July 28, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest Ukraine news here or read through the updates below.

A missile strike on Dnipro left at least nine people injured, according to Serhii Lysak, the head of the region’s military administration.

Those injured include two teenagers between age 14 and 17; two 20-year-old girls, a 77-year-old woman and four men between 18 and 53 years old.

Doctors say the injured victims are in “satisfactory condition” and will be treated at home, Lysak said.

Kyiv’s counteroffensive appears to be entering a more aggressive new phase.

A new video spreading on social media appears to show, for the first time, Ukrainian forces reaching one of Russia’s sprawling “dragon’s teeth” defensive lines. The concrete anti-tank fortifications are one example of the deeply layered defenses Russia has developed to slow any attempt to take back territory in southern Ukraine.

But Ukraine’s top commander on the southern front says Kyiv’s forces are making some progress in driving back Russian troops. The general on Friday described intense, ongoing combat in the area he commands, which encompasses southern parts of Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia region.

If you’re just now catching up, here’s what else you should know:

Here’s a look at the latest map of control in Ukraine:

Ukraine’s top commander on the southern front says his forces are making some progress in driving back Russian troops, as Kyiv’s counteroffensive appears to be entering a more aggressive new phase.

“In particular, Ukrainian troops have liberated Staromaiorske in Donetsk region and are consolidating their positions,” he added, referencing a village in southeastern Ukraine which Kyiv’s troops claimed Thursday.

The general described intense, ongoing combat in the area he commands, which encompasses southern parts of Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia launched at least 17 attacks on Ukrainian positions there over the past day, and fired on Kyiv’s forces hundreds more times, according to Tarnavskyi. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s artillery units are on the offensive, carrying out more than 1,500 firing missions during that same period, he said.

Tarnavskyi claimed “19 units” of Russian military equipment were destroyed in the most recent fighting, including tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Some context: It is impossible to verify Ukrainian or Russian claims about the state of the battlefield, but Kyiv appears to be ramping up its counteroffensive after months of slow progress. US officials told CNN earlier this week that more troops have been committed to the southern front, where Tarnavskyi is leading the effort to recapture territory.

On Thursday, video surfaced of Ukrainian troops clearly standing in Staromaiorske, the village referenced in Tarnavskyi’s report.

Then, on Friday, another video spread on social media appearing to show, for the first time, Ukrainian forces reaching one of Russia’s sprawling “dragon’s teeth” defensive lines. The concrete anti-tank fortifications are one example of the deeply layered defenses Russia has developed to slow any attempt to take back territory in southern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian fencing champion banned from the world championships in Italy for refusing to shake hands with a Russian opponent has been readmitted to the tournament.

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) announced that Olga Kharlan would be allowed to participate in the women’s team sabre competition.

The federation said Kharlan conceded that the penalty against her was correct after refusing to shake hands with her opponent, Anna Smernova, on Thursday. Smirnova was competing as an individual, as representatives of Russia are not eligible to take part in most sporting tournaments. The federation said it “stands fully behind the penalty.”

The FIE also said it met with Kharlan and spoke with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The reinstatement, the FIE added, “is made in keeping with the Olympic Spirit. It also sends a message of sensitivity and understanding to our members and all sports federations.”

Kharlan has not apologized for her action but said she was nevertheless thankful to the FIE.

The federation’s decision came after a pointed intervention from the Thomas Bach, president of the IOC and a former fencer himself.

“The war against your country, the suffering of the people of Ukraine, the uncertainty about your participatIon at the World Fencing Championships in Milan, the difficult inner conflicts that you and many of your fellow Ukrainian athletes may have, and then the events that unfolded yesterday, all this is a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings,” Bach wrote in a letter to Kharlan.

Expressing his “full support” for Kharlan, Bach said the IOC would offer her an automatic place at the Paris Olympics next year because of her “unique situation” and because her disqualification in Milan could cost her sufficient qualifying points for the Olympiad.

Responding to the news, Kharlan said: “This is the moment when you see no hope, feel unbearable pain and despair, and think you are all alone. And then a whole multi-million country of Heroes stands up for you and changes everything in your life.”
“I knew what I was risking, but I didn’t expect that it would shake up the entire Ukrainian society and that everyone would join the fight with me!” she added

Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to engage in “dialogue and find a solution” to end the war in Ukraine, according to Azali Assoumani, the African Union chairman and president of the Union of the Comoros.

Now the union needs to convince Ukraine to hold negotiations with Russia, he said Friday. Assoumani said the African Union will “act as an intermediary.”

He also said Putin’s offer to help Africa with food supply after pulling out of the key Black Sea grain deal is “not quite enough.”  

“We need to achieve a ceasefire, because war is always something unpredictable, and the longer it goes on, the more unpredictable it becomes,” he said.

Speaking later Friday at the summit, Putin blamed Ukraine for not being willing to engage in negotiations, saying “the ball is completely in their court.” He also criticized Kyiv’s efforts to join NATO, calling Ukraine’s potential membership in the military alliance a “fundamental threat” to Russian security.

Some background: In mid-June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and several other African leaders traveled to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and present a 10-step peace initiative that several African countries have agreed to participate in.

At his Russia-Africa summit, Putin has said the Kremlin is “carefully” considering the African leaders’ proposal.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out any peace negotiations with Russia until Moscow’s troops withdraw from his country’s territory. Zelensky said allowing any negotiations while another nation’s military is occupying Ukraine would only “freeze” the war, pain and suffering caused by Putin’s invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that one of the buildings hit in a missile strike on central Dnipro Friday was that of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU).

“Dnipro. Friday evening. A high-rise building and the Security Service of Ukraine’s building were hit. Russian missile terror again,” he said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian leader said he has spoken with the SBU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Emergency Service, and the head of the regions’ military administration.

“We will do everything to bring Russia to full punishment for aggression and terror against our people. These bastards will answer,” he added.

Maksym Buzhansky, a member of parliament who is in Dnipro, said that the explosions were “very loud” and he has not been informed of any injuries or deaths yet. Emergency services were at the scene, he said.

Three people have requested medical assistance so far, according to Ihor Klymenko, the Ukrainian interior minister. He said rescuers were going door-to-door in the building.

Video from the scene showed several floors of the building were damaged.

The European Union Council said on Friday that it imposed sanctions on seven Russian individuals and five entities.

Those sanctioned are accused of conducting a “digital information manipulation campaign” called ‘RRN’ (Recent Reliable News), aimed at distorting information and disseminating propaganda in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the council said in a statement.

The statement said the campaign to which “government bodies or bodies affiliated to the Russian state have participated” does rely on “fake web pages usurping the identity of national media outlets and government websites, as well as fake accounts on social media.”

“This coordinated and targeted information manipulation is part of a broader hybrid campaign by Russia against the EU and the member states,” the statement added.

The impacted entities: The sanctioned entities include Infornos — an online outlet “closely linked to the Russian military intelligence (GRU) and is responsible for setting up more than 270 media proxy online outlets that disseminate propaganda in support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” according to the council.

They also include the Kremlin-linked non-profit ANO Dialog, the Institute of the Russian Diaspora, as well as Social Design Agency and Structura National Technologies —two Russian IT companies and prominent representatives of the above-mentioned entities.

The statement said the EU sanctions toward Russia’s war on Ukraine now apply to about 1,800 individuals and entities altogether.

Russian President Vladimir Putin — who is holding a summit with African governments as the Kremlin grows more isolated on the world stage — says leaders from the continent have showed interest in further developing their relations with Moscow.

Speaking at a news conference with the chair of the African Union, Putin laid out the ways he says Russia plans to help African countries. Moscow will provide aid to “strengthen national health systems, improve their reliability, technical equipment, efficiency and resilience in the fight against epidemics,” he said.

A “large-scale program of assistance” for combatting infections in African countries will total 1.2 billion rubles (or about $13 million USD) running into 2026, according to Putin.

Putin also said Russia will “continue to supply African countries with grain on a commercial basis and free of charge.”

Putin said Friday that he would discuss the situation in Ukraine with African representatives in a meeting taking place later today. The Russian president has said the Kremlin is “carefully” considering a peace proposal from the leaders.

Key context: Putin is seeking to strengthen ties with African countries as he wages a war in Ukraine that has left him sanctioned and shunned by many foreign governments.

In the run-up to the event, the Kremlin fumed over the poor turnout, and accused the United States and its Western allies of putting “unprecedented pressure” on African countries in an attempt to derail the summit. Some have chosen not to attend the summit, and others have outright condemned Moscow’s war.

Others, however, have praised Putin or attempted to maintain a projection of neutrality.

Putin’s summit comes shortly after Russia pulled out of a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to flow to countries on the continent. He has used the series of meetings to argue that Moscow remains a “reliable” source of food despite that development.

The United Nations has warned his offer to send free grain to the continent would not make up for Russia pulling out of the deal and targeting Ukrainian ports with recent strikes.

CNN’s Radina Gigova, Anna Chernova, Sophie Tanno and Nimi Princewill contributed reporting to this post.

Moscow reserves the right to take tough measures in response to a missile attack that wounded more than a dozen people in the Russian border region of Rostov on Friday, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

The official, Maria Zakharova, said the strike on the southwestern Russian city of Taganrog was “directed against the civilian population and peaceful infrastructure. They obviously had no military meaning.”

Zakharova called on the international community to condemn the attack. “The Russian side reserves the right to take tough retaliatory measures,” she said.

What we know about the strike: Earlier on Friday, air defenses shot down a missile over Taganrog. The missile’s remnants fell on the center of the city, leaving 14 people wounded, according to the Russian defense ministry.

The ministry says air defense systems also intercepted a second missile in the Rostov region Friday, but that it “fell in a deserted area.” Rostov’s governor confirmed the second attack.

Friday’s strike on Taganrog is believed to be the first time the city – some 40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles) from the border with Ukraine — has been hit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine has not immediately commented on Russian reports of the attack.

Brazilian authorities have declined a US request to extradite Russian national Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, who is accused of entering the US under a false identity to spy on Americans in the leadup to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security said Thursday that the US extradition request is “unfounded,” because the country’s Supreme Court has already approved Cherkasov’s eventual extradition to Russia, where he is accused of drug trafficking, according to the Russian state media agency TASS.

Cherkasov would only be extradited to Russia once he has completed a Brazilian jail term for forgery, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil. He started serving a reduced sentence of five years and two months in July 2022, according to TASS.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has been searching for high-value Russian nationals that could entice Moscow to release two Americans that the White House considers wrongfully detained, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, CNN reported in May, after speaking to three sources familiar with the matter.

The US Justice Department accused Cherkasov of working for Russia’s military intelligence service. It’s conceivable that, if held in US custody, he could become a suitable candidate for a prisoner swap with Russia.

Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine, US officials have feared that Americans detained by Moscow could be used as pawns in the broader geopolitics surrounding the conflict. Relations between Washington and the Kremlin have deteriorated as the US wages a relentless campaign to isolate and punish Russia for its invasion.

More on the accused Russian: Cherkasov entered the United States in 2018 under the guise of attending graduate school in Washington, DC, the US Justice Department said.

Cherkasov operated under the alias Victor Muller Ferreira after establishing the fake identity in Brazil, where he pretended to be the son of a deceased Brazilian national, according to US prosecutors handling the case. Upon his return to Brazil in 2022, Brazilian authorities arrested him on identity theft and fraud charges.

CNN’s Stephen Collinson contributed to this report.

The Russian defense ministry said Kyiv fired a missile at the Russian city of Taganrog, which is located in the southwestern Rostov region near the border with Ukraine.

“The Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defense system converted into a strike version on the residential infrastructure of the city of Taganrog, Rostov Region,” the ministry said.

Regional Gov. Vasily Golubev also said on Friday in a Telegram post that there was a rocket explosion in the middle of the city.

“There are several victims, ambulances are handling the victims. Four people were slightly injured by broken glass. Information about the damage is being specified,” he said. There have been no deaths, he said.

Russian state agency RIA Novosti cited local emergency services as saying that at least 10 people were injured.

Russian air defense systems intercepted the missile, fragments of which fell on the city and damaged buildings, the defense ministry said.

Some context: It’s believed to be the first time that Taganrog – some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border with Ukraine — has been hit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani promised his country would donate $100 million to help rebuild Ukraine, during a visit to Kyiv. 

During his visit, Al Thani met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who thanked Qatar for its support. 

“We appreciate that you are visiting Kyiv in these days when Russia continues to wage a neo-colonial war against Ukraine. Your visit at such a difficult time for the Ukrainian people is an important signal and evidence of your country’s solidarity and support for Ukraine,” Shmyhal said. 

The money donated by Qatar will be used in Ukraine’s reconstruction effort, specifically “to restore healthcare, education, humanitarian demining and other important social and humanitarian projects,” according to the Ukrainian government. 

The pair also discussed the importance of resuming the work of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, with Shmyhal leveling criticism at Russia for pulling out of the agreement. 

“The withdrawal from the grain agreement, war crimes and crimes against humanity, genocide by Russia require an immediate and decisive response from the international community,” he said. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the peace plan proposed by African leaders for the Ukraine war would be discussed today at the summit in St. Petersburg.

“This is a very important topic and we will certainly discuss it today. Today we will have a special time devoted to this, as far as peace (in Ukraine) is concerned,” Putin said.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said his war in Ukraine was not to blame for “difficulties” in global food and energy markets. Instead, he said they began to emerge during the Covid-19 pandemic and blamed the US and the EU for printing large amounts of money.

“The US had a colossal issue and the Eurozone had a colossal issue,” Putin said. “The printed money began to be used to buy food on world markets and prices immediately skyrocketed,” he added.

Putin also blamed the US and EU for their “short-sighted” energy policy, accusing them of failing to invest in the development of fossil fuels.

“All this has led to an increase in energy resources. Ultimately, this was reflected in the cost of fertilizers. It’s one mistake after another! These are fundamental things that have turned the markets of food, mineral fertilizers and energy upside down. That’s the reason for the rise in prices!” Putin said.

Earlier, Putin said the Kremlin is “carefully” considering African leaders’ peace proposal.

Some background: In mid-June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and several other African leaders traveled to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and presented a 10-step peace initiative that several African countries have agreed to participate in.

After two months of painstakingly slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine appears to be escalating its counteroffensive. It has ramped up the deployment of extra troops on the southern front and signaled a new phase of its operation, US and Russian officials said. And the extra push has brought Ukraine to a new milestone, after a video showed its troops reaching Russia’s “dragon’s teeth” defenses for the first time.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles north of the southern frontline in St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued his charm offensive on a delegation of African leaders during the second day of the Russia-Africa summit.

Here are the latest developments:

Russia says it is open to reaching a settlement with Ukraine, but accuses Kyiv of maintaining an uncompromising position.

“The Russian side maintains its openness, which cannot be said about the Ukrainians,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS on Friday. 

“The Ukrainians maintain their intransigent position, especially now, when they [are] in a rather difficult situation, but nevertheless they still reject any possibility of dialogue.”

Peskov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with African leaders on Ukraine, on the side-lines of the Russia Africa summit.

“This meeting [will be held] in continuation of the previous meeting of the visit [of representatives of African countries to the Russian Federation],” Peskov said, according to TASS.

Ukraine has stressed repeatedly that it will not accept any “peace deal” that would require it to cede territories currently occupied by Russian forces.

To many observers, South Africa’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine is puzzling.

While the country professes to be “non-aligned,” Western diplomats and policy experts point to a series of actions that they say proves otherwise.

Their list is long: South Africa abstaining from votes condemning Russia at the United Nations; hosting war games with the Russian Navy; repeatedly, and publicly, criticizing the United States; and even, allegedly loading weapons and ammunition onto a sanctioned Russian cargo ship.

This week, while many African leaders stay away, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg along with key ministers.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has historic ties to the former Soviet Union, but that ideological legacy can generally only go so far.

Usually, money talks. And the United States’ and European Union’s trade and aid relationship with South Africa vastly outstrips the Russian Federation’s relatively meager contribution.

So, why is South Africa putting this important relationship at risk? Non-profit investigators at the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and anti-corruption activists are looking for answers in an unusual place: the Kalahari Desert.

Read the full story here.

The Russia-Africa summit began Thursday – the first time it had been held since 2019. That year, 43 heads of African states attended the summit. But this year, only 17 have joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg – a sign of potential unease about aligning too closely with Russia while its war against Ukraine rages on.

As Day 2 gets underway, here’s a recap of the summit so far.

Who is attending?: Among the 17 heads of state are South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is the second time Ramaphosa has visited Russia in as many months, having led an African “peace mission” to both Ukraine and Russia in June.

Ahead of the summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov fumed over the poor turnout, and accused the United States and its Western allies of putting “unprecedented pressure” on African countries in an attempt to derail the summit.

Although only 17 heads of state are in attendance, 49 countries have sent representatives.

Across the city, there was also a surprise sighting of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin – not seen in Russia since his aborted mutiny last month. A photo posted by accounts associated with Wagner showed Prigozhin at the Trezzini Palace Hotel with a delegate from the Central African Republic – a country in which Wagner has had a presence for several years, as previously reported by CNN.

Who is absent?: Among those absent is Kenyan President William Ruto, whose government has been critical of Russia’s recent decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal, describing the move as a “stab in the back of global food security prices.”

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga also said ahead of the summit that now was not a “good time” for meetings in Russia, because of the ongoing war.

“Africa needs to take a very firm stance on this issue. It’s a question of right and wrong. Therefore, my view is that we cannot be neutral in the place of an aggression. You must take a stand one way or another,” he said.

What’s on the agenda for African representatives?: Many delegates have arrived in St. Petersburg seeking assurances of food security, after Russia allowed the Black Sea grain deal to lapse this month and began bombarding Ukraine’s ports.

Many African countries rely heavily on Russia and Ukraine for their grain imports. Between 90-100% of the wheat Somalia and Eritrea need comes from the two countries, UN data shows. The shortage of grains has worsened food insecurity on the continent and shot up food prices, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Putin addressed these fears early, stressing that Russia will remain a “reliable” food supplier to Africa – and even pledging grain shipments free of charge for six countries.

African leaders are also proposing a peace plan aiming to bring an end to the war in Ukraine through negotiations, which the Kremlin said Friday it is “carefully” considering.

However, whatever the terms are of this specific initiative, they are unlikely to be acceptable to Ukraine, which has repeatedly made clear that it will not agree to any plan that forces it to cede territory to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the African “peace mission” in June that negotiations while “the occupier is on our land means to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering.”

What’s on the agenda for Putin?: Putin’s ambitions are lofty: The summit is one aspect of his strategy to create a “multipolar world” – a theme to which he has returned multiple times during his speeches at the summit so far.

In his opening remarks Thursday, Putin said that Africa will become one of Russia’s key partners “in a new multipolar world,” and said he would expedite the African Union’s bid to join the G20.

“The era of hegemony of one or more states is fading away, but not without resistance from them,” Putin said Friday, in a swipe at the United States.

Putin is also attempting to cut Ukraine out of Africa’s food supply network, so that Russia can replace it. Since withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s ports, destroying infrastructure and grain storage facilities.

“I think it’s very likely to see Russia trying to propose bilateral grain deals or even grain deals on a humanitarian basis coming directly from Russia… bypassing the UN-brokered system, leaving Ukraine out in the cold,” Cameron Hudson, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN ahead of the summit.

Putin is expected to hold bilateral talks with a number of African leaders Friday, including Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera.

Ukrainian forces are continuing their push around the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, trying to advance north and south of the city, according to the commander of Ukraine’s Land Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who described the situation as “very tense.”

“The enemy is clinging to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire,” Syrskyi explained during a briefing on Friday. “We are gradually advancing and liberating our land.”

Syrskyi went on to say that under such difficult conditions it was important to manage the soldiers at the front carefully and support them with counter-battery fire, in order to protect them from Russia’s intensified artillery.

“To support its troops in the area of Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka and Andriivka, the enemy has concentrated a significant amount of artillery, the destruction of which is one of the main tasks for our troops,” he explained.

According to the General Staff, Ukrainian forces also repelled a Russian counter-attack in the area. 

“Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled adversary attacks in the areas west and south of Klishchiivka,” it said.

Clashes near Lyman: Ukraine also says they’ve repelled Russian attacks near the Nadiya village, near Lyman, north of Bakhmut.

“Ukrainian troops continue to hold back the Russian offensive in this area,” the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andrii Kovalov said.

According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian troops are holding on but attacks along this line are frequent.

“The enemy is constantly attacking in the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, using its most professional units,” the colonel general said. “Every day we repel numerous assaults in these areas. Not a single position has been lost.”

Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin Archange Touadera on Friday praised his country’s relations with Russia and said the Kremlin had helped safeguard his country’s democracy and prevent another civil war after rebel forces launched an assault on the capital Bangui in January 2021.

“The Russian Federation deployed… Russian forces who decisively supported CAR defense and security forces in their counterattack against the assaults launched on January 13, 2021 on the capital Bangui by a nebulous terrorist organization called the Patriots Coalition for Change,” Touadera said at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg.

Fighting along ethnic and sectarian lines has plagued the CAR since 2013. In 2017, the UN Security Council waived an arms embargo on the CAR, agreeing to the deployment of 175 Russian trainers for the local military.

A formal agreement was then signed between the CAR and the Kremlin in 2018 to allow Russian “former military officers” to train CAR forces, according to a 2021 United Nations report on the “use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights.”

Russia’s CAR footprint: CNN previously reported that all but five of the trainers who arrived – along with a large supply of weapons – were not Russian military but Russian private contractors.

The United States, European Union, France and several UN Panels of Experts have all reported that the Wagner Group is present and operating in the CAR.

In May 2022, Human Rights Watch published a report in which it alleged that forces identified by witnesses as Russian had “summarily executed, tortured, and beaten civilians” in the CAR since 2019.

The report – which is based on interviews with 40 people, including 10 victims of violence and 15 witnesses – detailed abuses that were allegedly committed by men “with white skin speaking Russian” who wore “beige khaki clothes” and used military-grade weapons.

Citing evidence from “several Western governments, United Nations experts and special rapporteurs,” HRW attributed the crimes to “forces linked to Russia operating in the Central African Republic,” including “a significant number of members of the Wagner Group,” which is a private military security contractor with ties to the Russian government.

CNN reached out to the government of the CAR for a response to the HRW report. At the time, the Kremlin and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin denied any links to the mercenary group.

Ukrainian forces have consolidated gains along the southern front after successfully capturing the village of Staromaiorske in Donetsk region and repelled Russian attacks in the east, officials have said.

“[On Thursday] under heavy fire from enemy aircraft and artillery, Ukrainian soldiers liberated the settlement of Staromaiorske in Donetsk region and are consolidating the achieved lines,” the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andrii Kovalov, said during a briefing on Friday. 

“At the same time, the enemy made unsuccessful attempts to regain the lost ground in the areas of Rivnopil and Makarivka in Donetsk region,” he said, but added that “the Russian occupiers continue to put up strong resistance.”

Ukrainian forces are now expected to turn their attention to the neighboring village of Urozhaine, just across the Mokri Yaly river, to the east. Russian officials and well-connected pro-Moscow military bloggers fear their positions in the village will now be very difficult to maintain.

The reports of Ukraine consolidating its gains come the day after two US officials told CNN that Ukraine has committed more forces to the south east of the country – in a sign that Kyiv has identified potential weaknesses in Russian defensive lines and is ramping up its counteroffensive.

Gains in the east: “Ukraine methodically rolled up Staromaiorske for several days, knocking personnel out of their shelters and turning those shelters into piles of broken bricks… Losing a populated area after a stubborn and no doubt heroic defense was a blow to our military ego,” the commander of the “Vostok” battalion which is operating in the area, Alexander Khodakovsky, said on Telegram.

“[Ukraine] went on the offensive, clinging to the outskirts [of Staromaiorske] and gradually pressing us back, at the same time creating a flank threat to the positions on Urozhaynoye (Russian for Urozhaine).”

“The capture of [Staromaiorske] gives access to Urozhaynoye (Russian for Urozhaine) from the west and north,” added a pro-Russian blogger, Semyon Pegov. “The enemy’s plan in this case is obvious: the Armed Forces of Ukraine intend to pincer the [Russian Federation] Armed Forces,” another pro-Moscow journalist, Rybar, wrote.

“Dragon teeth” defenses: A few miles to the west, also along the southern frontline, Ukrainian forces for the first time reached Russia’s “dragon teeth” fortification, part of its main line of defense.

Satellite imagery had previously shown that Russia installed the “dragon’s teeth” lines – concrete and rebar pyramids designed to block the advance of armored vehicles – across the territory they control in Ukraine. CNN has geolocated the video to an area just east of the small villages of Nove and Kharkove, near Robotyno, along the Melitopol axis, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia oblast. 

Ukraine has not commented on any advances near Robotyno or towards Urozhaine, with the General Staff saying only that “Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct the offensive operation on Melitopol and Berdiansk axes, consolidating their positions.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin is “carefully” considering African leaders’ peace proposal for the war in Ukraine, and confirmed that his country has written off $23 billion in debt owed by African countries.

“This is an acute problem, we are not evading its consideration,” Putin said at the Russia-Africa summit on Friday, referring to the peace proposal.

“And now Africa is ready to help solve problems that are, so to speak, outside the zone of its primary interests. We respect your initiatives and will consider them carefully,” he added.

In mid-June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and several other African leaders traveled to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and presented a 10-step peace initiative that several African countries have agreed to participate in.

“There must be a de-escalation of the conflict,” Ramaphosa said at the time. “And we argue that there must be de-escalation on both sides so that peace can find a way to resolve the problem,” he added.

But, during this “peace mission” headed by Ramaphosa in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out any peace negotiations with Russia until Moscow’s troops withdraw from his country’s territory.

“Today, I have clearly said repeatedly at our meeting that to allow any negotiations with Russia now that the occupier is on our land means to freeze the war, to freeze pain and suffering,” he told journalists in a press conference at the time.

“Multipolar world”: Speaking at the Russia-Africa summit’s first plenary session in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said Russia and Africa are united by their desire for independence and sovereignty.

“The era of hegemony of one or more states is fading away, but not without resistance from them,” Putin said, in an apparent swipe at the United States.

In his opening remarks at the summit on Thursday, Putin said that Africa will become one of Russia’s key partners “in a new multipolar world.”

The Russian leader also said Russia and Africa oppose the use of climate issues, the protection of human rights and the “gender agenda” for political purposes.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Friday it destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle that Ukraine had launched overnight to attack the Moscow region. 

An attempt by Kyiv “to carry out a terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicle on facilities in the Moscow region has been foiled. The UAV was destroyed by means of air defense,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram. 

There were no casualties or damage, it added. 

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also confirmed the attack.

CNN is not able to independently verify the reports.

Some context: Earlier in the week, an official from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence told CNN it was responsible for drone strikes that hit Moscow on Monday. The drones struck two non-residential buildings in the Russian capital – including one near the Ministry of Defense headquarters.

Russia described the strikes as a “terrorist attack of the Kiev regime,” using the Russian spelling for Ukraine’s capital.

North Korea’s “firm support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine emboldens the two countries’ determination to cope with Western groups, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech to North Korean officials on Thursday, according to a report in North Korean state media.

Putin did not go into detail of the nature of Pyongyang’s support in what he called Russia’s “special military operation,” but US officials said last year that North Korea was selling millions of rockets and artillery shells to Russia for use on the battlefield in Ukraine.

“Solidarity with Russia on key international issues highlight our common interests,” Putin said in the speech, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The Russian leader speech was to offer congratulations to North Korea on the occasion of 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, known as Victory Day in the North.

Putin specifically cited Soviet pilots, whom he claimed “carried out tens of thousands of combat flights” for contributing to “annihilating the enemy,” KCNA said.

“The historic experience of combative friendship has noble values, and is serving as a reliable foundation to further develop the connection between Russia and North Korea in the field of politics, economy and safety,” Putin said, according to KCNA, which shared a written version of Putin’s speech, but did not say whether it was addressed via a video recording or in writing to the North Korean officials.

Putin also wished North Korean leader Kim Jong Un health and achievement in his work for the wellbeing of his people, according to KCNA.

The United States supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package is a blow to the remnants of relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian state media TASS reported on Thursday, citing Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.

“In terms of Russian-American relations, today they are practically nonexistent, just some crumbs left. Of course, the provision by the Americans of cluster munitions to Ukraine is considered a serious blow to whatever remains of Russian-American relations.” Antonov said, as cited by TASS.

Antonov also described the decision to deliver the munitions to Ukraine as an “anti-Russian move” under US President Joe Biden’s administration.

Ukrainian troops have started firing the cluster munitions provided by the US as part of their counteroffensive against Russia, according to two US officials and another person briefed on the matter.

The US announced on July 8 that it would be sending the controversial munitions, and they were delivered to Ukrainian forces about a week later, as CNN first reported.

After two months of painstakingly slow progress on the battlefield, Ukraine appears to be escalating its counteroffensive, ramping up the deployment of extra troops to the southern front and signaling a new phase of the operation.

Forces in the southern part of the country were seen for the first time at one of Russia’s long-stretching “dragon’s teeth” defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media. 

Ukrainian forces are also “gradually advancing” in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. Farther east, Ukraine is “making progress” and consolidating its positions in the area of Staromaiorske, she added.

Here are the latest developments:

Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine can be seen for the first time at one of Russia’s long-stretching “dragon’s teeth” defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media. 

CNN has geolocated the video to an area just east of the small villages of Nove and Kharkove in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia oblast. 

The video was taken from a Russian military position and shows a Ukrainian military vehicle moving in a field, heading toward a ditch in front of a large row of “dragon’s teeth” — concrete and rebar pyramids that can serve as barriers against tanks. The apparent driver of the vehicle appears and begins running back toward a tree line. 

What are the “dragon teeth” lines? For months, satellite images have shown that the Russians have installed the “dragon’s teeth” lines across the territory they control in Ukraine. The “teeth” are laid out in three-deep rows that stretch for hundreds of miles; on either side of the concrete lines, Russian forces have also dug massive anti-tank trenches.

When the vehicle hits the trench, a big puff of dirt and smoke is seen. A second later, the front end of the vehicle appears to be stuck, with its front end sitting on top of the trench. 

It’s unclear what exactly is happening in the video. Pro-Ukrainian channels claim it’s their forces testing the ability for a vehicle to make it over the trench and the “dragon teeth,” while pro-Russian channels claim it’s a casualty of one of their military strikes. 

What is clear, however, is the Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern part of the country has made notable gains in the last several days. 

While the ability of the Ukrainians to push Russian forces back behind their “dragon teeth” line is a clear indicator, the counteroffensive has been successful so far. 

The defensive line also poses a significant obstacle that the counteroffensive will need to find ways to overcome in the days, weeks, and months to come. 

China is providing technology and equipment to Russia that is increasingly important to Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to a newly released report compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. 

The report is unclassified and largely cites open-source data and western press reporting to support its claims. But it includes the US intelligence community assessment that China “has become an increasingly important buttress for Russia in its war effort.”  

The report — mandated by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 passed by Congress, and released by House Intelligence Committee Democrats — says that as of March, China “had shipped more than $12 million in drones and drone parts” to Russia, citing a “third-party analysis” of Russian customs data. 

Chinese state-owned defense companies have also been providing sanctioned Russian government-owned defense companies with other dual-use technology “that Moscow’s military uses to continue the war in Ukraine,” the report says, including “navigation equipment, jamming technology, and fighter-jet parts.”  

Semiconductor exports from China to Russia have also jumped considerably since 2021, it adds, with “hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of US-made or US-branded semiconductors flowing into Russia” despite heavy western sanctions and export controls. 

The report says Chinese firms are “probably” helping Moscow to evade these sanctions — though it is “difficult to ascertain the extent” of that help. The report says the intelligence community cannot be sure whether Beijing is deliberately interfering with the US’ ability to conduct export control checks, via interviews and investigations, inside China. 

The report does say, however, that China “has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.”

CNN has asked the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment on the report.

What the US has said: The Biden administration has repeatedly raised concerns with China about evidence it has suggesting that Chinese companies have sold non-lethal equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, but US officials say they have seen no signs so far that China has provided weapons or lethal military aid to Russia. 

The US believes that at the outset of the war, China intended to sell Russia lethal weapons for use in Ukraine, a US official previously told CNN. But China significantly scaled back on those plans as the war progressed, this person said — something the Biden administration has considered a victory.

What China has said: China has claimed neutrality over the war in Ukraine and called for peace in the conflict. But Beijing has also avoided publicly criticizing Russia’s war efforts and the two countries have repeatedly emphasized their cooperation, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu declaring a “boundless” military partnership after a meeting in April.

Both Russian and Ukrainian sources report intense fighting along the front lines in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are stepping up efforts to break through entrenched Russian defenses.

Late Thursday, video emerged of a Ukrainian unit claiming to be in the village of Staromaiorske – a target for several weeks, located east of Zaporizhzhia city.

A group of soldiers posted the video, with one saying Ukrainian fighters have “fulfilled the task and liberated the village.”

The video was reposted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram account, with the caption: “Our South! Our guys!”

Earlier Thursday, the commander of a Russian-backed battalion from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic acknowledged the loss of Staromaiorske.

Kyiv’s troops “methodically” took the village over the course of several days, “knocking personnel out of their shelters and turning those shelters into piles of broken bricks,” said the commander, Alexander Khodakovsky. He acknowledged that losing the area was “a blow to our military ego.” 

Fighting intensifies in the south: Besides committing additional brigades to the fight in the south, the Ukrainian military has kept up a campaign to degrade Russian logistical hubs, with Russian-appointed officials in occupied areas reporting several rocket strikes against the town of Tokmak, a critical resupply site.

“Tokmak has essentially become a frontline city, because the intensity of hostilities directly on the Zaporizhzhia frontline toward Tokmak is increasing every day,” the Ukrainian mayor of nearby Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, told CNN. 

Fedorov claimed Moscow’s troops are “constantly suffering losses” in villages around Tokmak.

Few frontline accounts have emerged, but a member of the Freedom for Russia Legion — a militant group of Russian dissidents that fights against Moscow — said the battles are unceasing.

“In a word, it’s hell,” the fighter, Kostyantyn Denysov, told RFE/Radio Liberty. “There are small arms battles along the entire contact line, counter-battery fighting.”
But, he claimed, Ukrainian troops are “stubbornly pressing the occupiers, pushing them out, mopping up and gaining ground.”

Denysov said Russia has responded with artillery barrages and aviation. Their priority is preventing the Ukrainian advance toward Tokmak and other towns near Zaporizhzhia city, including Vasylivka to the south and Polohy, further east of the city.

Denysov claimed some Russian units have suffered “such losses that they are now waiting for replenishment.”

Two weeks ago, a senior Russian commander in the area was dismissed for demanding that the Defense Ministry rotate units out of frontline positions.

Ukraine’s military is waging attritional battles south of Bakhmut with the ultimate aim of cutting Russian supply routes into the devastated eastern city, which Moscow’s forces captured in the spring, according to officials.

Ukraine is “gradually advancing” south of Bakhmut and fighting persists in Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka and Andriivka — three villages south of the city, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.

“The fighting is quite fierce,” Maliar said. “The enemy is firing intensively.”

The Ukraine military also said Ukrainian units repelled a Russian counterattack south of Bakhmut.

Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian military, said there had been 11 combat engagements in the area over the past day.

Along the border of the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, the Russians were continuing efforts to push Ukrainian units back, Maliar said.

“In the Kupyansk sector, the enemy is attacking, trying to drive us from our dominant heights,” she said. “Today, our defenders repelled several attacks without losing positions,” she said.

However, Cherevatyi noted that the number of enemy assaults around Lyman was lower than average. Compared to a recent peak of 10 to 15, he said there were three enemy attacks in areas within the Serebryansky forest and Bilohorivka.