Russia-Ukraine war updates: Kyiv says Russian targets damaged in Crimea
Leaders Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin held a summit at Russia but there have been no confirmations of an arms deal.
This blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, September 13:
This blog is now closed. Thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Wednesday, September 13:
- Ukraine says it struck Russian naval targets and port infrastructure in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, in what appeared to be the biggest attack of the war on the home of the Russian navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
- The Putin-Kim meeting in Russia “as the world unites against Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine” shows the Russian leader has been forced to turn to regimes such as North Korea, the UK’s Sunak says, warning Pyongyang against selling arms to Moscow.
- During their meeting, Kim offered Putin his country’s “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s “sacred fight”, in an apparent reference to the Ukraine war.
- Elements of a possible drone were identified on Romanian territory, the Romanian defence ministry said, hours after a Russian drone attack on port infrastructure in nearby Ukraine.
- Ukraine’s military said its forces had struck naval targets and port infrastructure in the bay of the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Two Ukrainian drones downed over Russia’s Bryansk region
Russian anti-aircraft units downed two Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region in southern Russia, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
There were no casualties or damage, he added.
US will impose sanctions on Russia, N Korea for any new arms deals
The Biden administration “won’t hesitate” to impose more sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they conclude any new arms deals, the US Department of State has said.
“We have taken a number of actions already to sanction entities that brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia and we won’t hesitate to impose additional actions if appropriate,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
It was troubling that Russia and North Korea are discussing increased cooperation that could violate UN Security Council resolutions, he said.
“When you see what looks to be increased cooperation and probably military transfers, that is quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” Miller said.
Russian journalist’s phone hacked with Israeli spyware
A leading Russian journalist has had her phone compromised using Israeli spyware, researchers have said, the latest sign that phone hacking tools are being used to spy on media workers and opposition figures worldwide.
A joint investigation by Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now found that the phone of Galina Timchenko had been infected using spyware built by the Israeli company NSO Group.
The infection began on or around February 10, 2023, the researchers said. They did not identify who would have deployed it.
Media defence groups condemned the alleged surveillance, with the Committee to Protect Journalists saying “Journalists and their sources are not free and safe if they are spied on.” Timchenko was quoted in a story published by Meduza as saying the hacking left her feeling “like I’d been stripped naked in the town square”.
Russia says it destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones
Moscow has said it destroyed three Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea after a Ukrainian attack in the morning against a shipyard in Russian-annexed Crimea.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its Black Sea Fleet aviators “detected and destroyed three unmanned boats of the Ukrainian army”.
Ukraine and Russia have increased attacks in the Black Sea since Moscow pulled out of a key deal ensuring the safe navigation of cargo ships.
Russia destroys three Ukrainian uncrewed boats in the Black Sea, says Defence Ministry
Russia’s Defence Ministry has said it had detected and destroyed three Ukrainian uncrewed boats in the Black Sea, the RIA news agency reported.
Kyiv says vessels damaged in Sevastopol likely could not be repaired
A Ukrainian military intelligence agency official has said that a large Russian landing ship and a submarine struck in an overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol were likely to have been damaged beyond repair.
“Those are significant damages. We can now say that with a high probability they are not subject to restoration,” Andriy Yusov, the official, said in televised comments.
Romania confirms third drone fragments findings near its border
NATO member Romania has found new fragments of a drone deemed similar to those used by the Russian army near its border with war-torn Ukraine, in the third such finding in a week, defence officials said.
Two helicopters from the Romanian Air Force were deployed with specialist teams to Nufaru and Victoria in the eastern county of Tulcea where the fragments were spread over an area of “several tens of meters,” the Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.
It said in a separate statement that it has notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations about areas near the border that could be at risk of incidents as Russian forces attack Ukraine’s Danube River ports across the river from Romania.
Russian proxy court jails two Ukrainian troops
A Russian-installed court in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region jailed two Ukrainian soldiers for 29 years each, Russia’s Investigative Committee has said, after it accused them of killing three civilians.
Russia’s Investigative Committee named the two soldiers as “Ivan Bochkarev” and “Dmitry Kanuper”, and said they belonged to Ukraine’s Azov regiment – a branch of the Ukrainian army considered “extremist” in Russia.
It said that the two “shot at a car with two unarmed civilians using automatic firearms, as a result of which the men in the car died on the spot from their injuries”.
The men then “shot at two other unarmed civilians” on the street, killing one while the other managed to escape, the committee said.
Watch: Ukrainian decoys – Rapid growth in deceiving military equipment
Ukraine’s long arm disrupts Crimea, its patience breaches Russian defences
Ukraine increased the range and effectiveness of its long-distance strikes in the 80th and 81st weeks of war, while evidence mounted that it had breached the Russian first line of defence in the south of the country.
Russia’s defence ministry admitted on September 12 that Ukraine had launched 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned surface vehicles against the naval port of Sevastopol in Crimea.
Estonia denies entry to all Russian registered vehicles
Estonia has announced that all Russian-registered vehicles will be banned from entering the country.
“They are not welcome here to enjoy privileges freedom has to offer until Ukraine has achieved victory,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, said in a statement on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Starting from today, in 1⃣6⃣ minutes to be precise, #Estonia🇪🇪 will deny entry to all Russian registered vehicles.
They are not welcome here to enjoy privileges freedom has to offer until #Ukraine🇺🇦 has achieved victory.
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) September 13, 2023
Tallinn’s Baltic neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, have also announced the ban.
Who controls what in Ukraine?
Kyiv says Russia has launched more than 2,000 Shaheds towards Ukraine since last September
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has said that “more than 2,000 Shaheds have been launched against Ukraine” since September 13 last year, which the officials in Kyiv say was the first time “Russians first used Iranian drones to attack the country.”
“Overnight, Russian terrorists used Shahed drones to attack Odesa region once again,” the Defence Ministry added.
Overnight, russian terrorists used Shahed drones to attack Odesa region once again.
Unfortunately, there is damage to the port and other civil infrastructure. Seven Reni and Izmail residents were injured.
More than 2,000 Shaheds have been launched against Ukraine since russians… pic.twitter.com/ftdrvAlUNE— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 13, 2023
What did Kim and Putin discuss at their meeting?
Ukrainian Danube ports’ export potential hit by Russian attacks: deputy PM
The export potential of Ukrainian ports on the Danube River has been reduced by nearly 0.5 million tonnes of grain a month because of Russian attacks, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Wednesday.
“This threatens food shortages in countries that depend on Ukrainian agricultural products,” he said on social media platform X.
Ukrainian officials said Russia attacked the ports of Izmail and Reni on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure.
‘Kyiv has made great strides towards EU membership’: European Commission president
In her annual State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says that Ukraine has made “great strides” towards EU membership since getting candidate status in 2022, but more must be done.
As the bloc debated whether to grant Kyiv a formal invitation to begin EU membership negotiations at a summit in December, von der Leyen told lawmakers, “We know this is not an easy road.”
“Accession is merit-based … it takes hard work and leadership. But there is already a lot of progress. We have seen the great strides Ukraine has already made.”
Germany has delivered Marder armoured vehicles to Ukraine
Germany has provided further support for Ukraine by supplying equipment and weapons including 60 infantry fighting Marder vehicles with ammunition, reconnaissance and surveillance equipment, munitions, and other aid in the latest military assistance delivery.
In a statement, the government said that these come from supplies of the Federal Armed Forces and from deliveries from industry financed by the federal government’s funds for security capacity building.
Watch: Why is the Kim-Putin meeting important?
Kyiv says 105 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities damaged in Russian attacks since July 18
More than 100 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged in Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since July 18, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov has said.
He also said Ukrainian grain exports had fallen by almost three million tonnes per month since July 18, one day after Russia quit the UN-backed Black Sea grain export deal.
“Since July 18, due to Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, 105 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged and partially destroyed. As a result of strikes on the ports of the Danube cluster and the blocking of seaports, grain exports to Asia, Africa and Europe were reduced by almost 3 million tons per month,’ Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.
Putin praises Elon Musk days after Ukraine Starlink controversy
Putin has hailed tech billionaire Elon Musk as an “outstanding person” and businessman whose SpaceX company has become a key player in the space transportation industry.
Putin publicly praised Musk days after the South African-born and United States-based entrepreneur said he refused a Ukrainian request last year to activate his Starlink satellite communication network in the Russian-annexed Crimean port city of Sevastopol to aid an attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet, saying he feared complicity in a “major” act of war.
UK urges North Korea not to sell arms to Russia
Britain has urged North Korea to end talks over the sale of arms to Russia, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a rare summit.
“We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and to abide by public commitments Pyongyang has made not to sell arms to Russia,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson told reporters.
“This visit serves to highlight Russia’s isolation on the global stage, and as the world unites against Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and he has been forced to turn to regimes such as North Korea,” the spokesperson added.
Watch: Putin meets Kim Jong Un
Talks between Kim and Putin end in Russia: What did they say?
A meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who rarely travels outside his country, and President Vladimir Putin in Russia lasted about five hours and wrapped up on Wednesday, Russian media outlets have reported.
The pair, arguably the world’s most isolated leaders, had not met since 2019.
What did they discuss?
Kremlin says Russia sees prospect of cooperation with North Korea in space
Russia sees prospects for cooperating with North Korea in space, the Russian state news agency TASS reports, citing the Kremlin spokesman.
Peskov made the comments after Putin held talks with Kim at a cosmodrome where Moscow conducts space launches.
Kim to visit Vladivostok, defence factories, Putin says
Putin says Kim will continue his tour of Russia’s Far East with a visit to Vladivostok and to defence and other factories in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, according to Russia’s state news agency RIA.
Putin, who held talks with Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome and hosted a lunch for the North Korean leader, also said there were opportunities for military-technical cooperation although he added that Russia would comply with its international obligations.
He said Russia would demonstrate to Kim in Vladivostok the capabilities of its Pacific Fleet. He said Russia also had something to offer North Korea in the area of agriculture.