Ukraine war: ‘Significant losses’ for Russia as Kyiv retakes village and hits ships

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sports Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close Ukraine has claimed fresh success in its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin ‘s forces, with the recapture of another village – a liberation that the army says is ‘key to success in all further directions’. The announcement by the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said that Russian forces had faced ‘significant losses’ in the battle. Kyiv ‘s forces are seeking to reclaim land occupied by Moscow across multiple areas of southern and eastern Ukraine. The village of Andriivka is about 10 kilometres south of the Donetsk town of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Meanwhile, Britain’s most senior military officer said Ukraine had taken the initiative over Russia with its offensive, even if gains are gradual. Sir Tony Radakin said: ‘In the north they are holding and fixing Russian forces there and in the south they are making progress between 10 and 20km.’ His comments came as Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Ukraine’s destruction of a Russian air defence system in the annexed Crimea peninsula. 1694845713 Russian-installed authorities in Crimea have said they plan to sell about 100 Ukrainian properties, including one belonging to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament, said the nationalised properties would be sold ‘soon’ and the authorities had held the first eight auctions for the properties of Ukrainian business figures. The sale contracts amounted to more than 815 million roubles (£6.8m), Mr Konstantinov said in a statement on Telegram. Russian-installed authorities in Crimea said in February that they had nationalised around 500 properties in Crimea including some belonging to senior Ukrainian politicians and business figures. Andy Gregory 16 September 2023 07:28 1694844000 Ukraine has claimed fresh success in its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin ‘s forces, with the recapture of another village – a liberation that the army says is ‘key to success in all further directions’. Kyiv’s forces are seeking to reclaim land occupied by Moscow across multiple areas of southern and eastern Ukraine. The village of Andriivka is about 6 miles (10 kilometres) south of the Russia -occupied town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region. Bakhmut is one of Ukraine’s key targets, with Russia having occupied it after some of the bloodiest fighting of Moscow’s 18-month invasion. Russian forces suffered significant casualties and lost various pieces of military hardware, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said. ‘Capturing and holding Andriivka – is our path to a breakthrough on the right flank of Bakhmut and the key to the success of the entire further offensive,’ said the Third Assault Brigade, which took part in the push. ‘There is no Andriivka left per se,… but as a place, as a square, it is an important square,’ brigade spokesman Oleksandr Borodin said. Ukrainian troops fire a rocket launcher near the town of Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region Chris Stevenson 16 September 2023 07:00 1694840400 Kim visited aviation facilities in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant and the Yakovlev plant, both units of United Aircraft Corporation, which is under Western sanctions. At the Gagarin plant, which is also specifically under U.S. sanctions, he inspected assembly workshops where the Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter and Su-57 fighter are made, escorted by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, the government said. Kim, dressed in a suit and accompanied by North Korean military officials in uniform, was shown on Russian state television examining the cockpit of a fighter jet. He then inspected workshops where the fuselage compartments and wing assemblies of Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 are made before watching a demonstration flight of the Su-35. He nodded with approval as the fighter performed. Russia has gone out of its way to publicise the visit and to drop repeated hints about the prospect of military cooperation with North Korea, which was formed in 1948 with the backing of the then-Soviet Union. For Putin, who says Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to needle Washington and its Asian allies while potentially securing a deep supply of artillery for the Ukraine war. Washington has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, which has the world’s biggest store of nuclear warheads, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have been made. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 06:00 1694836800 U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. view before and after Kim’s visit was that ‘talks about the provision of weapons by North Korea to Russia, to kill Ukrainians, have been advancing and continued to advance.’ ‘We’re not going to take their word for that, or basically anything they say,’ he told a White House press briefing, when asked about the Russian statement. ‘We’ll see what actually ends up happening.’ ‘I can’t name a specific agreement for you today, but we take a look at that with a heavy grain of salt,’ Sullivan added. He said Russia, and China, had legal obligations to uphold U.N. resolutions on North Korea. ‘We have very real concerns based on what Russia has just done, that they are going to live up to their basic responsibility as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council,’ Sullivan said. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 05:00 1694833200 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a Russian fighter jet factory under Western sanctions on Friday. It was part of a visit Washington and its allies fear could strengthen Russia’s military in Ukraine and bolster Pyongyang’s missile program. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and deepening cooperation when they met on Wednesday. South Korea and the United States said military cooperation between North Korea and Russia was a violation of U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, and that the allies would ensure there is a price to pay. Putin told reporters Russia was ‘not going to violate anything’, but would keep developing relations with North Korea. His spokesman said no agreements had been signed during Kim’s visit on military issues or any other topic. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 04:00 1694829600 Finland has joined the three Baltic countries in banning vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory, a joint move in line with a recent interpretation of the European Union’s sanctions against Moscow over its war on Ukraine. The Nordic EU member’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the ban would stop private cars from entering Finland as of Friday midnight, Finnish broadcaster YLE said. Earlier this week, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania imposed the measure. Estonia said the decision followed ‘the additional interpretation of the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation published by the European Commission’ on Sept. 8. As for the exclave of Kaliningrad, which is surrounded by Lithuania, Russian citizens will be able to continue transiting through the southernmost Baltic state by train. Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic states are among the most vocal European critics of Russia and President Vladimir Putin. YLE said that Russian-registered cars with fewer than 10 passengers will no longer be permitted to enter Finland from Russia, although some exceptions are likely. In April, Finland joined NATO, doubling Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with its eastern neighbor. The three Baltic states are also NATO members. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 03:00 1694826000 Three senators who serve on the Committee on Armed Forces have sent a letter to the Department of Defence (DoD) expressing concern over allegations that Elon Musk controlled Ukrainian soldiers’ ability to access satellite communications via Starlink . Mr Musk clarified on X that he did not discontinue Starlink connectivity but refused a request by Ukraine to provide it there out of fear of escalating war. The three senators said the ‘confusion over what actually happened’ demands answers and expressed great concern about Mr Musk’s role in the incident. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 02:00 1694822400 Russian general Sergei Surovikin is in Algeria as part of a Defence Ministry delegation, in an apparent return to official duties after coming under suspicion in connection with a June mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force, Kommersant newspaper has reported, citing a source close to the general The newspaper published photographs of Surovikin wearing a khaki suit without military insignia that it said had been taken in Algeria, a major buyer of Russian weapons Surovikin, dubbed ‘General Armageddon’ for his use of carpet bombing tactics during Russia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war, briefly headed Russia’s campaign in Ukraine last year before being demoted in January He became popular among hardline critics of the Russian military establishment including Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash last month As Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow in late June, he appeared in a video looking distressed and holding an assault rifle on his lap, urging them to turn back The general, who was praised publicly by Prigozhin, disappeared from public view after the mutiny. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence believed he had known in advance about the revolt, the biggest challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority in his 24 years in power. Russian general Sergei Surovikin Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 01:00 1694818860 The United States expects to announce additional aid to Ukraine at some point next week, national security adviser Jake Sullivan hassaid. President Joe Biden is also due host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday at the White House. Zelensky is expected to meet with congressional leaders from both political parties while he is in Washington, Sullivan said. Sam Rkaina 16 September 2023 00:01 1694815201 Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the EU’s decision not to further expand the ban on grain exports from Ukraine and called it an example of true unity and trust. As Poland, Slovakia and Hungary on Friday indicated they would impose their own ban after an EU decision to lift it, Zelenskiy said that if neighboring countries violate EU law, ‘Ukraine will respond in a civilized manner’. ‘It is important now for European unity to work at the bilateral level as well. So that neighbors support Ukraine during the war,’ he said on the Telegram messaging app after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Sam Rkaina 15 September 2023 23:00 Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in