Ukraine's outgoing defense minister Reznikov submits resignation to parliament
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Ukraine's Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov during his meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, in Athens, Greece, on April 6. Menelaos Myrillas/SOOC/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Monday submitted his resignation, a day after it was announced he would be replaced.
"Following the decision of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, I submitted my resignation to the Ukrainian Parliament. I am ready for the report. Let's keep the line!" he wrote on Facebook, alongside photos of himself with his resignation letter.
Reznikov's removal comes in the wake of a number of corruption scandals involving Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. While Reznikov has not been implicated in any of the scandals, they have still been seen to damage him by association.
Zelensky has nominated Rustem Umerov to become Ukraine's new defense minister. His nomination will need to be approved by parliament before he can assume the position.
2:38 a.m. ET, September 4, 2023
Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Russia attacked Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region with drones, a Ukrainian military official said Monday.
Serhii Lysak, head of the region's military administration, said six drones were destroyed by air defenses, but a strike on an infrastructure facility sparked a fire in Dnipro.
No casualties were reported, he said.
Ukraine's air force said Monday that 23 out of 32 Shahed drones launched by Russia toward Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa had been destroyed.
For the second consecutive night, Russian drones attacked Danube River ports in Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Monday, the latest in a spate of assaults on the facilities since Moscow pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal in July.
2:18 a.m. ET, September 4, 2023
Russia has recruited 280,000 soldiers this year, Medvedev says
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting in Moscow, Russia on July, 18. Anton Novoderjozhkin/SIPAPRE/Sipa/AP
Around 280,000 personnel have been accepted into the Russian military for contracted service since the start of the year, senior Russian official Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday.
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's security council, made the claim in a video posted on Telegram ahead of a meeting on military staffing with the heads of Russia's far eastern regions.
"Some of these people were in the reserve and some of them are volunteers and some other categories," Medvedev said in the video.
Some context: Thousands of men have fled Russia in order to avoid being conscripted and the exact number of Russian soldiers killed and injured fighting in Ukraine has not been made public. Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin backed a plan to expand the Russian armed forces to 1.5 million soldiers.
1:37 a.m. ET, September 4, 2023
Russia again targets Danube ports as Putin prepares to discuss grain deal with Erdogan
From CNN's Maria Kostenko
A firefighter works at a site following a Russia's drone attacks in Odesa region, Ukraine on September 3. State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Reuters
Russian forces launched a "massive" drone attack on Ukraine's Danube River area for the second straight night, Ukrainian officials said Monday, just hours before Russia's president is scheduled to meet with his Turkish counterpart to discuss reviving the vital Black Sea grain deal.
In a Telegram post Monday, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces said it shot down 17 drones, but the attack in the Odesa region had damaged multiple targets, including warehouses and agricultural equipment.
"The enemy has once again defiantly and powerfully attacked the south of Odesa region," the forces said. "A massive overnight attack by Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles targeted civilian infrastructure in the Danube area." There were no reports of casualties, it added.
Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa region military administration, reported damage in Izmail district, home to one of Ukraine's main Danube ports.
It comes a day after Russia launched a drone attack on the Danube port of Reni that killed two people, according to Ukrainian officials.
Grain deal: The airstrikes are the latest attempt by Moscow to target Ukrainian shipping infrastructure since July, when Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal that allowed Ukrainian ships to bypass a Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports and navigate safe passage through the waterway to Turkey’s Bosporus Strait in order to reach global markets.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi as Ankara tries to convince Moscow to reconsider its withdrawal from the deal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously said Russia will be ready to rejoin the grain initiative as soon as it sees guarantees that benefits promised to Moscow will be implemented.
12:56 a.m. ET, September 4, 2023
Ukrainian military boats destroyed in Black Sea, Russia claims
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Four Ukrainian military boats carrying troops were destroyed by Russian aircraft in the Black Sea overnight, Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed Monday.
In a Telegram post, the ministry claimed the four US-made Willard Sea Force boats were intercepted while heading toward Cape Tarkhankut on Crimea's northwest coast.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Ukrainian attacks on the occupied Crimean peninsula have ramped up in recent weeks, with Russia claiming to have thwarted a number of attempted assaults.
Last Wednesday, Russia claimed it had destroyed four Ukrainian military boats with special forces on board in the Black Sea, a week after Kyiv said Ukrainian forces had carried out one of their most complex and ambitious operations to date against Russian military facilities in Crimea.
11:59 p.m. ET, September 3, 2023
It's morning in Kyiv. Catch up on the latest headlines here
From CNN staff
Ukraine will appoint a new defense minister this week after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he had dismissed Oleksii Reznikov and nominated Rustem Umerov, the former people's deputy of Ukraine, to replace him.
Reznikov's removal comes in the wake of a number of corruption scandals involving Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. While Reznikov has not been implicated in any of them, the scandals have still been seen to damage him by association.
Here's what else you need to know about Russia's war in Ukraine:
Grain talks: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet with his Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Sochi Monday, as Ankara attempts to convince Moscow to revive the Black Sea grain deal. Russia pulled out of the Turkey and UN-brokered agreement on July 17, delivering a blow to global food supplies.
Port strikes: Ahead of the talks, Russia attacked Ukrainian ports on the Danube River in Odesa on Sunday, its latest assault on the facilities since pulling out of the grain agreement. An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to create a "food crisis" with the attacks.
Romanian rebuke: Russia's attack on the ports Sunday hit just across the border from NATO member Romania. Romania’s Ministry of Defense condemned the attack, calling it "unjustified and in deep contradiction with the rules of international humanitarian law." There was no direct threat to Romanian territory or its territorial waters, the ministry said.
Ukrainian drones: Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the southwest Kursk region and occupied Crimea early Monday, Moscow's defense ministry said. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted Russian territory in recent weeks as Kyiv ramps up its apparent effort to wear down Russian domestic support for the war.
On the ground: Heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continues to rock part of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military said Sunday. Meanwhile, three people were killed and several others injured in Russian shelling in frontline areas of Ukraine overnight into Sunday.
Southern front: Ukraine says it is consolidating battlefield gains as Kyiv and US officials push back on claims the counteroffensive is moving too slowly. Progress has been limited, but last week Kyiv breached Russian defenses on the southern front.
9:38 p.m. ET, September 3, 2023
Russia intercepts two Ukrainian drones, defense ministry says
From CNN’s Josh Pennington
Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones early Monday, Russia's defense ministry said.
In a Telegram post, the ministry said the drones were attempting to carry out attacks on the southwestern Kursk region and on Crimea, the peninsula illegally occupied by Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted Russian territory in recent weeks as Kyiv ramps up its apparent effort to wear down Russian domestic support for the war.
12:08 a.m. ET, September 4, 2023
Zelensky fires Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Jonny Hallam
Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a celebration ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 24. Stringer/NurPhoto/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, saying the ministry needs "new approaches" as the war with Russia enters its 19th month.
"This week, parliament will be asked to make a personnel decision ... I have decided to replace the minister of defense of Ukraine. Oleksii Reznikov has gone through more than 550 days of full-scale war," the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky nominated Rustem Umerov, the former people's deputy of Ukraine, to become the new defense minister.
"The Verkhovna Rada (legislature) of Ukraine knows this person well, and Mr. Umerov does not need any additional introductions," Zelensky said. "I expect parliament to support this candidate."
Key context: Reznikov's removal comes in the wake of a number of corruption scandals involving Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. While Reznikov has not been implicated in any of them, the scandals have still been seen to damage him by association.
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva, Eve Brennan and Tim Lister
Heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continues to rock part of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Illia Yevlash, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military, said on Sunday.
The Ukrainian military refers to the area of the fighting as the Kupiansk-Lyman sector, named for two major cities in the area. Russia has committed thousands of additional troops to this area to repel Ukraine's counteroffensive.
The fighting near Kupiansk has gotten so intense that it has forced civilians to evacuate in recent weeks.
Yevlash said Russia shelled Ukrainian positions 570 times Saturday while also attacking using aircraft. Yevlash added that Russian troops are focusing their efforts just across the border from Kharkiv, targeting the village of Novoiehorivka in Luhansk. Their aim, Yevlash said, is to "carve out a corridor" in Ukraine's defenses from higher ground in Novoiehorivka.
Yevlash said five firefights had taken place over the past 24 hours, none of which were successful for Russia. He claimed 126 Russian troops were killed and seven Russian drones, one field ammo depot and vehicle were destroyed.
CNN cannot independently verify battlefield reports from either side of the conflict.
