Yevheniia Martyniuk

Pyongyang has been providing military assistance to Moscow, albeit discreetly, said Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's intelligence chief, the NV reports. On 13 September, the leader of North Korea visited Russia's Far East and met with Putin. Following the talks, Kim Jong Un expressed support for Russia but did not mention military aid.

On 13 September, Ukraine used British long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target the occupied city of Sevastopol in Crimea, Sky News reports. Two Russian military vessels, a submarine, and a large landing ship were damaged in the attack.

In 2022, due to Western sanctions, Russia significantly reduced the production of missiles and other weapons. However, by the end of 2022, Moscow's military-industrial manufacturing has practically recovered and has even exceeded its pre-war levels, according to the NYT. It means Moscow has found a way to evade sanctions and export controls.

Poland will unilaterally block the import of Ukrainian grain if the EU Commission does not extend the current ban, which expires later this week, said Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki on 12 September.

From Luhansk to Kherson, Russia forced occupied Ukrainian regions to "vote" in staged elections without legitimate candidates or voters.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, the Kremlin is about to start a large-scale forced mobilization in Russia proper and the occupied territories of Ukraine, targeting to conscript 400,000-700,000 people.

US President Biden is nearing a decision on providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, according to The Financial Times, citing sources within the White House. ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 km can effectively target Russian territory.

Two foreign aid volunteers were killed and two others injured in a Russian missile attack near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast. They are Canadian and Spanish citizens. Another two volunteers from Germany and Sweden were severely wounded.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania summoned Elena Kopnina, the chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy in Bucharest. The MFA also protested the fall of Shahed's debris on Romanian territory. The incident occurred on 4 September. Initially, Romania denied everything but eventually acknowledged it. Now Bucharest is considering the evacuation of the endangered villages.

Company commander in the Da Vinci Volves battalion Serhii Filimonov, talked about the defense of Kupiansk and how it differs from the defense of Bakhmut in the new interview with Roman Kravets. He said Russians use chemical weapons from WWI together with "meat grinders" tactics. Yet, they are constantly learning and adapting as well, becoming a “difficult enemy.”

The United Nations is secretly negotiating with Russia to cancel many substantial sanctions in exchange for renewing the "grain deal," BILD reports. The editorial staff obtained a confidential letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, dated 28 August.

British actor and comedian Stephen Fry met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The President thanked the Briton for his support of Ukraine. Additionally, due to an air raid alert, Fry spent an hour in the bomb shelter of his hotel.

According to Ukrinform, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine, a car carrying Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) agents and military personnel exploded in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson Oblast. One of the FSB agents died, another remains in critical condition, and three more Russian military personnel were injured.

Ukrainian border guards raised the blue and yellow flag in two villages in the Kharkiv Oblast near the Russian border. The video was posted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.