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4 min ago

It's morning in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

Russian investigators say genetic tests have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed last Wednesday.

Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin.

The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

As questions now swirl around the Wagner Group's future, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that requires Russian volunteer forces and those defending the country's territory to swear allegiance to the Kremlin.

Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

• Zelensky warning: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the coalition aiding Ukraine's fight against Moscow's invasion would not support Kyiv if it were to move the hostilities to Russian territory. "I believe that this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," he said in an interview with national media, where he was asked if it was time for such a move to Russian soil. Recent months have seen a rise in strikes on Russian territory, though Ukraine often declines to take explicit credit for attacks across the border. Early Monday, Moscow's mayor said another drone had been destroyed near the Russian capital.
• September diplomacy: Zelensky also said Sunday that Ukraine is preparing for a "productive" September, as it prepares to take part in several international events, including the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, Kyiv is "expecting decisions" on defense packages, he added.
• Battlefield updates: Ukraine said it made more gains along a key section of the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian shelling has escalated in villages around Kupiansk in the northeast. Russian shelling around Kupiansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has prompted one of Ukraine's largest-scale evacuations of the conflict.
• Russian attacks: At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded following Russian strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian authorities said. A 42-year-old man died following attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while shelling killed another person in nearby Kherson.
• Pilot mourned: The Ukrainian Air Force is paying tribute to a well-known pilot who was one of three people killed in a plane crash during a combat mission Friday. Andriy Pilshchikov, who went by the call sign "Juice," and two other pilots died when two L-39 combat trainer aircraft collided in the air, the air force said.
• Corruption crackdown: The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained four more employees of military enlistment offices as part of an ongoing crackdown on corruption, the agency said Saturday. Those detained are employees in military enlistment offices and heads of military medical commissions "who 'helped' evaders to avoid conscription and escape abroad," the SBU said. 
• Bad vacation: With Kyiv’s counteroffensive underway, Crimea is no longer the safe haven Russian holidaymakers had become accustomed to since Moscow annexed it in 2014. Read how Putin's war is forcing Russians to ditch a favorite holiday destination here.

57 min ago

Russian air defenses destroy drone near Moscow, mayor says

From CNN's Josh Pennington

A drone flying toward Moscow has been destroyed by Russian air defense forces, the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Monday.

The drone was destroyed near Lyubertsy, southeast of the capital, he added.

"Preliminarily, there are no casualties or damage. Response teams are working at the scene," Sobyanin said.

Earlier, the Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports servicing the Russian capital temporarily halted flights, state-run news agency TASS reported, citing aviation services.

59 min ago

Allies will not support Ukraine if it moves hostilities to Russia, Zelensky says

From CNN’s Mariya Knight

The coalition aiding Ukraine's fight against Moscow's invasion would not support Kyiv if it were to move the hostilities to Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.

"I believe that this is a big risk, we will definitely be left alone," he said in an interview with national media, where he was asked if it was time for such a move to Russian soil.

Zelensky said Ukraine’s fight to reclaim its own territory has been critically aided by its relationships with allies.

The progress and responsibility for Ukraine on the battlefield “is always bilateral,” Zelensky said, adding that international partners are a part of any victory, any hold-up in the counteroffensive, any defensive actions and any weakness.

Zelensky also said he believes it is possible to "push for the demilitarization of Russia" in Crimea by political means.

Some context: The past several months have seen a rise in strikes on Russian soil, with Russian officials saying Ukrainian drones and shelling are responsible for attacks that have at times wounded or killed civilians.

Officials in Kyiv have alluded to the incidents — Zelensky said after drone attacks last month, for example, that the war is "returning to Russia" — but Ukraine often declines to take explicit credit for attacks across the border.

Ukraine has, by contrast, taken credit for attacks by sea drones and other weaponry on Russian-held Crimea and surrounding Black Sea targets, promising there will be more to come.

Moscow seized the peninsula and declared it annexed Russian territory in 2014, in a move denounced as illegal by Ukraine, the US and international bodies. Kyiv has said its goal of driving Russia out of Ukraine includes reclaiming Crimea.

3 hr 19 min ago

Ukraine claims more gains on southern front as Russia intensifies attacks in the northeast

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Radina Gigova

Ukraine's forces are making more progress in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian troops have intensified attacks in areas surrounding the embattled city of Kupiansk on the eastern front line, the Ukrainian military said Sunday.

Here's a roundup of Ukrainian accounts from the battlefield:

• Around Kupiansk: Russian forces have "significantly increased" attacks in the area, according to Illya Yevlash, a spokesperson for Ukraine's forces on the eastern front. "However, the enemy's emphasis has changed somewhat. They are shifting their focus from the Kupiansk sector to Novoiehorivka," Yevlash added, referring to a village northeast of Kupiansk. Ukrainian forces repelled 10 attacks in the area over the past day, the spokesperson said. Russian shelling around Kupiansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has prompted one of Ukraine's largest-scale evacuations of the conflict.
• Near Bakhmut: Ukraine remains on the offensive, advancing "meter by meter," Yevlash said. "The enemy is resorting to counterattacks, trying in vain to regain lost ground," he said, noting that Russia's tactics "remain virtually unchanged" in the area. Since the Wagner private military group claimed to capture the eastern city in May, Ukraine has maintained that it is still fighting for Bakhmut and picking up gains in territory immediately surrounding the city.
• Zaporizhzhia region: In southern Ukraine, Kyiv's forces continue to advance near the village of Robotnye, said Oleksandr Shputun, a military spokesperson. Ukrainian troops are advancing in the direction of Novoprokopivka — another village, located just south of Robotyne — and north toward the settlement of Mala Tokmachka, Shputun said Sunday. "Recently, the enemy has increased the number of airstrikes," he said. "But this also means that other firepower is no longer able to hold back the progress of our troops." Ukraine has claimed successes in Robotyne and surrounding areas over the past several days, with social media video and images showing troops had entered the village. Almost no buildings are still standing in Robotyne, Kyiv's forces say.

1 hr 2 min ago

September will be a busy month for diplomacy, Zelensky says

From Yulia Kesaieva and Radina Gigova

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday his country is preparing for a "productive" September, as several international events are set to take place and Ukraine is "expecting decisions" on defense packages.

"We are preparing Ukraine's participation in international events, including the UN General Assembly. The next (Kyiv) Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is a way to build up Ukraine's soft power. Global food security is a constant priority," Zelensky said in a Telegram post. 

"The free world needs more power to defend itself. Together we have this potential and we will demonstrate it," Zelensky added. "In September, there will be even more unity."

2 hr 9 min ago

Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at at least 2, injure 10 others

From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva and Josh Pennington

At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded following Russian strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian authorities said.

The head of the military administration in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia said Sunday morning that a 42-year-old man was killed and four others were hurt during Russian attacks in the past day.

To the west, in the southern region of Kherson, another person was killed and four more were injured during Russian shelling. The strikes hit regional settlements, infrastructure, a medical institution, a national park and some warehouses, authorities in Kherson said.

And in Kyiv, the capital, two people were injured and 10 homes were damaged in missile attacks overnight, the head of the Kyiv military administration said Sunday.

1 hr 6 min ago

Wagner chief Prigozhin confirmed dead by Russian authorities after genetic tests

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova, Radina Gigova and Amy Woodyatt

Russian investigators have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed Wednesday, after carrying out genetic tests.

Prigozhin, who led a failed uprising against the Kremlin, had previously been named as one of those on board the private plane, which crashed in a field northwest of Moscow while en route to St. Petersburg, but until now authorities had stopped short of confirming he died.

“As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed,” a statement published on the Russia’s Investigative Committee’s Telegram channel read.

“According to their results, the identities of all 10 dead were established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight sheet,” it said.

Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. Three crew members died.

Prigozhin’s shadowy lifestyle and use of security precautions prompted rumors he was not on board. At a makeshift memorial for him in St. Petersburg this week CNN found a couple who thought Prigozhin’s death was orchestrated to allow the Wagner boss to be deployed onto other missions to benefit Russia.

The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

Read more here.

Russian investigators say genetic tests have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed last Wednesday.

Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin.

The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

As questions now swirl around the Wagner Group's future, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that requires Russian volunteer forces and those defending the country's territory to swear allegiance to the Kremlin.

Here are the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

A drone flying toward Moscow has been destroyed by Russian air defense forces, the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Monday.

The drone was destroyed near Lyubertsy, southeast of the capital, he added.

Earlier, the Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports servicing the Russian capital temporarily halted flights, state-run news agency TASS reported, citing aviation services.

The coalition aiding Ukraine's fight against Moscow's invasion would not support Kyiv if it were to move the hostilities to Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.

Zelensky said Ukraine’s fight to reclaim its own territory has been critically aided by its relationships with allies.

The progress and responsibility for Ukraine on the battlefield “is always bilateral,” Zelensky said, adding that international partners are a part of any victory, any hold-up in the counteroffensive, any defensive actions and any weakness.

Zelensky also said he believes it is possible to "push for the demilitarization of Russia" in Crimea by political means.

Some context: The past several months have seen a rise in strikes on Russian soil, with Russian officials saying Ukrainian drones and shelling are responsible for attacks that have at times wounded or killed civilians.

Officials in Kyiv have alluded to the incidents — Zelensky said after drone attacks last month, for example, that the war is "returning to Russia" — but Ukraine often declines to take explicit credit for attacks across the border.

Ukraine has, by contrast, taken credit for attacks by sea drones and other weaponry on Russian-held Crimea and surrounding Black Sea targets, promising there will be more to come.

Moscow seized the peninsula and declared it annexed Russian territory in 2014, in a move denounced as illegal by Ukraine, the US and international bodies. Kyiv has said its goal of driving Russia out of Ukraine includes reclaiming Crimea.

Ukraine's forces are making more progress in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while Russian troops have intensified attacks in areas surrounding the embattled city of Kupiansk on the eastern front line, the Ukrainian military said Sunday.

Here's a roundup of Ukrainian accounts from the battlefield:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday his country is preparing for a "productive" September, as several international events are set to take place and Ukraine is "expecting decisions" on defense packages.

At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded following Russian strikes across Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian authorities said.

The head of the military administration in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia said Sunday morning that a 42-year-old man was killed and four others were hurt during Russian attacks in the past day.

To the west, in the southern region of Kherson, another person was killed and four more were injured during Russian shelling. The strikes hit regional settlements, infrastructure, a medical institution, a national park and some warehouses, authorities in Kherson said.

And in Kyiv, the capital, two people were injured and 10 homes were damaged in missile attacks overnight, the head of the Kyiv military administration said Sunday.

Russian investigators have confirmed that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed when their plane crashed Wednesday, after carrying out genetic tests.

Prigozhin, who led a failed uprising against the Kremlin, had previously been named as one of those on board the private plane, which crashed in a field northwest of Moscow while en route to St. Petersburg, but until now authorities had stopped short of confirming he died.

“As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed,” a statement published on the Russia’s Investigative Committee’s Telegram channel read.

Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. Three crew members died.

Prigozhin’s shadowy lifestyle and use of security precautions prompted rumors he was not on board. At a makeshift memorial for him in St. Petersburg this week CNN found a couple who thought Prigozhin’s death was orchestrated to allow the Wagner boss to be deployed onto other missions to benefit Russia.

The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

Read more here.