Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian residents cook their meals outside in front of their homes over a wood fire in the town of Izium, as electricity, water and natural gas services have been unavailable since the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region. Voluntary organizations distribute food and candles to settlers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed not to relax his forces’ resolve to retake Russian-occupied territory, as Ukraine’s military announced it had crossed a strategically important river in the east of the country.

Ukrainian troops “pushed through the Oskil. Since yesterday, Ukraine has been in control of the eastern bank,” the Ukrainian Armed Forces wrote in a Telegram article on Sunday evening.

Serhiy Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, which came under full Russian control at the end of June, wrote on Telegram: “Luhansk region is right next to it. Disoccupation is not far away.

The crossing of the Oskil River represents a significant achievement for Ukrainian forces after their successful counter-offensive in the northeast region of Kharkiv. The river travels south into Seversky Donets, which then crosses eastern Donbass, which is mostly occupied by Russia and which Moscow considers an “unconditional” conquest.

“Perhaps it seems to some of you that after a series of victories, we now have a kind of lull”, address Zelenskyy in the evening. “But there won’t be a lull. There is preparation for the next series… Because Ukraine must be free. All of that.”

—Natasha Turak

Germany’s economy is set to contract for a “prolonged” period, the country’s central bank, the Bundesbank, warned in its monthly report.

Europe’s biggest economy faces a very tough winter as inflation soars and Russia cuts energy supplies to the continent in response to Berlin’s support for Ukraine.

“Signs of a recession for the German economy are growing,” the bank’s report said, warning of a “widespread and prolonged decline in economic output.”

Russia’s shutdown of its gas supply, which it did by cutting off flows through the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany in August, meant that the situation in gas markets was “very tense”, added the bank.

Germany has relied heavily on Russia for its energy needs, importing 55% of its gas from the country.

The third quarter of this year will likely see the German economy contract “slightly”, the Bundesbank wrote, followed by a “marked” drop in the last quarter of 2022 and the start of 2023. Berlin can still avoid an official regime of fuel rationing, but the need to reduce consumption likely means companies would have to reduce or halt production, the report said.

—Natasha Turak

President Joe Biden has warned of a “back-to-back” US response if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to use nuclear or other unconventional weapons, speaking to CBS in an interview Sunday night.

When asked what he would say to Putin if he considered such an action, Biden replied, “Don’t. Don’t.”

Biden said Ukrainian forces are “defeating Russia” and hailed their courage.

“Winning the war in Ukraine is taking Russia completely out of Ukraine,” he said, but added that given the scale of destruction and death involved in pushing back Russians, ” it is extremely difficult to consider this a victory”.

—Natasha Turak

Russia has likely lost four fighter jets in the past ten days, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its latest daily intelligence update posted on Twitter.

“Russia most likely lost at least four combat aircraft in Ukraine over the past 10 days, bringing its attrition to around 55 since the start of the invasion,” the ministry wrote.

“There is a realistic possibility that this increase in casualties is partly due to the Russian Air Force accepting greater risk as it attempts to provide close air support to Russian ground forces under pressure. Ukrainian advances.”

He added that “Russia’s persistent lack of air superiority remains one of the most important factors underlying the fragility of its operational design in Ukraine.”

—Natasha Turak

Russia is increasingly relying on volunteer and proxy forces for its combat operations in Ukraine, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

“(Russian President) Putin’s sour relationship with the military command and the Russian (MoD) may partly explain the Kremlin’s growing emphasis on recruiting ill-prepared volunteers into ad hoc irregular units rather than trying to recruit them. draw in reserves or replacement pools for regular Russian combat units,” the ISW said.

Part of this, he said, is due to Putin “circumventing Russia’s top military command and Ministry of Defense (MoD) leadership throughout the summer and particularly after the defeat. around #Kharkiv province.”

—Natasha Turak

Russian forces struck a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine in the early hours of Monday, but its three reactors were unharmed, Ukraine’s nuclear energy company said.

The Pivdennukrainsk nuclear power plant in the Mykolaiv region of southern Ukraine is still operating normally, Energoatom said.

The attack, which caused an explosion about 300 meters from the reactors and caused damage to the plant’s buildings, also reportedly hit a nearby hydroelectric plant and transmission lines.

—Natasha Turak

Things aren’t going so well for Russia in Ukraine right now, US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Warsaw, Poland. This could make Putin unpredictable and Western forces must be vigilant, he added.

“The war isn’t going too well for Russia right now, so it’s incumbent on all of us to maintain a high, alert state of readiness,” Milley said. “In the conduct of war, you simply don’t know with any high degree of certainty what is going to happen next.”

The general added that he was not suggesting there was an increased threat to US troops stationed in Europe, but that preparation is key.

Russia’s operations in Ukraine have faced significant setbacks with rapid counter-offensives in recent weeks that have seen Ukrainian forces retake swaths of territory in the northeast of the country.

—Natasha Turak

Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva has spoken out against Russia’s war in Ukraine via Instagram, writing in a post in Russian asking the country’s Justice Ministry to “include me in the list of foreign agents of my country well -liked” and calling for “an end to the death of our guys for illusory purposes, which make our country a pariah and make life more difficult for our fellow citizens.”

The singer, a longtime Russian performer who began her career in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, also expressed solidarity with her husband Maxim Galkin, who was branded a ‘foreign agent’ on Friday after harshly criticizing the war in Ukraine. She said Galkin, a singer, comedian and TV presenter, also wanted “prosperity for his homeland, peace, freedom of speech”.

Pugacheva has 3.4 million Instagram followers and her post received nearly 600,000 likes in its first 18 hours online. Many of the comments from what appeared to be Russian followers featured heart and applause emojis.

The pop star is not the first Russian figure to speak out against the war, but public criticism is rare and dissent has been harshly punished. Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in late February, the Russian government introduced a law that would impose a 15-year prison sentence on anyone spreading “fake news” about the war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin strictly calls it a “special military operation”.

—Natasha Turak