Russia-Ukraine updates: Kyiv forces within 50km of border
Ukraine says its forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50km of the border with Russia.
- Ukrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50km of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region, Ukrainian chief commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said.
- As the war in Ukraine marks 200 days, the military has reclaimed swaths of the south and the east in a long-anticipated counterattack that dealt a heavy blow to Russian forces.
- Ukrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50km of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region, Ukrainian chief commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said.
- As the war in Ukraine marks 200 days, the military has reclaimed swaths of the south and the east in a long-anticipated counterattack that dealt a heavy blow to Russian forces.
- Operations at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine have stopped as a safety measure as fears of a radiation disaster continue.
- Ukraine says its forces are working to wrest control of towns and villages around the strategic hub of Izyum from Russian troops as part of a counteroffensive in the country’s east.
- Ukraine’s military in the Kherson region is seeking to drive Russian forces from their foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River, a potential vantage point for a push deeper into Ukraine by Moscow.
Ukraine: Russian attacks on infrastructure ‘revenge’ for counteroffensive success
Ukrainian officials have accused retreating Russian forces of launching retaliatory attacks on civilian infrastructure, including a thermal power station in Kharkiv, that the authorities in Kyiv said caused widespread blackouts.
“No military facilities, the goal is to deprive people of light & heat,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter about the attacks.
A total blackout in the Kharkiv & Donetsk regions, a partial one in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk & Sumy regions. RF terrorists remain terrorists & attack critical infrastructure. No military facilities, the goal is to deprive people of light & heat. #RussiaIsATerroristState
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 11, 2022
Moscow denies its forces deliberately target civilians.
Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian attacks caused a total blackout in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, and partial blackouts in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.
“They are unable to reconcile themselves to defeats on the battlefield,” Dnipropetrovsk Governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the president’s office, posted an image on Telegram of a power station on fire but added power had been restored in some regions.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov described attacks on infrastructure as “cynical revenge” for the success of Ukrainian troops at the front, particularly in Kharkiv.
Russia launches missiles towards eastern Ukraine: Kyiv
Russian forces have launched a total of 11 missiles towards the eastern regions of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force announced in a tweet on Sunday night.
Two more missiles were destroyed by units of the Air Force in the Poltava region.
— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) September 11, 2022
Ukraine counteroffensive ‘of great significance’, say observers
Observers have said that Ukraine’s strategic gains in the east have provided an “unwavering” or “doubtful” international community with evidence of its forces’ capabilities.
“This is a strategic victory for Ukraine – of far greater significance than the defeat of the Russians in Kyiv in March,” said Frank Ledwidge of the University of Portsmouth.
He told Al Jazeera that it was strategic because it demonstrates that the Ukrainians can impose losses on the Russians.
“But it’s also a demonstration of their skills and combined arms warfare, and bringing the gear and training they’ve had over the last few months all together to take back an area of land that’s far greater than the Russians have taken since April.”
“It’s very significant and it demonstrates the Ukrainians’ capability with deception,” he added. “It’s an intelligence coup and it’s a remarkable display of Russian ineptitude, particularly in the intelligence realm.”
Russia hits critical infrastructure, leading to blackouts: Kharkiv governor
Officials in east Ukraine on Sunday blamed Russian attacks on key facilities for widespread blackouts that hit large areas of the country where Kyiv’s forces have been making gains in a counteroffensive.
The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region said Russian attacks on “critical infrastructure” had disrupted electricity and water supplies, while the head of the Dnipropetrovsk region said Moscow’s forces had “hit energy infrastructure” in retaliation for “defeat on the battlefield”.
Ukraine battalion makes it to Hoptivka checkpoint near Russian border
Ukraine’s defence ministry has posted this tweet, after the 130th battalion made it to Hoptivka checkpoint, near the Russian border.
🇺🇦 counteroffensive is ongoing in the Kharkiv region. Dozens of villages and towns have been liberated. #UAarmy reached Hoptivka check point, at the border of the terrorist state.
🇺🇦 will restore its territorial integrity, including Donbas and Crimea.
Prepare to swim, occupiers. pic.twitter.com/6L3hO7MvJN— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 11, 2022
Russia military map shows troop withdrawal in east Ukraine
Moscow’s forces have made a major withdrawal from Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to a military map presented by the Russian defence ministry on Sunday.
Russia controlled just a sliver of territory in the region’s east, behind the Oskil river, the map showed.
It was part of a ministry video of its daily briefing, the AFP news agency reported.
An earlier map on Saturday showed Russia occupying much more territory in the region.
Ukraine says it has reclaimed swathes of land over the last two days as part of a lightning counteroffensive, pushing back Russia’s military from strategic holdouts in the east.
The Russian military made the surprise announcement Saturday that it was “regrouping” its forces south from Kharkiv to the Donetsk region to focus its military efforts there.
Putin ally criticises Russian performance in parts of Ukraine
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed leader of Chechnya and Putin ally whose troops have been at the forefront of the war in Ukraine, has conceded that the campaign was not going to plan.
In an 11-minute-long audio message posted on Telegram Kadyrov said: “If today or tomorrow changes are not made in the conduct of the special military operation, I will be forced to go to the country’s leadership to explain to them the situation on the ground.”
The criticism came after the Russian army’s leadership appeared to be caught off-guard by Ukraine’s fightback against its invasion in the northeast.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said many on pro-Russian Telegram channels are saying this is a defeat, “and one high-profile military analyst said that their troops are in an operational crisis and that the Ukrainians have seized the initiative in this war”.
Moscow remains ‘silent’ on defeats in Ukraine
Russia has been nearly silent about its soldiers being forced to abandon their main bastion in northeastern Ukraine.
The swift fall of Izyum in Kharkiv province was Russia’s worst military defeat since its troops were forced back from Kyiv in March, Reuters reported.
Moscow has almost been totally silent about the defeat – not offering any explanation for what had taken place in northeastern Ukraine.
“We take pride in Moscow, and love this city with its majestic antiquity and its modern and dynamic pace of life, the charm of its cosy parks, lanes and streets and abundance of business and cultural events,” Putin told citizens on Moscow Day, according to a Kremlin transcript of his message.
Putin, Macron discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have discussed the security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Speaking by phone, the two leaders expressed readiness for a “non-politicised interaction” on the matter with the participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the statement published on the Kremlin’s website.
Citing UN figures, UK dismisses Putin’s claim on Ukraine grain export
The UK has dismissed as untrue Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that only a fraction of grain exported from Ukraine under an international deal was going to poor countries.
Last week, Putin asserted that only two of 87 ships, carrying 60,000 tonnes of products, had gone to poor countries. The deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, took effect last month.
Quoting UN figures, the British Defence Ministry said about 30 percent of grains exported under the deal has been supplied to low- and middle-income countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Russia is pursuing a deliberate misinformation strategy as it seeks to deflect blame for food insecurity issues, discredit Ukraine and minimise opposition to its invasion, the ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on Twitter.
Xi to meet Putin as West seeks to punish Russia for Ukraine war
Xi Jinping will leave China this week for the first time in more than two years for a trip to Central Asia where he will meet Vladimir Putin.
Xi is due on a state visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday and will then meet Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
The meeting will give President Xi an opportunity to underscore his clout while Putin can demonstrate Russia’s tilt towards Asia; both leaders can show their opposition to the United States just as the West seeks to punish Russia for the Ukraine war.
France-Romania deal to increase Ukraine grain exports will focus on developing countries
France’s transport minister has said he will sign an agreement with Romania to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries, including to the Mediterranean.
Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports, a key route for shipments, were closed off, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.
Romania, the European Union’s second-largest exporter of wheat to non-EU countries, including Egypt, after France and the largest in maize (corn), has been one of the alternative routes used to export Ukrainian grain.
Germany must support Ukraine counteroffensive, politicians say
Leading politicians in Germany’s governing coalition have called for more support for the Ukrainian military offensive against Russian troops that is currently gaining momentum in parts of the country.
“Germany must immediately play its part in Ukraine’s successes and supply protected vehicles – the Marder infantry fighting vehicle and the Leopard 2 main battle tank,” the chairwoman of the defence committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, told the dpa news agency.
Germany must assume a “leading role in Europe in the fight for democracy in peace and freedom”, said the politician of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is the junior partner in the German coalition, which also includes the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens.
“Certainly this is not the time for dithering and hesitation,” she said. “The current military advance of the Ukrainian army and the first recaptured territories in the east of the country speak for Ukraine’s fighting strength and unconditional will to take back its invaded country.”
SPD foreign policy expert Michael Roth also spoke out in favour of quickly supporting the country with new weapons.
Backup power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant restored, IAEA says
A backup power line to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine has been restored, providing it with the external electricity it needs to cool its reactors, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.
“After yesterday’s restoration of power line … #ZNPP operator this morning shut down its last operating reactor, which over past week had been providing ZNPP w/ required power after it was disconnected from grid,” the IAEA said on Twitter.
“This power can now come from the grid instead.”
France to sign deal with Romania to increase Ukraine grain exports
France’s transport minister has said he would sign an agreement with Romania to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries, including to the Mediterranean.
“Tomorrow, I will sign an accord with Romania that will allow Ukraine to get even more grains out … towards Europe and developing countries, notably in the Mediterranean [countries] which need it for food,” Clement Beaune told LCI television, adding that the deal covered exports by land, sea and river.
Russia hitting Ukrainian military targets in Kharkiv region: Report
Russian forces are hitting Ukrainian army positions in the Kharkiv region with precision strikes, Russian news agencies have quoted the country’s defence ministry as saying.
The report could not immediately be verified.
Ukrainian forces hoist flag in recaptured area
The Ukrainian armed forces have shared a video showing a soldier hoisting the country’s flag above a Kharkiv region settlement which it says was recently taken back from Russian forces.
Shared by numerous official accounts and outlets, including by President Zelenskyy, the video purports to show a soldier of the 14 Separate Mechanized Brigade declaring the town of Chkalovske liberated from Russians.
Ще один звільнений населений пункт! 🇺🇦
Завдяки 14 окрема механізована бригада імені князя Романа Великого український прапор повернувся в смт Чкаловське Харківської області. І так буде всюди. Ми виженемо окупантів з кожного українського міста й села. pic.twitter.com/3t5pALVofz
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) September 11, 2022
Further gains expected by Ukrainian troops, says analyst
Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov has said recent gains made by Ukrainian troops could pave the way for a further push into the Luhansk region, whose capture Russia claimed at the beginning of June.
“If you look at the map, it is logical to assume that the offensive will develop in the direction of Svatovo – Starobelsk, and Sieverodonetsk – Lysychansk. These are two promising directions,” he said.
Ukrainian forces push north, east and south in Kharkiv region: Army chief
Ukrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50km (30 miles) of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region, Ukrainian chief commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has said.
His troops have retaken more than 3,000sq km of territory this month, he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding: “Ukraine continue to liberate territories occupied by Russia.”
Gazprom’s planned gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine at same level
Russia’s Gazprom says it will ship 42.4 million cubic metres of natural gas to Europe via Ukraine, the same volume as on Saturday.
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Ukraine continues to make significant gains in Kharkiv, UK says
The British Ministry of Defence says Ukrainian forces continued to make significant gains in the Kharkiv region over the last 24 hours.
Russia has likely withdrawn units from the area, but fighting continues around the cities of Kupiansk and Izyum, the ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on Twitter.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 11 September 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/XE7QGQnZeh
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/88KnwEqDNj
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 11, 2022
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 200
As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 200th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Read more here.
‘Good choice to run’: Zelenskyy chides Russian troops
President Zelenskyy has commended the military in a video address saying it reclaimed about 2,000sq km (770sq miles) of territory so far this month.
He also taunted Moscow over its withdrawal, saying the Russian army was “demonstrating the best it can do — showing its back” and “they made a good choice to run”.
Ukraine has sought to mobilise the population to reach an active military of one million people, while Russia, in contrast, has continued to rely on a limited contingent of volunteers for fear that a mass mobilisation could fuel discontent and upset internal stability.
Both sides have suffered heavy losses in Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.
Fighting intensifies on southern Kherson front line
In the Kherson region, troops have sought to drive Russian forces from their foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River, a potential vantage point for a push deeper into Ukraine by Moscow.
The city of Kherson, an economic hub at the confluence of the Dnieper and the Black Sea with a pre-war population of about 300,000, was the first main population centre to fall in the war.
The counterattack followed methodical strikes on Russian infrastructure and supply lines.
Ukrainian forces have used American-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to pound the two bridges across the Dnieper, forcing Russian troops in the Kherson region to rely on pontoon crossings that also have faced daily strikes.
Kyiv says recapture of Izyum district ‘ongoing’ in east Ukraine
Ukraine says its forces are working to wrest control of towns and villages around the strategic hub of Izyum from Russian troops as part of a sweeping counteroffensive in the country’s east.
“Our forces entered Kupiansk. The liberation of settlements in the Kupiansk and Izyum districts of the Kharkiv region is ongoing,” the Ukrainian military said in a general battlefield update.