Putin shows Kim presidential limo during Russian spaceport visit
From CNN’s Jake Kwon and Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second left, visit a construction site of the Angara rocket launch complex on September 13, in Tsiolkovsky, Russia. Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a presidential limousine manufactured by the Russian luxury automobile maker Aurus while visiting the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Wednesday.
Putin told Kim: "The car is called Aurus, this is what we started producing in Russia," according to video released by state news Russia 1 and the Russian state military TV channel Zvezda.
Aurus Motors was founded in 2018, originally to produce Russia's official state cars, according to Russian media. According to the company's website, the Aurus Senat Limousine is the official presidential vehicle and offers "ballistic protection."
It's unknown whether Kim was shown the vehicle before or after talks with Putin.
Former US President Donald Trump also gave North Korean leader a viewing of the presidential Cadillac limousine nicknamed “the Beast” during their talks in Singapore in 2018.
During his opening remarks after Kim's arrival, Putin told the North Korean leader: "We, of course, need to talk about issues of economic cooperation, issues of a humanitarian nature, and the situation in the region," according to a Kremlin readout.
6:38 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
Russia to hold state dinner for Kim Jong Un featuring duck, crab and marbled beef
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Alex Stambaugh
Russia will host a lavish official state dinner on Wednesday in honor of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
The dinner comes after Kim held talks for more than an hour with President Vladimir Putin and Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur province, in the Far East region.
The menu, shared by state news agency Russia 1, features dishes including:
Duck salad with figs and nectarines
Dumplings with Kamchatka crab
Grass carp fish soup
Sea buckthorn sorbet
Sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes
Marbled beef entrecote with baked vegetables
Taiga lingonberries with pine nuts and condensed milk
This is the second state dinner Russia has held for Kim; a state reception was held in his honor during Kim's 2019 visit to Vladivostok.
4:13 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
Ukraine launches extensive missile attack on Sevastopol shipyard, with fire breaking out and 24 injured
From CNN's Tim Lister, Josh Pennington and Olga Voitovych
Smoke rises from the shipyard that was reportedly hit by Ukrainian missile attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, in this still image from video taken on September 13. Reuters
Ukrainian forces launched an extensive attack on a ship repair facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight, according to both the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian accounts.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Ukrainian armed forces “launched a strike with 10 cruise missiles against the S. Ordzhonikidze ship repair plant in the city of Sevastopol.” It added that Ukraine “sent three uncrewed boats at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships on a sea crossing.”
It claimed that air defense forces shot down seven cruise missiles, and a patrol ship destroyed all the uncrewed boats — but acknowledged that “two ships under repair were damaged by enemy cruise missiles.”
Fire breaks out: The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, also confirmed a substantial attack in messages overnight, saying missile strikes caused a fire.
He said 24 people were injured, with four in "moderate condition."
Videos and images purportedly from the area, some posted by Razvozhaev, show a large plume of smoke and a fire raging.
In this handout photo released by the Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev on September 13, Razvozhaev speaks on the mobile phone as smoke and flame rise from a burning Sevastopol shipyard in Crimea. Mikhail Razvozhaev/Telegram/AP
One unofficial Russian military blogger also said that two ships were damaged: a diesel-electric submarine, Rostov-on-Don, and the large landing ship Minsk, which caught fire. Both vessels were undergoing repairs in dry docks.
It’s not possible to independently verify the account. Another unofficial account claimed that Ukraine had used British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
Ukrainian message: The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, thanked the Ukrainian Air Force pilots "for their excellent combat work" on Wednesday, adding that "the occupiers are still recovering from the night-time bombardment in Sevastopol."
The attack appears to have been the most ambitious yet launched on the port by Ukrainian forces. There have been previous drone attacks on Sevastopol, as well as attempts to penetrate the harbor with maritime drones.
3:23 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
Kremlin says Kim and Putin will not sign documents, but may discuss "sensitive areas, such as military interaction"
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Alex Stambaugh
Dmitry Peskov speaks before a press conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 29. Sergei Bobylyov Sergei Bobylyov/Reuters
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters there are no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to sign documents regarding their Wednesday meeting at the Russian space center, according to state media.
The two leaders met and held closed-door talks for more than an hour at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's space rocket launch site, in Amur province in the Far East region.
When asked about reports of arms talks between the two, Peskov said "the full range of relations [between the two countries] implies dialogue and interaction in sensitive areas, such as military interaction," according to state-run outlet Russia 1.
"All other issues concern only our two sovereign countries," he added. "And they should not be a subject of concern to any third state. Our cooperation is carried out for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries, but not against anyone."
"North Korea is our close neighbor. And despite any comments from the outside, we will build relationships with our neighbors in a way that is beneficial to us and our neighbors."
8:09 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
7 people injured in Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa and Sumy regions
From CNN's Olga Voitovych
Seven people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian regions of Odesa and Sumy, the head of Odesa region military administration Oleh Kiper said on Wednesday morning.
“A total of seven civilians were injured as a result of Russian attack drones at the Izmail district. Six people in Reni and one in Izmail,” Kiper wrote on Telegram. “Two men from Reni are in serious condition, in the intensive care unit, today they will be transported to Odesa.”
He added that four others are in a “moderate condition” and will be treated in the city of Reni.
Drones struck down: The Ukrainian Air Force said out of a total of 44 Shahed-136/131 drones launched towards Ukraine, 32 were destroyed. The Air Force said the attacks were launched from the Russian town Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk and Chauda in Russian-occupied Crimea.
“Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the attack,” the Ukrainian Air Force said.
2:58 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
Talks between Putin and Kim have ended: Russian state media
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have ended on Wednesday after more than an hour, according to state media Russia 1.
6:39 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
"I will always be standing with Russia," says Kim, as talks begin with Putin
From Anna Chernova, Jake Kwon, Gawon Bae and Alex Stambaugh
Vladimir Putin gestures as he talks with Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur region, Russia, on September 13. Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down for talks on Wednesday at Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome space center, where Putin told reporters the two "have a lot" to discuss.
“I am very glad to see and welcome you again in Russia. This time, as we agreed, at the Vostochny Cosmodrome,” Putin said while seated alongside Kim. "Of course, we need to talk about issues of economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, and the situation in the region. We have a lot of questions [to discuss]."
Kim thanked Putin for his invite to the country and said the two countries have "many issues" that they can cooperate on.
"As you said, the agenda between our countries, including the political, economic, and cultural issues; and there are many issues that our two countries need to cooperate and for us to receive help on in our war of independence as the people of our countries anticipate. In this situation, I believe this moment will serve to raise our bilateral relations to the next step, to a new height," Kim said.
The North Korean leader went on tell Putin it was an honor the meeting was being held "at this special place, a space launch site which is like the heart of the space power, which your country has the status of, and giving this opportunity for us to have a deeper understanding of space power’s today and tomorrow.”
Kim also praised Russia for having "stood up against the hegemonic forces" to defend its sovereignty and security, a veiled reference to the US and the West, and said he has expressed "the full and unconditional support to all that Russia does in response."
"And that in the frontline of anti-imperialism and independence, I will always be standing with Russia, I’m using this opportunity to make it clear," the North Korean leader said.
Ahead of the meeting, US officials warned that a potential arms deal could see Pyongyang provide weapons for Moscow to use in the war against Ukraine.
6:39 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
What is the Vostochny Cosmodrome where Kim and Putin are meeting?
From CNN's Jessie Yeung
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un met Wednesday at the Vostochny Cosmodrome — the space rocket launch site in Amur province, in Russia's remote Far East.
Construction on the space center began in 2012, with the first phase completed by 2016, according to Russian state media TASS.
It included a launch complex for Soyuz-2 spacecrafts, TASS reported. Russia's Soyuz program is one of the longest operational human spacecraft programs in history; Soyuz spacecrafts were created by the Soviet Union in 1960 and are still in use today.
Last month, Russia successfully launched Luna 25, the country’s first lunar lander in 47 years, on a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
The second phase of construction at the space center will include launch pads for Angara vehicles, Russia's next-generation space rockets, TASS reported.
6:39 a.m. ET, September 13, 2023
Kim and Putin officially begin talks at Vostochny Cosmodrome
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin shake hands as they begin their talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur region, Russia, on September 13. Kremlin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have officially begun their talks, sitting beside each other in front of flags from both countries at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
US officials have warned the talks could include a potential arms deal which could see Pyongyang provide weapons for Moscow to use against Ukraine.
