Ukrainian troops have regained more territory on the eastern and southern fronts in their military counteroffensive against Russian forces, Kyiv’s defence ministry said Monday. The claims, which could not be independently verified, came as Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock paid a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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9:55am: Brazil’s Lula backtracks on Putin’s safety at Rio G20
Brazil‘s leader has withdrawn his personal assurance that Russia President Vladimir Putin would not be arrested if he attends next year’s G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, saying it would be up to the judiciary to decide.
Putin missed this year’s gathering in the Indian capital New Delhi, avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.
Brazil is an ICC member but President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva raised eyebrows at the weekend when he told Indian news network Firstpost: “If I’m the president of Brazil and if he comes to Brazil, there’s no way that he will be arrested.”
He changed tack on Monday, telling reporters: “I don’t know if Brazil’s justice will detain him. It’s the judiciary that decides, it’s not the government.”
8:50am: Ukraine claims more territorial gains in east and south
Ukraine says its troops have regained more territory on the eastern and southern fronts in its military counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv’s forces had retaken close to 2 square km (0.77 square mile) of land in the past week around the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May after months of gruelling fighting.
Maliar told Ukrainian television that Ukrainian forces captured part of the village of Opytne south of the city of Avdiivka and had “partial success” near the village of Novomaiorske in the eastern Donetsk region.
She also reported “some success” near Andriivka and Klishchiivka, a village on heights south of Bakhmut seen as critical to securing control of the city.
The claims could not be independently verified.
8:05am: Ukraine can ‘count on us’, says German minister on Kyiv visit
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has made a surprise visit to Kyiv, her fourth since the start of the war, promising unwavering support for Ukraine and praising its progress on the path towards EU membership.
“With enormous courage and determination, Ukraine is also defending the freedom of all of us,” Baerbock said in a statement released by the foreign ministry upon her arrival. And Ukraine can “count on us” in return, she added.Â
“We will not let up in our efforts to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s aggression: economically, militarily, and in the humanitarian” sphere, Baerbock said.
3:35am: Russia says two Ukrainian drones downed over Belgorod
Russia says it destroyed two Ukrainian drones close to the border in the Belgorod region overnight.
The Ministry of Defence said the incident involved two unmanned aerial vehicles and took place around 1:20 am local time (2220 GMT Sunday).
“Air defence systems on duty destroyed two UAVs over the territory of Belgorod region,” the ministry posted on Telegram. No casualties were reported.
Key developments from Sunday, September 10:
Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv early on Sunday, with blasts ringing out across the Ukrainian capital and its region for almost two hours and drone debris falling on several of the city’s central districts.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of killing two aid workers, one Canadian and one Spanish, in eastern Ukraine, calling their deaths near the war-battered city of Bakhmut “a painful, irreparable loss”.Â
Read yesterday’s blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
This story originally appeared on France24
