Live blog: Ukraine ready to organise elections in wartime — Zelenskyy

Friday, September 8, 2023

1720 GMT — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was hoping the upcoming US presidential elections would lower Washington's support for Kiev.

The leader of the war-torn country also said he was prepared to hold elections despite potential ongoing combat.

"(Russians) are counting on the American elections... although we have mutual support, bipartisan," Zelenskyy said in a meeting in Kiev.

He nevertheless acknowledged that there were "voices in the Republican Party who say that support for Ukraine should be reduced".

"But it is important that the American people support democracy, support Ukraine, support our struggle," he added.

Regarding Ukraine's own elections, Zelenskyy said his government was ready to adjust to wartime constraints to make sure legitimate polls were held.

"I am ready for the elections. I mean, we are ready if it is necessary," Zelenskyy said.

He acknowledged potential difficulties, including the need for servicemen on the frontline, for people in Russian-occupied territories, and for Ukrainian refugees to vote.

But he said his country was willing to organise for international observers to monitor elections.

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1813 GMT — Zelenskyy: Our partners have eased up on sanctions on Russia

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said that his country's allies had eased sanctions on Russia and called for a renewed drive to impose further punitive measures on Moscow.

"At this time, we see too long a pause by our partners in terms of sanctions," he said in his nightly video address. "And very active Russian attempts to evade sanctions."

Zelenskyy said keeping the pressure on Moscow should focus on Russia's energy sector, its access to microelectronics and its financial sector.

"There are three priorities: further sanctions against Russia's energy sector, real restrictions on the supplies going to the terrorists of chips and microelectronics in general and continued blocking of Russia's financial sector," he said.

"The world's sanctions offensive must resume."

1637 GMT — Zelenskyy: Putin killed Wagner chief Prigozhin

Ukraine's leader accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash last month.

"He killed Prigozhin, at least we all have this information and not any other," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech.

He said the incident showed that the Russian leader was now "politically weak".

1448 GMT — Russian air superiority 'stopping' counteroffensive — Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said that Russian air superiority was "stopping" Kiev's counteroffensive, complaining of slow Western arms deliveries and sanctions on Russia.

"If we are not in the sky and Russia is, they stop us from the sky. They stop our counteroffensive," Zelenskyy said, calling for more "powerful and long-range" weapons.

Arms deliveries to Kiev and new rounds of sanctions on Russia were becoming "complicated and slower", he added.

1351 GMT — Ukraine opposes trading Russia sanctions relief for grain deal's revival

Ukraine opposes the idea of easing sanctions on Russia in order to revive a grain deal between the two countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said.

"Easing part of the sanctions regime against Russia in exchange for the resumption of the grain agreement would be a victory for Russian food blackmail and an invitation to Moscow for new waves of blackmail," he wrote on Facebook.

1349 GMT — Cuba arrests 17 for recruiting its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Cuban authorities arrested 17 people in connection with what they described as a network to recruit Cuban nationals to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

The head of criminal investigations for Cuba's Interior Ministry, Cesar Rodriguez, said on state media that at least three of the 17 people arrested are part of recruitment efforts inside the island country.

The official didn't identify the alleged members of the network, and he only said that they had previous criminal records.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry said on Monday the government had detected a network operating from Russia to recruit some of its citizens living both in Russia and in Cuba fight in Ukraine, and it said the authorities were already working “to neutralize and dismantle” it, but it gave no details.

“Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine,” said the Foreign Ministry in the press release.

Cuba and Russia are political allies and Cubans do not require a visa to travel to Russia.

1341 GMT — Ukraine finds it harder to secure weapon supplies, Russia sanctions - Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was finding it harder and slower to secure sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow's forces.

Speaking at a conference in the Ukrainian capital, he said Ukraine's three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kiev's military received more powerful weapons.

"The war is slowing down. This is true, we recognise this. All the processes are becoming harder and slowing down: from sanctions to the delivery of weapons," he said in comments from the conference that were posted on his website.

1219 GMT — Russia says it has repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along front line

Russia said it had repelled numerous Ukrainian attacks along the front line and inflicted hundreds of losses on enemy forces, challenging Kiev's assertion that Ukraine was making slow but steady progress in a counteroffensive.

"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern grouping of troops, in cooperation with aviation and artillery, repelled 12 attacks," the Russian defence ministry said.

"In the Zaporizhzhia direction, units of the Russian group of troops during the day repelled five attacks," it added.

1216 GMT — First Leopard 1 tanks arrive in Ukraine: Denmark

The first 10 Leopard 1 tanks donated by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands have arrived in Ukraine and more are on their way, Denmark's armed forces said.

The three countries announced in February that they would donate 100 of the German-made tanks in the "coming months".

"The first 10 tanks have been sent to Ukraine. And more are on the way," the Danish armed forces said in a statement. "A further 10 tanks have been delivered from the factory."

Danish troops in Germany are training Ukrainian forces to use the vehicles, the army added.

"I have no doubt that it will help them win the defence battle they are fighting right now," Army commander Gunner Arpe Nielsen said in the statement.

1131 GMT — Ukrainians petition for transparency on officials' assets

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have signed a petition demanding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy restore public access to officials' online declarations of assets, stressing the need for transparency in wartime.

The outcry comes on the heels of several corruption scandals that have led to the arrest or dismissal of public figures.

"At this time, hiding government declarations from Ukrainians means covering up total corruption in the country," the petition on the Ukrainian presidency's website says.

Published on Wednesday, the petition has already gathered more than 83,000 votes - passing the 25,000 threshold for consideration by the president.

1059 GMT — Russian missile attack kills policeman, injures 52

A Russian missile attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine killed one policeman and injured at least 52 others, emergency officials said, while another attack in the southern Kherson region killed three people.

The strikes were among multiple Russian attacks across the country overnight, officials said.

1017 GMT — Kiev condemns Russian 'sham elections' in occupied Ukrainian territories

Ukraine's foreign ministry condemned "sham elections" being staged by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories, saying they were "worthless" and would have no legal standing.

The ministry said in a statement that the elections taking place on Ukrainian territory "grossly violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" as well as international law.

"Russia's sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void. They will not have any legal consequences and will not lead to a change in the status of the Ukrainian territories captured by the Russian army," it said.

0950 GMT — European Council urges Russia to allow Ukraine’s grain shipments through Black Sea

Speaking ahead of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India, European Council President Charles Michel said that “over 250 million people face acute food insecurity worldwide” and accused Russia of depriving “them of food they desperately need.”

"It is scandalous that Russia, after terminating the Black Sea Initiative, is blocking and attacking Ukrainian seaports,” he asserted.

According to Michel, it is "absolutely cynical" that Russia has offered 1 million tons of grain to Africa while Ukraine has delivered “30 to 32 million tons” to the markets, especially to developing countries” under the Türkiye- and UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal.

He called on Moscow to stop the blockade and allow "safe access through the Black Sea" for Ukrainian ships transporting grains.

0902 GMT — Minister: Russian air strike kills three in Ukraine's Kherson

A Russian air strike has killed three civilians and wounded four other people in a village in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has said. Klymenko said on the Telegram messaging app that the air strike was on the village of Odradokamianka.

0846 GMT — Russia holds elections in occupied Ukraine territories

Russian authorities are holding local elections this weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine in an effort to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.

The voting for Russian-backed legislatures in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions begins on Friday and concludes on Sunday.

It has already been denounced by Kiev and many countries.

Voters are supposed to elect regional legislatures, which in turn will appoint regional governors. The balloting is scheduled for the same weekend as other local elections in Russia.

0822 GMT — Russian missiles kill one, wound dozens in Ukraine

Russian missiles have struck cities in central and eastern Ukraine killing one person and injuring dozens of others, officials said.

In the central city of Kryvyi Rig, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown, a misile attack on a police building killed a policeman, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.

"Rescuers of the State Emergency Service pulled out three more from under the rubble. They are in serious condition," he said.

Over 40 people were injured, the head of the city administration Oleksandr Vilkul said.

At least three people were injured after Russia also struck the city of Sumy in northeast Ukraine, officials said, while one man was injured by a rocket attack on Zaporizhzhia in the southeast.

07:58 GMT — Romania improves Black Sea port for Ukrainian grain exports

Romania's government is set to approve a plan to upgrade road infrastructure in the Black Sea port of Constanta, part of wider investments in the port which could help more Ukrainian grain to transit.

Constanta is Ukraine's largest alternative export route, with grains arriving by road, rail or barge on the Danube.

Romanian government officials have said they aimed to double the monthly transit capacity of Ukrainian grain to Constanta to 4 million tonnes in the coming months.

0727 GMT — CIA seeks to recruit Russian officials with silky video about truth

The US Central Intelligence Agency, which is trying to recruit more Russians as spies, has released a video targeting Moscow officials with an appeal to tell the truth about a system it said is riddled with lying sycophants.

The agency released a video in Russian entitled "Why I made contact with the CIA — for myself" on social media which shows what is clearly supposed to be a Russian official walking through the snow of what looks like a Russian city.

"I insisted to everyone that it was unscrupulous to distort the truth in reports but those who rose through the ranks were those who did that very thing," the voiceover says in Russian.

"Before I believed that the truth had some value," the video shows as the actor playing a Russian official enters a Russian government building and shows his pass above the double-headed eagle of Russia.

0645 GMT — Ukraine military: Forces shoot down 16 drones over Odessa region

Ukraine's air force has shot down 16 out of 20 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones launched by Russia overnight in the fifth attack this week on the southern Odesa region, regional and military officials said.

"During the night the Russian terrorists attacked the Odesa region for the fifth time this week," Oleh Kiper, the Odesa regional governor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The military command for the South said 14 drones had been shot down over the Odesa region and two more over the Mykolaiv region. It said the drones were launched from Russia and from Crimea.

0543 GMT — EU's Michel: Russian blockade of Ukraine ports 'must stop'

Russia's blockade of Ukrainian seaports after pulling out of a UN, Türkiye-mediated deal to ensure grain shipments must be stopped, the president of the European Council Charles Michel has said.

"It's frankly scandalous that Russia, after having terminated the Black Sea grain initiative, is blocking and attacking Ukrainian ports. This must stop," Michel told reporters in India's capital of New Delhi, ahead of a G20 summit.

"The Kremlin's offer of one million tonnes of grain to Africa is absolutely cynical," Michel said.

0430 GMT — US Blinken discuss drone debris near Ukraine border with Romanian counterpart

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu to discuss drone debris found near Romania's border with Ukraine, according to the State Department.

"Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Odobescu discussed Romania’s investigation of the drone debris found in Romania, close to the border with Ukraine," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken and Odobescu also discussed "additional cooperation to preserve airspace security, including an upcoming rotation of additional US F-16 fighter jets to bolster NATO’s air policing mission in Romania," Miller said.

Blinken also affirmed the US's unwavering support to its NATO ally Romania, said the statement.

0334 GMT — Cuba arrests 17 human smugglers to fight for Russia in Ukraine

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

Cuba earlier this week revealed authorities were working to "neutralise and dismantle" the network, which it said operated both on Cuban soil and in Russia.

"As a result of the investigations, 17 people have been arrested so far, among them the internal organiser of these activities," Cesar Rodriguez, a colon el with Cuba's interior ministry, said on a TV program.

Rodriguez did not name any of those accused of participating in the ring, but said the group's leader relied on two people residing on the island to recruit Cubans to fight for hire on behalf of Russia in Ukraine.

0311 GMT — Russia replies to US criticism of 'sham' vote in occupied Ukrainian regions

The Russian embassy in the US has said that Washington was meddling in Russia's internal affairs by calling elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine that Moscow now considers Russian "illegitimate", the RIA news agency reported.

Russia is holding regional elections this week, including in the four Ukrainian regions it partly controls.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday: "Russia's sham elections in occupied areas of Ukraine are illegitimate".

0220 GMT — Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs to fortify Odessa air defence for grain exports

Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defenses in the key Black Sea port of Odesa to ensure safe navigation, President Zelenskyy said, as Kiev searches for alternative routes to export its grain.

“Ukraine has successfully demonstrated the possibility of exporting grain via an alternative route three times already. We are ready to continue doing so,” Zelenskyy told British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a phone call, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.

“But to ensure the safety of navigation, we need help from our partners, in particular, a significant strengthening of the air defense system in the Odessa region,” he added.

Zelenskyy and Sunak discussed threats to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and noted the importance of the grain corridor for global food security, the statement added.

0005 GMT — Ukraine reports successes in counteroffensive against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has singled out military units in the east and south for their actions against Russian troops, and other officials reported some breakthroughs in a counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-controlled territory.

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces described a "partial success" near the eastern city of Bakhmut, long a focal point of fighting. And it said Ukrainian troops were making gradual progress in their southward advance to the Sea of Azov.

Russian accounts of the fighting said their troops had beaten back Ukrainian attacks near Bakhmut.

"Thank you, soldiers, for very, very effective results in destroying the occupiers," Zelenskyy said in his new address. "And results are precisely what Ukraine needs now from everyone."

The general staff report said: "As a result of its assault operations, the defence forces have achieved a partial success south of Bakhmut, pushing the enemy out of and reinforcing their own positions."

2328 GMT — UK to urge India to 'call out' Russia over Ukraine offensive

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the upcoming G20 summit to "call out" Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and use its clout to help end the war, the Financial Times has reported.

Sunak will travel to New Delhi to attend the G20 summit this weekend, in his first official trip to India since taking office last October.

Reuters news agency reported earlier that Sunak will use the opportunity to discuss progress towards circumventing Russia's Black Sea grain blockade with G20 leaders.

For our live updates from Thursday (September 7), click here.