Russia-Ukraine war updates for Aug 31, 2023

Russia sees no sign it will receive the guarantees it requires before resuming a deal allowing Ukraine to ship its grain through the Black Sea, but can return to it “tomorrow” if Western promises to Moscow are fulfilled, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Lavrov reiterated Russia’s assertion that Western economic sanctions were hampering Russian grain and fertiliser exports.

He also said that a plan currently being discussed to supply one million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at a discounted price would be on top of the grain supplies that Russia has promised to give some African countries free of charge.

— Reuters

Newly-appointed U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps used his first statement in the role to vow continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“As I get to work at @DefenceHQ I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion,” Shapps wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Under outgoing minister Ben Wallace, the U.K. has committed £4.6 billion ($5.83 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to government figures.

— Jenni Reid

Ukraine is experiencing some “successes” in its counteroffensive in the south and east of the country, its deputy defense minister said Thursday, as Kyiv looked to prove its detractors wrong over its sluggish counteroffensive.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on messaging app Telegram that in the south, “there are certain successes, in particular in the Novodanilivka-Novoprokopivka direction.”

Maliar said there had been similar advances in the Bakhmut area in eastern Ukraine, a hotspot in the conflict.

“In the direction of Bakhmut, the Defense Forces continue to conduct offensive actions south of the city of Bakhmut. Heavy fighting continues in Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka, Andriivka. There are certain successes,” she said.

Maliar’s comments come at a time of sensitivity over Ukraine’s counteroffensive that has made less progress than hoped since it began in June. Russia used the winter and spring months ahead of the counteroffensive to heavily fortify its positions in the south and east, making it far harder for Ukrainian forces to break through their miles-deep defensive lines.

Earlier Thursday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out at critics of Kyiv’s tactics in its counter-offensive, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers.

“Criticizing the slow pace of [the] counter-offensive equals … spitting into the face of [the] Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometer of Ukrainian soil after another,” Kuleba told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain, Reuters reported.

— Holly Ellyatt

Talks are taking place between Russia and Turkey’s foreign ministers on Thursday regarding the possible revival of the defunct grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia pulled out of a previous grain deal, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, in July, saying its own exports of grain and fertilizer had been impeded by sanctions and restrictions.

The deal had enabled millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to safely leave three of the country’s ports, alleviating global food shortages.

Under a new possible agreement, Russia would send a million tons of grain to Turkey at a discounted price, with financial support from Qatar. From Turkey, the agricultural goods would be processed and then sent to the countries most in need, Russia’s foreign ministry said yesterday ahead of the talks, Reuters reported.

As Russia and Turkey’s foreign ministers held talks on Thursday, the Kremlin’s press secretary said he couldn’t predict how productive the discussions on the grain deal would be.

“There are no concrete results of these talks. More top-level discussions are expected but [the] probable results are unclear. Russia is a responsible supplier and will continue discussions. We are ready to resume the grain deal the moment the obligations towards us are fulfilled,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday, according to comments translated by NBC.

The Thursday discussions come ahead of a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart next week. Two unnamed Turkish sources told Reuters the gathering will take place on Sept. 4.

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out on Thursday at critics of Kyiv’s tactics in its counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and should “shut up.”

“Criticising the slow pace of (the) counter-offensive equals … spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another,” Kuleba told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.

The New York Times last week quoted U.S. and other Western officials as saying that the offensive had made limited progress because Ukraine had too many troops in the wrong places.

“I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves,” Kuleba said, standing alongside Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

— Reuters

Belarus rejected what it described as European “hysteria” over the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries on its territory.

Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko described calls by Poland and Baltic countries for the Wagner Group to withdraw from Belarus as “unreasonable and stupid.”

“They got to the point that they are already demanding their immediate withdrawal from Belarus. At the same time, they themselves are increasing military budgets, pulling large military formations to our borders,” Lukashenko said, according to comments reported by state news agency BelTA and translated by NBC News.

“These are unreasonable and stupid demands, not even requests and proposals, but demands,” the president said.

The Wagner Group was effectively exiled to Russia’s ally Belarus following a failed mutiny against the Russian state in June. Earlier this week, Poland and the Baltic states, which neighbor Belarus, called for Wagner to withdraw, seeing their presence as a threat.

— Holly Ellyatt

The British government named ex-energy secretary Grant Shapps as the country’s new defence minister on Thursday, replacing Ben Wallace who said he wanted to step down after four years in the role and would quit as a lawmaker at the next national election.

Wallace, who had been touted as a potential successor to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, had taken a leading role in shaping Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Under him, Britain provided 2.3 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) of military aid to Kyiv in 2022 and became the first country to start supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles in May this year to help end Europe’s biggest land war since World War Two.

Wallace remained in post last year when Britain went through one of the most turbulent times in its political history, with the departure of two prime ministers over scandal and economic turmoil.

The defense role will be Shapps’ fifth government job over the last year, after serving in four different ministries – transport, interior affairs, business and then at energy and net zero. His appointment is unlikely to change Britain’s support for Ukraine against Russia.

— Reuters

Regional official Sergei Aksyonov said air defense forces had shot down a cruise missile in the eastern part of Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014.

In the Bryansk region of Russia that borders northern Ukraine, two unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down, the region’s Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.

CNBC was unable to immediately verify the information.

— Holly Ellyatt

Hopes are rising that Turkey will persuade Russia to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Ukraine, enabling the resumption of exports of millions of tons of grains, foodstuffs and fertilizer from some of Ukraine’s ports.

Russia pulled out of the U.N.-brokered deal in July, saying its own exports of grain and fertilizer had been impeded by sanctions and restrictions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan will discuss the possibility of launching a new Black Sea grain deal when they meet Thursday and Friday in Moscow.

Under a plan proposed by Moscow, Russia would send a million metric tons of discounted grain to Turkey, where it would then be processed and sent to countries most in need, the Foreign Ministry said, according to Reuters.

“We consider this project as the optimal working alternative to the Black Sea deal,” it said, referring to the U.N.-backed deal that Russia exited in July.

— Karen Gilchrist, Holly Ellyatt

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it will respond to a series of drone attacks on six Russian regions overnight. Russia alleged that Ukraine was behind the attacks targeting northwest and central Russia, including the Moscow region.

Briefing journalists on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the drone attacks on territory that was so far from Ukraine would not have been possible without information from Western satellites.

“The actions of the Ukrainian regime will not go unpunished,” Zakharova said, according to comments published by state news agency Tass.

“Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating and carefully documenting all facts of shelling of Russian regions by Ukrainian militants, as well as their other criminal activities,” she said.

Russia has not presented evidence that Ukraine was behind the attempted drone attacks and Kyiv has not commented.

— Holly Ellyatt

Followers of mutinous Russian mercenary Yevgeny Prigozhin laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave on Wednesday, hailing him as a fearless warrior after he was killed along with his inner circle in a yet-to-be-explained plane crash.

Prigozhin was buried at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in his home town of St Petersburg on Tuesday away from the glare of the media whom he had courted so ardently in life after leading his fighters on a dash towards Moscow before turning back.

A man wearing the shirt of his Wagner mercenaries and a cap bearing the Russian flag was among those paying respects at the grave, where red roses and carnations graced a wooden Orthodox cross lablled “Prigozhin, Yevgeny Viktorovich 1961 – 2023.” One tribute beside flowers read: “To be a warrior is to live forever.”

The private jet on which Prigozhin was travelling to St Petersburg from Moscow crashed north of Moscow with the loss of all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including Prigozhin, top Wagner commanders, his bodyguards and a crew of three.

It is still unclear what caused the plane to crash but villagers near the scene told Reuters they heard a bang and then saw the jet plummet to the ground.

The Kremlin has rejected as an “absolute lie” the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators – for which they have not provided evidence – that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge.

— Reuters

The Kremlin said Wednesday it did not rule out that the death of mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was premeditated.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, said Russia’s Investigative Committee would look into the causes of the plane crash last week that killed Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary private military company the Wagner Group, but ruled out outside involvement in the inquiry.

“It is obvious that different versions are being considered, including the version – you know what we are talking about – let’s say, a deliberate atrocity,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to comments translated by Reuters.

“Let’s wait for the results of our Russian investigation,” he added.

Peskov’s comment is the first time Moscow has acknowledged that Prigozhin’s death may not have been an accident. Prigozhin was a close ally of President Putin before he led a short-lived mutiny in June against the state that put him on a collision path with the president.

Last week, the private, Brazilian-made Embraer jet in which Prigozhin and his closest associates were traveling in, crashed north of Moscow, killing all 10 people on board.

Brazil’s aircraft investigation authority told Reuters that it will not probe the crash of the jet under international rules “at the moment.” Asked about this, Peskov said Russia’s Investigative Committee had already begun its inquiry and that “in this case there can be no talk of any international aspect.”

The Kremlin has rejected what it sees as Western “speculation” that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge for the uprising, describing it as an “absolute lie.”

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian officials accused Ukraine of launching several drone attacks against six regions in central and northwestern Russia overnight Wednesday.

One alleged attack had caused a fire at an airfield in Pskov in the northwest of the country, setting two Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft on fire and damaging several other aircraft, Russian news agency Tass reported.

The governor of the Pskov region, Mikhail Vedernikov, said on his Telegram channel that the scale of the destruction is being assessed and flights from Pskov’s airport were canceled Wednesday.

The Russian Defense Ministry also reported attempted drone attacks in the Bryansk, Kaluga and Oryol regions southwest of Moscow as well as the Ryazan area to the southeast. It said a drone had also been intercepted near the capital, prompting the authorities to close airports in the city.

“Today, at about 03:30 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement reported by Russian news agency Tass.

“The unmanned aerial vehicle was intercepted and crashed over the territory of the Ruzsky district of the Moscow region,” the ministry added.

Moscow’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports temporarily stopped all flights but have since reopened.

Ukraine has not said it was involved in the drone attacks and has typically remained tight-lipped about attacks against the Russian territory itself. Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched a massive, combined strike on the capital Kyiv overnight using attack drones and missiles.

— Holly Ellyatt