Saturday marks seven months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. This week, President Vladimir Putin ordered one other 300,000 troops conscripted into what he’s termed a “special military operation.” Russian occupation authorities started drafting males within the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas, Ukrainian officers stated. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated males in occupied areas ought to keep away from mobilization “by any means.”
Voting continues in 4 occupied territories on whether or not to hitch Russia. The referenda have been slammed by Kyiv and its allies as shams, harking back to a poll in Crimea in 2014 forward of annexation, as Russia makes an attempt to annex a big swath of its neighbour together with a few of its most efficient farmland and industrial areas.
Envoys from over a dozen European international locations traveled to Izyum in Ukraine’s Kharkiv area on Friday, visiting a mass burial website from which hundres of our bodies have been exhumed for the reason that space was recaptured from Russian troops this month.
Key Developments
- Putin’s Conscripts Won’t Win His War But May Drag It Out
- Putin Stages ‘Votes’ to Annex Occupied Ukrainian Territories
- Zelenskiy Says China’s Position on Russian Invasion ‘Ambiguous’
- EU Rushes to Agree on an Oil Price Cap After Putin’s Threats
- Russia’s Lavrov Scorns West by Arriving Late at UN, Walking Out
On the bottom
Russian forces fired missiles at infrastructure within the Black Sea port of Ochakiv port, Ukrainian southern army command stated on Facebook. Moscow’s troops fired missives at Mykolaiv, and a bakery and residential buildings have been shelled in Marhanets within the Dnipropetrovsk area. Kyiv’s forces reasserted management of bridges throughout the Dnipro within the Kherson area and destroyed reserves of Russian weapons close by. In town of Kherson, a focus of Russian weapons and equipment was attacked, in addition to a number of management posts, officers stated. The Ukrainian military downed six Iranian drones Shahed and one Mohajer-6 drones, the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces stated on Facebook.
Eight Grain Vessels Sail From Ukraine’s Ports (3:45 p.m.)
Eight ships carrying a complete of 131,300 tons of agricultural merchandise to Africa, Asia and Europe have been set to depart the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk on Saturday, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry stated on Facebook. Six ships sailed early within the morning and fashioned a caravan, with two more have been on the way in which.
Since the safe-transit settlement brokered by Turkey and the UN was reached between Ukraine and Russia in late July, 221 ships have left Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea with 4.7 million tons of agriculture merchandise, mainly grains.
Russia Shakes Up Army; Mariupol General Advances (12:07 p.m.)
Russia’s protection ministry introduced personnel adjustments amongst its generals. No rationalization was given for the transfer, days after President Vladimir Putin known as up 300,000 reservists in an escalation of the now seven-month battle.
Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense, answerable for the availability and logistics, the ministry stated in its official Telegram channel. General Dmitry Bulgakov leaves the submit for one more, unspecified job, it stated.
Mizintsev was sanctioned by the UK in March for what it known as his “reprehensible tactics” in fight together with “atrocities” in opposition to the Ukrainian folks through the siege of the southern metropolis of Mariupol — in addition to shelling civilian facilities in Aleppo, Syria, in 2015-16.
European Envoys Visited Izyum Mass Graves Site (11 a.m.)
Ambassadors from over a dozen European international locations visited Izyum in Ukraine’s Kharkiv area on Friday and noticed mass grave websites uncovered discovered when Kyiv’s troops recaptured the realm. Some 436 our bodies have been exhumed, together with kids.
The go to additionally took within the website of a multi-story residential constructing destroyed by a Russian bomb, killing 53 folks.
“The world must know the truth about the bloody crimes of the occupiers. That is why it is extremely important that today foreign diplomats were able to see with their own eyes what the Russian occupiers leave behind,” stated Andriy Sybiha, deputy head of Ukraine’s Office of the President.
Zelenskiy Says China’s Position on Russian Invasion ‘Ambiguous’ (10:26 a.m.)
Ukraine’s president stated he want to renew relations with China, whose place on the Russian invasion he termed “ambiguous.”
“I would like them to help Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated in an interview with a French newspaper. A name with Chinese President Xi Jinping “would be difficult today.”
The feedback got here after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met together with his Ukrainian counterpart this week through the UN General Assembly in New York.
Russia Tries to Slow Kyiv’s Advance With Dam Hits, UK Says (8:30 a.m.)
Russian forces focused the Pechenihy dam on the Siverskyi Donets River this week following a success per week in the past to a different main dam upriver in Kryvyi Rih, the UK defence ministry stated in a Twitter replace.
“Ukrainian forces are advancing further downstream along both rivers. As Russian commanders become increasingly concerned about their operational setbacks, they are probably attempting to strike the sluice gates of dams, in order to flood Ukrainian military crossing points,” the UK stated.
