Defense minister: Drone found on Bulgaria's shore presumed to be related to Ukraine war but origin unclear
From CNN's Jessie Gretener and Amy Croffey in London
Bulgaria's Defense Minister says he assumes a drone that washed up on his country's shores is "related to the war that Russia launched against Ukraine," but added it was not possible to say conclusively whose drone it was and where it had come from.
A team was on-site in Tyulenovo early Monday morning after the drone was found the previous evening, Teodor Tagarev told CNN affiliate Nova TV. Tyulenovo lies on the Black Sea, more than 200 kilometers (about 130 miles) south of Ukraine.
The drone, which he speculated had possibly fallen into the water before being washed ashore, had carried an 82 mm high-explosive mortar. Video on the Reuters news agency showed the explosives later being detonated by army officials.
The minister said he did not know how long the drone had lain undiscovered, but said it was not the first such remnant of the war to turn up outside the conflict’s borders.
"There are already cases of fallen remains of drones and other ammunitions. We have no reason to think that this war will bypass us," Tagarev said.
9:56 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
Another vessel leaves Odesa via temporary corridor used to evacuate trapped vessels
From Olga Voitovych and Jessie Gretener in London
Cayman Islands-flagged bulk carrier Puma leaves the sea port of Odesa, in Ukraine, on September 15. Reuters
A fifth vessel has left Odesa port and is heading along a temporary Black Sea corridor established to evacuate vessels that became trapped when the war began, according to a statement from the Ukrainian government Monday.
According to the statement, "The bulk carrier PUMA (Cayman Islands) left the Odesa seaport this morning and is now heading to the Bosporus through the established corridor of ship traffic. The vessel is loaded with 16,000 tonnes of metal and 14,000 tonnes of rapeseed."
The Ukrainian government outlined that the vessel arrived at the Odesa port on February 19, 2022 and said could not leave due to “the outbreak of hostilities and the closure of the relevant areas of the Black Sea.”
More details: The temporary Black Sea corridor is being used to evacuate vessels that were in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi at the time of the full-scale invasion, according to the statement.
Four vessels had already used the temporary corridor since August 15, the statement said.
The Ukrainian government also stated that it is considering using the temporary corridor for “civilian vessels carrying non-military cargo, including grain, mainly to Africa and Asia” due to the “blocking of the Grain Initiative and the growing global demand for Ukrainian products.”
7:23 p.m. ET, September 18, 2023
Ukraine files lawsuit against 3 EU countries for banning its agricultural products
From CNN's From Jessie Gretener, Mariya Knight and Olga Voitovych
A combine harvests wheat near Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on August 4. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images
Ukraine filed lawsuits against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia over a ban on imports of its agricultural products, Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said in a statement Monday.
"It is crucially important for us to prove that individual member states cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods. That is why we are filing lawsuits against them with the World Trade Organization (WTO). At the same time, we hope that these countries will lift their restrictions and we will not have to settle the matter in courts for a long time,” Svyrydenko said.
The lawsuit comes after the European Union said on Friday that it planned to suspend a temporary ban on the export of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The measure was put in place to counter the risk of farmers in these countries being undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain.
However, Poland, Hungry, and Slovakia said they would defy it. CNN has reached out to Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary’s Ministry of Agriculture, and Slovakia’s Ministry of Agriculture for comment.
Ukraine calls this situation “a violation by the three EU countries of their international obligations.” It asked the EU members “to coordinate and harmonize trade policy, as it is within the exclusive competence of the EU," according to the statement.
Ukraine trade representative Taras Kachka told Politico that such acts of defiance show a lack of unity within the bloc and pose a “systemic concern."
“I think that all the world should see how member states in the EU behave towards trade partners and their own Union, because it can influence other states as well,” Kachka said.
Spain's agriculture minister has warned that the move by Poland, Slovakia and Hungary may be illegal.
"The fact that any member country — I'm not judging one member country, but any member country — takes unilateral action restricting what is the access to the single market, seems to me something that is out of the law," Luis Planas Puchades told reporters on his way into a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels.
Puchades said it will be for the European Commission to judge whether the unilateral bans are illegal, adding that commission representatives will brief the ministers on potential follow up action on Monday afternoon.
CNN's Niamh Kennedy contributed reporting to this post.
Editor's note: The post was updated with details of the lawsuit.
8:14 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
Catch up: Here's the latest news on the war in Ukraine
From CNN staff
Ukraine's new defense minister Rustem Umerov began the week by cleaning house, dismissing seven key officials from their posts as part of his mandate to bring a new approach to the role.
The dismissals were reported by cabinet minister Oleh Nemchinov. Umerov later wrote on social media that the ministry was "rebooting."
Here's what else you should know:
Heading to court: Kyiv plans to sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for refusing to drop a temporary export ban on Ukrainian agricultural products, Ukraine trade representative Taras Kachka reportedly told Politico. The three countries are worried their farmers will be undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain. Kachka said Ukraine planned to start legal proceedings Monday and would retaliate by targeting fruit and vegetable exports from Poland.
No comment on Kadyrov: The Russian government possesses no information on the health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose health has been the subject of speculation in recent days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. When asked about Kadyrov's reported arrival in Moscow and whether he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said he had nothing to say and there were no meetings between the two individuals.
Zelensky in the US: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York and also travel to Washington. He's scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden and US senators.
Counteroffensive near Bakhmut: Ukraine has recaptured Klishchiivka, a key village in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said Sunday. The president's office posted a picture on social media earlier in the day, indicating Kyiv's forces had liberated the area, which is critical to Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Moscow meeting: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi is expected to discuss the war in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday as he begins a visit to Russia this week. Wang and Lavrov are expected to discuss “a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues,” which include a “detailed exchange of views on issues related to a settlement in Ukraine,” according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.
8:11 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
All but one of Ukraine's 7 deputy defense ministers have been dismissed in a major shakeup
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Jessie Gretener
Seven high-ranking officials have been dismissed from the Ukrainian defense ministry, cabinet minister Oleh Nemchinov said Monday, the biggest shakeup of personnel at the top of Ukraine's defense establishment since its leader was ousted earlier this month.
Six of Ukraine's seven deputy defense ministers were fired, as was the country's state secretary for the ministry, a position that is seen as more administrative.
The comes in the wake of a number of corruption scandals involving the ministry -- and a little more than two weeks after Oleksii Reznikov lost his job as defense minister. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Reznikov was being replaced in order to bring "new approaches" to the post. The president has since tapped Rustem Umerov as his replacement.
Though Reznikov was not implicated in any of the scandals, they still appeared to damage him by association.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion, rooting out corruption was the top priority for Zelensky's administration. His promise to do so was one of the reasons for his unprecedented political success.
Zelensky, a former comedian, had zero political experience at the time of his election in 2019. But he managed to tap into the nation’s deep-rooted disappointment and disgust over rampant corruption.
It's unclear whether the dismissals on Monday were connected to allegations of corruptions or were part of the new leadership cleaning house, though Umerov hinted at the latter in a Facebook post.
"Rebooting. We started. We continue. (The) Ministry continues to work as usual," Umerov wrote.
CNN has reached out to the Ministry of Defense for comment.
7:00 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
The Kremlin says it has no information on whether Chechen leader Kadyrov is ill
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov addresses servicemen attending a review of the Chechen Republic's troops and military hardware in Grozny, Chechen Republic, on February 25, 2022. Musa Sadulayev/AP
The Russian government possesses no information on the health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose health has been the subject of speculation in recent days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
On Saturday, a Ukrainian intelligence official said that Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a vocal supporter of the war in Ukraine, was gravely ill.
A video shared on Kadyrov’s official channel on the messaging app Telegram showed him outdoors with a caption: “I strongly advise everyone who cannot distinguish truth from lies on the Internet to take a walk in the fresh air and put their thoughts in order. The rain is wonderfully invigorating.”
CNN cannot independently verify claims about Kadyrov's health.
New reports concerning Kadyrov emerged Monday. Alexey Venediktov, a prominent journalist who led the now-defunct Echo of Moscow radio station, said on Telegram that Kadyrov was undergoing hemodialysis at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow due to “renal failure.”
When asked about Kadyrov's reported arrival in Moscow and whether he met with Putin, Peskov said he had nothing to say and there were no meetings between the two individuals.
Some background: There have been persistent reports, including from some former Chechen officials, that Kadyrov has had liver and kidney problems.
In March, Kadyrov said he had taken a number of medical tests which showed that he was absolutely healthy.
“And if anyone doubts this, then you need to change the eyes that are deceiving you,” he said at the time.
Kadyrov’s Telegram channel has been active, but he’s not been seen in public recently. A video of the Chechen leader attending a meeting was posted to his Telegram channel on September 12, but it’s unknown when it was filmed.
5:33 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
Armenia is welcoming US troops onto its soil, and Russia is concerned
From CNN's Christian Edwards
Soldiers from the Kansas National Guard and 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), hold a distinguished visitor day for Eagle Partner 2023, on September 15, in a training area in Armenia. SFC Aaron Duncan/DVIDS
The arrival of US soldiers for a peacekeeper training exercise in Armenia has rankled the Russian government, which has for decades acted as the sole security guarantor for the former Soviet republic. The 10-day “Eagle Partner” exercise, which began last Monday, involves 85 US and 175 Armenian soldiers and aims to prepare the Armenians to take part in international peacekeeping missions.
The exercise, while small in scale, is the latest in a series of what Russia’s foreign ministry has deemed “unfriendly actions” taken by its traditional ally.
Armenia recently sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the first time, and its parliament is set to ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute – meaning it would be obliged to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to set foot in the country, which Russia has long viewed as its own backyard.
Armenia’s flirtation with new international partners has been spurred by its frustration that Russia has been unable or unwilling to defend it against what it sees as aggression from neighboring Azerbaijan, and has raised questions about Russia’s ability to retain its hold on countries and conflicts across the former Soviet empire.
Read more about Armenia's geopolitical balancing act here:
Ukraine's counteroffensive has been successful, top Zelensky aide tells CNN
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Frederik Pleitgen, Daniel Hodge and Kostyantin Gak in Kyiv
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaks during an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 19. Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images/File
Ukraine’s counteroffensive agains Russian forces has been a success, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In an interview with CNN, Zelensky aide Mykhailo Podolyak cited having broken through Russian’s first line of defense as a reason of optimism in Ukraine's fight against the Kremlin -- a military power that, Podolyak explained, “everyone was afraid of” before Moscow's full-scale invasion.
The initiative is entirely with Ukraine," Podolyak said.
"Even Russian officials like Putin say that they are repelling Ukraine's offensive operations. They don't talk about their counteroffensive, they only talk about Russia's defensive war."
After weeks of anticipation, Ukraine's counteroffensive began in June but got off to a slower-than-expected start, facing tough resistance from Russian troops. Kyiv's forces have in recent weeks notched some important gains on the front lines.
Podolyak added that Ukraine was preparing to fight to liberate Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law in 2014.
More aid needed: Podolyak said Ukraine needs from its Western partners more air support, particularly F-16 fighter jets; long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian-controlled territories; and ammunition.
4:35 a.m. ET, September 18, 2023
Danube port targeted in Russian attacks
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Alex Stambaugh
Russian attacks damaged recreational infrastructure in a Danube River port, a Ukrainian official said Monday.
Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa regional military administration, said a fire broke out following the attacks on Vylkove in Odesa's Izmail district.
Earlier Monday, Ukraine's military said Russia targeted civilian infrastructure in Odesa with a "massive" missile and drone attack.
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 11 attack drones over Odesa, Kiper said.
