Ukraine seizes the moment with surprise counterattacks; Putin threatens to let Europe ‘freeze’ in winter

Belarus has launched military drills and is set to carry out these exercises until 14 September, according to Reuters which quoted the defense ministry.

The exercises are taking place by Brest, a city near the Polish border, as well as in Minsk, the capital, and the northeastern region of Vitebsk, according to the news agency. They are set to continue until next Wednesday.

The exercises are aimed at practicing “liberating territory temporarily seized by the enemy” and reclaiming border regions, Reuters said, citing the ministry.

— Natalie Tham

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the country’s armed forces had launched counterattacks in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country and had been able to reclaim several settlements, although the exact number is unknown.

During the summer, Ukraine had said it would launch a counteroffensive to retake Kherson but had not mentioned bids to counterattack in Kharkiv or eastern Ukraine where fierce fighting has taken place in the last couple of days.

Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday that “this week we have good news from Kharkiv region. And, I think, every citizen is feeling proud of our soldiers,” but he added “now is not the time to name the towns where the Ukrainian flag is returning.”

“Each success of our military in one direction or another changes the general situation along the entire front in favor of Ukraine,” the president added.

Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to retake Kherson last week but has since become tight-lipped about its progress in a bid, presumably, to maintain a tactical and strategic advantage on the battlefield.

Analysts said Russia’s redeployment of troops from eastern to southern Ukraine to defend against Ukraine’s counteroffensive there has likely facilitated Kyiv’s ability to carry out counterattacks around Kharkiv.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday again threatened to completely stop all supplies to Europe, a move which he hinted would “freeze” the region.

Russia has already halted gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, leaving the region vulnerable as it tries to replenish energy storage ahead of the colder months.

The EU also announced proposals on Wednesday which could see it put a price cap on Russian gas. Group of Seven leaders have already agreed a proposal to put a price cap on Russian oil.

Responding to EU proposals, Putin told business leaders in Vladivostok that Russia could decide to rip up existing supply contracts.

“Will there be any political decisions that contradict the contracts? Yes, we just won’t fulfill them. We will not supply anything at all if it contradicts our interests,” Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s far east.

“We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil — we will not supply anything,” Putin said.

“We would only have one thing left to do: as in the famous Russian fairy tale, we would let the wolf’s tail freeze,” he said.

Read more on the story here: Putin threatens to let Europe ‘freeze’ over winter, raising risk of energy rationing

— Holly Ellyatt

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russian authorities have forcibly deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens from their homes to Russia.

“We have evidence that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens – including children – have been interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported, and some of them sent to very remote areas,” Thomas-Greenfield told reporters ahead of the U.N. Security Council meeting.

“I want to be clear, the United States has information that officials from Russia’s presidential administration are overseeing and coordinating these filtration operations,” Thomas-Greenfield said, without naming Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Thomas-Greenfield outlined the “filtration” process for members of the U.N. National Security Council.

“You’re stripped of your clothes, you are interrogated, you’re beaten. You hear gunfire and screams from rooms next door. Others deemed more threatening are being tortured and killed. Because you are fighting age, you’re asked to fight for Russia,” she said.

“When you refuse, you’re given a Russian passport and set deep into Russia against your will far away from your family and with no means to communicate with anyone you know or love. You’ve been filtered,” she added.

The Kremlin has denied that it has forcibly detained Ukrainian civilians.

— Amanda Macias

Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said that Russia tried to exert pressure on IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi during his visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Kyslytsya addressed members of the U.N. Security Council.

Grossi, who led a team of investigators to the site earlier this month, published a report yesterday on the nuclear watchdog agency’s findings.

Grossi recommended an immediate establishment of a demilitarized zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

— Amanda Macias

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to meet next week in Uzbekistan, a Russian official said Wednesday, announcing a summit that could signal another step in warming ties between two powers that are increasingly facing off against the West.

Putin and Xi last met in Beijing in February, weeks before the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine.

The two presidents oversaw the signing of an agreement pledging that relations between the sides would have “no limits.”

It remains unclear whether Xi knew at the time of Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine.

— Associated Press

Ukraine’s top nuclear inspector says the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could be shut down if hostilities continue around the plant. Europe’s largest nuclear plant continues to be at the center of accusations between Russia and Ukraine — with both repeatedly accusing each other of shelling the Russian-occupied facility.

The head of Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory body, Oleh Korikov, said shutting down the plant was under consideration.

“Further deterioration of the situation will lead to the fact that we will be forced to operate backup diesel power generators in order to sustain our security systems, and diesel fuel reserves are very difficult to replenish in conditions of war,” Korikov said Wednesday in an interview broadcast on YouTube.

“In fact, we will need four tanks of diesel per day. It is very problematic to bring such a volume of fuel across the contact line now. That is, we can potentially get into a situation where we run out of diesel, which can lead to an accident with damage to the active zone of the reactors and the release of radioactive products into the environment. Then it will have consequences not only for Ukraine but also for other countries,” he said.

“The option of turning off the station is indeed considered if appropriate conditions arise that would require such a stop. If this happens, the 6th power unit will be turned off.”

The 6th reactor is currently the only one functioning in the plant, which was inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency last week.

In the 52-page report, IAEA investigators warned that while ongoing shelling “has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security.”

“The IAEA recommends that shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities, for the safety of the operating staff and to maintain the physical integrity to support safe and secure operation,” wrote IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

— Holly Ellyatt