Ukraine, Ukrainian-Russia war: US condemns Russia’s ‘despicable’ attack on Ukraine market
The US has hit out at Russia after a “brutal” missile attack on a Ukrainian market left 17 people dead, pledging to send the embattled country depleted uranian munitions.
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The White House has condemned fresh Russian strikes on Ukraine, after at least 17 people were killed in an attack on a market in the east of the country.
“These brutal Russian attacks underscore the importance of continuing to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their territory,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told media.
The UN’s humanitarian envoy for Ukraine denounced a Russian attack that killed 17 people in the eastern town of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region.
“The despicable attack that a few hours ago hit a populated market in Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk Region, brutalised civilians in this war-torn community, killing and injuring dozens of adults and children,” humanitarian co-ordinator Denise Brown said in a statement.
It comes as the Pentagon said they would provide depleted uranium tank ammunition to Ukraine as part of a $275 million aid package.
The 120mm rounds are for the US M1 Abrams, the Pentagon said in a statement, referring to tanks that Washington has promised to Kyiv.
The density of uranium — about 1.7 times that of lead — helps such ammunition punch through heavy armour.
But depleted uranium is controversial due to its association with health problems such as cancer and birth defects in past conflicts, though the munitions have not been definitively proven to be the cause of these issues.
The United States has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging an international coalition to back Kyiv after Russia invaded last year and co-ordinating aid from dozens of countries.
Washington has promised Kyiv more than $67 billion in military assistance since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
DRONE SHOT DOWN OVER PUTIN’S PALACE
It comes as a Ukrainian kamikaze drone was shot down over a village where Vladimir Putin has a residence, according to the Russian defence ministry.
In Kyiv’s latest attempt to bring the war to the Russian president, at least three drones were destroyed over the Kaluga and Tver regions, plus another over the Istra district of Moscow.
Wreckage from the drone over the Tver region fell in the village of Zavidovo, which RIA state news agency says is home to an official palace of Putin.
Dramatic video footage showed one of the drones taken down above the village, about 110 kilometres north west of Moscow.
Dubbed Putin’s “forest palace”, the residence is about 19 kilometres west of Zavidovo. There was no indication that Putin was at the property at the time of the attack.
A drone flying towards Moscow was shot down in the Tver region near the village of Zavidovo. One of Putin's residences is located there. pic.twitter.com/ji7GDhIRkh
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 5, 2023
“This is the second attempt by Ukrainian drones to hit the state residences of the President of the Russian Federation, said Soviet military analyst Viktor Alksnis, according to The Sun.
“The first was undertaken on May 3, 2023, at the Kremlin.”
PUTIN AND KIM JONG-UN PLAN ARMS DEAL
Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea will travel to Russia this month to meet with Vladimir Putin, according to the New York Times.
The visit will centre on the possibility of supplying Russian with more weapons and munitions for its war against Ukraine, according to American sources.
Putin particularly wants Kim to send antitank missiles and artillery shells, and in return, Russia would supply North Korea with more advanced technology for its nuclear powered submarines.
The meeting between the leaders will be in Vladivostok where they will already be, attending the Eastern Economic Forum, September 10 through 13.
On Wednesday the White House sounded the alarm that Putin and Kim had exchanged letters discussing a possible arms deal.
TURKEY’S LEADER MEETS WITH PUTIN TO DISCUSS GRAIN DEAL
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow is just weeks away from supplying free grain to six African countries after scrapping a deal allowing Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea.
His comments during a press conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi came hours after Russian forces pounded one of Ukraine’s key grain-exporting hubs overnight with a swarm of attack drones.
Erdogan told Putin that Turkey and the United Nations had prepared new proposals aimed at addressing Russia’s problems with the deal, adding that he hoped to reach a workable solution “soon”.
But Putin reiterated that Russia would only return to the landmark accord when its demands were met and instead gave details of the plan for shipments to Africa.
“We are close to completing agreements with six African states, where we intend to supply foodstuffs for free and even carry out delivery and logistics for free,” Putin said. “Deliveries will begin in the next couple of weeks.”
The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, which aimed to ensure safe navigation for civilian ships through the Black Sea, collapsed after Russia pulled out in July.
Tensions have built in the region since, with Russia mounting attacks on Ukrainian export hubs and Kyiv’s forces targeting Moscow’s naval ports and warships.
Both Ukraine and Russia have aired rival plans to start sending grain across the Black Sea on their own.
But Erdogan, who helped broker the original deal, has been trying to revive the agreement and use it as a basis for broader peace talks.
“The alternative proposals brought to the agenda could not offer a sustainable, secure and permanent model based on co-operation between the parties like the Black Sea Initiative,” Erdogan said at a joint media appearance with Putin in Sochi.
Ukraine, Ukrainian has sent four ships along a new sea route, while Russia is preparing a plan to send foodstuffs for free to some African countries, and to send discounted grain for processing in Turkey under a deal also including Qatar.
In Sochi, Erdogan said there is no alternative to the original grain deal and that Ankara was working with the United Nations on addressing complaints levied by Russia, which claims its fertiliser exports are being hampered by Western sanctions.
“We have prepared a new proposal package in consultation with the UN. I believe that it is possible to get results. I believe that a solution that will meet Turkey’s expectations will be reached soon,” Erdogan said.
Since the deal collapsed, Moscow has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian ports in what Kyiv says is a cynical attempt to damage its exports and undermine global food security.
A Russian drone attack on Monday hit a grain export hub on the Danube river, Ukrainian officials said, adding that warehouses and agricultural equipment were damaged.
Ukraine’s military said Russia had used Iranian-made Shahed drones in the “massive” overnight attack.
UKRAINE DEFENCE MINISTER RESIGNS
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov meanwhile announced on Monday he had handed in his resignation to parliament after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for “new approaches” to face Russia’s offensive.
Zelenskyy’s decision to remove Reznikov comes after several corruption scandals rocked the defence ministry, and the Ukrainian leader removed senior military recruitment officials across the country.
“It was an honour to serve the Ukrainian people and work for the (Ukrainian army) for the last 22 months, the toughest period of Ukraine’s modern history,” he added.
His departure comes during a highly-scrutinised Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east of the country, which officials said Monday had made limited progress.
But Putin in Sochi on Monday claimed that the counteroffensive to retake Ukrainian land lost to Moscow had ultimately been unsuccessful.
“It is not that it is stalling. It is a failure,” Putin said. “At least today this is what it looks like. Let’s see what happens next.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar earlier on Monday had said Russian forces were “on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson sectors,” referring to two southern regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed last year.
She added that Ukrainian forces had also captured three square kilometres (around one square mile) near Bakhmut, a town in the east captured by Russia this May.
‘REAL’ PUTIN ‘MAY BE DEAD’
A top Ukrainian military official has claimed the “real” Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public for over a year, adding fire to rumours that the leader uses one or more doppelgangers in his place.
Major-General Kyrylo Budanov – who is in charge of drone strikes and undercover operations against Russia – said he’s unsure if the “real” Russian leader is still alive.
In an interview with Anzhelika Rudenko of Radio Svoboda, the spy chief said: “The Putin who everyone used to know was last seen around June 26, 2022.”
Rudenko then asked: “So he is either not alive, or else he is in a really bad health state?”
General Budanov replied: “Or he doesn’t want to appear. There might be so many different reasons.”
According to a report in The Sun, the spy chief cited a recent video where the Russian dictator was seen looking at his watch on the wrong wrist.
Putin glanced at his left wrist and appeared confused after realising his watch wasn’t there.
But Putin has always infamously worn his watches on his right wrist – leaving many questioning why he would be unsure of its place, and whether it cited health concerns.
Later in the meeting, the Kremlin leader was seen taking off his watch – believed to be a $25,000 Russian-made Raketa – and fidgeting with it in his hands.
General Budanov was asked by Rudenko: “Is this a real Putin?”
“Let’s leave it to everyone to decide, so everyone leaves it to their own fantasy,” General Budanov answered.
The Radio Svoboda presenter mentioned she thought it was a body double posing for Putin, to which the Ukrainian military leader agreed.
When asked directly if Putin was alive or not, the intelligence chief coolly responded: “I don’t know what to answer you.”
Putin is known to be highly paranoid about his security, a fear which has only increased since he sent Russian forces into Ukraine.
Telegram channel General SVR has long claimed that Putin, who is said to suffer from serious health concerns, now permanently uses a doppelgangers and lookalike actors who have undergone plastic surgery for his public appearances.
In March, footage of Putin’s visit to Mariupol prompted sceptics to put a magnifier on his facial features.
The video points out a number of inconsistencies in the tyrant’s appearance during various different publicity stunts.
“Specialists long ago noticed the differences between the Russian president’s body doubles,” it states.
“A ledge on Putin’s earlobe constantly changes. As does a small mole on his face.
“One of the Putins has straight wrinkles on his face, the other has small and interrupted [wrinkles].
Rumours are rife that he now relies heavily on his “understudies” to stand in for him as he struggles to disguise his ailing health.
Rumours have persisted that Putin is suffering from pancreatic cancer and early-stage Parkinson’s disease.
It has also been alleged that Putin enlisted several lookalikes to go under the knife for plastic surgery to ensure they closely resemble him.
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Originally published as Ukraine, Ukrainian-Russia war: US condemns Russia’s ‘despicable’ attack on Ukraine market
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