Our live coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine has moved here.
September 4, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Kathleen Magramo, Christian Edwards and Elise Hammond, CNN
Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, September 5, 2023
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Nobel-winning Russian journalist to challenge "foreign agent" designation in court
From CNN's Amy Cassidy
Russian journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov will temporarily step down as editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta to challenge his recent “foreign agent” designation in court, the independent Russian news outlet reported Monday.
Muratov made headlines last year when he announced plans to auction his Nobel Peace Prize medal to raise money for Ukrainian refugees.
Russia’s justice ministry on Friday added Muratov to its “foreign agents” register under legislation that stifles free speech and freedom of expression in the country, critics argue.
“Muratov is in strong disagreement with the Justice Ministry’s decision and will be filing a lawsuit,” said Novaya Gazeta Europe, the Latvia-based outlet established in 2022 after Russia’s war-related censorship laws forced the original organization to significantly scale down operations in the country.
Current deputy editor-in-chief Sergey Sokolov will become acting editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, the article continues.
Russian strikes hit residential buildings as Ukrainian counteroffensive efforts continue, military says
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova
Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were hit by a series of Russian strikes on Monday, according to the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Russia launched five missile and 68 air strikes, fired 42 times from multiple launch rocket systems at Ukrainian troop positions and other populated areas, it said on Telegram.
The attacks resulted in casualties and injuries, the general staff said but did not provide detailed information on casualty figures.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, more than 15 localities came under fire, including Mala, Tokmachka, Orikhov, Robotyne and Stepnohirsk, the general staff said.
Russia launched an air strike near Budarky in Kharkiv region and more than 10 localities came under artillery fire in the area of Kupiansk, it added.
The general staff said Ukrainian forces were able to repel strikes in the area north of Klishchiivka in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian Defense Forces also conducted offensive operations in the Melitopol area on Monday, including 11 strikes on Russian positions and two strikes on anti-aircraft missile systems.
US State Department welcomes Turkey's efforts to revive grain deal, despite no breakthroughs
From CNN's Kylie Atwood
The United States State Department welcomed Turkey’s efforts to revive the Black Sea Grain deal, despite no major breakthroughs resulting from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Sochi on Monday.
“We welcome the efforts of Turkey and other countries to convince Russia to return to the deal. We are engaging with the United Nations and with Turkey, both of whom have worked very hard to make BSGI (Black Sea Grain Initiative) both possible and functional,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Russia’s decision to terminate its participation in the initiative “hurts communities vulnerable to food insecurity around the world.”
Turkey, who is a NATO ally, and the UN helped broker the previous grain deal. The State Department thanked Turkey for "its important diplomatic and operational efforts" on working to come to a new agreement.
The spokesperson added that Russia’s decision to terminate its participation in the initiative “hurts communities vulnerable to food insecurity around the world.”
Ukraine needs to "soften its approach" to revive Black Sea grain deal with Russia, Turkish president says
From CNN's Ipek Yezdani
Ukraine needs to “soften its approach” to revive the Black Sea grain deal, from which Russia withdrew in July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
"In order to be able to take common steps with Russia, Ukraine needs to soften its approach. Especially now, grain which will be sent to the least developed poverty-stricken African countries is important,” Erdogan said at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a meeting in Sochi.
“Putin rightfully does not approve if 44% of the grain goes to European countries,” the Turkish leader added.
Erdogan said Turkey has prepared a new proposal with the United Nations to revive the grain deal, which involves "important improvements."
“From the Turkish side, I believe we will be able to reach a solution soon which fulfills the expectations (regarding the grain deal),” he said.
The previous grain deal from which Russia pulled out, was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations. It lasted about a year and allowed billions of dollars worth of grain and wheat to safely transit out of war-torn Ukraine via the Black Sea.
Romanian territory not hit in Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's Danube port, foreign minister says
From CNN’s Eve Brennan and Chris Stern
Romania was not hit by Russian drone attacks on a Ukrainian Danube river port adjacent to Romanian territory, according to the country's foreign minister.
“Of course, there is a risk of accident or incidents, but for the time being, it was not the case,” Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu said, speaking at a joint news conference alongside German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin.
Odobescu said the Russian drone attacks did not pose any direct military threats against Romania’s national territory or territorial waters.
“From our part of the Danube we can see what's going on there, and we have seen that practically Russia cynically attacks and continues to attack the infrastructure — civilian infrastructure — not allowing Ukraine to export their cereals,” Odobescu said.
Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar condemned the "unjustified and criminal attacks targeting civilian infrastructure" in Ukraine, including the strikes on the port, in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Local elections taking place in illegally annexed areas of Ukraine, Russian officials say
From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova
Russian official agencies are touting the elections being conducted in the four regions of Ukraine that were illegally annexed last year. Voting is taking place at people’s homes in the four regions as well as at “extraterritorial” polling stations in Russia.
Russia’s Central Election Commission said voting at the extraterritorial polling stations was coming to an end.
There are, for example, several polling stations in St. Petersburg alone.
Residents of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as those in occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, are entitled to vote.
A local Telegram channel in occupied Zaporizhzhia said the early voting for the elections of deputies to the Legislative Assembly and local self-government bodies is “in full progress.”
It said that in three urban districts — Melitopol, Berdyansk and Enerhodar — voting will take place on September 8, 9 and 10.
There is no way to confirm the official figures and no international observers of the polling.
The Ukrainian side has poured scorn on the process: Yuriy Sobolevsky, deputy head of the Kherson region council, told CNN that the elections had “nothing to do with democracy or free expression of will. What is happening now is a show that they call elections in order to create a propaganda narrative.”
“The emphasis in these elections is on door-to-door work, when two collaborators accompanied by armed men from the Russian Guard, police, and in some cases the military, go from house to house in the settlements. They visit every house in the settlements and actually force people to vote under psychological pressure,” Sobolevsky said.
Ukraine’s National Resistance Center said the “occupiers have already prepared the election results.”
Putin says Russia is not refusing negotiations over Ukraine conflict
From CNN's Anna Chernova
In brief remarks on the conflict in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is not refusing to negotiate on how to end the war.
“I want to say that Russia has never refused negotiations and now we are not refusing," Putin said.
He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised questions about negotiations on the war during meetings between the two leaders on Monday.
“As we know, through the mediation of the President of Turkey, an agreement was reached, draft documents were agreed upon between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, but then Ukraine sent them to... to the scrapheap! Nobody is coming back to this. We hear about some new initiatives, but this is not something that was ever discussed with us. Therefore, we do not accept anything new. As for mediation services, we have never refused them. We are also grateful to the President of Turkey for his efforts in this direction," Putin said.
The Russian president also said the Ukrainian counteroffensive had been a failure.
Ukrainian leaders have acknowledged the counteroffensive's slow progress, but in recent days, the Ukrainian military said it notched victories in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, penetrating the “first line” of Russian defenses.
Putin blames West for collapse of Black Sea grain deal and says Russia was forced to pull out
From Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal and said, even after Moscow pulled out, there has been no shortage of food in the global market. His remarks come after several hours of talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
“The West, to put it mildly, deceived us about humanitarian goals by the humanitarian Black Sea initiative to assist developing countries," Putin said.
Russia said when it left the deal that promised guarantees made about its own agricultural and fertilizer exports had not been upheld.
“As I've said before, we were simply forced to make this decision," Putin said, referring to not renewing the deal.
“Obviously, the termination of the deal did not affect the global production markets, and I would like to emphasize this in particular. No matter what they say about this, grain prices continue to decline, there is no physical shortage of food. There are problems with its fair distribution, yes. But this has nothing to do with the so-called grain deal," Putin added.
The Russian president described the meeting with Erdogan as “held in a constructive and business-like atmosphere.”
Putin said he told Erdogan Russia "will be ready to consider reviving the grain deal" and talked about supplying Russian grain free of charge to several African countries.
"We will do so as soon as all the agreements on lifting restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products are fully implemented," he said.
Erdogan said he believes he and Putin will be able to reach a solution on the grain deal that will “fulfill expectations soon."
Putin said Monday’s meeting also included discussion of joint gas and energy projects.
