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Ukraine has slammed UN secretary general Antonio Guterres for what it said was his acceptance of an invitation from “war criminal” Vladimir Putin to the Russia-hosted Brics summit this week.
“The UN secretary general declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland,” the ministry said. “He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin. This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” the ministry said.
The UN has neither confirmed nor denied Mr Guterres attendance at the Russian summit, and said it would release details of his schedule in due course. The Kazan summit begins later today.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said a senior Russian air force commander had been beaten to death with a hammer inside Russia.
Ukraine said Col Dmitry Golenkov was behind one of the most lethal airstrikes on Ukraine, one which targeted a shopping centre with a rocket.
And earlier South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul, asking the Kremlin for the “immediate withdrawal” of North Korean troops which it says are about to be deployed to fight in Ukraine.
North Korean troops in Ukraine: Everything we know about Kim Jong-un’s army joining Russian invasion
UK announces £2.26 billion loan for Ukraine using frozen Russian asset funds
David Cameron says India has ‘credibility’ to mediate in Ukraine war but must rein in Putin
Who is going to Putin-hosted Brics summit in Russia – and why has Brazil’s Lula dropped out?
UK announces £2.26 billion loan to Ukraine
The UK is using profits on frozen Russian assets to loan £2.26 billion to Ukraine to aid with its fight against Russia’s invasion, it has been announced.
The funds represent the UK’s share of a $50 billion (£38.39 billion) loan package agreed upon by the G7 nations, financed through interest generated from sanctioned Russian sovereign assets.
The money could be used to fund air defence, artillery or other military equipment and comes on top of the UK’s existing £3 billion-a-year support for Ukraine.
Announcing the package, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Our support for Ukraine and her men and women in their fight for freedom from Putin’s aggression is unwavering and will remain so for as long as it takes.
“This new money is in Britain’s national interest because the front line of our defence - the defence of our democracy and shared values - is in the Ukrainian trenches. A safe and secure Ukraine is a safe and secure United Kingdom.”
Ukraine publishes video showing North Korean soldiers in Russia
Ukrainian officials have released a video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues.
The video confirms Russia’s deployment of troops sent by Pyongyang into the conflict, they claimed. In the video, North Korean soldiers are seen standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen.
“We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
“The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said.
“For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”
The centre claims the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. It didn’t say how the footage was obtained. The location is unknown.
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones for second night in a row
Russia launched several waves of drones targeting Kyiv for the second night in a row, damaging residential buildings and injuring at least one civilian, Ukrainian officials said early today.
“Another night, another worry,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration said. “The enemy does not reduce the intensity of air attacks on Ukraine and Kyiv.”
About 10 drones targeting the city in several waves and from different directions were destroyed, Mr Popko said. While none of the weapons hit their target, falling debris injured at least one man, he added.
Debris fell onto three of Kyiv’s major districts, causing some damage to roofs and the facades of several residential buildings and power cables, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
ICYMI: Ukrainian drone attack wounds four firefighters in Russia’s Dzerzhinsk
Four firefighters in an industrial zone in Dzerzhinsk in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region received minor shrapnel wounds from a Ukrainian drone attack, the region’s governor said on Sunday.
“They were given the necessary medical care, everyone was sent home,” Gleb Nikitin said on the Telegram messaging app.
The Russian RIA agency reported that Russian air defence systems destroyed 110 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, including eight over Nizhny Novgorod region, some 400 km east of Moscow.
France converts €300 million of frozen Russian assets into artillery weapons for Ukraine
France is set to use €300 million of frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Ukraine, BFMTV has reported.
Part of the package includes 12 new Caesar self-propelled howitzers, which is a highly capable artillery system, known for its precision and versatility on the battlefield.
Defence minister Sébastien Lecornu said to the French channel that the funds, which will be recovered by the end of the year, will finance not only the Caesar howitzers but also shells, missiles and guided bombs.
Lecornu stressed the importance of strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position, saying that “Russia will only respect a favorable balance of power.”
Russian commander blamed for Ukraine attack bludgeoned with hammer
A Russian air force commander blamed for a lethal attack on a shopping centre in Ukraine has been found dead.
Col Dmitry Golenkov, a senior officer in Russia’s 52nd heavy bomber regiment, was assassinated by Ukraine’s military intelligence said that it had done the deed with the “hammer of justice”.
They said: “A Russian Tu-22M3 pilot has been liquidated on the territory of the Russian Federation. His head was smashed with a hammer.”
His body was found outside the village of Suponevo in the Bryansk region of Russia.
He was thought to be the mastermind of one of the worst attacks on a civilian target of the war.
Ukraine’s president, Volodoymyr Zelensky, said more than 1,000 people were inside the shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk when it was struck. A fire broke out and the attack killed at least 20 people and injured at least 59.
Ukraine’s foreign minister meets with his Turkish counterpart
Ukraine‘s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday to discuss cooperation between their countries. According to Ukraine‘s Foreign Ministry, the meeting focused on strengthening strategic relations, defence cooperation and addressing global food security through Black Sea grain shipments from Ukraine that pass through Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait.
“We welcome with great appreciation the contributions of Turkish companies to the reconstruction of Ukraine. We eagerly anticipate even greater involvement from them in the future,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Five injured in Zelensky’s home town
Russia conducted a ballistic missile strike at Zelenskyy’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih, injuring five people, city administration head Oleksandr Vilkul wrote on social media.
According to Vilkul, Russia has conducted ballistic missile attacks on Kryvyi Rih for three consecutive days, injuring a total of 21 people and damaging dozens of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Machine gunfire and the noise of drones’ engines were also heard in Kyiv’s centre throughout the night. Authorities reported minor damages to civilian infrastructure caused by falling drone debris in three districts.
Kremlin aide says Putin and UAE president discussed Ukraine crisis in detail
Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the situation in Ukraine at length during a dinner on Sunday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Monday: “The Ukrainian crisis was discussed quite thoroughly during an informal dinner between President Putin and the President of the UAE in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence yesterday.”
He added that the situation in the Middle East was discussed during formal talks on Monday in an expanded format, where the foreign ministers of both countries took part.
Zelensky says he discussed deep strikes into Russia with Pentagon chief
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he had discussed air defences and the topic of striking deep into Russia with the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit to Kyiv.
“Additionally we focused on efforts to increase the production of strike drones, cruise missiles, artillery shells, and air defence systems,” Zelenskiy wrote on X.
He added that Austin shared plans with him about convening the next Ramstein meeting after one scheduled for October was postponed.
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