Ukraine-Russia war live: War casualties reach 1 million as Russian ammunition depot town hit in drone strike

Massive explosion at ammo depot forces evacuations and closure of schools in western Russia

Related: Ukraine’s attack is only way to force Russia to negotiating table, Zelensky aide says

Roughly one million people have been killed or injured since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, fresh estimates from Western intelligence show.

The figure includes 80,000 Ukrainian troops killed and 400,000 wounded, according to a confidential estimate from Kyiv reported by the Wall Street Journal. Estimates of Russian casualties vary but are expected to number around 200,000 killed and 400,000 wounded.

There is no precise toll available for the war as a whole and neither Russia nor Ukraine publicly reveals how many losses they have suffered.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Tver region has cancelled schools and kindergartens this morning amid reports of a Ukrainian drone attack in the area. Russian governors from various regions reported drone activity overnight, with as many as 14 shot down in Bryansk alone.

And earlier Kyiv said it was investigating reports that Vladimir Putin’s troops had executed a Ukrainian prisoner of war with a sword, after a video purporting to show the incident appeared on social media.

Key Points

• Casualties in Ukraine war 'reach one million'
• Massive explosion at ammo depot forces Russian town’s evacuation
• Ukraine investigating captured soldier’s 'execution by sword'

[18 September 2024 09:47 · Andy Gregory]

Russia attacks energy infrastructure in Sumy, officials say

Russia has attacked energy facilities in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy, regional authorities said.

Sumy regional authorities said air defences had shot down 16 drones over the region, where energy infrastructure has repeatedly come under fire, forcing authorities to use back-up power systems.

[18 September 2024 09:33 · Andy Gregory]

Man killed and 90-year-old woman injured in Russian attack, authorities say

Russian attacks in the central Ukrainian region of Kirovohrad have left one person dead and a 90-year-old woman injured, as several residential buildings damaged in the city of Kropyvnytsky, local officials said.

No damage to critical infrastructure was reported in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv after air defences went into action there.

[18 September 2024 09:21 · Andy Gregory]

Ukrainian drone attack destroyed weapons depot, Kyiv security source says

A Ukrainian drone attack destroyed a warehouse storing missiles, guided bombs and artillery ammunition in Russia's Tver region, close to the border of Belarus, a source in Ukraine's SBU state security service has told Reuters.

Power outages have been reported in the region after a huge blast sparked evacuations and was registered by earthquake monitoring stations and Nasa satellites picked up several sources of fires emanating from the site.

Russia had been building an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a 1,000-year-old town in the region, which state media suggested in 2018 was a major arsenal for conventional weapons.

Smoke and flames rise following a Ukrainian drone attack in Toropets (Social media via REUTERS)

[18 September 2024 09:03 · Andy Gregory]

JD Vance says US could drop support for Nato if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk’s platforms

Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee JD Vance has suggested that American support for Nato should be predicated on the European Union not regulating Elon Musk and his X social media platform.

The Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire if he allowed Mr Trump back on X.

“The leader, I forget exactly which official it was within the European Union, but sent Elon this threatening letter that basically said, ‘We’re going to arrest you if you platform Donald Trump,’ who, by the way, is the likely next president of the United States,” Mr Vance said in the interview published last week.

He added: “So what America should be saying is, if Nato wants us to continue supporting them and Nato wants us to continue to be a good participant in this military alliance, why don’t you respect American values and respect free speech?” Vance asked.

“It’s insane that we would support a military alliance if that military alliance isn’t going to be pro-free speech. I think we can do both. But we’ve got to say American power comes with certain strings attached. One of those is respect free speech, especially in our European allies.”

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington DC:

[18 September 2024 08:47 · Andy Gregory]

Power outages in Russia’s Tver region after ‘Ukrainian drone attack'

Power outages have been announced in parts of Russia’s Tver region, local officials said in the wake of reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on the region.

The administration of the Zapadnodvinsky district in Tver said on the social Vkontatke network that several parts of the district will be without power. It did not say what caused the outages.

The district borders the Toropetsky district, where officials said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked fire and forced partial evacuation of the town of Toropets.

[18 September 2024 08:33 · Andy Gregory]

Ukraine says it shot down 46 drones overnight

The Ukrainian air force has said it had shot down 46 of 52 drones launched by Russia overnight.

The air force also said Russia had used three guided air missiles during the attack.

[18 September 2024 08:24 · Andy Gregory]

Finland’s president calls for end of single veto power at UN security council

Finland’s president Alexander Stubb has called for expansion of the UN security council, abolition of its single-state veto power, and suspension of any member engaging in an “illegal war” such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Stubb, who leads the Nordic nation’s foreign policy, said he would add his voice to reform calls at next week’s UN General Assembly in New York which is to discuss composition of the global body’s security council.

Consisting of five permanent and 10 rotating member states, the council’s brief is to keep global peace, but geopolitical rivalries have deadlocked it on issues from Ukraine to Gaza.

Mr Stubb said he would propose the number of permanent members be expanded from five to 10, with one more from Latin America, two from Africa and two from Asia, telling Reuters: “No single state should have veto power in the UN Security Council.”

[18 September 2024 07:44 · Arpan Rai]

What we know about massive Ukrainian drone attack on Tver, Russia

• A giant blast has forced the partial evacuation of a Russian town in the Tver region after a major Ukrainian drone attack was reported, officials said
• The attack targeted the site of a large Russian arsenal, according to war bloggers and Ukrainian journalists
• Nasa satellites picked up several sources of fires emanating from the site in the early hours of today
• Earthquake monitoring stations picked up what sensors thought was a minor earthquake in the area
• Videos of the explosion showed a huge ball of flame blasting high into the night sky and detonations thundering across a lake in the region that lies northwest of Moscow and not far from the border with Belarus.
• Fire fighters were trying to contain the fire, said Igor Rudenya, the governor of the Tver region
• Russia was building an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a 1,000-year-old town
• Russian state media in 2018 had suggested it was a major arsenal for conventional weapons.
• The impact of the explosions and whether there are any casualties is not immediately clear
• Size of the main blast shown consistent with 200-240 tons of high explosives detonating, according to George William Herbert of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California
• Schools and kindergartens were moved online in the Zapadnodvinsky district, which borders the Toropetsky district

A fire map by Nasa shows satellites picking up several sources of fire emanating near Toropets town (Nasa)

[18 September 2024 07:22 · Arpan Rai]

Russia destroys 54 Ukrainian drones overnight

Russia’s air defence units destroyed 54 drones that Ukraine launched overnight targeting five Russian regions, its defence ministry said.

Of these, half of the drones were destroyed over the border Kursk region, while the rest were downed over the Bryansk, Smolensk, Oryol and Belgorod regions, the Russian defence ministry said.

The defence ministry did not mention the Tver region where reports suggest a Ukrainian drone attack has sparked a massive fire at an ammo depot, forcing the partial evacuation of the town of Toropets.

[18 September 2024 07:00 · Arpan Rai]

Ukraine boxing champ released from Polish detention

Undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after he was detained by police at Poland’s Krakow airport, Volodymyr Zelensky said today.

“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” he said on Telegram. “Our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”

It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained. The WBC, WBO and WBA champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has become a national hero and supports Kyiv’s war efforts with fundraising.

Usyk also confirmed his release from detention by Polish authorities. “Friends, everything is fine,” Usyk said in an Instagram post. “There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned.”

He added: “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles.”

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that his ministry will contact the Polish foreign ministry, as it considered the detention “disproportionate and unacceptable in relation to our champion.”