Russia Ukraine struggle latest: Putin ‘creating new defences’ amid ‘growing concerns’ over counteroffensive

Following Ukraine’s breach of Russia’s closely mined and fortified entrance line close to the Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne, Vladimir Putin’s troops have doubtless been creating new defences within the space, with close by Tokmak set to grow to be a “lynchpin” of their second line, Britains Ministry of Defence has mentioned.

“In recent days, Russian forces have likely reinforced their defences around the occupied town of Tokmak in southern Ukraine, which is approximately 16 km behind the current front line,” the ministry mentioned.

“Russia is likely deploying additional checkpoints, ‘hedgehog’ anti-tank defences and digging new trenches in the area, which is held by its 58th Combined Arms Army.

“Tokmak is preparing to become a lynchpin of Russian’s second main line of defences. Improvements to the town’s defences likely indicates Russia’s growing concern about Ukrainian tactical penetrations of the first main defensive line to the north.”

The UK has formally banned Russia‘s mercenary Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation weeks after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The government order, approved on Friday, makes it a criminal offence to be a member or a supporter of the paramilitary group in the UK.

“The Russian mercenary organisation, Wagner Group, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation today after an order was laid in Parliament on Wednesday September 6,” the Home Office said in a statement.

Two cargo boats arrived in Ukraine on Saturday, Ukrainian port authorities said, the first ships to use a temporary corridor to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets.

Ukraine last month announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to release ships trapped in its ports since the start of the war in February 2022 and to circumvent a de facto blockade after Russia abandoned a deal to let Kyiv export grain.

Five vessels have so far left the port of Odesa, using the corridor which hugs the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria.

Ukraine, a leading global food producer and exporter, also wants to use the corridor for its food exports. The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, in a post on Facebook, said the bulk carriers “Resilient Africa” and “Aroyat” had arrived in the port of Chernomorsk.

Russia’s air forces thwarted a Ukrainian assault on Crimea this morning, destroying at the least six drones that have been focusing on the peninsula from totally different instructions, the Russian defence ministry mentioned.

Two drones have been destroyed at 1.15am (native time) off the western coast of Crimea and 4 extra half an hour later off the northwestern and japanese coasts, the ministry mentioned on Telegram.

The stories come after a collection of strikes this week on Russian army targets on the Crimean Peninsula, seen as Kyiv’s elevated makes an attempt to interrupt down Russia’s struggle efforts.

Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in a broadly condemned transfer in 2014.

Ukraine launched footage on Saturday (16 September) of troops transferring by a war-ravaged settlement within the Donetsk Oblast after Kyiv introduced its recapture.

Video printed by Ukraine’s third Assault Brigade confirmed troops transferring by rubble in Andriivka, 6 miles (10km) south of the Russian-occupied metropolis of Bakhmut after three months of intense combating.

The clip additionally reveals troopers taking cowl behind a damaged wall amid mortar fireplace.

It comes after Ukraine introduced a tactical victory within the southern Zaporizhzhia area, taking again the village of Robotyne in late August.

The world should recommit to the United Nations’ sustainable improvement objectives if the bold targets are to be met, UK ministers and diplomats will urge at a UN summit subsequent week.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has been accused of snubbing the gathering in New York, blaming diary pressures for his absence and as a substitute sending a staff headed by his deputy Oliver Dowden.

He isn’t the one world chief anticipated to overlook the summit, which is about to see discussions on the struggle in Ukraine, synthetic intelligence and the specter of local weather change.

The UN’s World Heritage Committee has positioned two main historic websites in Ukraine on its record of such websites that it considers to be at risk.

The iconic Saint Sophia Cathedral within the capital, Kyiv, and the medieval centre of the western metropolis of Lviv, are Unesco World Heritage Sites central to Ukraine’s tradition and historical past.

The resolution introduced on Friday to place these two on the physique’s record of web sites “in danger” has no enforcement mechanism, however may assist deter Russian assaults.

A physique has been discovered within the seek for a former British soldier who went lacking whereas combating in Ukraine.

Ex-paratrooper Daniel Burke, 36, of south Manchester, was reported lacking by his household on 16 August after he had travelled to affix the combating in 2022.

Greater Manchester Police mentioned on Saturday that officers have been working with Mr Burke’s household and the Ukrainian authorities to determine the physique discovered and to deliver him again to the UK.

Five civilians have been killed and one wounded on account of intense Ukrainian shelling of the Donetsk area, a Russian-installed official mentioned.

The 5 have been killed yesterday within the Kirov and Kuibyshevskyi districts and a girl was injured in Svetlodarsk, mentioned Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the area.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported heavy combating and partial success of its forces as a part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim land occupied by Russia in its 19-month invasion.

Ukraine’s ministry of defence has claimed that its forces have taken again the village of Andriivka in Bakhmut area.

“The unwelcome «guests» in Andriivka are being removed by the 3rd Assault Brigade,” the account tweeted on Saturday evening.

However, these information have been disputed by the Russian aspect.

Earlier on Saturday, the account of combating by Russia’s defence ministry mentioned its troops have been nonetheless holding at the least two key villages south of Bakhmut, identified in Russia by its Soviet-era title, Artyomovsk.