Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Zelenskyy hails Kharkiv advances
Ukraine news from September 9: Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces have retaken dozens of settlements in northeast region.
- Russia says it is dispatching reinforcements to the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have announced robust gains as part of a broader counteroffensive.
- A Moscow-installed official in the region, Vitaliy Ganchev, said that “fierce battles” were under way near the town of Balakliia that Ukraine said it had recaptured.
- Russia says it is dispatching reinforcements to the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have announced robust gains as part of a broader counteroffensive.
- A Moscow-installed official in the region, Vitaliy Ganchev, said that “fierce battles” were under way near the town of Balakliia that Ukraine said it had recaptured.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says since September 1, Ukrainian troops “liberated dozens of settlements” and reclaimed territory in the east and south.
- The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog calls for an immediate end to shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, saying the situation is becoming “increasingly precarious”.
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, September 9:
US Treasury says high-impact projects are needed to rebuild Ukraine
US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen has said there is a need for a broad coalition of partners to help Ukraine recover and rebuild after Russia’s invasion, with a focus on near-term, high-impact projects.
During a virtual meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Yellen also discussed the need for Ukraine’s partners to deliver expeditiously on economic assistance for the country, which has been besieged for more than six months by Russian forces.
Russians begin voting in regional elections
Russians have begun voting in the country’s first election since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Voters are casting ballots to elect more than 31,000 officials, legislators and local council members across the country’s 82 regions.
Many opposition politicians have been barred from running in the three-day vote that takes place both at polling stations and online.
Military has liberated more than 30 settlements: Zelenskyy
Ukrainian forces have liberated more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region as part of a counteroffensive against Russia, Zelenskyy has said.
In a video address, he also said Kyiv’s forces were successfully continuing active operations in several areas.
Zelenskyy says Turkish drone maker to build Ukraine factory
Zelenskyy met with the head of Turkish defence firm Baykar and said the company would set up a factory in Ukraine to build unmanned aerial vehicles.
“We discussed the details of the construction of the Baykar factory in Ukraine and the production of new goods using Ukrainian components,” Zelenskyy said in an online post after meeting Baykar chief executive Haluk Bayraktar in Kyiv.
Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 drone has been hugely popular in Ukraine, where it helped destroy many Russian artillery systems and armoured vehicles.
US says no disruption to Russian food, fertiliser exports
Russian food and fertiliser exports are “completely in line, or maybe even going up, from its patterns from 2012” and Moscow’s complaints that its shipments are being hindered by sanctions are misinformation, a senior US official has said.
“We’re seeing no disruption in Russia’s ability to send food to market,” James O’Brien, head of the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told reporters. “The fertiliser is still reaching markets at the same rate that it always has.”
US weapons makers have some capacity to boost capacity: Pentagon
Some US defence industrial base suppliers would be able to ramp up their weapons production to replenish US stock that was sent to Ukraine, but not all, the US undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, Bill LaPlante, has said.
“Most production lines that are active can have some … capacity to increase production, but not all,” LaPlante said during a news conference.
LIVE: Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante holds a news briefing at the Pentagon. https://t.co/1GObkullPs
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) September 9, 2022
‘Canada stands with Ukraine’: Senate speaker
George Furey, the speaker of Canada’s Senate, has condemned the “unprovoked and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine”.
Furey also said he spoke with the chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and that Canada continues to stand with the country “in the pursuit of a swift resolution to this conflict”.
This morning, I spoke with His Excellency Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. I strongly condemn the unprovoked and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine, and Canada stands with Ukraine in the pursuit of a swift resolution to this conflict.
— George Furey (@GeorgeFureyNL) September 9, 2022
Ukraine has retaken settlements in Kharkiv: Russian-installed official
Ukraine’s advance in the Kharkiv region has been “very sharp and rapid” and Ukrainian forces have recaptured a number of settlements, the Russian-installed administrator of Russian-controlled parts of the region said in a live online broadcast.
“The enemy is being delayed as much as possible, but several settlements have already come under the control of Ukrainian armed formations,” Vitaly Ganchev, head of the Russian-backed administration in the Kharkiv region, said on state television host Vladimir Solovyov’s daily livestream.
Zelenskyy to appeal directly to US defence companies
Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak to US arms makers and military leaders on Wednesday when he is expected to make an appeal for more weapons for his country’s defence against Russia, according to an advance notice of the speech seen by Reuters news agency.
Zelenskyy was set to speak by video link before a conference hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association in Austin, Texas, in his first-ever speech to the US defence industry.
The association’s members include Raytheon Technologies Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp, which jointly produce Javelin antitank weapons that have been used by Ukraine.
Those companies and other top weapons makers – Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L3Harris Technologies – were present at an April meeting called by the Pentagon to discuss Ukraine’s weapons needs.
Russia backs IAEA call for shelling near Zaporizhzhia to stop, envoy says
Russia backs a call by UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi for an immediate stop to shelling at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the nearby city of Enerhodar, its envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.
“We fully support the appeal and demand of the #IAEA Director General that shelling of the town of Enerhodar and the #ZNPP must stop immediately,” Russian ambassador to the IAEA Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter.
We fully support the appeal and demand of the #IAEA Director General that shelling of the town of Enerhodar and the #ZNPP must stop immediately. https://t.co/L3dUs3QUpg
— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) September 9, 2022
Civilians being evacuated from Russian-held towns in Kharkiv region: Russian-installed official
A Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region has said that civilians are being evacuated from three Russian-held towns in the region that have come under threat from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Vitaly Ganchev said on state television host Vladimir Solovyov’s daily livestream that civilians were being evacuated from the towns of Izyum, Kupiansk and Veliky Burluk.
Naftogaz initiates new arbitration proceeding against Gazprom
Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz says it has initiated a new arbitration proceeding against Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, saying the Russian firm did not pay for the rendered service of gas transport through Ukraine.
“We will make Gazprom pay. Naftogaz is also evaluating the possibility of submitting additional requirements,” Naftogaz quoted its CEO Yuriy Vitrenko as saying.
IAEA: Situation near Zaporizhzhia plant ‘increasingly precarious’
The situation in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, where staff operating the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant live, is increasingly precarious, the UN nuclear watchdog has said, calling for an immediate end to shelling there.
“I therefore urgently call for the immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement, saying shelling had caused a blackout in Enerhodar.
“Only this will ensure the safety and security of operating staff and allow the durable restoration of power to Enerhodar and to the power plant.”
Shelling has caused a complete blackout in #Enerhodar and compromised the safe operation of the nearby #Zaporizhzhya NPP. This must stop & a Nuclear Safety & Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) agreed immediately. An NPP can never be a pawn of war. https://t.co/jMMf7jk12S pic.twitter.com/7djejJe80G
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 9, 2022
Poland eyes buying power from Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi plant
Poland is interested in buying power from Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in Kyiv after talks with Zelenskyy.
“We could use some electricity from Ukraine. I heard from President Zelenskyy that Ukraine will be soon ready to sell power from Khmelnytskyi and I thanked him for that,” Morawiecki told a news briefing he held along with Ukraine’s president.
Ukraine has sought to increase electricity exports to the EU to boost cash flow to its utilities hit by a drop in electricity use since the Russian invasion. Meanwhile, Ukrainian electricity would help the EU cope with reduced gas supplies from Russia.
Ukraine is already selling some electricity to Hungary and Slovakia, along with some 200 megawatts (MW) of power to Poland.
An additional 1,000MW of electricity could flow via a power cable linking Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi plant and Poland, a possibility that Morawiecki was referring to. The link, idled since the 1990s, is scheduled to reopen by the end of the year after necessary upgrades.
Ukraine says Russian attacks in Kharkiv city revenge for counterattack
At least 10 people were wounded when the centre of Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, was hit by Russian rocket fire, local officials have said, while the president’s top aide said the attacks were revenge for Ukrainian success on the battlefield.
Rockets hit a children’s arts centre and a school, as well as private homes, Kharkiv’s Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said the attack was revenge for the success of Ukraine’s armed forces, an apparent reference to a recent counterattack in nearby areas which Ukraine says led to the recapture of more than 20 settlements.
“For every success of Ukraine’s armed forces, for every victory, Russians … answer with strikes on innocent people,” Yermak wrote on Telegram. “Russia is a terrorist state … you will answer [for this], and you almost certainly won’t be able to hide anywhere.”
EU finance ministers back next $5bn loan to Ukraine
European Union finance ministers have backed a 5 billion euros ($5bn) loan for Ukraine to help keep its schools, hospitals and other state operations running as it fights against Russia’s invasion, the Czech finance ministry has said.
The loan, to be backed by guarantees of EU member states, is part of an overall 9 billion euros package announced in May. The first 1 billion euros was fully sent in early August.
Czech Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura, who was hosting EU finance ministers in Prague, said upcoming meetings would decide how the remaining 3 billion euros in the package could be split into loans or grants.
NATO calls on allies to supply winter uniforms for Ukrainian army
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has urged allies to supply Kyiv with winter gear such as clothing, tents and generators to enable Ukrainian troops to keep on fighting Russia’s invasion in the cold season.
Average winter temperatures are below freezing for much of the country and it is not unusual for temperatures to drop to minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).
“The winter is coming, it’s going to be hard, and therefore we need both to continue to supply weapons and ammunition but also winter clothing, tents, generators and all the specific equipment which is needed for the winter,” Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.
“Partly because the size of the Ukrainian army has just increased so much, they need more of this kind of winter equipment, and NATO is particularly focused on how we can provide tens of thousands of, for instance, winter uniforms,” Stoltenberg added.
Putin says Russia to export 30 million tonnes of grain in 2022
President Vladimir Putin has said in televised remarks that Russia would export 30 million tonnes of grain by the end of the year and that he is ready to increase this volume to 50 million tonnes.
Germany will get state support done for VNG, economy minister says
VNG, one of Germany’s biggest importers of Russian natural gas, will get the state support that it has asked for, economy minister Robert Habeck said in Brussels.
“We are on a very, very good path and this will be resolved soon,” Habeck told reporters about talks with the German utility group following a meeting with his European Union counterparts.
The company had asked the German government for aid to stay afloat, the latest European energy firm to seek state support after Russian supply cuts.
Ukraine success in Kherson, Kharkiv encouraging: Pentagon chief
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said that Ukrainian forces were having some success in their operations in Kharkiv and Kherson.
Ukrainian troops have recaptured more than 700sq km (270sq miles) of territory in the south and in the eastern Kharkiv region, where they advanced up to 50km (31 miles) into Russian lines and retaken more than 20 villages, a Ukrainian general said on Thursday.
“We see success in Kherson now, we see some success in Kharkiv and so that is very, very encouraging,” Austin said during a news conference with his Czech counterpart in Prague.
Russia says US-made HIMARS vehicle and howitzer destroyed in Ukraine
Russia’s defence ministry has said that its forces had destroyed a US-made HIMARS rocket launcher vehicle in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
In a statement on Telegram, the ministry also said it had destroyed a US-made M777 howitzer in Zaporizhia region, in southeastern Ukraine.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports.
Blinken says Russia paying ‘huge costs’ in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send reinforcements to Ukraine’s Kharkiv region underlined the huge losses Russia’s forces are taking in its war.
“There are a huge number of Russian forces that are in Ukraine and unfortunately, tragically, horrifically President Putin has demonstrated that he will throw a lot of people into this at huge cost to Russia,” he said.
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Draft IAEA resolution says watchdog’s board ‘deplores’ Russia’s actions
A draft resolution that diplomats say Poland and Canada have prepared ahead of next week’s meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors calls on Russia to cease all actions at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, the text seen by Reuters shows.
The draft text says the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board “deplores the Russian Federation’s persistent violent actions against nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including the ongoing presence of Russian forces and Rosatom personnel at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant” and calls on Russia to immediately cease all actions at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
Russia shows troops moving towards Kharkiv battlefront in Ukraine
Russia’s defence ministry has posted video footage of what it said were troops being sent to the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces have claimed significant successes in recent days, the Russian state news agency Interfax reported.
EU divided over capping Russian gas price amid ‘energy war’
European Union energy ministers have been split over whether to cap Russian gas prices, as they met to work out steps to shield citizens and businesses from sky-high energy bills.
But ministers arriving for the emergency meeting indicated broad backing for moves to prevent power providers from being crushed by a liquidity crunch and several said it was urgent to decouple the price of gas from other cheaper energy sources.
Friday’s ministerial talks aim to whittle down options for further discussion, rather than reaching a final decision on ways to tackle a crisis fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But many said agreement and action needed to be swift.
“We are in an energy war with Russia,” Czech industry minister Jozef Sikela said. “We have to send a clear signal that we would do whatever it takes to support our households, our economies.”