Live blog: Ukraine orders evacuation of civilians from Kherson region

Thursday, September 14, 2023

1902 GMT — Ukrainian officials have ordered the evacuation of civilians from the southern Kherson region, partly controlled by Russian forces and regularly hit by shelling.

"The Regional Defence Counsel of Kherson decided to compulsorily evacuate families with children from areas subject to constant enemy fire," Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.

Russian troops control areas in the Kherson region south of the Dniepr river, following their withdrawal last year from the city of Kherson, the regional capital, which they regularly shell.

Ukrainian officials had already recommended in August that civilians leave a dozen areas in the northeast region of Kharkiv in the face of a Russian offensive, but those evacuations were not mandatory.

Prokudin also said that regional authorities were preparing for an "emergency situation" this autumn and winter over electricity provisions.

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1718 GMT — Romania extends flight restrictions along Ukraine border

Romania has imposed additional flight restrictions in parts of its air space along the border with Ukraine, as Russian attacks on Ukraine's Danube river ports have intensified, the defence ministry said.

Drone fragments in the wake of Russian attacks have been found in NATO member Romania's territory three times following such attacks this month, underlining security risks for the North Atlantic alliance, whose members have a mutual defence commitment.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s river ports across the Danube from Romania have increased since mid-July when Moscow abandoned a year-old deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

1621 GMT — Cuba is not against its citizens fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine, RIA cites envoy

Cuba is not against the legal participation of its citizens in Russia's war in Ukraine, state-run RIA news agency reported, citing the Cuban envoy to Moscow, despite Havana's crackdown on trafficking of Cubans to fight for the Kremlin.

Last week Cuban authorities said they had arrested 17 people on charges related to a ring of human traffickers that allegedly had lured young Cuban men to serve in the Russian military amid the Ukraine conflict.

The Cuban ambassador to Moscow, Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena, said the arrested people, all Cuban citizens, had been engaged in illegal activities and had broken the law.

1617 GMT — US sanctions over 150 individuals, entities for Russia-Ukraine war

The US State and Treasury departments have announced further sanctions on more than 150 individuals and entities in connection with Russia’s war in Ukraine.​​​​​​​

"As part of today’s action, the US government is targeting individuals and entities engaged in sanctions evasion and circumvention, those complicit in furthering Russia’s ability to wage its war against Ukraine, and those responsible for bolstering Russia’s future energy production," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Blinken said his agency also sanctioned more than 70 entities and individuals involved in expanding Russia’s energy production and export capacity, operating in Russia’s metals and mining sectors, and aiding Russian individuals and entities in evading international sanctions.

1414 GMT — Ukraine backtracks on retaking village near Bakhmut

Ukraine's deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar backtracked on an announcement that Kiev had retaken an eastern village near Bakhmut after troops on the ground said fighting was ongoing.

Kiev began pushing back against Moscow's forces in the south and east of the country in June after building up Western weapons and recruiting assault battalions.

Malyar had announced that the village of Andriivka was "ours", saying Kiev's forces were "moving forward in the Bakhmut sector."

The announcement was rejected by Ukrainian soldiers on the ground.

1400 GMT — Ukraine says ICC opens major office in Kiev

Ukraine's prosecutor general said the International Criminal Court (ICC) had opened a field office in Kiev, as part of efforts to hold Russian forces accountable for potential war crimes.

Kiev has called for a special tribunal to be created to hold Moscow responsible for violations committed during its offensive, launched on February 24, 2022.

"Today marks a pivotal stride in our journey towards restoring justice," Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin wrote on social media.

"The field office of the International Criminal Court has opened in Ukraine, the largest ICC office outside The Hague. Now our cooperation will be even more effective and efficient."

1347 GMT — F-35 fighter jets land in NATO-member Denmark to replace F-16s, some of which will go to Ukraine

Four F-35 fighter jets landed at an airbase in Denmark in the first instalment of the US-made planes ordered by the NATO member to replace its ageing fleet of F-16s, some of which have been promised to Ukraine.

Dignitaries and officers clapped as the planes, in Danish Air Force colours, did several flyovers before landing at the Skyrdstrup Air Base.

Ukraine has been asking for Western fighter jets to help it resist the Russian offensive that began in February 2022. The United States recently gave its approval for Denmark and the Netherlands to provide Ukraine with American-made jets.

1230 GMT — Russia to consider 'all serious' peace proposals on Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow will consider "all serious proposals for the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, taking into account the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation."

Addressing a news conference after meeting his Myanmar counterpart Than Swe in Moscow, Lavrov said "serious" proposals should take into account "the realities on earth and basic legitimate interests" of Russia.

The minister said he shared assessments of events in Ukraine with Than Swe, appreciating the "balanced, objective position of the Myanmar friends."

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February of last year to "denazify" and "demilitarise" Ukraine, and protect the Russian-speaking population of the neighbouring country. The West, however, calls it "a war of aggression."

1212 GMT — Bulgarian parliament votes to lift ban on grain imports from Ukraine

Bulgaria’s parliament voted to lift the ban on grain imports from Ukraine, the state-run BTA news agency reported.

A draft resolution tabled by the governing coalition was adopted with 124 votes in favour, 69 against, and 8 abstentions, it said, adding that it is now up to the Cabinet to take the necessary actions.

The resolution said that taking into consideration Bulgaria’s solidarity with Ukraine and need for agricultural product supplies for global food security, Bulgaria does not support the extension of the ban on Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seed imports in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia beyond September 15.

According to the resolution, the lift of the ban will not put Bulgarian agricultural producers' competitiveness at risk.

0616 GMT — Russia claims Ukrainian drones destroyed in Crimea, Black Sea

Russia said it destroyed nearly two dozen Ukrainian drones trying to hit Moscow-annexed Crimea, patrol ships in the Black Sea and border regions.

"At about 0200 GMT, the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to attack the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov in the Black Sea with five unmanned sea boats," Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram.

"While repelling the attack, five unmanned enemy boats were destroyed by fire from the ship's standard weapons."

0604 GMT — Ukraine says child killed in Russian shelling in Kherson

Ukraine has said it downed 17 out of 22 Russian drones attacking its territory overnight and that a child was killed in the country's south by artillery shelling.

The Prosecutor General's office said a six-year-old boy was killed and four other people, including his 13-year-old brother, were wounded in Russian shelling in the Kherson region.

Separately, Ukraine's air force said it had shot down drones in several regions in Ukraine's south and north.

"On the night of September 14, 2023, from 9 PM to 2:30 AM, the Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with several groups of Shahed-136/131 type (drones) from three directions," the air force said in a post on Telegram.

Having initially sought to pummel Ukrainian targets with missiles, Russia has this year increasingly turned to the Shahed, a cheap Iranian kamikaze drone which is more expendable and can confuse air defences with its smaller size and low speed.

0446 GMT — Wheat falls as Russian exports blunt Ukraine supply fears

Chicago wheat futures fell as concerns over supply from war-torn Ukraine eased due to large exports of cheap grain from Russia, keeping prices near 33-month lows.

Soybean and corn futures rose slightly.

Wheat markets are expected to tighten in the coming months as the focus switches to harvests in southern hemisphere countries such as Argentina and Australia, where crops have been hit by dry weather.

But for the time being, northern hemisphere harvests, particularly Russia's, are pumping supply into the market, said Ole Houe at Australian agricultural brokerage IKON Commodities.

"That puts a lid on prices and prevents any near-term rallies," he said.

0220 GMT — Car traffic suspended on Crimea bridge

Car traffic has been suspended on the bridge that connects the Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia, the RIA news agency reported.

No reasons have been given for halting the traffic, it said.

0100 GMT — Russia claims wave of Ukrainian drones destroyed

Russia has said it had destroyed several Ukrainian drones in its border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. No casualties have been reported so far.

Russia's Defence Ministry said six drones had been shot down in four separate locations over the Bryansk region, which is roughly equidistant between Kiev and Moscow.

"Air defence systems on duty destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of Bryansk region," it said on Telegram.

Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said there had been no damage or casualties, and "operational a nd emergency services are working on the scene".

Another drone was destroyed further south over the Belgorod region on Wednesday evening, the ministry added, saying the attempted attack had been "thwarted".

Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said it had been "shot down" over Tulyanka village, with no casualties or damage reported so far.

For our live updates from Wednesday (September 13), click here.