Thursday, September 12

Russia’s war against Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) holds a joint meeting with U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken (L), and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy (R) in Kyiv on Sept. 11, 2024. (Ukrainian President/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Blinken, Lammy say only Russia escalating war amid ongoing debate on long-range strikes. “If anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr Putin and Russia,” Blinken said.

Guardian: UK has decided to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles in long-range strikes on Russia. In response to a question about whether the U.S. would change its policy regarding long-range strikes, which President Joe Biden has reportedly considered in recent weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken answered cagily, saying that the U.S. has been willing to flexibly alter its strategy “from day one.”

Biden planning to ease restrictions on Kyiv’s long-range strikes, Politico reports. A small group of White House officials have been holding talks on expanding the area within Russia that Ukraine can hit with U.S.-supplied weapons, an official told Politico.

Russia claims to counterattack against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast. A commander of Russia’s Chechen forces claimed retaking several settlements in Kursk Oblast amid unconfirmed claims that Russia launched a counterattack from the west, Russian media reported on Sept. 11.

No confirmation Russia has used Iranian missiles against Ukraine, Zelensky says. “I cannot confirm the use of the missiles for now. I can only confirm when we have evidence. As it was with North Korea,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

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Lithuanian president, other leaders arrive in Kyiv ahead of Crimean Platform. More leaders are expected to visit Ukraine later this day as the country is holding the fourth Crimean Platform, an international consultation and coordination format aimed at ensuring the liberation of the peninsula from Russian occupation.

Ukraine approves domestic-made Black Widow bomber drone for military use. Made in a single-use format, the drone can carry a heavy explosive charge. The relatively low price of the Black Widow allows it to be used as a first-person-view (FPV) attack drone, the ministry said.

Russia claims drone attacks on Murmansk Oblast 1,500 km from Ukraine. Russian regional authorities claimed on Sept. 11 that Murmansk Oblast behind the Arctic Circle came under a drone attack, necessitating temporary flight restrictions.

Russia has committed 137,000 war crimes in Ukraine, Zelensky says. Russia has committed 137,000 war crimes in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the United for Justice conference in Kyiv on Sept. 11.

Russia investigates freight train derailment in Belgorod Oblast as ‘terrorist attack.’ The Russian Investigative Committee described an incident as a “terrorist attack” and opened a criminal case.

Read our exclusives

We asked 5 prominent Ukrainians about Trump’s debate comments on Ukraine

Speaking during the highly-anticipated presidential debate between him and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump refused to say that he wanted Ukraine to win the war, and dodged a question as to whether a Ukrainian victory was in the United States’ best interests.

Photo: Hannah Beier / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Putin dragging his feet on mobilization despite troop shortages exposed by Kursk incursion

Amid speculation that the Kremlin is considering a new mobilization of conscripts, some potential draftees say they are not enthusiastic about defending their country’s territory just over a month after the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

Photo: Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images

Russia now has Iran’s Fath-360 ballistic missile — here’s what it means for Ukraine

The range of the Fath-360 – 75 miles (120 kilometers) – reveals Russia’s likely plans for these weapons. Since it’s a tactical system, Moscow will likely use it to strike critical assets in the Ukrainian rear areas, experts say.

Photo: Wikimedia

With Ukrainian troops deep inside Russia, Belarus dictator Lukashenko sees direct threat to his regime

The increasing activity near the border highlights Lukashenko’s increasingly precarious position amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, as he seeks to assert his relevance while avoiding deeper involvement in the conflict..

Photo: Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks against Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast kill 3, injure 5. Russia struck the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast twice on Sept. 11, killing three people and injuring five, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

Russian strike on Konotop injures 13, heavily damages energy infrastructure. A mass drone strike on the city of Konotop in Sumy Oblast on Sept. 12 targeted apartment buildings, schools, and energy infrastructure. Thirteen people were injured in the attack.

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure 18. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 20 of the 25 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force said. Five drones were reportedly “lost” in Ukrainian territory.

General Staff: Russia has lost 628,930 troops since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,140 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Expert on Ukraine’s defense production boost, future prospects

International response

UK announces new $781 million aid package for Ukraine. The U.K. announced a new 600-million-pound ($781 million) aid package for Ukraine on Sept. 11, as U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Kyiv together with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

UK sanctions 10 Russian ‘shadow’ vessels involved in oil trade. The U.K. has sanctioned 10 Russian vessels that are part of the “shadow fleet” of ships that transport Russian oil around the world, the U.K. Foreign Office announced on Sept. 11.

US announces $700 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine. The U.S. will provide $700 million in humanitarian aid, supporting displaced Ukrainians, the energy grid, and demining, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in Kyiv on Sept. 11.

Latvia pledges new military aid package for Ukraine, including armored vehicles. Riga will give Ukraine a new aid package that will include armored personnel carriers, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Sept. 11.

Russian oligarchs, financial company lose appeal against EU sanctions. Russian oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and Mikhail Fridman and Russia’s National Settlement Depository on Sept. 11 lost their appeal against EU sanctions imposed against them.

EU ready for end of Russian gas transit via Ukraine, commissioner says. Europe is “fully committed” to phasing out Russian gas and is “ready to live without this Russian gas coming from the Ukrainian transit route,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Sept. 11.

West wants Ukraine to set realistic war goals for next year, WSJ reports. Citing undisclosed official sources, the WSJ wrote that the Western countries call for a pragmatic strategy that could be more easily sold to voters at home amid signs of growing fatigue.

Opinions and insights

Opinion: State predation threatens to derail Ukraine’s war effort

“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to a resurgence in state predation against businesses, now approaching pre-EuroMaidan levels. This issue cannot be postponed until after the war,” Alan Riley, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, writes for the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: Ethan Swope/Bloomberg via Getty Image

In other news

Canadian film festival says film ‘Russians at War’ is not ‘propaganda.’ “In our view, in no way should this film be considered Russian propaganda,” the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) said in a statement.

Wagner veteran soldiers presumed killed in July battles in Mali, Reuters reports. Reuters identified 23 missing Wagner soldiers and two others who were captured by Tuareg fighters. Some of them took part in the occupation of the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. Others served in Libya and Syria.

Russian propagandists bemoan Trump’s debate performance. Russian state TV personalities complained that Trump was “sabotaged” in the debate, with some criticizing the moderators for fact-checking Trump’s claims in real time.

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