EU "strongly condemns" sham elections held in Russian-annexed parts of Ukraine
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London
Members of an electoral commission empty a ballot box to count ballots at a polling station during local elections held by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on September 10. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
The European Union "strongly" condemned the "illegitimate" elections held over the weekend in Russian-annexed parts of Ukraine, adding that it will not recognize their results.
"These illegal so-called 'elections' in Ukraine took place amidst Russia’s forced and illegal granting of passports, including to children, forced transfer and deportation, widespread and systematic violations and abuses of human rights as well as intimidation and increasing repression of Ukrainian citizens by Russia and its illegitimately appointed authorities in the temporary occupied territories of Ukraine," the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said Monday in a press release.
Borrell urged Russia to "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders."
"Sham" elections: Russia staged regional and local elections from September 8-10 in southern and eastern parts of Ukraine it has illegally annexed.
The elections represented another attempt by Moscow to enforce a narrative of Russian legitimacy in the parts of Ukraine it holds — areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk regions — even as Kyiv's counteroffensive makes some progress towards liberating towns in the south.
The international community broadly dismissed the elections as a sham.
A resident of the southern city of Melitopol told CNN "the election results are already well known" — before the vote had even been held.
Russian aggression in Ukraine "synonymous with torture,” says UN official
From CNN's Tim Lister
The basement of a building which Ukrainian authorities say was a makeshift Russian prison and torture chamber during Russia's invasion in the village of Kozacha Lopan, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on September 18, 2022. Viktoriia Yakymenko/Reuters
Russia’s armed aggression “is becoming synonymous with torture and other inhuman cruelty,” according to the United Nations official responsible for investigating torture.
“The volume of credible allegations of torture and other inhumane acts that are being perpetrated against civilians and prisoners of war by Russian authorities appears to be unabating,” UN Special Rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards said Sunday at the end of her visit to Kyiv.
“These grievous acts appear neither random nor incidental, but rather orchestrated as part of a state policy to intimidate, instil fear, punish, or extract information and confessions,” Edwards said.
Edwards said she had gathered “harrowing testimonies involving electric charges being applied to ears and genitals, beatings of all kinds, mock executions at gunpoint, simulated drowning, being required to hold stress positions, threats of rape or death, and various ceremonies of ridicule and humiliation.”
“Returned Ukrainian civilians and soldiers recounted being crowded in basements and cells, in congested conditions, and being poorly fed. Several lost dangerous levels of weight.”
Edwards also visited places in Ukraine where Russian prisoners of war are held.
“I found that sincere efforts have been made by the Ukrainian authorities to treat Russian prisoners of war respectfully. The barrack-style facilities I visited were hygienic and orderly. Prisoners were being well fed," she said.
Growing evidence: Edwards' comments came days after Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin claimed that roughly 90% of Ukrainian prisoners of war had been subjected to torture, rape and other forms of cruel treatment.
Ukraine found "evidence of these horrors in all the liberated territories," Kostin said, during a meeting with Edwards last week.
According to Ukrainian government figures, over 103,000 war crimes proceedings have been registered so far.
“The work that the Ukrainian authorities are undertaking to document war crimes is all the more impressive given that it is being carried out ‘in real time.’ That early action is virtually unprecedented anywhere in the world,” Edwards said at the conclusion of her visit to Ukraine.
However, Edwards warned that there are major obstacles to bringing the alleged perpetrators to justice. The inaccessibility of presently-occupied areas, the loss of crucial evidence due to deterioration and lapse of time between the crime and liberation when investigations can begin, and adapting the criminal justice system to be able to process and prosecute international atrocity crimes, will all pose challenges to Ukrainian prosecutors.
9:04 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
"No one will be able to compete" with Putin if he runs for president in 2024, says Kremlin spokesperson
From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Stephanie Halasz
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on August 2. Alexander Kazakov/AFP/Getty Images
“No one will be able to compete” with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he decides to run for reelection in 2024, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
Peskov, quoted by the state-run media Russia-24, claimed Putin “enjoys absolute support from the population.”
"The president has not yet announced that he will nominate his candidacy. But if we assume that the president does, then it is obvious that in our country at the current stage no one can really compete with the President,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Preparations for the presidential elections have not yet begun in the Kremlin, Peskov said.
Russia’s next presidential election is due to be held in March 2024, with a possible second round theoretically being held in April.
In 2020, Russian lawmakers voted in favor of a last-ditch proposal to reset the clock on Putin’s presidential term count in an updated version of the constitution, in effect allowing Putin to remain as president until 2036.
Peskov's comments about the next presidential election come the day after elections were held in several annexed regions of Ukraine. These elections — expected to deliver victories for Putin's United Russia party candidates, many of whom ran unopposed — were widely dismissed as a sham by the international community.
6:29 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Russia’s withdrawal from grain deal fueling global food insecurity, says UN Human Rights Commissioner
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls in London
Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 11. Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Speaking at the opening of the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, Türk said that global hunger levels have returned to as they were in 2005, with almost 600 million people projected to be “chronically undernourished” by 2030.
“A year and a half of horrific warfare has ravaged Ukraine, with a heart-wrenching toll on its people, and damage to vast areas of agricultural land,” Türk said. “The Russian Federation's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, and attacks on grain facilities in Odesa and elsewhere, have again forced prices sky-high in many developing countries – taking the right to food far out of reach for many people."
Türk said the planet has sufficient financial resources, technology, and land to provide “adequate food for all.”
Despite this, he continued, “climate change, the consequences of the pandemic, and Russia’s war on Ukraine” are some of the reasons behind the continued existence of global hunger and food insecurity.
“The world is betraying our promise to end hunger by 2030,” Türk said. “The human rights cause in all its facets has the potential to unify us, at a time when we urgently need to come together to confront the existential challenges that face humanity.”
“All of us need to play our part,” he added.
Some context: Ukraine, often referred to as the “breadbasket of Europe,” is a major exporter of grain, much of which is sent to developing countries in Africa. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country, its navy blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, preventing Ukraine from exporting its crops to countries in need.
The first UN-chartered vessel MV Brave Commander loads more than 23,000 tonnes of grain to export to Ethiopia, in Yuzhne, Ukraine, on August 14, 2022. Oleksander Gimanov/AFP/Getty Images
The blockade remained in place for several months, before Russia agreed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 – a major diplomatic breakthrough brokered by the United Nations and Turkey – which allowed the exports of grain to continue.
However, Russia allowed the deal to lapse in July of this year. It has since resumed its blockade of Ukraine’s ports – as well as launching a prolonged bombardment of Ukraine’s port infrastructure and grain storage facilities.
1:52 p.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Ukrainian forces have won control of drilling platforms near Crimean coast, says military intelligence
From CNN's Tim Lister
A screengrab from a video released by the Ukraine Defense Intelligence shows Ukrainian special forces during an operation to take control of Bokyo Towers off the northwest coast of Crimea. Portions of this image have been blurred by the Ukraine Defense Intelligence. Ukraine Defense Intelligence
Ukrainian forces have regained control of oil and gas drilling platforms off the north-west coast of Crimea, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (DI) said Monday.
The platforms, known as the Boyko Towers, have been controlled by Russia since soon after Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Ukraine’s DI said the Towers had been used by the Russians as helicopter landing sites and for the deployment of radar equipment.
“A unique operation to establish control over Boyko's towers was carried out by the Defence Intelligence units,” DI said.
“During the operation, the special forces managed to capture valuable trophies: a stockpile of helicopter munitions of the UAM type (unguided aircraft missiles), as well as the Neva radar, which can track the movement of ships in the Black Sea,” DI said.
“During one phase of the operation, a battle took place between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian Su-30 fighter jet. As a result of the battle, the Russian aircraft was hit and forced to retreat."
Noting clashes for control of the Towers last month, the UK Defense Ministry said that they could serve “as advanced bases for force deployment, helicopter pads, and sites for the placement of long-range missile systems.”
7:41 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Putin arrives in Vladivostok for Eastern Economic Forum, says Kremlin spokesperson
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin applauds while visiting the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex, in Bolshoi Kamen, outside of Vladivostok, Russia, on September 11. Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok to attend the meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday, according to state TV Russia 24.
Russia has held the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok since 2015, in an attempt to encourage foreign investment in Russia’s far east.
The annual meeting is being held amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be on a train heading to Russia, after US officials warned last week that Kim may meet with President Vladimir Putin to strike a potential arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The New York Times reported that the potential meeting between Kim and Putin may take place on the campus of a university in Vladivostok.
5:19 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Kim Jong Un appears to be en route to Russia amid arms deal speculation, South Korean media reports
From CNN's Jake Kwon and Gawon Bae
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during his visit to the navy headquarters in North Korea on August 27, in this government hand out image. Korean Central News Agency/AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be on a train headed to Russia, according to officials cited in multiple South Korean media outlets on Monday.
The reports come just days after the US government warned that Kim may soon travel to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin for discussions on a potential deal to supply Moscow with weapons for its war on Ukraine.
The National Security Council said last week that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing,” after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in July in an attempt to convince North Korean officials to sell artillery ammunition to Moscow.
“We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” the council’s spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement.
Watson did not say when and where a potential meeting between Kim and Putin in Russia might take place.
Neither Russia nor North Korea have officially confirmed the meeting.
Remember: In 2019, Kim made his first trip to Russia as the leader of North Korea and traveled from Pyongyang to Vladivostok on an armored green train. Going by train is the preferred mode of travel by the reclusive North Korean leader.
4:58 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Ukraine reports advances near Bakhmut and Donetsk city
From CNN's Josh Pennington, Olga Voitovych and Tim Lister
Servicemen of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade conduct a reconnaissance mission near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on September 7. Reuters
Ukrainian officials reported modest progress against Russian forces around in eastern Ukraine, including and an unexpected success close to the airport of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk.
Officials also say that intense efforts continue to prevent the Russians from advancing in northern areas.
There were “very high dynamics and activity” on the frontlines, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on Monday.
In Bakhmut, Maliar said Ukrainian forces had "pushed the enemy out of their strongholds" south of the city and described its movements as a success in two villages, namely Klischiivka and Andriivka.
A Russian military blogger acknowledged Monday that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had entered Andriivka.
Ukraine forces regained another two square kilometers of territory while towards north of Bakhmut, Ukrainian units had fended off a number of Russian assaults, Maliar said.
Bakhmut eventually fell to Russian forces in May, after Ukrainian defenders held out for months against a grueling offensive conducted mostly by the mercenary Wagner Group. The tactics deployed by Wagner were often referred to as a "meat grinder," due to the vast quantity of Russian troops used to try to capture the city.
Ukraine has since attempted to wrest the city back from Russian control and over the summer made advances from its northern and southern flanks.
Situation in Donetsk: Russian forces persisted with efforts to break through Ukrainian defenses at several points along the front lines in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions pushing into the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to Maliar.
The Russian focus had been in the area of Sinkivka in Kharkiv region's eastern part, she said, adding that Ukrainian forces had "seriously destroyed the enemy's offensive forces there."
"The enemy has not managed to pass the line and will not succeed," Maliar said.
Both Ukrainian and Russian sources described heavy fighting north of Donetsk airport, which has been a front line since pro-Russian fighters took control of part of Donetsk region in 2014.
Maliar and other officials said that Ukrainian units have managed to take part of the Opytne village located north of the airport in the direction towards Avdiivka of the Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, unofficial Russian accounts acknowledged a withdrawal from the area, meaning Ukrainian forces are drawing close to the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.
According to the Ukrainian head of Avdiivka Civil Military Administration, Vitaly Barabash, Ukrainian forces "managed to gain a foothold there."
Maliar said the fighting in the East was still intense, with about 8,000 attacks along the entire Eastern Front line with Russian forces using about 370,000 rounds of ammunition.
In the south, Maliar confirmed that “in some places the first line of [Russian] defense has already been broken through and our troops are moving on.”
Only 1.5 square kilometers had been liberated, but work continued to weaken Russian supply lines and destroy command posts and ammunition depots, Maliar said.
The Ukrainian General Staff said that there were more than 30 combat engagements on Sunday, with the Russians carrying out an unusually high 87 air strikes.
The General Staff also claimed that the Russians would soon begin a “massive forced mobilization” to make up for military losses.
3:19 a.m. ET, September 11, 2023
Brazil’s President Lula says it’s up to the judiciary whether to arrest Putin if he visits the country
From CNN’s Jake Kwon
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at a press conference in New Delhi on September 11. Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
It is the decision of Brazil's judiciary whether to arrest Russian leader Vladimir Putin if he visits the country for next year’s G20 summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday.
"If Putin decides to join, it is the judiciary's power to decide and not my government,” Lula told reporters in New Delhi, where he was attending this year’s G20 summit.
His latest statement deviated from his earlier stance made on Saturday when Lula said that Putin would not be arrested if he were to come to Brazil for next year's summit in Rio de Janeiro.
"I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil," Lula said in an on-camera interview with Indian news outlet Firstpost. "What I can say to you is that if I'm president of Brazil, and he comes to Brazil, there's no way he will be arrested."
Some context: The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin for an alleged scheme deporting Ukrainian children to Russia. The Kremlin has labeled the ICC’s actions as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
The ICC warrant put South Africa in a bind: As a signatory to the treaty governing the Hague court, South Africa is obliged to arrest individuals indicted by the ICC. Though the Kremlin bristled at any implication that Putin ducked out of the BRICS summit because of an ICC warrant.
Putin himself told journalists on July 29 that he didn’t think his presence at BRICS was “more important than my presence in Russia now,” according to state news agency TASS.
