Monday, September 9

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Relatives of prisoners of war came out in Kyiv for the traditional weekly rally “Don’t be silent! Prison kills.” on Sept. 8, 2024, in Kyiv. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

Zelensky appoints new advisors, deputies amid government reshuffle. President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed his speechwriter Dmytro Lytvyn and former Strategic Industries Minister Alexander Kamyshin as his new advisors as part of a major government reshuffle, according to presidential decrees published online.

Russian drone violates Romanian airspace during Sept. 8 attack on Ukraine. A Russian drone violated Romanian airspace during an overnight attack on Ukraine on Sept. 8, the country’s defense ministry confirmed in a statement.

Ukraine building underground weapons factories, Zelensky says. Ukraine is building weapons underground to supply the military with arms in the event of delays in military aid from abroad, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Ambrosetti International Economic Forum in Italy on Sept. 7.

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220 people remain hospitalized after Russian attack on Poltava, Zelensky says. Two hundred and twenty people remain hospitalized following the Russian attack on Poltava on Sept. 3, with some in critical condition, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

Russian POWs no longer allowed to call relatives, ombudsman says. Russian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukrainian camps are no longer allowed to make phone calls to their relatives, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced on national television on Sept. 7.

Ukrainian drone hits fuel depot in Belgorod Oblast, Russian governor claims. A Ukrainian drone struck a fuel storage facility near the town of Volokonovka in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, sparking a fire at the fuel tanks, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed on Telegram on Sept. 8.

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine building underground weapons factories; Ukrainian drones hit Russian ammunition warehouse

Russian forces have captured considerably less territory in the Pokrovsk direction over the past week than during earlier periods, Russian independent outlet Agentstvo reported on Sept. 7.

Photo:  Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Explainer: Why Armenia-Russia relations continue to deteriorate

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow appears to have learned to live with increasingly hostile relations with the West. Thousands of kilometers east of Ukraine, however, relations with one country in the South Caucasus have become increasingly cold.

Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

17 IRIS-Ts will boost Ukraine’s air defenses but it’s still not enough, experts say

Ukraine’s continued requests to Western allies for more air defenses were answered in part this week, with the announcement that Germany has ordered an additional 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Kyiv.

Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast town kills 1, injures 13. Russian forces launched a multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) attack on a residential area in the town of Derhachi in Kharkiv Oblast on the evening of Sept. 8, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

3 people injured in Russian Sept. 3 strike on Poltava die in hospital. A total of 58 people were killed in Russia’s Sept. 3 strike on Poltava. Over 320 were injured.

General Staff: Russia has lost 626,410 troops since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,150 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

International response

Scholz urges speedier efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the urgency of resolving Russia’s war against Ukraine, stating that he and President Volodymyr Zelensky agree on the need to include Russia in future peace negotiations.

CIA director says he thought there was ‘genuine risk’ of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons in 2022. “There was a moment in the fall of 2022 when I think there was a genuine risk of a potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” CIA head Bill Burns said, referring to the time around Ukrainian counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts.

Scholz calls on ‘several hundred thousand’ of Ukrainian refugees to apply for jobs in Germany. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he would like to see “several hundred thousand” more Ukrainian refugees currently in Germany find employment, German media outlet Tagesschau reported on Sept. 7.

Kim Jong Un welcomes Chinese, Russian guests at parade marking North Korea’s 75th anniversary. The parade took place as speculation grows that Kim Jong Un may soon visit Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, potentially focusing on North Korean arms sales to support Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia’s offensive on Pokrovsk and government reshuffle

In other news

Ahead of Toronto festival premiere, filmmaker defends documentary on Russian soldiers, says journalists ‘follow the story where it goes.’ Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova has admitted to entering Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories without official permits while making her controversial documentary “Russians at War.”

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Kateryna Hodunova, Teah Pelechaty, Daria Shulzhenko, and Olena Goncharova.

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