Ukraine war: 146 bodies exhumed from mass grave near Izium, governor says

Forensic experts have so far exhumed 146 bodies, mostly civilians, at a mass burial site near the town of Izium in eastern Ukraine.

Some bodies bear signs of a violent death, the regional governor said on Monday.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said some 450 bodies are believed to have been buried at the site in a forest on the outskirts of Izium, which was recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces during a counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region.

Oleh Synehubov, governor of Kharkiv region, said the exhumed bodies included two children.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday rejected Ukraine‘s allegations as a “lie”.

“Some of the dead have signs of a violent death. There are bodies with tied hands and traces of torture. The deceased were also found to have explosive, shrapnel and stab wounds,” Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

Thirteen people have been killed in artillery shelling on Monday in the east Ukrainian separatist-held city of Donetsk, the city’s Russian-backed mayor, Alexei Kulemzin, said.

Key Points

• Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘nuclear terrorism’

• Kyiv now ‘in control of both banks’ of key Kharkiv River

• Russia has likely lost four jets in Ukraine war’s last 10 days - British MoD

• Ground report: Bodies were ‘put in sacks and thrown onto trucks’ in Izyum

• Thirteen killed in shelling in Donetsk, city’s Russian-backed mayor says

• 146 bodies exhumed from mass burial site near Izium in eastern Ukraine

Sunday 18 September 2022 10:26 , Katy Clifton

In an intelligence update, Britain’s Ministry of Defence today said that Russia has laucnhed several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since the start of the invasion, but that these have increased in the past week.

“In the last seven days Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate effect,” the ministry said in the tweet.

The strikes have struck targets including an electricity grid and a dam, it added.

“As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government,” the ministry said.

‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukrainians forced to trawl through dead looking for lost loved ones

Sunday 18 September 2022 10:45 , Shweta Sharma

All day the Ukrainian women search through photos of corpses posted by Russian soldiers showing off their kills, in the desperate hunt for their missing loved ones.

In the crude images of frozen grey faces, blood-smeared torsos and the scraps of remains, they look for a flicker of something recognisable: a scar or a ring.

“Twenty hours a day I go through these Telegram channels looking for him,” said Maria, her face gripped by grief.

“We are a community of women who are looking for our loved ones. All of us have to trawl through the photos of the dead. We have to see if they are there.”

The Independent’s Bel Trew writes.

‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukranains hunt for their loved ones

Two dead as Russian tank attacks civilian car

Sunday 18 September 2022 11:15 , Furvah Shah

Two people have been killed after a Russian tank targeted a civilian car in Kharkiv Oblast, according to Ukrainian media.

City governor Oleh Synyehubov said two women were killed after the tank fired at the car in the village of Strilecha, which borders Russia.

EU calls for war crime tribunal over mass graves in Izyum, Ukraine

Sunday 18 September 2022 11:45 , Furvah Shah

The European Union has called for a war crimes tribunal as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said evidence of torture has been found in bodies exhumed in Izyum, eastern Ukraine.

The town was re-seized by Ukrainian forces to which a mass burial site of around 450 graves was found, with some displaying torture evidence.

Jan Lipvasky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, said on Saturday that Russia’s attacks “against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent.”

“We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” he wrote on Twitter.

“I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression.”

Russia 'increases attacks on civilian targets' after military setbacks, UK says

Sunday 18 September 2022 12:15 , Furvah Shah

Russia has increased its attacks on civilian targets despite it serving “no immediate military effect” as Vladimir Putin’s forces face setbacks, according to British intelligence.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence on Sunday said Russia has escalated their long-range missile attacks in the last week after reports of forces not having sufficient resources or morale to continue against Ukrainian counterattacks.

Strikes were fired on an electricity grid and a river dam in Kryvyi Rih which caused extensive flooding in the central city.

Read the full story here.

Vladimir Putin 'failing on all of his military objectives', says UK army chief

Sunday 18 September 2022 12:45 , Furvah Shah

Vladimir Putin is “failing on all of his military strategic objectives”, says the UK army’s chief of the defence.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said pressure is mounting on the Russian president as the country’s defence weakens and international support grows for Ukraine.

He told the BBC: “At the very outset, we said that this was a strategic error by President Putin and strategic errors lead to strategic consequences. And in this instance, it’s strategic failure.

“Putin is failing on all of his military strategic objectives, he wanted to subjugate Ukraine, that’s not going to happen.

“He wanted to take control of the capital, we saw that that was defeated earlier on. We saw that he wanted to weaken Nato. Nato is now much stronger, and we have Finland and Sweden joining.

“He wants to break the international resolve. Well, actually that strengthened over this period, and he’s under pressure, his problems are mounting.”

Russian troop death toll at over 50,000

Sunday 18 September 2022 13:30 , Furvah Shah

Over 50,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the ongoing war with Ukraine.

Around 54,480 troops have been killed, according to Ukrainian armed forces.

Over 3,000 vehicles, 2,000 tanks and 200 planes have also been destroyed as of September 18.

Grave exhumation in Izyum to continue for weeks

Sunday 18 September 2022 14:00 , Furvah Shah

Grave exhumation in Izyum, Ukraine will continue for at least two more weeks.

The city mayor, Valerii Marchenko said that the exhumation works will continue “because there are many burials” in the recently liberated city in Kharkiv Oblast.

Around 450 bodies were found in the mass grave, with some displaying signs of torture according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy.

Biden urges Putin against use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Sunday 18 September 2022 14:45 , Furvah Shah

US President Joe Biden has urged Vladimir Putin to not use nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine.

When asked about the Russian president’s potential use of such methods in an interview to air on Sunday, Biden said: “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War Two.”

He added that Russia “would become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been.”

“Depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur.”

Four medics killed in Russian shelling of Kharkiv

Sunday 18 September 2022 15:15 , Furvah Shah

Four medics have been killed in Russian shelling of Kharkiv Oblast.

The city’s governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the doctors were trying to evacuate patients from a psychiatric hospital in the village of Strilecha when Russian forces began “a massive shelling” of the area.

Two patients were also injured in the attack, he said.

Russian forces committed over 34,000 war crimes, say Ukraine

Sunday 18 September 2022 16:00 , Furvah Shah

Russian forces have committed over 34,000 war crimes, say Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it has recorded 34,441 war crimes committed by the Russian military since the beginning of the war in February.

The European Union have since called for a war crime tribunal and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy had branded Russia a “terrorist country.”

Trudeau says mass gravces are evidence of Russian war crimes

Sunday 18 September 2022 17:06 , Sam Rkaina

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that mass graves found in Ukraine were evidence of Russia’s war crimes and that full accountability for its actions was needed.

Trudeau, in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, told reporters he had met with Prime Minister Liz Truss and that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was at the top of their agenda.

“Obviously the UK and Canada have been two of the strongest countries in standing up in support of Ukraine and pushing back against Russia’s illegal actions,” Trudeau said.

Those actions “increasingly, clearly include war crimes, include absolutely unacceptable crimes, whether we think of what we found in Bucha or the discovery of mass graves in the reclaimed territories by Ukraine,” he said.

“There needs to be a proper investigation and transparency and Vladimir Putin, his supporters and the Russian military need to be held to account for the atrocities they have and are continuing to commit in Ukraine,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau, who was due to meet Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Sunday evening, said Canada strongly supported Ukraine and would continue to provide aid.

Russia boosting targeting of civilian infrastructure, says MoD

Sunday 18 September 2022 18:00 , Emily Atkinson

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has warned that over the past week Russia has “increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure.”

The government department warned in a tweet that this was occuring “even where it probably perceives no immediate effect.”

“As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.”

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska meets Princess of Wales ahead of Queen’s funeral

Sunday 18 September 2022 19:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Princess of Wales has welcomed the First Lady of Ukraine to Buckingham Palace ahead of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.

Kate held an audience with Olena Zelenska at the royal residence on Sunday afternoon, where they were pictured speaking.

Images capture the pair sitting side-by-side in front of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with purple orchids on display in the background.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska meets Princess of Wales ahead of Queen’s funeral

UK ambassador to Ukraine expresses gratitude for First Lady’s visit

Sunday 18 September 2022 20:00 , Emily Atkinson

Responding the the visit of Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to visit the late Queen, the UK’s ambassador to the war-torn eastern European nation said she was “deeply honoured” by the president’s gesture.

“Grateful to the president for taking the time to do this given all else that is happening in (Ukraine) at this time,” Melinda Simmons said.

Vladimir Putin 'failing on all of his military objectives', says UK army chief

Sunday 18 September 2022 21:00 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin is “failing on all of his military strategic objectives”, the UK’s chief of the defence staff has said.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said pressure is mounting on the Russian president as his country’s defences weaken in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks.

It comes after UK intelligence said it was unclear whether Russia’s frontline forces have adequate reserves or morale to withstand attacks from Ukrainian forces.

Furvah Shah reports:

Vladimir Putin ‘failing on all of his military objectives’, says UK army chief

Putin does not have enough weapons or men to carry out military objectives, says defence chief

Sunday 18 September 2022 22:00 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin does not have enough manpower or equipment to carry out his military objectives, especially as Ukrainian forces become stronger, a UK defence chief has warned.

“We’re also seeing a magnificent Ukrainian armed forces who have been courageous, they’re fighting for their country, and they’ve embraced the international support that all of us are providing,” admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the UK’s chief of the defence staff, has said.

But he also warned that countries should remain cautious, saying: “I think it’s significant in terms of what’s happening on the ground – it’s really significant for Ukrainian morale and significant for the impact it has on Russian forces.

“But people need to be cautious; the likely result with all of this is that it’s going to grind on for a long time.”

US army chief tells troops to maintain ‘high states of readiness, alert’ after Russia’s military setbacks

Sunday 18 September 2022 23:00 , Emily Atkinson

It is still unclear how Russia might react to the latest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine, the top US general has warned.

Speaking from Warsaw, US army general Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also called for for vigilance among the country’s troops while he visited a base in Poland aiding Ukraine‘s war effort.

“The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it’s incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert,” he told reporters in Warsaw.

Reuters adds:

Milley said he was not suggesting US troops in Europe were at any increased threat, but said they had to be ready.

“In the conduct of war, you just don’t know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next.”

Blankets given to Queen’s mourners to be donated to Ukraine

Monday 19 September 2022 00:00 , Emily Atkinson

Blankets handed out by officals to mourners queuing in London to visit the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II will be donated in part as supplies to Ukraine.

The blankets were given to members of the public having to sleep out overnight as temperatures dropped.

These are now being discarded as people get to the front and The Felix Project will give the half not going to Ukraine to charities supporting the homeless in the UK capital.

‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukrainians forced to trawl through dead looking for lost loved ones

01:00 , Emily Atkinson

All day the Ukrainian women search through photos of corpses posted by Russian soldiers showing off their kills, in the desperate hunt for their missing loved ones.

In the crude images of frozen grey faces, blood-smeared torsos and the scraps of remains, they look for a flicker of something recognisable: a scar or a ring.

“Twenty hours a day I go through these Telegram channels looking for him,” said Maria, her face gripped by grief.

Our international correspondent Bel Trew reports from Ukraine:

‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukranains hunt for their loved ones

Trudeau calls for ‘proper investigation’ into Bucha and Izium

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

Canadian president Justin Trudeau has called for a “proper invesigation” into the alleged atrocities by Russian forces committed in Bucha and the discovery of mass graves in Izium.

“There needs to be a proper investigation and transparency and Vladimir Putin, his supporters and the Russian military need to be held to account for the atrocities they have and are continuing to commit in Ukraine,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau, who was due to meet Ukraine‘s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Sunday evening, said Canada strongly supported Ukraine and would continue to provide aid.

Zelensky promises to push on with Ukraine counter-offensive

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised his country there would be no letup in the counteroffensive that has reclaimed towns and cities from Russian troops, as shelling continued Sunday across a wide stretch of Ukraine.

Zelensky ran through a list of towns that Ukraine has taken back in its lightning push across the northeast.“Maybe now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we have a certain lull,” he said in his nightly video address.

“But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series... Because Ukraine must be free — all of it.”

AP

04:00 , Emily Atkinson

Images capture the devastation left beyind in a school which was used by troops as their base in the village of Nova Husarivka, not far from Balakliya, which was recently recaptured by the Ukrainian army following the retreat of Russian troops.

Top US general asks American troops to stay under high alert amid Russian war losses

04:23 , Arpan Rai

US general Mark Milley cautioned the US troops and pressed for increased vigilance among them during his visit to a military base in Poland amid heavy losses suffered by Russia in Ukraine.

“The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it’s incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert,” said general Milley, who also serves as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He, however, added that he is not suggesting that the US forces deployed in Europe were under increased threat.

“In the conduct of war, you just don’t know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next,” he said.

Victory for Kyiv means removing Russian soldiers from Ukraine, says Biden

04:46 , Arpan Rai

Joe Biden has said that a victory for Ukraine would translate into expulsion of Russian forces from the besieged country.

The US president pledged complete support from Washington for as long as it is needed.

“Winning the war in Ukraine is to get Russia out of Ukraine completely and to recognise the sovereignty. They are defeating Russia,” Mr Biden said in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” broadcast yesterday.

“Russia is turning out not to be as competent and capable as many people thought they were going to be,” he added.

He also asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to not unleash nuclear weapons in the ongoing war.

“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War Two,” Mr Biden said.

Russian popstar condemns Kremlin’s war and ‘illusory aims’ in Ukraine

05:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian pop iconic, Alla Pugacheva, has called on the Russian authorities to declare her a “foreign agent”, in a show of condemnation against the war in Ukraine

Her husband, Maxim Galkin, was labelled a “foreign agent” on Friday after similarly denouncing Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

Posting on social media, Pugacheva described her husband as “a true incorruptible Russian patriot, who wants... an end to our lads dying for illusory aims”.

She said Moscow’s “illusory aims” in Ukraine “make our country a pariah and the lives of our citizens extremely difficult”.

Ukraine’s First Lady meets Princess of Wales ahead of Queen’s funeral

05:12 , Arpan Rai

The Princess of Wales met the First Lady of Ukraine at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon ahead of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II today.

Kate held an audience with Olena Zelenska at the royal residence on Sunday afternoon, where they were pictured speaking.

The two were seen sitting side-by-side in front of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with purple orchids on display in the background.

Ms Zelenska made the journey to the UK after her husband, Volodymyr Zelensky, set time aside from leading his country against Russia’s war to sign a book of condolence for the late British monarch, who died last Thursday.

Read the full story here:

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska meets Princess of Wales ahead of Queen’s funeral

Around 200 Russian soldiers killed in explosion - Official

05:25 , Arpan Rai

Nearly 200 Russian soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Russian-held Svatove city in Luhansk oblast, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said yesterday.

About 200 Russian occupiers were killed as a result of the earlier explosion in Russian-occupied Svatove, Mr Haidai was quoted as saying by The Kyiv Independent.

Russia rains missiles on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant area

05:58 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces have fired eight missiles on the Ukrainian city Zaporizhzhia housing Europe’s largest nuclear power plant overnight, Ukrainian officials said.

At least eight projectiles have been fired targeting infrastructure facilities, Zaporizhzhia oblast governor Oleksandr Starukh, reported The Kyiv Independent.

It is not immediately clear if the missiles strikes have caused any casualties.

Ukraine now ‘in control of both banks’ of key Kharkiv River

06:00 , Emily Atkinson

Ukrainian forces are now in control of both banks of the Oskil River in the northeastern Kharkiv region after sucessfully crossing it on Sunday, the country’s military has said.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed the Oskil river. Since yesterday, Ukraine controls the left bank as well,” Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications announced on Telegram.

Russia has likely lost four jets in Ukraine war’s last 10 days - British MoD

06:51 , Arpan Rai

Russia is ailed by continued lack of air superiority which remains one of the most important reasons underpinning the fragility of its operational design in Ukraine, the British defence ministry said today.

It added that Russia has “highly likely lost at least four combat jets in Ukraine within the last 10 days” which takes its attrition to approximately 55 since the start of the invasion in February this year.

“There is a realistic possibility that this uptick in losses is partially a result of the Russian Air Force accepting greater risk as it attempts to provide close air support to Russian ground forces under pressure from Ukrainian advances,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

According to the UK, “Russian pilots’ situational awareness is often poor; there is a realistic possibility that some aircraft have strayed over enemy territory and into denser air defence zones as the front lines have moved rapidly.”

Russia strikes Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, says Ukraine

07:21 , Rory Sullivan

A Russian attack caused a blast just 300 metres from reactors at the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant, Ukraine has said.

Energoatom, the state’s nuclear energy company, said the reactors at the site in the southern Mykolaiv region were not affected by the strike.

They added that a nearby hydroelectric power plant and transmission lines were damaged.

Photos of Ukraine war

07:47 , Rory Sullivan

Here are some of the latest images to emerge from Ukraine:

Putin ‘increasingly relying’ on irregular volunteers, says ISW

08:05 , Rory Sullivan

Vladimir Putin’s army is “increasingly relying” on irregular volunteers and proxy forces, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.

The American think tank’s comment comes as the Ukrainian army claimed Russia was sending hundreds of convicts to fight its war.

In total, 400 Russian prisoners from Tambov had been sent to Ukraine, it said.

Russia ‘endangers whole world’, says Zelensky

08:25 , Rory Sullivan

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian “endangers the whole world”, following a reported Russian attack close to the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant.

A blast is said to have occurred several hundred metres from its reactors.

“Currently, all three power units of the PNPP (Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant) are operating normally. Fortunately, there were no casualties among the station staff,” Ukraine’s nuclear energy company Energoatom said.

It released two photographs showing a crater it said was caused by the blast.

Russia is yet to repond to Ukraine’s allegations.

Russia and China to deepen cooperation, Moscow claims

08:44 , Rory Sullivan

Russia and China are strengthening their defence cooperation, Moscow has said.

“The sides agreed on further military cooperation with a focus on joint exercises and patrols, as well as on strengthening contacts between the General Staffs,” Russia’s powerful Security Council said on Monday.

This comes shortly after Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan.

Earlier this year, the pair hailed the “no limits” partnership between their countries.

Russian singer condemns Ukraine war

09:04 , Rory Sullivan

Yesterday, the famous Russian singer Alla Pugacheva spoke out publicly against Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Her husband was recently labelled a “foreign agent” for his opposition to the conflict.

Here is the statement she posted on Instagram:

Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘nuclear terrorism’

09:28 , Rory Sullivan

Ukraine’s atomic energy operator has accused Russia of “nuclear terrorism” after it reportedly hit a facility close to a nuclear power plant.

Energoatom said Moscow’s troops had struck an industrial complex that includes the Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Mykolaiv region.

Russia claims it is ready for prisoner exchange talks

10:20 , Katy Clifton

Russia’s foreign ministry has said that it is ready for talks on a prisoner exchange to free US citizens jailed in Russia, but that the American embassy in Moscow was “not fulfilling its official duties” to maintain dialogue.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “We have stated many times that we are ready for negotiations to resolve the fate of U.S. citizens convicted in Russia and Russian citizens in the U.S.”

Russia has previously suggested that it is open to a prisoner exchange which could include US Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, basketball star Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States.

Griner is serving a 9 year jail sentence for possession and smuggling of cannabis, while Whelan is serving a 16 year term for espionage.

U.S. President Joe Biden met the families of Whelan and Griner at the White House on Friday, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying that the administration is committed to “working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely”.

ICYMI

11:00 , Katy Clifton

The Princess of Wales welcomed the First Lady of Ukraine to Buckingham Palace ahead of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.

Kate held an audience with Olena Zelenska at the royal residence on Sunday afternoon, where they were pictured speaking.

Images capture the pair sitting side-by-side in front of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with purple orchids on display in the background.

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska meets Princess of Wales ahead of Queen’s funeral

Kremlin rejects war crime claims

11:45 , Katy Clifton

The Kremlin has rejected claims Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine’s Kharkiv territory as a “lie.”

“It is the same scenario as in Bucha. It’s a lie, and of course we will defend the truth in this story,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, when asked about statements by the Ukrainian president that Russian forces had committed war crimes in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.

Full story: Russia targets another nuclear power plant

12:30 , Katy Clifton

Russian forces struck another nuclear power plant in Ukraine early on Monday causing widespread damage in shockwaves but missing the facility’s reactor, officials said.

The missile attack on Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in the besieged country’s southern Mykolaiv region occurred just 300 metres from the reactors, officials from Ukraine’s state nuclear body Energoatom said, calling the latest missile strike an act of nuclear terrorism by the Russian military.

“Today at 00:20 am, the Russian army carried out a missile attack on the industrial site of the South Ukraine nuclear power plant [SUNPP],” it confirmed.

“A powerful explosion occurred just 300 m from the SUNPP reactors. The shock wave damaged the NPP buildings as well as over 100 windows were broken,” the state agency said in a statement.

Russia targets another nuclear power plant in Ukraine

Baltic states and Poland close doors to Russian tourists

12:50 , Katy Clifton

Four of the five European Union countries bordering Russia began turning away Russian tourists at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while their country is at war with Ukraine.

Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania imposed new restrictions as Finland decided to remain open, though it has cut back the number of consular appointments available to Russian travellers seeking visas.

The move was the latest in a series of sanctions and other steps taken by the European Union or its member states since Moscow invaded Ukraine in what it calls a “special military operation”.

The EU has banned all flights from Russia, leaving only rail and road transport links available, and this month it agreed to limit issuing free travel Schengen zone visas.

Germany to sign LNG agreement with UAE as Berlin moves away from Russian gas

13:17 , Rory Sullivan

As part of its attempt to wean itself off Russian gas, German chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to sign contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The gas offering is slowly broadening. The government is permanently in talks with many countries,” economy minister Robert Habeck said.

Berlin is building LNG terminals in a bid to diversify among from Russian energy.

Russian forces step up ‘filtration’ in occupied Mariupol

14:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian forces have stepped up “filtration” in occupied Mariupol, according to the advisor to Mariupol mayor, Petro Andriushchenko.

The troops have also been arresting local residents, as reported by Kyiv Independent on Twitter.

Thirteen killed in shelling in Donetsk, city’s Russian-backed mayor says

14:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Thirteen people were killed in artillery shelling on Monday in the east Ukrainian separatist-held city of Donetsk, the city’s Russian-backed mayor said.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messenger app, Donetsk’s separatist mayor Alexei Kulemzin said that 13 civilians including two children had been killed in the strike on Donetsk’s Kuybyshevsky district.

He said that the number of wounded was being confirmed.

Donetsk city has been controlled by the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic since 2014. The Ukrainian army continues to hold positions on Donetsk‘s outskirts, and the city has come under artillery fire repeatedly in recent months.

Reuters is usually unable to confirm battlefield reports.

Baltic nations close borders to Russians over Ukraine war

14:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania closed their borders Monday to most Russian citizens in response to the wide domestic support in Russia for the war in Ukraine.

Under the coordinated travel ban, Russians wishing to travel to the Baltic countries and to Poland as tourists or for business, sports or cultural purposes will not be allowed in even if they hold valid visas for the European Union’s checks-free Schengen Area.

The prime ministers of the three Baltic nations and of Poland agreed earlier this month to stop admitting Russian citizens, saying the move would protect the security of the European Union member countries neighboring Russia.

“Russia is an unpredictable and aggressive state. Three-quarters of its citizens support the war. It is unacceptable that people who support the war can freely travel around the world, into Lithuania, the EU,” Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said Monday.

“Such support for hostilities can pose threats to the security of our country and the EU as a whole,” she added.

The ban includes exceptions for humanitarian reasons, family members of EU citizens, Russian dissidents, serving diplomats, transportation employees and Russians with residence permits or long-stay national visas from the 26 Schengen countries.

There were no indications of new travel restrictions Monday for Russians seeking to enter Poland, even though the country agreed with the Baltic countries to introduce the ban by Sept. 19. Poland, which borders Russia‘s Kaliningrad exclave, still has tight restrictions on Russian travelers remaining in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Russian proxy court in east Ukraine convicts ex-OSCE staff on treason charges

15:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine on Monday sentenced two former Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) staff to 13 years in prison on treason charges that the OSCE called “inhumane and repugnant”.

The court in the Russian-backed breakaway Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) - one of two self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine - announced the sentences on Dmytro Shabanov and Maxim Petrov in videos aired by state-run media.

Separatist authorities said the pair, detained in April, had been recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Ukraine’s secret services and were passing information about Luhansk’s military personnel and equipment to Washington.

The regional security body, which numbers Russia and Ukraine among its 57 members, said the charges were “fabricated” and that the men had been punished for performing their official duties.

In videos from a makeshift courtroom in the city of Luhansk, Shabanov, an OSCE security assistant, was seen standing in a metal cage, wearing black trousers and a black hooded top.

He stood silently as the verdict was read out before men in police uniforms handcuffed him, pushed his head down and took him from the court.

Petrov, a translator for the OSCE, stood in a glass cage, kept his hands in his pockets and appeared not to react as he was sentenced.

Both had worked for the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), established in 2014 to monitor the conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Kyiv’s forces that erupted after Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The SMM ceased operating this year after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Polish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau said in a statement: “Our Mission members have been held unjustifiably for more than five months in unknown conditions for nothing but pure political theatre. It is inhumane and repugnant.”

OSCE Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid said the pair had been “performing official duties” and called for their “immediate and unconditional release”.

The OSCE also said it was concerned for the fate of a third mission member detained in the LPR.

Zelensky says there will be no let-up in Ukraine’s fight to regain territory

15:32 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed there would be no let-up in Ukraine‘s fight to regain its territory as Kyiv said its troops had crossed the Oskil River, preparing for an assault on Russia‘s occupation forces in the eastern Donbas region.

Meanwhile, Russian forces struck the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Ukraine‘s southern Mykolaiv region but its reactors have not been damaged and are working normally, Ukraine‘s state nuclear company Energoatom said.

Elsewhere, 13 people were killed in artillery shelling in the eastern Ukrainian separatist-held city of Donetsk, the city’s Russian-backed mayor said.

Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

15:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has rejected allegations its forces had committed war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Izyum as a “lie”.

It was the Kremlin’s first public statement about the allegations.

Around 450 bodies – most of whom Ukraine says are civilians – were found in mass graves near Izyum after Russian troops were this month forced out of the Kharkiv region, much of which they had controlled since the first weeks of their military campaign in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that investigators at the site have found evidence of torture, including bodies with hands tied, and accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.

Our international editor, David Harding, has more:

Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

Alla Pugacheva: Russian singing superstar slams Ukraine war and asks to be declared ‘foreign agent’

16:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Famous Russian artist and singer Alla Pugacheva has spoken out against the war in Ukraine publicly for the first time and urged Moscow to label her a “foreign agent”.

This comes a week after her husband Maxim Galkin was labelled a “foreign agent” for opposing the war in Ukraine.

On her Instagram, where the 73-year-old singer has more than 3 million followers, Ms Pugacheva asked the country’s justice ministry “to include me on the foreign agents list of my beloved country”.

“Because I stand in solidarity with my husband, who is an honest and ethical person, a true and incorruptible Russian patriot, who only wishes for prosperity, peace and freedom of expression in his motherland,” she added.

My colleague Maroosha Muzaffar has more:

Famous Russian singer Alla Pugacheva asks to be declared ‘foreign agent’

Germany military to supply Ukraine with more ammunition

17:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The German military will supply Ukraine with four more Panzer howitzer 2000 tanks together with an additional ammunition package, the German defence ministry said on Monday.

Delivery will be possible and follow immediately after discussions take place with industry on the early intake of refurbished ordnance from army maintenance, the ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine’s first lady represents her embattled nation at Queen’s funeral

17:16 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukraine‘s first lady said it was a “great honour” to be present at the Queen’s state funeral, “on behalf of all Ukrainians”.

Olena Zelenska, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, was among hundreds of heads of state and dignitaries from around the world gathered in Westminster Abbey for the service on Monday.

She represented her war-torn nation at the ceremony on behalf of her husband, as he continues to organise the fightback against Russian invaders.

Mrs Zelenska said the Queen’s attention to Ukraine “was an important signal of support”.

“She wished us better times and shared our desire for freedom. We will always remember it with deep gratitude,” she wrote on Twitter.

Wearing all-black, Mrs Zelenska sat by the aisle, four rows behind French President Emmanuel Macron, in the historic church.

146 bodies exhumed from mass burial site near Izium in eastern Ukraine

17:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian forensic experts have so far exhumed 146 bodies, mostly civilians, at a mass burial site near the town of Izium in eastern Ukraine and some bear signs of a violent death, the regional governor said on Monday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said some 450 bodies are believed to have been buried at the site in a forest on the outskirts of Izium, which was recently recaptured by Ukrainian forces during a counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region.

Oleh Synehubov, governor of Kharkiv region, said the exhumed bodies included two children.

“Some of the dead have signs of a violent death. There are bodies with tied hands and traces of torture. The deceased were also found to have explosive, shrapnel and stab wounds,” Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The forensic experts, dressed in white protective suits and wearing rubber gloves, have been working methodically for days to exhume and identify the bodies, whose makeshift graves were marked by flimsy wooden crosses.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday rejected Ukraine‘s allegations as a “lie”.

Residents have previously said some of the graves in the forest were of people who died in a Russian airstrike.

Vladimir Putin ‘failing on all of his military objectives’, says UK army chief

17:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Vladimir Putin is “failing on all of his military strategic objectives”, the UK’s chief of the defence staff has said.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said pressure is mounting on the Russian president as his country’s defences weaken in the face of Ukrainian counterattacks.

It comes after UK intelligence said it was unclear whether Russia’s frontline forces have adequate reserves or morale to withstand attacks from Ukrainian forces.

My colleague Furvah Shah has more:

Vladimir Putin ‘failing on all of his military objectives’, says UK army chief

Russia seeks closer security ties with China as key goal

18:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A top Russian security official declared Monday on a visit to China that the Kremlin considers beefing up ties with Beijing as a top policy goal.

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the national Security Council chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, described the “strengthening of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with Beijing as an unconditional priority of Russia‘s foreign policy.”

Patrushev is one of Putin’s closest associates. Speaking during a meeting with Guo Shengkun, a top official of China’s Communist Party, he said “in the current conditions, our countries must show even greater readiness for mutual support and development of cooperation.”

Patrushev’s office said in a terse statement after the talks in the Chinese city of Nanping that the parties agreed to “expand information exchanges on countering extremism and foreign attempts to undermine the constitutional order of both countries in order to derail independent policies of Russia and China serving their national interests.”

The Chinese and Russian officials also emphasized a need to expand cooperation on cybersecurity and strengthen contacts between their law enforcement agencies on fighting terrorism.The statement didn’t offer any further details of prospective cooperation.

Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia has rejected allegations its forces had committed war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Izyum as a “lie”.

It was the Kremlin’s first public statement about the allegations.

Around 450 bodies – most of whom Ukraine says are civilians – were found in mass graves near Izyum after Russian troops were this month forced out of the Kharkiv region, much of which they had controlled since the first weeks of their military campaign in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that investigators at the site have found evidence of torture, including bodies with hands tied, and accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.

Our international editor David Harding has more:

Russia says claims it carried out war crimes in Izyum are a ‘lie’

U.S. adds cargo planes operated by Iranian airlines flying to Russia to export violation list

18:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday said it will add 3 Boeing 747 airplanes operated by Iranian airlines providing cargo services to Russia to a list of planes believed to violate U.S. export controls as part of the Biden administration’s sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Using commercially available data, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security identified planes operated by Mahan Air, Qeshm Fars Air, and Iran Air flying and transporting goods, including electronic items, to Russia in apparent violation of the Commerce Department’s stringent export controls on Russia. These are the first three Iranian airplanes identified.

There are now a total of 183 aircraft identified on the list for apparent violations of U.S. export controls, the department said. The three Iranian airlines identified today are already subject to a variety of restrictions by the U.S. government.

Russia war, virus and climate hurting world's poorest

19:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s war against Ukraine, the lingering coronavirus pandemic and the damage of climate change are putting intense pressure on the world’s poorest, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warned Monday.

The Paris-based OECD reported that 60 states, territories and locations fell last year into the category of “fragile contexts” — meaning they were exposed to economic, environmental, social and political risks that they didn’t have the capacity to absorb.

And that was before Russia invaded Ukraine and intensified their burdens.Monday’s report designated the most places in such dire straits since the OECD began issuing its States of Fragility report in 2015.

The 60 account for 24% of the world’s population, 73% of those living in extreme poverty, 80% of those who died in conflicts and the vast majority of the world’s “hunger hotspots.”

And they are home to 95% of the record 274 million people the United Nations says need humanitarian assistance.

“We are in an era defined by multiple crises, shocks and uncertainty,” the OECD said. Only one in three people in fragile places have received COVID vaccines, compared with three of four in the relatively wealthy 38 OECD countries.

The organisation noted that the 60 fragile states account for just 4% of global emissions but “are feeling the brunt of climate-related natural disasters.

The OECD said the five most fragile countries last year were Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen and the Central African Republic. And three countries — Benin, Timor-Leste and Turkmenistan — were newly added to the list of fragile states last year; none were removed.

Donbas separatist leader urges referendum on joining Russia

20:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Denis Pushilin, head of the Russia-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine, called on his fellow separatist leader of Luhansk province on Monday to combine efforts aimed at preparing a referendum on joining Russia.

In a video posted on social media, he told Luhansk People’s Republic leader Leonid Pasechnik in a phone call that “our actions should be synchronised”.

ICYMI - Kremlin says Ukrainian war crimes claims are a lie

21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin on Monday rejected allegations that Russian forces had committed war crimes in Ukraine‘s Kharkiv province as a “lie”.

Around 450 bodies - most of which Ukraine says are civilians - have been found in mass graves near Izium after Russian troops were this month forced out of the Kharkiv region, much of which they had controlled since the first weeks of their military campaign in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said investigators at the site had found evidence of torture, including bodies with hands tied, and accused Russian troops of committing war crimes.

Asked on Monday about Zelensky’s statements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “It’s the same scenario as in Bucha. It’s a lie, and of course we will defend the truth in this story.”

Russia previously rejected claims that its troops had committed war crimes in Bucha, outside Kyiv, after evidence of civilians being killed while the town was controlled by Russian troops came to light after Russia‘s withdrawal at the end of March.

Ukraine condemns ‘nuclear terrorism’ after Russian missile hits power plant

21:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Russian missile has blasted a crater close to a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, damaging nearby industrial equipment but not hitting its three reactors.

Ukrainian authorities denounced the move as an act of “nuclear terrorism”.

The missile struck about 330 yards of the reactors at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in Mykolaiv province, leaving a hole 6ft deep and 13ft wide, according to Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom.

The reactors were operating normally and no employees were injured, it said, but the proximity of the strike renewed fears that Russia‘s nearly seven-month war in Ukraine might produce a radiation disaster.

The nuclear power station is Ukraine‘s second-largest after the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has repeatedly come under fire.