Live blog: Russia deployed over 420,000 soldiers in occupied areas —Ukraine

Saturday, September 9, 2023

1914 GMT — Kiev estimates that Russia has deployed more than 400,000 soldiers in areas it controls in the east and south of Ukraine, Deputy Intelligence Chief Vadym Skibitsky has said.

"The Russian Federation has concentrated more than 420,000 servicemen in our territories that are temporarily occupied, including Crimea," Skibitsky said at a conference in Kiev.

The figure "does not include the Russian National Guard and other special units that maintain occupation authorities on our territories," he added.

Skibitsky also said Russia had for a month been actively launching attacks from Crimea, which it legally annexed in 2014.

"Drones deployed in Crimea are used against our ports of Izmail and Reni," which have been used as alternative exports hub, particularly since the expiry of a deal protecting exports on the Black Sea.

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1919 GMT — Ukraine demands West speed up release of frozen Russian assets

Ukraine's top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba has condemned what he said was the reluctance of Western partners transfer seized Russian assets to Kiev.

"There is clearly a lack of will" on the issue, Kuleba said at a conference in Kiev — in an embargoed speech given on Friday.

"After a year and a half, I'm still hearing from Europe and America: we are working on it," Kuleba said.

1908 GMT — Ukraine's military strikes Russian targets, says intel chief

Ukrainian strikes on Russian-controlled land are mainly aimed at military targets, intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov has said.

"All (the targets) are enterprises of the military-industrial complex...," said Budanov.

"This is the difference that distinguishes us from Russians."

1904 GMT — Ukraine's new defence minister calls for 'more heavy weapons'

Ukraine's newly-nominated Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has called on Kiev's partners to increase deliveries of heavy weapons, amid a long counteroffensive against Russian forces.

"We are grateful for all the support provided... we need more heavy weapons," Umerov said in an embargoed speech released Saturday, "we need them today. We need them now."

Kiev's forces have since June been involved in a gruelling counterassault to gain back territory seized by Russia in the northeast and south.

"Ukrainian warriors today are sacrificing their lives for the core values of democracy and freedom. They need back up from you, dear partners. And this back up is weapons," Umerov said.

1717 GMT — NATO: Russian attacks show 'no indication of intent to hit' alliance

The NATO chief spoke over the phone with the Romanian president to discuss the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and drone parts found in Romania.

“Spoke to (Klaus Iohannis regarding) Russian attacks on Ukraine by the Danube & drone parts found in #Romania. No indication of intent to hit #NATO, but the strikes are destabilizing,” Jens Stoltenberg said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I welcome the US decision to deploy more F-16s for NATO air policing. We stand in solidarity with Romania," Stoltenberg added.

1630 GMT — Russia shoots down drone in Crimea, says Russian-backed official

Russian air defence shot down an enemy drone in northwestern Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-supported head of the occupied peninsula's administration, said.

1403 GMT — Romania finds fresh drone fragments at Ukraine border

Romanian soldiers found fragments of a drone "similar to those used by the Russian army" on the NATO member's territory across the border from Ukraine, the ministry of defence said.

Naval forces were combing the area of Plauru in Tulcea county based on information from local authorities of possible drone fragments.

"In the search, fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian army were discovered," a statement by the defence ministry said, adding the discovered elements would be picked up for analysis.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he had discussed the fresh discovery with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg during a phone call.

"I strongly condemned this violation of our sovereign air space, which is a threat to Romanian citizens in the area," Iohannis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

1317 GMT — EU calls on Russia to allow Ukrainian grain shipments

The European Commission called on Russia to allow grain shipments from Ukraine to global markets via the Black Sea.

"Climate change is a global threat. And a contributing factor to food insecurity. Food security is also a victim of Russia's aggression in Ukraine," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, while speaking at the first session, ‘One Earth', of the G20 summit in New Delhi.

"We call on Russia to allow the grain from Ukraine to reach global markets via the Black Sea. We are doing our utmost to facilitate the grain to reach global markets via the land route," she said.

"No one should go hungry and the leaders of the G20 have the responsibility and the tools to enable the flow of grain to where it is needed," von der Leyen said.

1215 GMT — G20 decries 'use of force' in Ukraine for 'territorial' gain

G20 leaders have decried the use of force in Ukraine for territorial gain in a summit statement, without naming Russia.

Referencing the "war in Ukraine", the document said that "all states" should "refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state".

There was no explicit reference to Russia, unlike in a G20 statement in Bali last year that cited a UN resolution condemning "in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine".

Nonetheless US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan welcomed the phrasing.

"From our perspective, it does a very good job," he told reporters.

It reinforced the principles that states could not use force for territorial gain, that using nuclear weapons was "inadmissible", and that "a just peace must be based on the principles of the UN Charter, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity", he said.

"Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including grid infrastructure, must halt," Sullivan added.

1200 GMT — UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety

The United Nations atomic watchdog warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts deployed at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week, in a possible indication of increased military activity in the region.

There was no damage to the plant.

“Whatever happens in a conflict zone, wherever it may be, everybody would stand to lose from a nuclear accident, and I urge that all necessary precautions must be taken to avoid it happening,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a statement.

He noted that the IAEA team was informed that staff at the nuclear power plant had been reduced temporarily to minimum levels due to concerns of more military activity in the area.

1150 GMT — Zelenskyy: Ukraine, Japan agree to begin security guarantees talks

Zelenskyy said he agreed to begin bilateral talks with Japan over security guarantees at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Kiev.

The G7 group of countries, of which Japan is a member, said in July that its members would begin bilateral security guarantees talks with Ukraine.

1058 GMT — Japanese foreign minister discusses Ukraine aid during visit

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi discussed the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine in a visit to the war-torn country, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said.

"We discussed the prospects of cooperation in housing reconstruction, ensuring global food security, supporting small and medium-sized businesses, and humanitarian demining," Shmygal said after a meeting with Hayashi.

Hayashi is accompanied by Japanese business representatives on his visit, during which he is also expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

"Japan's big business is interested in long-term cooperation with Ukraine," Shmygal said.

0954 GMT — Russia sticks to demands on Black Sea grain deal, rejects UN bank proposal

Russia said it was sticking to its conditions for a return to the Black Sea grain deal which it quit in July.

In particular, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia needed its state agricultural bank - and not a subsidiary of the bank, as proposed by the United Nations - to be reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system.

"All our conditions are perfectly well known. They do not need interpretation, they are absolutely concrete and all this is absolutely achievable," Peskov said.

"Therefore Russia maintains its responsible, clear and consistent position, which has been repeatedly voiced by the president."

0835 GMT — EU criticises Russia's 'cynicism' on Black Sea grain deal

The European Union condemned Russia for its "cynicism" in pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, saying the offer of a million tons of grain to African countries was a "parody of generosity".

In a speech at the annual G20 summit in New Delhi, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said the grain deal had delivered to vulnerable countries more than 30 times the volume offered to Africa by Russia.

"And what cynicism ... you did not accept this," Michel said in comments on the grain deal he directed at the Russian summit representative, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"Not only have you decided to pull out of this agreement on the Black Sea, but at the same time you are attacking the port infrastructure," he said.

"You are blocking the ports that give access to the Black Sea, and even to the Danube."

0631 GMT — Japan's foreign minister to visit war-torn Ukraine with business leaders to discuss reconstruction

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, accompanied by a number of business leaders, is visiting Ukraine today for talks with his counterpart to show support for the war-torn country and emphasise his country's backing of sanctions against Russia, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

Hayashi, who had been on a tour of the Middle East and Poland earlier this week, will meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev.

Tokyo plans to host a Japan-Ukraine conference aimed at economic reconstruction of the war-ravaged country sometime at the end of this year or early next year.

2048 GMT — Musk refused Kiev's request for Starlink to aid attack on Russia

Elon Musk has said he refused a Ukrainian request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol last year to aid an attack on Russia's fleet there, saying he feared complicity in a "major" act of war.

The billionaire businessman made the comment on his social media platform X after CNN cited an excerpt from a new biography of Musk that says he ordered the Starlink network turned off near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt the Ukrainian sneak attack.

In the post on X — formerly known as Twitter — Musk said he had no choice but to reject an emergency request from Ukraine "to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol."

"The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Musk wrote. "If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

The billionaire's post sparked sharp condemnation from Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via #Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities. As a result, civilians, children are being killed," Podolyak wrote on X.

2244 GMT — Zelenskyy says Saudi Crown Prince keen to resolve crisis in Ukraine

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has received a phone call from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Saudi state TV said.

In the call, Zelenskyy confirmed both the kingdom's keenness to resolve the crisis in Ukraine and support for international efforts to resolve the crisis, state TV said.

2301 GMT — Cuba arrests 17 for allegedly helping recruit some of its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Cuban authorities have 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, César Rodríguez, did not identify the alleged members of the network but said they had previous criminal records.

For our live updates from Friday (September 8), click here.