This is the 903rd day of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest developments in this live blog.
The Kyiv Kursk offensive is progressing, and the Kremlin is contradicting it
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine’s offensive in the western part of Russia’s Kursk region is continuing and progress is being made. According to Zelensky, territorial gains of 1 to 2 kilometers were made on the front on Wednesday morning and a hundred Russian soldiers were captured. Instead, the Kremlin says the attack has been called off and has now been repelled.
Germany issues arrest warrant for Ukrainian over Nord Stream
Germany has issued the first international arrest warrant for attacks on Nord Stream gas pipelines, German media reported. According to Tagesschau, Die Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit, the Ukrainian who lived in Poland is wanted. Two more Ukrainians are also suspected.
Poland confirms that an arrest warrant has already been obtained in June, but the suspect has not been arrested. He reportedly fled to Ukraine shortly after.
In September 2022, critical pipelines between Russia and Germany burst in the Baltic Sea. Almost immediately, sabotage was suspected and several countries began investigating.
State of emergency in Belgorod border region, ‘more Russians fleeing’
It is unlikely that Ukrainian ground forces entered the Russian border region of Belgorod, says Russia correspondent Joost Bosman. It is known that the region has been under constant shelling from Ukraine since the start of the war two and a half years ago, but for now I think Ukraine is mainly focused on Kursk because it already has its hands full. ‘
The Russian border region of Belgorod declares a regional state of emergency
Vyacheslav Klatkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod border region, has declared a state of emergency for the entire region following repeated attacks by Ukrainian forces. “The situation in the Belgorod region is very difficult and tense,” Kladkov said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Daily shelling by Ukrainian forces has destroyed homes, killing and injuring civilians, he added. ‘Therefore, we decide to declare a regional state of emergency for the entire Belgorod region starting today… followed by a call on the government to declare a federal state of emergency.’
US: Attack on Kursk to force Russian troops out of Ukraine
With the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk, Kiev appears to want to force Russia to withdraw some troops from Ukraine and move them into that Russian region. A US government official told Reuters on Tuesday evening.
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden had already said that the Kursk operation had put Russian President Vladimir Putin in “a huge dilemma”. Last week, the Ukrainian army crossed the border with dozens of tanks and other armored vehicles, along with about 1,000 people. The US reiterated on Tuesday that it had no involvement in the operation. Biden said he had been briefed on the situation every four to five hours in recent days.
Zelensky claims that Kursk won 74 seats
Ukraine currently holds 74 seats in Kursk, which borders Russia. That’s according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said his forces continued to advance despite “tough and intense fighting.”
A day earlier, Russian officials spoke of 28 locations in Kursk captured by Ukraine. The Ukrainian surprise attack led to a mass exodus of civilians there. Tens of thousands of people had to leave.
On Tuesday, Zelensky shared images showing army chief Oleksandr Chirsky updating him on battlefield developments. Chirsky said Ukraine had seized another 40 square kilometers in the past day.
Kyiv wants the conference to follow the Swiss peace conference
Ukraine’s government plans to host an international online conference this month on the country’s war. It was supposed to be a follow-up to the major international conference in Switzerland in June, where about a hundred countries and international organizations discussed the possibility of peace in Ukraine.
A conference planned by Kyiv this month should focus on what the Russian invasion of Ukraine means for the security of energy supplies 2.5 years later.
Subscribe now to the BNR newsletter for your daily dose of news and podcast tips. You will be notified in your mailbox every morning and/or afternoon. Be sharp.