Russia has been accused of forcing hospital patients in the occupied territories of Ukraine to join the fighting. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Vladimir Putin’s army has forced wounded and sick men into battle to compensate for troop losses. He wrote on social media: “Forcible mobilization is currently underway in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In Donetsk, the Russian occupiers found a new “source” to make up for the losses in manpower. “For example, recently, representatives of the Russian army of occupation began to arrive at local hospitals and forcibly ‘exclude’ patients. “Specifically, they ‘discharge’ men of draft age who are being treated for various illnesses or injuries, including participation in hostilities.” In the past day, around 300 Russian soldiers had been “liquidated” amid the ongoing invasion, and the total number of Russian soldiers killed since February is now in the region of 49,800 – the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced today.
Basic points
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ICYMI: Russia says UK relations could worsen as Liz Truss elected PM
Russia said it could not rule out the country’s acrimonious relationship with Britain worsening further under new Prime Minister Liz Truss. Before Ms Truss was announced as Boris Johnson’s successor, the Kremlin dismissed any suggestion that relations with the UK would improve under her or her rival Rishi Sunak’s leadership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters if Moscow expected a change in its relations with the UK – to which he said: “I would not like to say that things can change for the worse because it is difficult to imagine anything worse . “But, unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out, given that the candidates for the post of British Prime Minister competed with each other in anti-Russian rhetoric, in threats of further steps against our country, etc. “Therefore, I don’t think we can hope for anything positive.” Read the full story here by foreign editor David Harding
Russia says relations with Britain could deteriorate as Truss is elected prime minister
Kremlin says Tory leadership candidates ‘competed with each other on anti-Russian rhetoric’ during campaign Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 14:15 1662381955
“Russia could send more gas through other pipelines but chooses not to” – EU
Russia could send more gas to Europe through other routes to compensate for the shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, but Moscow is choosing not to, a European Commission spokesman said today. “If there was a technical problem preventing supply through Nord Stream 1, there would be the possibility, if there was a willingness, to deliver gas to Europe through other pipelines,” the spokesman said. “That’s something we don’t see happening.” The spokesman added that this behavior was evidence that Russia was “rigging” gas supplies to Europe. Russian gas giant Gazprom blamed the shutdown of Nord Stream 1 on Western sanctions and technical issues. Reuters September 5, 2022 1:45 p.m 1662380155
UK expands program to train Ukrainian ‘citizen soldiers’
Britain is expanding a program training thousands of Ukrainian citizens to become frontline soldiers amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The course is being extended from three weeks to five in order to keep more training in the UK to reduce the threat posed by the bombing of Vladimir Putin’s troops. Some 4,700 Ukrainian citizens have already been trained at military bases in England since the program began in June. Read more here by Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Ukraine war: UK to expand program to train ‘citizen soldiers’
Ukrainian nationals trained on British soil to protect them from Russian bombing Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 13:15 1662378355
Russia’s bombing kills at least four civilians in past 24 hours, Ukraine says
At least four civilians were killed and seven others were injured by Russian shelling over the past 24 hours in various parts of Ukraine, the country’s presidential office announced today. Most of the casualties were in the separatist-held eastern region of Donetsk – where three people were killed and four wounded. In the Kharkiv region of northern Ukraine, three people were injured when a rocket hit a residential building, the president’s office said. Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 12:45 1662376555
Russia says it destroyed one of Ukraine’s US-supplied HIMARS systems
Russia has claimed that a US-supplied HIMARS missile system was destroyed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The Russian Defense Ministry’s claim was reported by the independent Russian news agency Interfax. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report. Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 12:15 1662374755
The Kremlin “hopes for nothing positive” from the new British prime minister
The Kremlin said it expects nothing positive from the next British prime minister. Boris Johnson’s successor will be announced today after the six-week leadership contest of the UK’s ruling Conservative Party ends. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is competing with former chancellor Rishi Sunak for the top job, is expected to be named as the new leader. Before the winner of the competition was announced, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters if Moscow expected a change in its relations with the UK. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in front of a screen showing Vladimir Putin (AFP via Getty Images) Mr Peskov said: “I would not like to say that things can change for the worse, because it is difficult to imagine anything worse. “But, unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out, given that the candidates for the post of British Prime Minister competed with each other in anti-Russian rhetoric, in threats of further steps against our country, etc. “Therefore, I don’t think we can hope for anything positive.” Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 11:45 1662372914
Two members of the IAEA will be permanently based in Zaporizhzhia
Two members of the IAEA mission are expected to remain at the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on a “permanent basis,” Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said on Monday. He added that four other representatives had left the station’s premises. The Ukrainian power plant was seized by Russia in March, but continues to be operated by Energoatom engineers and supplies electricity to Ukraine’s grid. A Russian soldier guards the grounds of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Yuri Kochetkov/EPA) “Today… four of the six representatives of the IAEA inspection team completed their work at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and left the plant’s premises,” Energoatom wrote in a statement on Telegram. “It is expected that two specialists will continue to work at the (plant) on a permanent basis,” the statement said. Russia-based local official Vladimir Rogov confirmed during a radio interview Monday that two observers would remain, but did not give a possible time frame. “The members of the IAEA mission have now left the Zaporizhzhia (plant), while for now two people have remained there as observers,” he said. Reuters5 September 2022 11:15 1662370252
Russian court removes license from Novaya Gazeta
A Russian court today revoked the license of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, effectively banning the publication from operating in Russia. In a case filed by Russia’s media watchdog Rozkomnadzor, Novaya Gazeta was accused of failing to provide documents related to a 2006 change of ownership. The independent paper – founded in 1993 – is known for its critical coverage and investigation of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Editor-in-Chief Dmitry Muratov holds up the newspaper in New York in June 2022 (AP) The newspaper, which is based in the Latvian capital Riga, has been censored and banned several times by the Kremlin since the start of the war in February. Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, had revealed in 2017 that the newspaper’s employees jointly own 76 percent of the shares. Alexander Lebedev – father of Evgeny Lebedev, owner of a number of UK news outlets including The Independent – held 14% and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev – who died last week aged 91 – held 10 %. Lamiat Sabin September 5, 2022 10:30 am 1662368452
Two soldiers are accused of a child who pulled the trigger of the RPG
Two Ukrainian soldiers are accused of taking part in an incident that injured at least nine people – including six children – in Chernihiv, officials said. A child was allowed to pick up a loaded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and pull the trigger at an arms exhibition on Saturday in the northern Ukrainian city, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said today. Six children were among at least nine people injured when the anti-tank grenade was fired, it said. The SBI said: “During a weapons demonstration, one of the soldiers allowed a child to pick up a loaded rocket-propelled anti-tank grenade (RPG-26) and pull the trigger. At least nine people were injured in the shooting, six of whom were children.” The two accused soldiers are the ones who allowed the boy to pull the trigger and his commanding officer who ordered junior soldiers to bring weapons to the exhibition for display. Earlier, we reported that Volodymyr Zelensky announced a criminal investigation into the explosion and that among the injured was a two-year-old boy in serious condition. Viacheslav Chaus, the head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Command, said that the presence of military personnel and the presence of weapons at the event was not planned. Lamiat Sabin5 September 2022 10:00 1662366652
Teachers were “forced to use Russian curricula” in Kherson
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