North Korea's "firm support" for Russia's war in Ukraine emboldens the two countries' determination to cope with Western groups, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials on Thursday, according to a report in North Korean state media.
Putin did not go into detail of the nature of Pyongyang's support in what he called Russia's "special military operation," but US officials said last year that North Korea was selling millions of rockets and artillery shells to Russia for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.
"Solidarity with Russia on key international issues highlight our common interests," Putin said in the speech, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Putin specifically cited Soviet pilots, whom he claimed "carried out tens of thousands of combat flights" for contributing to "annihilating the enemy," KCNA said.
"The historic experience of combative friendship has noble values, and is serving as a reliable foundation to further develop the connection between Russia and North Korea in the field of politics, economy and safety," Putin said, according to KCNA, which shared a written version of Putin's speech, but did not say whether it was addressed via a video recording or in writing to the North Korean officials.
Putin also wished North Korean leader Kim Jong Un health and achievement in his work for the wellbeing of his people, according to KCNA.
9 min ago
"Just some crumbs left:" Russian ambassador to the US describes relationship between Moscow and Washington
From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Josh Pennington
Anatoly Antonov speaks with reporters in Washington, on March 14. Patrick Semansky/AP/File
The United States supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package is a blow to the remnants of relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian state media TASS reported on Thursday, citing Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.
"In terms of Russian-American relations, today they are practically nonexistent, just some crumbs left. Of course, the provision by the Americans of cluster munitions to Ukraine is considered a serious blow to whatever remains of Russian-American relations." Antonov said, as cited by TASS.
Antonov also described the decision to deliver the munitions to Ukraine as an "anti-Russian move" under US President Joe Biden's administration.
Ukrainian troops have started firing the cluster munitions provided by the US as part of their counteroffensive against Russia, according to two US officials and another person briefed on the matter.
The US announced on July 8 that it would be sending the controversial munitions, and they were delivered to Ukrainian forces about a week later, as CNN first reported.
1 hr 17 min ago
Counteroffensive developments, Prigozhin's reappearance and other headlines you should know
CNN Staff
After two months of painstakingly slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine appears to be escalating its counteroffensive, ramping up the deployment of extra troops to the southern front and signaling a new phase of the operation.
Forces in the southern part of the country were seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media.
Ukrainian forces are also "gradually advancing" in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. Farther east, Ukraine is "making progress" and consolidating its positions in the area of Staromaiorske, she added.
Here are the latest developments:
“Multipolar world”: Putin said that Africa will become one of Russia’s key partners “in a new multipolar world,” during his opening remarks at the Russia-Africa Summit on Thursday. He later told heads of the African Union that Moscow supports the bloc’s G20 membership, which he hopes to expedite ahead of its meeting in September. Ahead of the summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov slammed the West for what he described as “brazen” interference, “to put pressure on the leadership” of African countries not to attend.
Grain deals: Putin also stressed that Russia will remain a “reliable” food supplier to Africa. His comments came in the wake of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal and its prolonged airstrikes on Ukraine’s ports – destroying vast quantities of grain on which many African countries depend. Putin made clear Russia’s plans to shut Ukraine out of future grain supply to the continent, announcing that he will provide thousands of tons of grain to six African countries free of charge – and slamming what he described as the West’s “hypocritical” sanctions.
Prigozhin in St. Petersburg: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was spotted meeting with an African dignitary on the sidelines of the summit, according to accounts linked to his mercenary group. The photo marked the first time he has been seen inside Russia since his aborted rebellion last month. Before appearing at the summit, Prigozhin had only been seen in public on July 19, when he seemingly appeared in a video inside Belarus, apparently greeting Wagner fighters at a base in Asipovichy.
Ukraine deploys reservists: Ukraine has committed more forces to its counteroffensive in the southeast after nearly two months of slow progress, according to two US officials – a sign that they may have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines to exploit. The officials said that Ukraine’s military still has additional combat power in reserve, but that these newly deployed units constitute the “main bulk” of forces committed to the counteroffensive.
2 min ago
Video shows Ukrainian counteroffensive reaching a critical Russian defensive line for the first time
Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine can be seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media.
CNN has geolocated the video to an area just east of the small villages of Nove and Kharkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia oblast.
The video was taken from a Russian military position and shows a Ukrainian military vehicle moving in a field, heading toward a ditch in front of a large row of "dragon's teeth" — concrete and rebar pyramids that can serve as barriers against tanks. The apparent driver of the vehicle appears and begins running back toward a tree line.
What are the "dragon teeth" lines? For months, satellite images have shown that the Russians have installed the "dragon's teeth" lines across the territory they control in Ukraine. The "teeth" are laid out in three-deep rows that stretch for hundreds of miles; on either side of the concrete lines, Russian forces have also dug massive anti-tank trenches.
When the vehicle hits the trench, a big puff of dirt and smoke is seen. A second later, the front end of the vehicle appears to be stuck, with its front end sitting on top of the trench.
It's unclear what exactly is happening in the video. Pro-Ukrainian channels claim it's their forces testing the ability for a vehicle to make it over the trench and the "dragon teeth," while pro-Russian channels claim it's a casualty of one of their military strikes.
What is clear, however, is the Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern part of the country has made notable gains in the last several days.
While the ability of the Ukrainians to push Russian forces back behind their "dragon teeth" line is a clear indicator, the counteroffensive has been successful so far.
The defensive line also poses a significant obstacle that the counteroffensive will need to find ways to overcome in the days, weeks, and months to come.
1 hr 50 min ago
US intel report details increasing importance of Chinese technology in Russia's war in Ukraine
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand
China is providing technology and equipment to Russia that is increasingly important to Moscow's war in Ukraine, according to a newly released report compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The report is unclassified and largely cites open-source data and western press reporting to support its claims. But it includes the US intelligence community assessment that China "has become an increasingly important buttress for Russia in its war effort."
The report — mandated by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 passed by Congress, and released by House Intelligence Committee Democrats — says that as of March, China "had shipped more than $12 million in drones and drone parts" to Russia, citing a "third-party analysis" of Russian customs data.
Chinese state-owned defense companies have also been providing sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies with other dual-use technology "that Moscow's military uses to continue the war in Ukraine," the report says, including "navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter-jet parts."
Semiconductor exports from China to Russia have also jumped considerably since 2021, it adds, with "hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of US-made or US-branded semiconductors flowing into Russia" despite heavy western sanctions and export controls.
The report says Chinese firms are "probably" helping Moscow to evade these sanctions — though it is "difficult to ascertain the extent" of that help. The report says the intelligence community cannot be sure whether Beijing is deliberately interfering with the US' ability to conduct export control checks, via interviews and investigations, inside China.
The report does say, however, that China "has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."
CNN has asked the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment on the report.
What the US has said: The Biden administration has repeatedly raised concerns with China about evidence it has suggesting that Chinese companies have sold non-lethal equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, but US officials say they have seen no signs so far that China has provided weapons or lethal military aid to Russia.
The US believes that at the outset of the war, China intended to sell Russia lethal weapons for use in Ukraine, a US official previously told CNN. But China significantly scaled back on those plans as the war progressed, this person said — something the Biden administration has considered a victory.
What China has said: China has claimed neutrality over the war in Ukraine and called for peace in the conflict. But Beijing has also avoided publicly criticizing Russia's war efforts and the two countries have repeatedly emphasized their cooperation, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu declaring a "boundless" military partnership after a meeting in April.
1 hr 48 min ago
Ukraine says it captured a village near the southern front line as military ramps up counteroffensive
From CNN's Tim Lister, Svitlana Vlasova and Josh Pennington
Both Russian and Ukrainian sources report intense fighting along the front lines in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are stepping up efforts to break through entrenched Russian defenses.
Late Thursday, video emerged of a Ukrainian unit claiming to be in the village of Staromaiorske – a target for several weeks, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.
A group of soldiers posted the video, with one saying Ukrainian fighters have "fulfilled the task and liberated the village."
The video was reposted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram account, with the caption: “Our South! Our guys!”
Earlier Thursday, the commander of a Russian-backed battalion from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic acknowledged the loss of Staromaiorske.
Kyiv's troops "methodically" took the village over the course of several days, "knocking personnel out of their shelters and turning those shelters into piles of broken bricks," said the commander, Alexander Khodakovsky. He acknowledged that losing the area was "a blow to our military ego."
“Tokmak has essentially become a frontline city, because the intensity of hostilities directly on the Zaporizhzhia frontline toward Tokmak is increasing every day,” the Ukrainian mayor of nearby Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, told CNN.
Fedorov claimed Moscow's troops are "constantly suffering losses" in villages around Tokmak.
Few frontline accounts have emerged, but a member of the Freedom for Russia Legion — a militant group of Russian dissidents that fights against Moscow — said the battles are unceasing.
“In a word, it's hell,” the fighter, Kostyantyn Denysov, told RFE/Radio Liberty. “There are small arms battles along the entire contact line, counter-battery fighting.” But, he claimed, Ukrainian troops are “stubbornly pressing the occupiers, pushing them out, mopping up and gaining ground.”
Denysov said Russia has responded with artillery barrages and aviation. Their priority is preventing the Ukrainian advance toward Tokmak and other towns near Zaporizhzhia city, including Vasylivka to the south and Polohy, further east of the city.
Denysov claimed some Russian units have suffered "such losses that they are now waiting for replenishment."
Two weeks ago, a senior Russian commander in the area was dismissed for demanding that the Defense Ministry rotate units out of frontline positions.
12 min ago
Ukraine is "gradually advancing" south of Bakhmut, defense minister says
From CNN's Tim Lister, Svitlana Vlasova and Josh Pennington
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares to fire a mortar at Russian positions on the front line near the city of Bakhmut on July 13. Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters
Ukraine's military is waging attritional battles south of Bakhmut with the ultimate aim of cutting Russian supply routes into the devastated eastern city, which Moscow's forces captured in the spring, according to officials.
Ukraine is "gradually advancing" south of Bakhmut and fighting persists in Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka and Andriivka — three villages south of the city, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.
"The fighting is quite fierce," Maliar said. "The enemy is firing intensively.”
The Ukraine military also said Ukrainian units repelled a Russian counterattack south of Bakhmut.
Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian military, said there had been 11 combat engagements in the area over the past day.
Along the border of the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, the Russians were continuing efforts to push Ukrainian units back, Maliar said.
“In the Kupyansk sector, the enemy is attacking, trying to drive us from our dominant heights," she said. "Today, our defenders repelled several attacks without losing positions,” she said.
However, Cherevatyi noted that the number of enemy assaults around Lyman was lower than average. Compared to a recent peak of 10 to 15, he said there were three enemy attacks in areas within the Serebryansky forest and Bilohorivka.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted African leaders at a summit Thursday in St. Petersburg. Putin cast Russia as a "reliable" food supplier to Africa, despite pulling out of a crucial grain deal and continued attacks on the port city of Odesa.
Meanwhile, delegations from Russia and China gathered for meetings with ally North Korea, aligning their governments in support of the war on Ukraine.
Accounts associated with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin shared photos of him apparently attending Putin's Africa summit. If confirmed, it would mark the first time Prigozhin has been seen publicly in Russia since his short-lived rebellion.
North Korea's "firm support" for Russia's war in Ukraine emboldens the two countries' determination to cope with Western groups, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials on Thursday, according to a report in North Korean state media.
Putin did not go into detail of the nature of Pyongyang's support in what he called Russia's "special military operation," but US officials said last year that North Korea was selling millions of rockets and artillery shells to Russia for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.
"Solidarity with Russia on key international issues highlight our common interests," Putin said in the speech, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Putin specifically cited Soviet pilots, whom he claimed "carried out tens of thousands of combat flights" for contributing to "annihilating the enemy," KCNA said.
"The historic experience of combative friendship has noble values, and is serving as a reliable foundation to further develop the connection between Russia and North Korea in the field of politics, economy and safety," Putin said, according to KCNA, which shared a written version of Putin's speech, but did not say whether it was addressed via a video recording or in writing to the North Korean officials.
Putin also wished North Korean leader Kim Jong Un health and achievement in his work for the wellbeing of his people, according to KCNA.
Anatoly Antonov speaks with reporters in Washington, on March 14. Patrick Semansky/AP/File
The United States supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package is a blow to the remnants of relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian state media TASS reported on Thursday, citing Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.
"In terms of Russian-American relations, today they are practically nonexistent, just some crumbs left. Of course, the provision by the Americans of cluster munitions to Ukraine is considered a serious blow to whatever remains of Russian-American relations." Antonov said, as cited by TASS.
Antonov also described the decision to deliver the munitions to Ukraine as an "anti-Russian move" under US President Joe Biden's administration.
Ukrainian troops have started firing the cluster munitions provided by the US as part of their counteroffensive against Russia, according to two US officials and another person briefed on the matter.
The US announced on July 8 that it would be sending the controversial munitions, and they were delivered to Ukrainian forces about a week later, as CNN first reported.
After two months of painstakingly slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine appears to be escalating its counteroffensive, ramping up the deployment of extra troops to the southern front and signaling a new phase of the operation.
Forces in the southern part of the country were seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media.
Ukrainian forces are also "gradually advancing" in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. Farther east, Ukraine is "making progress" and consolidating its positions in the area of Staromaiorske, she added.
Here are the latest developments:
“Multipolar world”: Putin said that Africa will become one of Russia’s key partners “in a new multipolar world,” during his opening remarks at the Russia-Africa Summit on Thursday. He later told heads of the African Union that Moscow supports the bloc’s G20 membership, which he hopes to expedite ahead of its meeting in September. Ahead of the summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov slammed the West for what he described as “brazen” interference, “to put pressure on the leadership” of African countries not to attend.
Grain deals: Putin also stressed that Russia will remain a “reliable” food supplier to Africa. His comments came in the wake of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal and its prolonged airstrikes on Ukraine’s ports – destroying vast quantities of grain on which many African countries depend. Putin made clear Russia’s plans to shut Ukraine out of future grain supply to the continent, announcing that he will provide thousands of tons of grain to six African countries free of charge – and slamming what he described as the West’s “hypocritical” sanctions.
Prigozhin in St. Petersburg: Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was spotted meeting with an African dignitary on the sidelines of the summit, according to accounts linked to his mercenary group. The photo marked the first time he has been seen inside Russia since his aborted rebellion last month. Before appearing at the summit, Prigozhin had only been seen in public on July 19, when he seemingly appeared in a video inside Belarus, apparently greeting Wagner fighters at a base in Asipovichy.
Ukraine deploys reservists: Ukraine has committed more forces to its counteroffensive in the southeast after nearly two months of slow progress, according to two US officials – a sign that they may have identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines to exploit. The officials said that Ukraine’s military still has additional combat power in reserve, but that these newly deployed units constitute the “main bulk” of forces committed to the counteroffensive.
Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine can be seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media.
CNN has geolocated the video to an area just east of the small villages of Nove and Kharkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia oblast.
The video was taken from a Russian military position and shows a Ukrainian military vehicle moving in a field, heading toward a ditch in front of a large row of "dragon's teeth" — concrete and rebar pyramids that can serve as barriers against tanks. The apparent driver of the vehicle appears and begins running back toward a tree line.
What are the "dragon teeth" lines? For months, satellite images have shown that the Russians have installed the "dragon's teeth" lines across the territory they control in Ukraine. The "teeth" are laid out in three-deep rows that stretch for hundreds of miles; on either side of the concrete lines, Russian forces have also dug massive anti-tank trenches.
When the vehicle hits the trench, a big puff of dirt and smoke is seen. A second later, the front end of the vehicle appears to be stuck, with its front end sitting on top of the trench.
It's unclear what exactly is happening in the video. Pro-Ukrainian channels claim it's their forces testing the ability for a vehicle to make it over the trench and the "dragon teeth," while pro-Russian channels claim it's a casualty of one of their military strikes.
What is clear, however, is the Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern part of the country has made notable gains in the last several days.
While the ability of the Ukrainians to push Russian forces back behind their "dragon teeth" line is a clear indicator, the counteroffensive has been successful so far.
The defensive line also poses a significant obstacle that the counteroffensive will need to find ways to overcome in the days, weeks, and months to come.
China is providing technology and equipment to Russia that is increasingly important to Moscow's war in Ukraine, according to a newly released report compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The report is unclassified and largely cites open-source data and western press reporting to support its claims. But it includes the US intelligence community assessment that China "has become an increasingly important buttress for Russia in its war effort."
The report — mandated by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 passed by Congress, and released by House Intelligence Committee Democrats — says that as of March, China "had shipped more than $12 million in drones and drone parts" to Russia, citing a "third-party analysis" of Russian customs data.
Chinese state-owned defense companies have also been providing sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies with other dual-use technology "that Moscow's military uses to continue the war in Ukraine," the report says, including "navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter-jet parts."
Semiconductor exports from China to Russia have also jumped considerably since 2021, it adds, with "hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of US-made or US-branded semiconductors flowing into Russia" despite heavy western sanctions and export controls.
The report says Chinese firms are "probably" helping Moscow to evade these sanctions — though it is "difficult to ascertain the extent" of that help. The report says the intelligence community cannot be sure whether Beijing is deliberately interfering with the US' ability to conduct export control checks, via interviews and investigations, inside China.
The report does say, however, that China "has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."
CNN has asked the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment on the report.
What the US has said: The Biden administration has repeatedly raised concerns with China about evidence it has suggesting that Chinese companies have sold non-lethal equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, but US officials say they have seen no signs so far that China has provided weapons or lethal military aid to Russia.
The US believes that at the outset of the war, China intended to sell Russia lethal weapons for use in Ukraine, a US official previously told CNN. But China significantly scaled back on those plans as the war progressed, this person said — something the Biden administration has considered a victory.
What China has said: China has claimed neutrality over the war in Ukraine and called for peace in the conflict. But Beijing has also avoided publicly criticizing Russia's war efforts and the two countries have repeatedly emphasized their cooperation, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu declaring a "boundless" military partnership after a meeting in April.
Both Russian and Ukrainian sources report intense fighting along the front lines in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are stepping up efforts to break through entrenched Russian defenses.
Late Thursday, video emerged of a Ukrainian unit claiming to be in the village of Staromaiorske – a target for several weeks, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.
A group of soldiers posted the video, with one saying Ukrainian fighters have "fulfilled the task and liberated the village."
The video was reposted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram account, with the caption: “Our South! Our guys!”
Earlier Thursday, the commander of a Russian-backed battalion from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic acknowledged the loss of Staromaiorske.
Kyiv's troops "methodically" took the village over the course of several days, "knocking personnel out of their shelters and turning those shelters into piles of broken bricks," said the commander, Alexander Khodakovsky. He acknowledged that losing the area was "a blow to our military ego."
“Tokmak has essentially become a frontline city, because the intensity of hostilities directly on the Zaporizhzhia frontline toward Tokmak is increasing every day,” the Ukrainian mayor of nearby Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, told CNN.
Fedorov claimed Moscow's troops are "constantly suffering losses" in villages around Tokmak.
Few frontline accounts have emerged, but a member of the Freedom for Russia Legion — a militant group of Russian dissidents that fights against Moscow — said the battles are unceasing.
“In a word, it's hell,” the fighter, Kostyantyn Denysov, told RFE/Radio Liberty. “There are small arms battles along the entire contact line, counter-battery fighting.” But, he claimed, Ukrainian troops are “stubbornly pressing the occupiers, pushing them out, mopping up and gaining ground.”
Denysov said Russia has responded with artillery barrages and aviation. Their priority is preventing the Ukrainian advance toward Tokmak and other towns near Zaporizhzhia city, including Vasylivka to the south and Polohy, further east of the city.
Denysov claimed some Russian units have suffered "such losses that they are now waiting for replenishment."
Two weeks ago, a senior Russian commander in the area was dismissed for demanding that the Defense Ministry rotate units out of frontline positions.
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares to fire a mortar at Russian positions on the front line near the city of Bakhmut on July 13. Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters
Ukraine's military is waging attritional battles south of Bakhmut with the ultimate aim of cutting Russian supply routes into the devastated eastern city, which Moscow's forces captured in the spring, according to officials.
Ukraine is "gradually advancing" south of Bakhmut and fighting persists in Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka and Andriivka — three villages south of the city, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.
"The fighting is quite fierce," Maliar said. "The enemy is firing intensively.”
The Ukraine military also said Ukrainian units repelled a Russian counterattack south of Bakhmut.
Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian military, said there had been 11 combat engagements in the area over the past day.
Along the border of the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, the Russians were continuing efforts to push Ukrainian units back, Maliar said.
“In the Kupyansk sector, the enemy is attacking, trying to drive us from our dominant heights," she said. "Today, our defenders repelled several attacks without losing positions,” she said.
However, Cherevatyi noted that the number of enemy assaults around Lyman was lower than average. Compared to a recent peak of 10 to 15, he said there were three enemy attacks in areas within the Serebryansky forest and Bilohorivka.
