ensure that ... their nuclear fuel doesn't have to come via Russia in future," Shapps told Reuters news agency.

"This money will guarantee that it will come from much more secure sources."

He said that one of those sources would be Urenco, a part-British nuclear fuel consortium.

Ukraine currently controls three of its four active nuclear plants.

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2255 GMT – Three dead in Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine: authorities

Russian artillery hit two villages near the eastern Ukraine city of Lyman, killing three people and wounding two others, authorities said.

"Three people were killed and one wounded in Torske, another civilian was wounded in Zakitne," the head of Ukraine's Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, posted on Telegram.

The Donetsk prosecutor's office said on Facebook that artillery strikes first hit Torske at around 6:50 pm (1550 GMT), and then Zakitne a half-hour later.

The people killed in Torske were two women and a man, aged 63 to 88, who were seated on a bench when shells hit, it said.

In a separate attack, four people were wounded by shelling and a residential building was struck by two explosive drones in Seredyno-Buda, a village in northeast Ukraine near the border with Russia, the regional military authority said on Facebook.

2131 GMT – Putin denounces sanctions on Russia during speech for South Africa economic summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin took multiple shots at the West on the opening day of an economic summit in South Africa, using a prerecorded speech that was aired on giant screens to rail at what he called "illegitimate sanctions" on his country and threatening to cut off Ukraine's grain exports permanently.

Sitting at a desk with a white notebook in front of him and a Russian flag behind, Putin said a wartime deal to facilitate Ukrainian grain shipments that is critical for the world’s food supply would not resume until his conditions — the easing of restrictions on Russian food and agricultural products — are met.

The West’s attempts to punish and isolate Russia financially for sending troops into Ukraine are an "illegitimate sanctions practice and illegal freezing of assets of sovereign states, which essentially amounts to them trampling upon all the basic norms and rules of free trade," the Russian leader asserted.

1647 GMT - US does not think Ukraine conflict is at a 'stalemate'

A top US official has said the war in Ukraine has not bogged down into a stalemate, amid increasing concerns about the slow territorial gains of Kiev's counteroffensive.

"No, we do not assess that the conflict is a stalemate," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in reply to a reporter's question.

He called the situation "dynamic," with both Russian and Ukrainian forces on the defensive and offensive at the same time, depending on the location on the lengthy battlefront.

"Russia will attack in places and they are attacking. But of course, Ukraine is also attacking, Ukraine is also making gains," he said, notably in the south.

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1709 GMT — UN launches appeal for $268M to support Ukrainians in need

The UN has said it launched an appeal for $268 million to support more than 1.3 million Ukrainians in need for the coming winter months.

"The war has severely damaged homes, energy, water, and gas infrastructure, putting millions at extreme risk during the cold season which, in Ukraine, normally starts in October running through March. Temperatures can drop as low as -30 degrees Celsius," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric said the UN and its partners will prioritise emergency repairs to homes in front-line communities and provide clothes, heating appliances and winter supplies.

1647 GMT — UK says a supersonic Russian bomber likely to have been destroyed in drone attack

British military intelligence has said that a weekend drone attack on an airfield deep inside Russia which Moscow blamed on Ukraine is highly likely to have destroyed a nuclear-capable TU-22M3 supersonic long-range bomber.

Kiev, which on Monday claimed to have attacked another Russian military airfield, says Russia has used the TU-22M3 to bomb targets across Ukraine with conventional munitions.

Western military experts believe Russia has around 60 of the aircraft.

1609 GMT — Ukraine defies odds by advancing in counteroffensive: senior official

Ukraine has made progress in its counteroffensive against Russian forces simply by proving it can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy, a senior Ukrainian official said.

Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, and a US official said last week it looked unlikely that Kiev would be able to recapture the strategic southern city of Melitopol.

But Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Kiev's progress was too slow, and said Ukraine had effectively defied military doctrine by attacking an enemy that has a numerical advantage in manpower and weaponry

1515 GMT — Top UN court to hear Russia objections to Kiev case

The UN's top court will hear objections by Russia next month after Kiev dragged it before the Hague-based body over Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine last year.

Kiev accuses Moscow of falsely using allegations of genocide in eastern Ukraine to justify the war, and of planning genocide itself.

"The International Court of Justice... will hold public hearings on the preliminary objections raised by the Russian Federation in the case," the ICJ said in a statement.

Russia will lodge its objections on Monday, 18 September while Ukraine will give counter-arguments the following day.

1447 GMT — Ukraine raids military enlistment centres in graft probe

Ukraine has said that law enforcement forces were conducting simultaneous raids at dozens of military enlistment offices as part of a sweeping corruption probe coinciding with its key counteroffensive.

"Law enforcement officers have uncovered large-scale corruption schemes in almost all regions of the country," the office of the prosecutor general said in a statement.

It said police under its supervision were carrying out searches at more than 200 recruitment facilities across Ukraine.

1306 GMT — Balkan leaders sign declaration supporting Ukraine

The leaders of 11 Balkan and eastern European countries have signed a joint declaration backing Ukraine's territorial integrity at a summit in Athens.

Signed in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they expressed their "unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders" in the face of Russia's aggression.

Apart from Ukraine, the document was signed by the leaders of Serbia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Croatia, as well as Greece which was hosting the event.

European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also attended the summit.

1406 GMT — Kiev saboteurs behind drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia: Ukraine media

Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kiev’s military intelligence services have carried out a pair of recent drone attacks that hit parked bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia, Ukraine media claimed.

The attacks on Russian airfields on Saturday and Monday destroyed two Russian bombers and damaged two other aircraft, according to Ukrainska Pravda, as the war approaches its 18-month milestone.

That newspaper and Ukraine’s NV news outlet said groups of saboteurs were behind the audacious strikes, which suggest that Ukraine's scope of action is broadening. It was not possible to verify the claims on the ground.

1336 GMT — German foreign minister backs Ukraine’s drone attacks on Moscow

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has defended Ukraine’s drone attacks inside Russia and argued that Kiev is acting within international law.

“Russia has attacked Ukraine, and therefore Ukraine has a right enshrined in the UN Charter to defend its country, to defend its people,” Baerbock said at a joint news conference with her Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna in Berlin.

Estonia's top diplomat also voiced support for Ukraine’s counteroffensive and stressed that Kiev’s military operations are within international law.

"Russia is responsible for starting the aggression. Russia is responsible of starting genocide. Russia is responsible of everything what it’s doing in Ukraine," Tsahkna said.

1335 GMT — Ukraine claims it entered Robotyne village in Zaporizhzhia region

Ukraine has claimed that its forces entered the village of Robotyne in the country’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, followed by the evacuation of civilians.

"Soldiers of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade during the fighting successfully evacuated six civilians from the village of Robotyne in the Melitopol direction,” Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria operational group of troops, said on Telegram.

Tarnavskyi said that the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade informed locals of the need to leave the village due to Russian shelling upon entering Robotyne.

Earlier, Tarnavskyi shared a picture of a Ukrainian soldier in a tank, with the message: "Our soldiers in the village of Robotyne."

1250 GMT — Eight Ukrainian pilots begin F-16 training in Denmark

Denmark has begun training eight Ukrainian pilots in flying F-16 fighter jets as part of its commitment to donate aircraft to Ukraine, the Danish armed forces said.

Denmark and the Netherlands pledged to donate F-16s to Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding wish by Ukraine that it says will help strengthen air defences and help its counter-offensive against Russia.

The eight pilots have arrived at the Danish military air base in Skrydstrup along with 65 personnel who will be trained in maintaining and servicing the jets, the Danish armed forces said in a statement.

1215 GMT — Russia says it repelled border incursion from Ukraine

Moscow's forces have repelled an attempt by Ukrainian "saboteurs" to break into the Russian border region of Bryansk, the region's local governor said.

Russian regions bordering Ukraine have reported repeated shelling and attacks from Kiev's forces, including occasional cross-border incursions by pro-Ukraine armed militants.

"Today Ukrainian saboteurs attempted to break through the state border in the Klimovsky district," Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said on social media.

He said the attack was repelled by multiple security agencies including the FSB, defence ministry and National Guard, but that "measures are underway to ensure the safety of civilians".

1150 GMT — Russia says it destroyed US-made military vessel carrying Ukrainians near Snake Island

Russia's defence ministry has said its forces destroyed a US-made military speedboat carrying Ukrainian military personnel east of Snake Island in the Black Sea.

The ministry said a Russian warplane had taken out the vessel, which it said was carrying a "Ukrainian landing group".

It gave no further details and the incident could not be verified. Ukraine's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

1037 GMT — Turkish top diplomat to visit Ukraine on Friday

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Ukraine on Friday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources quoted by the state news agency Anadolu.

Turkish officials have repeatedly expressed interest in a mediation role between Russia and Ukraine to re-initiate the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Türkiye.

Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports since it launched a military campaign against its neighbour in February 2022, and threatened to treat all vessels as potential military targets after pulling out of the deal last month.

1035 GMT — Russia says jet 'destroys' Ukraine reconnaissance boat in Black Sea

Russia's defence ministry said early morning, one of its Sukhoi jets had "destroyed" a Ukrainian "reconnaissance boat" in the Black Sea.

"Tonight, the crew of the Su-30cm naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed a reconnaissance boat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea," the ministry said on Telegram.

The statement did not give details on what kind of boat had been destroyed or where exactly the incident had taken place.

Russian officials have said they have thwarted a string of Ukrainian marine drone attacks on its warships in the Black Sea.

On Thursday evening, ships of the Russian fleet were targeted by a Ukrainian naval drone attack, according to Moscow's defence ministry.

1009 GMT — Ukraine needs military assistance overcoming massive mine belt: German minister

A massive belt of land mines laid by Russian military in south-eastern Ukraine is hampering Ukrainian soldiers and Kiev has made clear that it needs equipment to help it get across, Germany's Baerbock said.

0950 GMT — Russia's Prigozhin posts first video since mutiny, hints in Africa

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has posted his first video address since leading a short-lived mutiny in late June, appearing in a social media clip that he suggested was shot in Africa.

In the video, posted on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner group, Prigozhin speaks of making Russia greater on all continents and Africa more free.

It is likely to exacerbate Western fears that Wagner could expand its African operations after a coup in Niger that has taken on anti-Western overtones.

Prigozhin is seen standing in a desert area in camouflage with a rifle in his hands. In the distance are armed men and a pickup truck.

0940 GMT — Ukraine says it gains foothold in strategic village

Ukraine said its troops had entered the strategic southeastern village of Robotyne, a potentially significant advance in its counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian soldiers were organising the evacuation of civilians after entering Robotyne but were still coming under fire from Russian forces.

"Our soldiers in the village of Robotyne," General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, wrote on Telegram und er a picture of a soldier in a tank.

Robotyne is 10 km (six miles) south of the frontline town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region on an important road towards Tokmak, a Russian-controlled road and rail hub.

Tokmak's capture would be a milestone as Ukrainian troops press southwards towards the Sea of Azov, a military push intended to split Russian forces.

0803 GMT — Russia says it thwarts latest Ukraine drone attack

Russian air defence systems thwarted four nighttime Ukrainian drone attacks, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said, with the falling wreckage of one drone shattering an apartment building’s windows and damaging vehicles in Moscow’s western suburbs.

There were no reports of injuries in the latest drone attacks that Russia blamed on Kiev, as the war approaches its 18-month milestone.

Though drone attacks on Russian soil have occurred almost daily in recent weeks, they have caused little damage.

0142 GMT — Russia downs drones near Moscow in the fifth night of attacks

Russian air defences downed two attack drones near Moscow, the city's mayor said, in the fifth consecutive night of strikes on the capital region.

Moscow and Kiev have reported regular drone incursions during the conflict, with strikes on Russian territory becoming increasingly regular, according to the Russian officials.

He did not give details on damage or casualties.

For our live updates from Monday (August 21), click here.