Summary
It is just past 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
The European Commission on Friday urged EU member states to reassess the terms on which they grant visas to Russian travellers and to root out applicants that pose a security threat. “We should not be naive, Putin’s aim is to destroy the EU and he would like to attack us where we are weakest,” warned EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.
Russia said on Friday it was dispatching reinforcements to the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have announced robust gains as part of a broader counter-offensive. State media broadcast footage of columns of Russian tanks, support vehicles and artillery travelling along paved roads and dirt tracks, emblazoned with the letter “Z”, the symbol of Moscow’s invasion.
The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Friday that it had pushed back against Russian attacks near 10 settlements, the Kyiv Independent reports. It added that Russian forces had launched more than 12 missiles and more than 12 airstrikes on Ukrainian territory in the last 24 hours.
Shelling has destroyed power infrastructure at the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar where staff operating the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant live. The shelling posses a growing threat to the plant, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday.
EU finance ministers on Friday supported a €5bn ($5bn) loan for Ukraine to help maintain the country’s schools, hospitals and other needed operations in the midst of Russia’s invasion. The €5bn loan agreed on Friday, which will be backed by guarantees of EU member states, is part of an overall €9bn package announced in May.
The EU executive pledged on Friday to devise unprecedented measures in the coming days to address an energy price shock as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine, including a controversial gas price cap that could further anger the Kremlin. European energy ministers tasked the European Commission with working through the weekend to draw up legal texts that will include emergency funding for consumers struggling to afford soaring bills.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday conditions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are increasingly precarious and that a safety zone around it needs to be established immediately to prevent a nuclear accident. IAEA director Rafael Mariano Grossi said that there is minimal chance of re-establishing reliable offsite power lines to the plant and its Ukrainian operator is considering shutting down the only remaining operating reactor.
A Russian-appointed official in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region announced on Friday that civilians are being evacuated from three of the region’s Russian-controlled territories that have come under threat from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Updated
The European Commission on Friday urged EU member states to reassess the terms on which they grant visas to Russian travellers and to root out applicants that pose a security threat.
“We should not be naive, Putin’s aim is to destroy the EU and he would like to attack us where we are weakest,” warned EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson, Agence France-Presse reports.
Johansson warned that civilians could act as spies, saboteurs or provocateurs and alleged that some Russian travellers had sought to harass and humiliate Ukrainian refugees, who have been granted protected status within the EU.
“We can not exclude that people are coming with the aim to provoke, to try to get some social unrest, or to provoke violence or riots or things like that or to try to use propaganda,” she said.
On Friday, the EU formally suspended a 2007 visa facilitation pact that had made it easier and cheaper for Russians to travel to Europe, but stopped short of the full travel ban demanded by some member states.
Johansson said the new rules would still allow passage to vetted dissidents, journalists and humanitarian cases, but that applications for simple tourist and business visas should be “reassessed.”
Just under a million Russians already hold visas for the EU’s Schengen travel area, and the commissioner said member states should also reassess these existing travel documents.
Russia said on Friday it was dispatching reinforcements to the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv’s forces have announced robust gains as part of a broader counter-offensive.
Agence France-Presse reports:
State media broadcast footage of columns of Russian tanks, support vehicles and artillery travelling along paved roads and dirt tracks, emblazoned with the letter “Z”, the symbol of Moscow’s invasion.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said meanwhile that Russia’s push to send reinforcements showed Moscow was paying “huge costs” in its bid to capture and then hold Ukrainian territory.
A Moscow-installed official in the region, Vitaliy Ganchev, said in televised remarks that “fierce battles” were under way near Balakliya, a town in the Kharkiv region that Ukraine said it had recaptured on Thursday.
“We do not control Balakliya. Attempts are being made to dislodge the Ukrainian forces, but there are fierce battles and our troops are being held back on the approaches,” Ganchev said.
“Now Russian reserves have been brought there, our troops are fighting back,” he added.
His comments come after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared footage late Thursday showing camouflage-clad Ukrainian soldiers holding his country’s blue-and-yellow flag over Balakliya.
The town, which had been under Russian control for around six months and had a pre-war population of around 30,000 people, fell easily and early on to Russian forces who invaded in February.
Now, Russian officials in the Kharkiv region say they are evacuating civilians towards Russia “until the situation stabilises.”
“We have been trying to focus all our efforts on evacuating the local population for three or four days,” Russian-appointed official Maxim Gubin said.
The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Friday that it had pushed back against Russian attacks near 10 settlements, the Kyiv Independent reports.
It added that Russian forces had launched more than 12 missiles and more than 12 airstrikes on Ukrainian territory in the last 24 hours.
Updated
Shelling destroys power infrastructure in Enerhodar, says UN nuclear watchdog
Shelling has destroyed power infrastructure at the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar where staff operating the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant live, posing a growing threat to the plant, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday.
Reuters reports:
The plant’s offsite power lines, vital lines of defence against potential nuclear meltdown, have already been cut and the shelling at Enerhodar has caused a lasting blackout there.
That has prompted Ukraine to say it may have to shut down the last operating reactor supplying power to Zaporizhzhia including the cooling systems for the plant’s nuclear fuel.
“This is an unsustainable situation and is becoming increasingly precarious. Enerhodar has gone dark. The power plant has no offsite power. And we have seen that once infrastructure is repaired, it is damaged once again,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement.
Updated
EU finance ministers on Friday supported a €5bn ($5bn) loan for Ukraine to help maintain the country’s schools, hospitals and other needed operations in the midst of Russia’s invasion.
The €5bn loan agreed on Friday, which will be backed by guarantees of EU member states, is part of an overall €9bn package announced in May. The first €1bn was fully sent in early August, while the Czech finance minister, Zbynek Stanjura, said upcoming meetings would decide how the remaining €3bn in the package could be split into loans or grants.
“All member states agreed on further support for Ukraine,” Stanjura said.
The ministers also discussed short-term financing options and longer-term options to help Ukraine fund its reconstruction in the future.
A report released Friday by the World Bank, Ukrainian government and European Commission calculated Russia’s invasion caused more than $97bn in direct damages to Ukraine through to 1 June, while it could cost nearly $350bn to rebuild the country.
The European Commission vice-president, Valdis Dombrovski, said costs to help re-build Ukraine would be immense as the war drags into a seventh month.
“Clearly Ukraine needs short-term financial assistance to keep the country running on a daily basis and maintain essential services,” he said. “We also need to look beyond immediate needs, as long-term costs for Ukraine’s reconstruction are likely to keep growing as long as war continues.”
Updated
The EU executive pledged on Friday to devise unprecedented measures in the coming days to address an energy price shock as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine, including a controversial gas price cap that could further anger the Kremlin.
European energy ministers tasked the European Commission with working through the weekend to draw up legal texts that will include emergency funding for consumers struggling to afford soaring bills.
The EU will table “unprecedented measures next week for an unprecedented situation”, energy commissioner Kadri Simson said, after meeting the ministers.
Simson said compensation for struggling households and businesses would be covered by a levy on non-gas electricity companies, such as nuclear, solar or renewable firms, that are seeing a revenue bonanza on the back of high prices for electric power.
She added that fossil fuel companies would also be levied on their mega profits from the inflated energy prices.
Updated
Nuclear watchdog calls for Zaporizhzhia safety zone to prevent nuclear accident
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday conditions at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are increasingly precarious and that a safety zone around it needs to be established immediately to prevent a nuclear accident.
IAEA director Rafael Mariano Grossi said that there is minimal chance of re-establishing reliable offsite power lines to the plant and its Ukrainian operator is considering shutting down the only remaining operating reactor.
This would leave the plant fully dependent on emergency diesel generators to provide electricity for vital nuclear safety functions.
“This is an unsustainable situation and is becoming increasingly precarious,” Grossi said, the Associated Press reports.
“The power plant has no offsite power. And we have seen that once infrastructure is repaired, it is damaged once again,” he said. “This is completely unacceptable. It cannot stand.”
Grossi called for an “immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area” and the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone.
“This is the only way to ensure that we do not face a nuclear accident,” he said.
Updated
Russian-appointed official says civilians evacuated in face of Ukrainian counter-offensive
A Russian-appointed official in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region announced on Friday that civilians are being evacuated from three of the region’s Russian-controlled territories that have come under threat from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Vitaly Ganchev said on state television host Vladimir Solovyov’s daily livestream that civilians were being evacuated from the towns of Izium, Kupiansk and Veliky Burluk, Reuters reports.
Updated
Civilians evacuated from Russian-held Izyum and Kupiansk, reports say
Civilians are being evacuated from Russian-held Izium, and Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine, according to a Russian-appointed local official, Reuters reports.
This is a developing story with more details to come …
Updated
Summary
If you’re just joining us, here’s a round-up of all the day’s news from Ukraine so far …
Ukraine’s counter-offensive in Kharkiv continues, with Ukrainian forces appearing to be closing in on the city of Kupiansk, a key logistical hub for Russian forces in the region
US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War said late last night it was likely the city would be taken within 72 hours, and that its recapture would severely hinder Russian lines of communication on the ground.
Unverified photos posted to social media appeared to show soldiers holding a Ukrainian flag on the outskirts of the city.
Footage reportedly shot in the city of Balakliia, another city in the Kharkiv region, shows residents welcoming soldiers following its recapture by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine’s military has said the number of Russian soldiers killed since the start of the invasion has reached 51,900.
It also said that information provided to it by Ukrainians inside occupied territory has contributed to a recent rise in Russian personnel losses from 150-200 a day to about 600.
At least 10 people, three of them children, were injured and a kindergarten was set on fire amid heavy shelling in Kharkiv, city mayor Igor Terekhov has said
Nine civilians have also been killed and 23 have been injured by Russian forces in the Donetsk region, according to local officials.
A Russian airstrike hit and destroyed a hospital in the north-eastern region of Sumy near the Russian border on Friday, Ukrainian officials said.
A total of 127 medical facilities have been destroyed and 826 have been damaged since the start of the invasion, according to the Ukrainian ministry of health.
The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has arrived in Kyiv for talks on energy and military security. A spokesperson said the visit was intended as a “political signal to the Kremlin”.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said it is “highly unlikely” Belarus is preparing to enter the war in Ukraine, despite ongoing military exercises being conducted by the country’s military
A spokesperson for President Putin has said he is “not considering” attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Updated
A European Union proposal to cap the price Europe pays for Russian gas did not receive broad support from energy ministers in a meeting on Friday, two diplomats with knowledge of the talks told Reuters.
“There was a big debate about capping the price of gas, and the Commission should come up with a proposal that will help reduce the prices of all gas, but at the same time will not jeopardise gas supplies to Europe,” one of the diplomats said.
On Wednesday, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said European Union countries should set a price cap on Russian gas.
The finance ministers from the G7 countries have already agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil exports.
Asked about the plans at an economic form last week, President Putin said Russia’s response to price caps would be to “just halt supplies” of gas, oil, diesel oil, and coal.
Updated
Ten people injured and kindergarten on fire after shelling in Kharkiv, says mayor
At least 10 people, three of them children, have been injured amid heavy shelling in Kharkiv, the city’s mayor has said.
Writing on Telegram, Igor Terekhov said that private homes and a school were among the buildings hit, and that a kindergarten in the centre of the city was on fire.
“I ask all Kharkiv residents to be as careful as possible and stay in shelters,” he said.
Updated
Highly unlikely Belarus is preparing to enter the war in Ukraine, says UK ministry of defence
It is highly unlikely that Belarus’s ongoing military exercises near the Ukrainian border are a sign that it is preparing to enter the war in Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said.
On Thursday, the Belarusian military began routine drills close to Brest near the Polish border, around capital Minsk, and in the north-eastern region of Vitebsk.
Belarus said the exercises, set to run until Wednesday, were intended to practice “liberating territory temporarily seized by the enemy” and regaining control over border regions.
In its latest intelligence update, the UK ministry of defence said: “Although Russia’s use of Belarusian territory was instrumental in Russia’s failed advance on Kyiv early in the invasion, Belarusian forces have limited offensive capabilities and there is a remote chance that they have deployed forces into Ukraine.
“It is highly unlikely that these exercises are an indication of preparations for direct Belarusian involvement in the Ukraine war.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 9 September 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 9, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/yjMkoFXmDA
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/u06XvzWTT2
Updated
Ukraine's military says increase in Russian losses down to information from Ukrainians in occupied territory
Russian personnel losses are increasing because Ukraine is being fed information about the location of Russian forces by Ukrainians who remain in occupied territory, the Ukrainian military has said.
Recent figures from the Ukrainian authorities have seen estimates of the number of Russian soldiers being killed each day rise from 150-200 to about 600.
The figure for Thursday was 650, bringing the total since the start of the war to 51,900.
Oleksii Hromov, the deputy head of the general staff of the armed forces, was asked about the rise during a press briefing on Thursday, Pravda reported.
“Conscious Ukrainians, no matter where they are, in occupied Crimea or in the occupied territories of Kherson region, or Zaporizhzhia Oblast, or in Donetsk, Luhansk and other oblasts, conscious citizens effectively help our armed forces,” he said.
“It is no secret that thanks to them we have certain information concerning the location of the Russian occupying forces.
“Thanks to them we are able to increase these numbers [of Russian losses].”
Updated
Moldova’s national airline has announced the resumption of flights to Russia.
In a statement on its website, Air Moldova said it would begin operating flights to Moscow starting on 1 October.
It said the decision was the “result of countless requests from citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who are in the Russian Federation and want to return home”.
“The safety and comfort of flights are the company’s priority, thus Air Moldova will continue to make constant efforts to respond to the needs and requests of our passengers,” it said.
Air Moldova suspended flights to Russia in February. Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine, also closed its entire airspace in the immediate wake of the Russian invasion, but partially reopened it the following month.
A Russian airstrike hit a hospital in the north-eastern region of Sumy on Friday, Ukrainian officials have said.
Posting to Telegram, Dmytro Zhivytsky, head of the regional administration, said the attack occurred after 9am local time and that the building, in the Velyka Pysarivka district, had been destroyed.
He added that people had been wounded.
“The Russians continue to cynically fire at the civilian infrastructure of Sumy oblast,” he said. “Russian enemy aircraft, without crossing the border of Ukraine, fired at a hospital.”
Velyka Pysarivka is a small settlement a few miles from Ukraine’s north-western border with Russia.
Updated
The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has arrived in Kyiv for talks on energy and military security, Polish broadcaster Polsat News reports.
A spokesperson told the outlet that the visit was intended as a “political signal to the Kremlin” of Poland’s support for Ukraine.
They added that the invasion was a breach of all possible international standards and that Poland considered the defence of Ukraine part of the defence of its own security.
Updated
Photo appears to shows Ukrainian soldiers outside Kupiansk
A photo shared on social media appears to show Ukrainian soldiers on the outskirts of the city of Kupiansk.
Ukrainian forces have been advancing on the city, which serves as a key logistical hub for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region.
The US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War said last night Ukraine would probably recapture the city within 72 hours, and that its loss would severely hinder Russian lines of communication on the ground.
A picture posted to Twitter by Illia Ponomarenko, a defence reporter at the Kyiv Independent, showed soldiers holding a Ukrainian flag while stood in front of a large road sign bearing the Russian name for Kupiansk.
The Guardian has not been able to independently verify the image.
“Kupyansk”
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) September 9, 2022
Good lord, what’s going on. pic.twitter.com/t0mZbKml39
Updated
Putin not considering attending Queen Elizabeth funeral, says spokesperson
President Putin is “not considering” attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, his spokesperson has said.
Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti quoted Dmitry Peskov saying the Kremlin would “wait for the announcement of the protocol of the ceremony” before deciding who would represent Russia.
Updated
Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kharkiv has proved that it can drive Russia out of its territories, a key adviser in President Zelenskiy’s government has said.
Writing on Twitter, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, said: “What does effective Ukrainian counteroffensive tell the world?
“1. Ukraine proved the capability of de-occupying its territories. There will be no freezing of the conflict.
“2. Ukraine proved that it can effectively use modern western weapons.
“3. Russian troops have to get out. It will hurt.”
What does effective Ukrainian counteroffensive tell the world?
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 9, 2022
1. 🇺🇦 proved the capability of de-occupying its territories. There will be no freezing of the conflict.
2. 🇺🇦 proved that it can effectively use modern Western weapons.
3. 🇷🇺 troops have to get out. It will hurt.
Updated
Total of 127 medical facilities destroyed, says Ukrainian health ministry
A total of 127 medical facilities have been destroyed and 826 have been damaged since the start of the invasion, according to the Ukrainian ministry of health.
The ministry said it was cooperating with global health organisation Project Hope to restore healthcare access across Ukraine.
It added that 62 facilities damaged by Russian forces had already been restored.
In a statement, deputy health minister Bohdan Borukhovskyi said: “We are now consolidating efforts with our partners to first of all restore hospitals that have received minor damage and can be rebuilt in the shortest possible time.
“In parallel with this, we are implementing several more projects in Kyiv Oblast and Sumy Oblast, where medical facilities are being built virtually from scratch.”
President Zelenskiy has said efforts continue to keep agricultural exports moving through Ukrainian ports and maintain global food security.
Exports of grain and other agricultural goods have been been able to leave Ukraine since a deal agreed between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN in July.
Speaking in his nightly address on Thursday, Zelenskiy spoken with Kenyan president-elect William Ruto about overcoming food shortages.
“We are doing everything for this,” he said. “Just today, four ships with agricultural products for Asian countries left our ports.
“At [present], more than 65,000 tons of wheat [are entering] the port of Sudan for unloading. Yesterday, a bulker with wheat departed for Kenya – more than 50,000 tons. Vessels for Lebanon and Libya are now being loaded in Odesa.
“In the Pivdennyi Port [a port near Odesa], a ship bound for India is waiting to be loaded.
“Literally every working day of the grain export initiative refutes Russian lies about it. Ukraine supplies agricultural products to consumers from different continents. And it is our supply that guarantees food security at the global level.”
In a speech on Wednesday, President Putin said the deal should be revised, claiming it was delivering products to the European Union and Turkey rather than to poor countries.
Updated
Footage reportedly shot in the city of Balakliia near Kharkiv shows residents welcoming soldiers following its recapture by Ukrainian forces.
Balakliia lies around 70km (43 miles) south-east of Kharkiv city, in the centre of the territory on which Ukraine has launched a major counter-offensive.
One clip posted to twitter by Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk shows men and women emerging from a building to hug soldiers as they arrive. Some of the people can be seen crying.
Another shows two women hugging and taking photos with soldiers gathered on a plaza.
Ladies greet 🇺🇦 soldiers in liberated Balakliya after 6 months of 🇷🇺 occupation. “Boys, we have some pancakes left, would you like?” “A bit later, please, better still hide, shelling is still possible”. I can watch endlessly pic.twitter.com/n6XVRI8YfX
— Nataliya Gumenyuk (@ngumenyuk) September 8, 2022
Bittersweet to watch the videos of residents' reactions to the Ukrainian soldiers liberating cities from Putin's fascist regime. This is #Balakliya near #Kharkiv. 😭 pic.twitter.com/sNYVFycBuT
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) September 9, 2022
Updated
Nine civilians killed in Donetsk region
Nine civilians have been killed and 23 have been injured by Russian forces in the Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Posting to Telegram, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said: “Russia kills civilians!
“On September 8, the Russians killed nine civilians of Donetsk region: five in Bakhmut, two in Zaitsevo, one in New York and one in Fedorivka. Another 23 people were injured.”
He added that it was not possible to establish how many people had been killed in Mariupol and Volnovas.
“All Russians will be held accountable for their crimes on our land!” he said.
Updated
US secretary of state Anthony Blinken has left Ukraine after making an unannounced visit on Thursday.
The trip, Blinken’s third since the war began on 24 February, included meetings with President Zelenskiy and Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba as well as a visit to a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Photos posted to Twitter showed him speaking with officials before boarding a train.
“Stay strong, Kyiv,” a caption read. “I leave with redoubled respect for your ferocity, your courage, and your confidence that Ukraine will prevail.”
Stay strong, Kyiv. I leave with redoubled respect for your ferocity, your courage, and your confidence that Ukraine will prevail. We stand firmly with you as you defend your freedom and independence, and our support is unwavering. pic.twitter.com/YK2eD6Ei7S
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 9, 2022
Updated
A further 650 Russian soldiers killed, says Ukraine
A further 650 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war in Ukraine, according to the latest update from the Ukrainian ministry of defence.
Figures posted to twitter said Russia’s personnel losses since the start of the war had reached 51,900, up from 51,250 since yesterday.
It added that, since the start of the invasion, Russia had lost a total of 2122 tanks, 4575 armoured combat vehicles, 239 jets, and 211 helicopters.
The tweet also opened with a quote from a second world war radio broadcast delivered to the children of the Commonwealth by Queen Elizabeth II in October 1940, when she was still a princess.
“When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place,” it read.
"When peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place."
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 9, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II
Total combat losses of the enemy from Feb 24 to Sep 9: pic.twitter.com/1ZYe71KMCH
Updated
The G7’s planned price cap on Russian oil exports will fail and drive prices even higher, Russia’s top lawmaker has claimed.
Posting on Telegram, Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, said that “what G7 state officials call a price ‘ceiling’ will become a price floor”.
“The global market is not limited to seven countries,” he said. “The marginal price announced by the west will become the lower bar.”
Last week, the finance ministers from the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan announced plans for a cap intended to “reduce Russian revenues and Russia’s ability to fund its war of aggression”.
The European Union has also proposed a price cap for Russian gas, and is set to phase in a ban on Russian oil imports over the coming months.
Speaking in Vladivostok on Wednesday, President Putin threatened to cut off energy supplies if price caps are imposed on Russia’s oil and gas exports.
Updated
Ukraine likely to retake city of Kupiansk within 72 hours, says think tank
Ukraine is likely to retake the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region within 72 hours, US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War has said.
The group’s latest assessment said Ukrainian forces had advanced to within 20km of the city, and that retaking it would significantly worsen communication between Russian forces in the region.
“Russian rear positions in Kharkiv Oblast are now exposed to further Ukrainian advances, and Ukrainian forces will likely capture Kupiansk within the next 72 hours,” it said.
“The loss of Kupiansk and other rear areas on critical ground lines of communication will hinder Russian efforts to support offensive and defence operations, but will not completely sever Russian lines of communication to Izyum.”
The space between the Izyum and the city of Kharkiv to its north-west currently forms part of the frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Updated
More than 1,000 sq km of territory recaptured, says Zelenskiy
Good morning and welcome to our Ukraine live blog. We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from the conflict throughout the day.
First up, President Zelenskiy has said Ukraine has recaptured more than 1,000 sq km of territory over the last week.
It follows a surprise counter-offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region and sustained pressure on Russian forces in the south.
Speaking in his nightly address on Thursday, Zelenskiy said: “Our heroes have already liberated dozens of settlements. And today this movement continued, there are new results.
“In total, more than a thousand square kilometres of our territory have been liberated since 1 September.”
He went on to thank everyone serving in the armed forces and the brigades that had retaken territory.
Zelenskiy also acknowledged $675m in military aid announced yesterday by the US and the $1bn Ukraine is set to receive from a general package of support for 19 European countries deemed at risk of future Russian aggression.
“Each of these steps of our partners has a real impact on the strength of our state and the whole of Europe in defence against Russian terror,” he said.
Updated
