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A nationalist militant and former FSB officer who helped launch a 2014 war in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, compared the collapse of one of the conflict’s principal front lines to a catastrophic defeat in the Russo-Japanese war which triggered Russia’s 1905 Revolution.
Igor Girkin said it was like the 1905 Battle of Mukden, which ended took place two days after the revolution started.
Ukraine has hailed its rapid advance, which saw thousands of Russian soldiers flee, leaving behind ammunition stockpiles and equipment, as a turning point in the 6-month-old war.
Girkin, who has been unsparing in his criticisms of the country’s top brass, dubbing defence minister Shoigu “the cardboard marshal”, has said repeatedly that Russia will be defeated in Ukraine if it doesn’t declare a nationwide mobilisation, Reuters reports.
Nationalist anger at military failure is potentially a far greater problem for the Kremlin than pro-Western liberal criticism of Putin: opinion polls continue to show broad support for what Moscow calls the “special military operation”.
As the capital celebrated Moscow Day with street parties and concerts on Saturday, rumblings of disquiet even spread to Russia’s ordinarily subservient parliament.
Sergei Mironov, leader of the nominally opposition but Putin-loyal Just Russia party, said on Twitter that a firework display in honour of the holiday should be cancelled, in view of the military situation.
One message reposted on Telegram by the prominent war correspondent Semyon Pegov referred to the celebrations in Moscow as “blasphemous” and the refusal of Russian authorities to embark on full-scale war as “schizophrenic”.
“Either Russia will become itself through the birth of a new political elite … or it will cease to exist,” it read.
More on that telephone conversation between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin (see 16:54), as the Kremlin readout has now been published.
The Russian president warned his French counterpart of “catastrophic consequences” of apparent Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
During the call, Putin “drew attention to regular Ukrainian attacks on [the Zaporizhzhia nuclear] facilities, including a radioactive waste storage facility, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences”, according to the Kremlin, as reported by AFP.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been a focal point of fighting in recent weeks, raising concerns of a potential nuclear incident.
Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator said on Sunday the final reactor at Zaporizhzhia had been shut off as a safety measure.
During the call with Macron, Putin also accused Ukrainian forces of using western-supplied weapons to target civilian infrastructure in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine.
A Ukrainian flag flies in the town of Balakliia, Kharkiv oblast, after it was recaptured by Ukrainian troops. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesMore on the discussion (see 15:22) between the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Macron told Putin that its occupation by Russian troops was the root cause of danger at the site.
The Élysée Palace said in a statement that Macron asked Putin to withdraw heavy and light weapons, and that Moscow should abide by the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure security.
“The president will remain in contact with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy as well as the director general of the IAEA and will speak again in the coming days with President Putin so that an accord to guarantee security at the power plant can be found,” the statement said.
Macron also asked Putin to ensure that a UN-brokered deal on grains was implemented to ensure they went to the most in need. He also repeated that the Russian invasion should stop immediately.
Moscow’s leadership has remained “silent” on the defeats in Ukraine, with neither Vladmir Putin or the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, making any comment as of midday on Sunday.
As Russian forces abandoned town after town on Saturday, Putin was opening Europe’s largest ferris wheel in a Moscow park, while fireworks lit up the sky over Red Square to celebrate the city’s founding in 1147.
Moscow’s almost total silence on the defeat – or any explanation for what has taken place in north-eastern Ukraine – has provoked significant anger among some pro-war commentators and Russian nationalists on social media.
However, according to a Kremlin transcript of Putin’s message there was no mention of the war. The Russian president told Muscovites: “We take pride in Moscow, and love this city with its majestic antiquity and its modern and dynamic pace of life, the charm of its cosy parks, lanes and streets and abundance of business and cultural events.”
Putin, who has described his shock on being told as a KGB spy in East Germany that “Moscow is silent” as the Berlin Wall crumbled, said those who had fallen in the Ukraine operation had given their lives for Russia.
The defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Shaun Walker
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed leader of Chechnya, has criticised the Russian army’s leadership after it appeared to be caught off-guard by Ukraine’s fightback against the Russian invasion in the north-east.
In a sign that the Kremlin may face serious fallout over the loss of territory that the Russian occupation administrations had repeatedly stated they planned to keep “for ever”, Kadyrov also suggested that Vladimir Putin might not be aware of the real state of affairs.
“They have made mistakes and I think they will draw the necessary conclusions,” Kadyrov said in an audio message posted to his Telegram channel on Sunday.
“If today or tomorrow no changes in strategy are made, I will be forced to speak with the leadership of the defence ministry and the leadership of the country to explain the real situation on the ground to them. It’s a very interesting situation. It’s astounding, I would say,” said Kadyrov, a former rebel turned Kremlin ally who rules Chechnya – a Russian republic in the Caucuses – with an iron fist and has a paramilitary force at his command.
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SummaryHere is a round-up of all the day’s main news stories:
Ukrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 30 miles (48km) of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Gen Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Sunday. Ukrainian troops have retaken more than 3,000 sq km of territory this month, he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding: “Ukraine continues to liberate territories occupied by Russia.
The Ukrainian advance into Russian-occupied territory in the north-east of the country continued on Sunday as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the next three months would be critical in determining the outcome of the war. In recent days, Ukrainian forces have retaken the key rail hub of Kupiansk and claim to have seized Izium, previously the major base for Russia in Kharkiv province.
Zelenskiy has said Ukraine’s armed forces have retaken about 2,000 sq km (770 sq miles) of territory from Russian forces since their surprise north-eastern counteroffensive was launched earlier this month. In his Saturday night address, the Ukrainian president said: “These days, the Russian army is showing its best – showing its back. And, in the end, it is a good choice for them to run away. There is and will be no place for the occupiers in Ukraine.”
The last operating reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has been shut down and the plant “completely stopped”, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator has said. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant was disconnected from the grid last week after all its power lines were disconnected as a result of fighting in the area, and was operating in “island mode” for several days, generating electricity for crucial cooling systems from its only remaining reactor in operation.
A backup power line to Zaporizhzhia has been restored, providing it with the external electricity it needs to cool its reactors, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday. “After yesterday’s restoration of [the] power line … #ZNPP operator this morning shut down its last operating reactor, which over past week had been providing ZNPP w/ required power after it was disconnected from grid,” the IAEA said on Twitter.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, discussed the security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the Kremlin said. Speaking by phone, the two leaders expressed readiness for a “non-politicised interaction” on the matter with the participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the statement published on the Kremlin’s website.
France’s transport minister has said he will sign an agreement with Romania to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries including to the Mediterranean. “Tomorrow, I will sign an accord with Romania that will allow Ukraine to get even more grains out … towards Europe and developing countries, notably in the Mediterranean, which need it for food,” Clement Beaune told France Inter radio on Sunday, adding that the deal covered exports by land, sea and river.
The UK government has said Ukrainian forces have continued to make significant gains in the Kharkiv region over the last 24 hours. Russia has probably withdrawn units from the area, but fighting continues around the cities of Kupiansk and Izium, the British defence ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin on Twitter.
Britain also dismissed Vladimir Putin’s assertion that only a fraction of grain exported from Ukraine under an international deal is going to poor countries. Putin said on Wednesday, without citing a source, that only two of 87 ships, carrying 60,000 tonnes of products, had gone to poor countries. The deal to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, took effect last month.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. My colleague Harry Taylor will be along shortly to continue bringing you the latest news from Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Putin discusses Ukrainian nuclear plant with MacronThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, discussed the security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
Speaking by phone, the two leaders expressed readiness for a “non-politicised interaction” on the matter with the participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the statement published on the Kremlin’s website.
Reuters has some more detail on the news that France is to sign an agreement with Romania (see 13.03) to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries, including in the Mediterranean.
“Tomorrow, I will sign an accord with Romania that will allow Ukraine to get even more grains out … towards Europe and developing countries, notably in the Mediterranean, which need it for food,” the French transport minister, Clément Beaune, told France Inter radio on Sunday, adding that the deal covered exports by land, sea and river.
Reuters reports:
According to a draft agreement of the French-Romanian deal, seen by Reuters, Paris would cooperate in developing a project aimed at increasing efficiency at the port of Galați, equipping border points in northern Romania.
It would also help to build a medium-term strategy on the axes of the corridor between Romania and Ukraine, and provide pilings to optimise ship traffic. France will also provide funding for the initial technical expertise and work with Bucharest to identify financing for the future.
Without citing a source, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said on 7 September that only two of 87 ships, carrying 60,000 tonnes of exported grain products as part of an international deal brokered by the United Nations, had gone to poor countries.
The accord to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports took effect in August. Beaune dismissed Putin’s assertion. Quoting UN figures, the British defence ministry also rejected the claim and said that about 30% of grain exported under the deal has been supplied to low- and middle-income countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Shaun Walker
Alisa, a 16-year-old art student from Kharkiv, arrived in Hungary in April with her family after fleeing their apartment in the suburb of Saltivka, which came under heavy shelling for weeks on end.
After two days in a Budapest hotel, the family found an elderly Hungarian couple living in the countryside nearby who agreed to host Alisa, her brother and parents. The couple said their Ukrainian guests could stay as long as they needed.
But recently, as the Hungarian government announced massive increases in energy bills for households that use above the national average, the couple made an embarrassed request.
“Back then, they said we could stay until the end of the war, but now they’ve realised they can’t afford the energy bills. They very politely told us we had to leave,” said Alisa, who spent the summer working long shifts in a Hungarian factory, even though she is still a minor.
“It took me two buses and four hours to get there, and the same to get back every day. The work was tiring, taking apart old electronics for hours on end. But at least I got some money which I could help my family with,” she said.
In the six months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the countries that border Ukraine, as well as others all across Europe, have launched an unprecedented effort to help millions of Ukrainian refugees. Governments have funded emergency support programmes, and millions of ordinary citizens have volunteered to provide food, clothing and shelter.
But as an uncertain and potentially costly winter approaches, governments are rolling back support programmes for Ukrainians, while many volunteers who were happy to host a Ukrainian family for a few weeks or months are now realising that the war could go on for years. More and more Ukrainian refugees are finding themselves struggling to make ends meet.
Shaun Walker
The Ukrainian advance into Russian-occupied territory in the north-east of the country continued on Sunday as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the next three months would be critical in determining the outcome of the war.
In recent days, Ukrainian forces have retaken the key rail hub of Kupiansk and claim to have seized Izium, previously the major base for Russia in Kharkiv province.
“The Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do – showing its back,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Saturday.
Gen Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces, said on Sunday that Ukraine had regained control of about 3,000 sq km of territory since the beginning of September. On Saturday night, Zelenskiy gave the figure as 2,000 sq km. The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine has retaken more territory in five days than Russia had taken since April.
Videos from recently recaptured territory illustrate the scale of the rout, showing military hardware and ammunition left behind by fleeing Russians at their former positions. Ukrainian politicians shared morale-boosting videos of the country’s soldiers raising the national flag in various towns and villages.
The counteroffensive in the north-east of the country came as a surprise to Moscow and most military observers, who had been expecting instead the long-promised Ukrainian advance in the southern Kherson region.
France’s transport minister has said he will sign an agreement with Romania to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries including to the Mediterranean.
“Tomorrow, I will sign an accord with Romania that will allow Ukraine to get even more grains out … towards Europe and developing countries, notably in the Mediterranean, which need it for food,” Clement Beaune told France Inter radio on Sunday, adding that the deal covered exports by land, sea and river.
Backup power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant restored, IAEA saysA backup power line to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) inside Ukraine has been restored, providing it with the external electricity it needs to cool its reactors, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday.
“After yesterday’s restoration of [the] power line … #ZNPP operator this morning shut down its last operating reactor, which over past week had been providing ZNPP w/ required power after it was disconnected from grid,” the IAEA said on Twitter.
“This power can now come from the grid instead.”
A back-up power line to Ukraine’s #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (#ZNPP) has been restored, providing the plant with the external electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other safety functions.
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) September 11, 2022 Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine has recaptured 770 sq miles of territory so far this month in a series of offensives.
“The movement of our soldiers in different directions of the front continues,” the Ukrainian president said in an address late on Saturday.
Zelenskiy: Ukraine has retaken 2,000 sq km of territory from Russian forces – videoZelenskiy hails Ukraine territorial gains in surprise north-east counteroffensive
Lorenzo Tondo
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine’s armed forces have retaken about 2,000 sq km (770 sq miles) of territory from Russian forces since their surprise north-eastern counteroffensive was launched earlier this month.
In his Saturday night address, the Ukrainian president said: “These days, the Russian army is showing its best – showing its back. And, in the end, it is a good choice for them to run away. There is and will be no place for the occupiers in Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy spoke after the Russian army was forced to pull back thousands of troops following a series of crucial battlefield defeats in the north-east, as the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin entered its 200th day.
Ukrainian forces confirmed the liberation of the crucial rail hub of Kupiansk and shortly after seized Izium, the major base for Moscow’s forces in the Kharkiv region, in what was perhaps Ukraine’s most significant success in pushing back the Russians since the beginning of the invasion.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said in Kyiv that Ukrainian forces had demonstrated they were capable of defeating the Russian army with the weapons given to them. “And so I reiterate: the more weapons we receive, the faster we will win, and the faster this war will end,” he said.
Ukrainian troops had also liberated the villages of Vasylenkovo and Artemivka in the Kharkiv region, Zelenskiy said.
Isobel Koshiw
The last operating reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has been shut down and the plant “completely stopped”, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator has said.
The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant was disconnected from the grid last week after all its power lines were disconnected as a result of fighting in the area, and was operating in “island mode” for several days, generating electricity for crucial cooling systems from its only remaining reactor in operation.
Energoatom, the state-run operator of all four of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations, said one of the power lines was restored on Saturday night, allowing plant operators to shut down the last reactor.
“A decision was made to shut down power unit No 6 and transfer it to the safest state – cold shutdown,” the operator said.
Electricity supply to the plant has been cut with increasing frequency over the past few weeks, including at least three times last week.
Volunteers at a railway station in Lviv in western Ukraine are doing all they can to help refugees flee the violence of Putin’s invasion and reach safety.
Lviv is less than 50 miles from the Polish border and thousands of people have been arriving daily from the rest of country.
The Guardian spent the day with one volunteer named Sergyi Mykolaiv.