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Ukraine war: We’ve retaken 6,000 sq km from Russia, says Zelensky

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According to the president of the nation, Ukrainian forces are continuing their counteroffensive and have taken additional Russian land. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, forces have now liberated more than 6,000 sq km (2,317 sq miles) of territory in the east and south from Russian rule in September.

Some military experts believe that Russia’s admission that it lost important cities in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine could be a turning point in the war. Moscow refers to its recent troop pullout from the area as a “regrouping” with the intention of concentrating on the Luhansk and Donetsk areas in eastern Ukraine. Even in Russia, where many social media users have mocked the idea, the purported pullout has been called “shameful.”

Later on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces had made “substantial progress,” but cautioned that it was still too early to determine the outcome.

According to Mr. Blinken, “The Russians continue to utilise extremely considerable forces, as well as equipment, ammunition, and munitions, against not just the Ukrainian armed forces, but also against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to invade Ukraine completely. About a fifth of the country is still under Russian control. In his late-night video message on Monday, President Zelensky stated: “Our fighters have already liberated more than 6,000 sq km of the territory of Ukraine from the beginning of September till today.

The counteroffensive seems to have started quickly. President Zelensky claimed on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had retaken 1,000 square kilometres, but by Sunday, that claim had increased to 3,000 square kilometres.

Several Ukrainian brigades that participated in the counteroffensive were thanked by Mr. Zelensky, who called their soldiers “real heroes.” He withheld the names of the liberated Ukrainian towns and villages.

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Ukraine war: Russians ‘outnumbered 8-1’ in counter-attack

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According to Russia’s top occupation official there, Ukrainian forces outnumbered Russian ones eight to one during the counterattack last week in the Kharkiv region.  According to Vitaly Ganchev, who appeared on Russian television, the Ukrainian army had taken settlements in the north and reached the Russian border.

In a potential turning point in the six-month war, Ukraine claims to have reclaimed control over 3,000 sq km (1,158 sq miles) of land. The Ukrainian army claims that during its ongoing counteroffensive in the country’s northeast, 20 villages have been retaken in the last 24 hours alone.

Additionally, it said that its troops had taken control of almost 500 square kilometres in the southern Kherson region of the nation.

The success of the Ukrainian army, according to UK defence sources, will have “major ramifications” for Russia’s broader military strategy.

However, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, remained unfazed and declared that operations in Ukraine will continue “until all the tasks that were initially established” had been accomplished. He continued that President Vladimir Putin was regularly informed of the most recent events.

Russia said that its soldiers were conducting strikes in the recent retaken Ukrainian territory. This included the Izyum and Kupiansk targets that Ukraine captured on Saturday. Russia declared that its troops had left both towns and that this would give them time to “regroup.”

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Ukraine: Ben Stiller and Sean Penn latest Americans banned from Russia

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US actors Ben Stiller and Sean Penn are no longer permitted to travel Russia after being added to the “stop list” by Kremlin officials. They join celebrities including former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, and fellow Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia and a few Western countries have been exchanging rounds of sanctions. Similar travel restrictions have been imposed on oligarchs connected to Vladimir Putin in the West.

The names of 25 prominent US politicians, businesspeople, and actresses were released by the Russian foreign ministry on Monday, along with a statement that they were prohibited from entering Russia “permanently.” Six US senators, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, four deputy commerce secretaries, and more were listed.

The ministry declared that “the unfriendly acts of the American authorities, which continue to pursue a Russophobic course, damaging bilateral ties and growing conflict between Russia and the United States, will continue to be decisively rebuffed.”

Both Stiller and Penn have visited Kiev since the start of the conflict and have been strong opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On a visit to Ukraine in June to commemorate World Refugee Day, Stiller, a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), expressed his thoughts for President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a video of the two, the celebrity tells Zelensky, “You’re my hero, you’re fantastic,” and thanks him for “taking the time” to meet him.

While making a documentary about the conflict in Ukraine in March, Penn—who is well-known for both his films and his political activism—fled the country. Later, he admitted that he had pondered enlisting in the Ukrainian military to combat Russia.

Currently, 1,073 names, including the two actors, are on Russia’s “stop list.” Numerous UK, US, and EU officials are also there, along with US director of photography Rob Reiner and incoming British Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Russia’s most recent retaliatory actions are in response to sanctions imposed by the US government. The most recent ones were made public on Friday as part of a larger G7 proposal to control the price of Russian oil in an effort to hinder Moscow’s ability to fund its conflict.

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Ukraine war: Russia to keep key gas pipeline to EU closed

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Concerns over energy supply this winter have increased as a result of Russia’s main gas pipeline to Europe not reopening as scheduled on Saturday. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline may be permanently shut down after the state-owned energy company Gazprom reported discovering a leak.

Germany-bound pipeline has been closed for three days for what Gazprom referred to as maintenance work. In the midst of the turmoil in Ukraine, Europe accused Russia of exploiting its gas supply to threaten Europe. Moscow disputes this accusation. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, energy prices have increased sharply, and dwindling supplies could cause prices to rise even more.

Families in the EU are worried that they won’t be able to pay the expense of heating this winter.

The UK might be impacted as well. Although not dependent on Nord Stream 1, the interruption of the pipeline might increase the cost of wholesale gas, which is what has caused the energy price cap to grow exponentially.

Germany’s gas reserves have increased from less than half in June to 84% full today as a result of the standoff with Russia, which has compelled countries to replenish their own gas supply.

As a result, although they have decreased during the previous week, global gas prices are still high by historical norms.

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Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: UN experts make first inspection

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After a perilous voyage that was made more difficult by shelling nearby, UN nuclear specialists have completed their initial assessment of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia power facility in Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief claimed to have seen everything he “needed to see.” Russian soldiers followed the inspectors to the plant. Each other has been charged with attempting to sabotage the mission by Russia and Ukraine.

Europe’s biggest nuclear facility is located near Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine. Russia quickly captured it after annexing Ukraine in February. The plant’s Ukrainian employees claim that Russian troops have used it as a military base and that employees are in fact being detained at gunpoint.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, told Russian media that was present during the inspections, “The important things I needed to see I saw, and your explanations were extremely clear.

He said that the UN agency would remain in the plant, but he did not say how many workers or for how long.

Eight to twelve inspectors would continue working, according to the Russian news agency Interfax, while five inspectors would continue working, according to the state nuclear business of Ukraine, Energoatom.

The inspectors intend to examine the plant’s condition and speak with the Ukrainian employees who are under Russian authority.

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Putin orders 10% boost in Russian troop numbers

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The president of Russia has signed a directive that might result in the addition of 137,000 soldiers to the armed forces of the nation in the upcoming months. Russia is currently limited to having slightly over a million military troops and about 900,000 civilian employees.

The announcement by Vladimir Putin coincides with a nationwide recruitment campaign that offers generous financial incentives. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine six months ago, 70–80,000 troops have reportedly died or been injured, according to Western officials. According to accounts, recruiters have even gone to prisons and made financial and freedom promises to convicts.

A new army corps is likely to be composed of the volunteer battalions that are being established in different Russian areas, according to a statement made by the UK Ministry of Defence two weeks ago.

However, it noted that recruiting the necessary number of soldiers would be challenging due to “extremely limited levels of popular excitement for enlisting for combat in Ukraine.”

When it invaded Ukraine in February, Russia had initially predicted a swift, successful campaign, but the country’s staunch opposition has slowed its advance, and in recent weeks, the front lines have barely shifted.

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Russia using Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as army base – Ukraine

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According to the CEO of Ukraine’s nuclear power corporation, Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station have turned the facility into a military base from which to assault Ukrainian positions.

The plant was under “huge” threat, but it was still safe, Petro Kotin told the BBC. Russia and Ukraine have been blaming one another for attacks on the station, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, for days now, heightening fears of a serious accident. The complex is still run by Ukrainian experts despite being occupied by Russia since early March.

Over the weekend, Ukraine accused Russian forces of bombing the Soviet-era plant, claiming three radiation monitors were damaged and two personnel were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds.

Enerhoatom’s CEO, Mr. Kotin, made unconfirmed accusations that 500 Russian military were stationed at the factory and had set up rocket launchers nearby.

Because nobody from Ukraine is likely to take action, “They [Russian soldiers] utilise it [the power plant] like a shield against the Ukrainian military,” Mr. Kotin stated.

“Any attack [on] a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s actions “nuclear terrorism.”

However, Russia refuted the charges and claimed that the strikes were the work of Ukrainian forces. According to the nation’s defence ministry, the shelling had damaged a high-voltage power cable.

A Washington-based think tank called the Institute for the Study of War claimed last week that Russia was exploiting Western concerns about a nuclear disaster by building the facility, “presumably in an effort to weaken Western will to offer military support” to Ukraine.

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Ukraine war: Four more grain ships leave Ukraine as hopes grow for export stability

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Through a secure maritime route, four more ships transporting grain and sunflower oil have departed Ukrainian ports. Due to Russian blockades, millions of tonnes of grain were delayed in Ukraine, causing shortages and higher food costs outside.

However, the first ship to leave Ukrainian ports since February did so last week. The most recent ships to leave port are headed for Turkey where they will be examined as part of an agreement negotiated with Russia and the UN. They began their journey over the Bosphorus strait on Sunday from the ports of Odessa and Chornomorsk.

Two are then slated to dock in Turkey following the inspections, with the other two sailing to Italy and China.

On Sunday afternoon, a new empty ship made her way to Chornomorsk and is now waiting to be loaded with grain for export.

Russia agreed last month not to attack ships that were in transit, and Ukraine said it would direct ships through mined seas as part of a pact mediated by Turkey and the UN.

If both parties concur, the 120-day agreement may be extended.

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EU agrees to cut gas use over Russia supply fears

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EU energy ministers have decided that countries will reduce their gas use if Russia stops supplying them. The EU countries have now agreed to a voluntary 15 percent between August and March after being locked in negotiations since the notion was floated last week.

The Czech Republic, which is currently in charge of rotating the EU chair, tweeted, “This was not a Mission Impossible!”. Documents obtained by the BBC, however, indicate that the agreement had been weakened and that certain nations may now request exemptions. The EU warned that Russia was “constantly using energy supplies as a weapon” and that the goal was to save money before winter.

If supplies run out, the voluntary agreement would become obligatory. The EU said that some nations, including Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus, which are not connected to the EU’s gas pipelines, would be exempt from any mandatory gas reduction orders since they would not be able to seek alternative supplies.

In order to reduce the possibility of a crisis in the supply of power, the Baltic nations, who are not connected to the European electricity grid and heavily rely on gas for electricity production, are also exempt from mandatory targets.

Initial calculations showed that even if all exemptions were used, the EU would still lower demand to a level “that would get us safely through an average winter,” according to Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.

She also discussed efforts to increase the supply of alternative gas from nations such as Azerbaijan, the United States, Canada, Norway, Egypt, and Israel.

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Explosions rock a Ukrainian port hours after a grain trade

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A major Ukrainian port has been rocked by explosions just one day after Moscow and Kyiv signed a historic agreement to resume grain exports. Odesa was struck by two missiles early on Saturday morning, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russia pledged to refrain from attacking ports while grain supplies are in transit as part of the agreement reached on Friday. Josep Borrell, the head of the EU’s foreign policy, claimed that the attack demonstrated Russia’s “complete disdain” for international law.

He tweeted that the incident was “especially despicable” and that the EU “strongly condemns” it. The target was “critical for grain export,” he added.

Unanimously denouncing the assault, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasised the necessity of fully implementing the grain agreement reached by Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey.

A UN official further stated that “these products are vitally needed to solve the global food crisis and reduce the suffering of millions of people in need around the world.”

Ukraine’s air force chief blamed Russia and claimed that grain storage facilities at the port had been deliberately targeted.

Two Kalibr missiles struck the port, according to a statement on social media from the southern command centre of the Ukrainian military, while two more were shot down by air defence systems.

A local MP named Oleksiy Honcharenko reported on Telegram that the city’s port had taken fire following the hit.

The agreement, which took two months to finalise, will endure for 120 days, and a coordination and monitoring centre with workers from the UN, Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine will be set up in Istanbul. If both parties concur, it may be renewed.

British defence authorities claimed that in the most recent ground battles, Russian troops in the Kherson region ran the risk of being cut off from their supply lines by Ukrainian forces.

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