September 19, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

In his first in-person appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on world leaders to unite to defeat Russia.

During his address in New York on Tuesday, Zelensky warned leaders at the UNGA that the goal of Russia with its invasion is "not only about Ukraine."

First, he gave the example of Russia's blockade of the Black Sea ports, which makes it hard for Ukraine to ship its food grains, raising concerns about rising food prices contributing to global hunger.

Then, Zelensky pointed to Russia trying to block gas and oil supply to European countries that were dependent on it, calling it "weaponization of energy."

"Kremlin weaponized oil and gas to weaken the leaders of other countries," he said, adding that "Now, now this threat is even greater."

"It is also turning other country's power plants into real dirty bombs. Look, please, what Russia did to our Zaporizhzhia power plant — shelled it, occupied it and then blackmails others with radiation leaks," he continued.

He went on to say that Russia must be stopped. "We must act united to defeat the aggressor and focus all our capabilities and energy on addressing these challenges. As nukes are restrained, likewise, the aggressor must be restrained," Zelensky said

Here are the latest developments:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba reiterated Ukraine’s call for an end to what he described as Russia's “nuclear blackmail” at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, following a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in New York. 

Earlier Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly that Russia is turning other countries' power plants into “dirty bombs.” 

"Russia is weaponizing nuclear energy. Not only it is spreading its unreliable nuclear power plant construction technologies, but it is also turning other countries' power plants into real dirty bombs." Zelensky said.

Ukrainian special services were likely behind a series of drone strikes and a ground operation directed against a Wagner-backed militia near Sudan’s capital, a CNN investigation has found, raising the prospect that the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spread far from the frontlines. 

The operation involved a series of attacks on the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is believed to be receiving assistance from Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, in its fight against the Sudanese army for control of the country. 

CNN was unable to independently confirm Ukraine’s involvement in the series of strikes. But video footage obtained by CNN revealed the hallmarks of Ukrainian-style drone attacks.

Two commercially available drones widely used by Ukrainians were involved in at least eight of the strikes, with Ukrainian text seen on the drone controller. Experts also said the tactics used — namely the pattern of drones swooping directly into their target — were highly unusual in Sudan and the wider African region. 

Covert strikes by Ukraine in Sudan would mark a dramatic and provocative expansion of Kyiv’s theater of war against Moscow. Aside from a string of Ukrainian drone attacks that hit deep inside Russian territory, Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive has been focused on the country’s occupied east and south.

Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were captured in the drone footage. Portions of those videos have been circulating on social media since Thursday. Footage of the ground operation has not previously been published. 

A high-level Sudanese military source said he had “no knowledge of a Ukrainian operation in Sudan” and did not believe it was true.

Multiple US officials appeared unaware of the alleged incident and expressed surprise at the suggestion that the strikes and ground operation may have been conducted by Ukrainian forces.

The videos, which alternate between the pilot’s view, the viewpoint of a drone observing from overhead and the controller itself, show a succession of drone strikes in and around Omdurman, a city across the Nile River from the capital Khartoum which has become a focal point of fighting between the two rival factions.

Read more about the apparent covert operation.

As a staunch advocate for additional Ukraine aid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is defending Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for more money.

It comes a few days before the Ukrainian president will visit the US Capitol. He will attend an all-Senate meeting on Thursday morning, McConnell said Tuesday.

Facing a deadline and a possible government shutdown at the end of the month, Congress is weighing a White House request for more aid for Ukraine. Its passage remains in doubt, with the GOP fiercely divided over the issue.

“These people in Ukraine who are fighting for their independence are taking on one of the two big adversaries we have: Russia and China. It seems to me we ought to be helping,” added McConnell.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned global leaders at the UN General Assembly that the goal of Russia with its invasion is "not only about Ukraine."

First, he gave the example of Russia's blockade of the Black Sea ports which makes it hard for Ukraine to ship its food grains, raising concerns about rising food prices contributing to global hunger.

"It's clear — Russia's attempt to weaponize the food shortage on the global market in exchange for recognition for some, if not all, of the captured territories," Zelensky said. "Russia is launching the food prices as weapons. Their impact spans from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the southeast Asia. And this is a threat scale."

Then, Zelensky pointed to Russia trying to block gas and oil supply to European countries that were dependent on it, calling it "weaponization of energy."

"Kremlin weaponized oil and gas to weaken the leaders of other countries," he said, adding that "Nnow, now this threat is even greater."

"It is also turning other country's power plants into real dirty bombs. Look, please, what Russia did to our Zaporizhzhia power plant — shelled it, occupied it and then blackmails others with radiation leaks," he continued.

Zelensky also pointed to Russia's relations with other countries. "When hatred is weaponized against one nation, it never stops there. Each decade Russia starts a new war. Parts of Moldova and Georgia remain occupied. Russia turned Syria into ruins," he said. "Russia has almost swallowed Belarus. It's obviously threatening Kazakhstan and other Baltic states."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the world must unite to defeat Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Zelensky said he is working on a global peace summit but did not say when it would be held.

“While Russia is pushing the world to the final war, Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after Russian aggression, no one in the world will dare to attack any nation,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an appeal Tuesday to world leaders to restrain Russia's weaponization of nuclear plants.

Russia is weaponizing nuclear energy and "turning other countries' power plants into real dirty bombs," Zelensky said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He was referring to the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Russia "shelled it, occupied it and now blackmails others with radiation leaks. Is there any sense to reduce nuclear weapons when Russia is weaponizing nuclear power plants," the president asked.

The world doesn't have a response or protection against such a threat, Zelensky said. "And there is no accountability for radiation blackmailers, so far," he said.

Some context: Zaporizhzhia NPP, with six reactors, is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. It was mostly built in the Soviet era and became Ukrainian property after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The plant is located on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The area, and the nuclear complex, have been under Russian control since the beginning of the war, but the plant is still mostly operated by Ukrainian workers.

In June, Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had “received information that Russia is considering a scenario of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP),” and that the alleged attack would involve “radiation leakage.”

In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's wartime practice of forcibly taking Ukrainian children to Russia, calling it "genocide."

"We know the names of tens of thousands of children, and have evidence on hundreds of thousands of others kidnapped by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine and later deported," he said Tuesday. 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

Zelensky said the war in Ukraine is the latest in a long list of Russia's conflicts.

"Each decade Russia starts a new war. Parts of Moldova and Georgia remain occupied. Russia turned Syria into ruins," he argued.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of weaponizing the global food supply in its war in Ukraine during his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.

It is the first time the Ukrainian president has addressed the assembly in person.

He said in addition to ammunition and military equipment, Russia is “weaponizing many other things,” like the supply of food, which is impacting many countries, not just Ukraine.

He said port cities and infrastructure have been the subject of increasing attacks by Russia.

“Russia is launching the food prices as weapons,” he added.

The president said Ukraine is working to establish land routes for Ukrainian food exports and urged leaders to support the initiatives.