Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 204

As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 204th day, we take a look at the main developments.

Residents in the town of Balakliia jostle for essential supplies following the town's liberation from Russian occupation
People crowd near a car distributing humanitarian aid in the town of Balakliia, recently liberated by Ukrainian forces, in Kharkiv region [File: Gleb Garanich/Reuters]

Here is the situation as it stands on Thursday, September 15.

Fighting

  • The largest city in central Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih, was attacked by eight cruise missiles that destroyed the water pumping station and caused the Inhulets River to break through a dam, officials said.
  • In the northeastern Ukrainian town of Balakliia, police officers said civilians were killed when the town was under Russian control. The Reuters news agency could not independently verify the account. Russia has denied going after civilians.
  • Ukraine has reclaimed 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 square miles) of territory this month inflicting a serious blow to Russian military ambitions and raising hopes of victory.
  • Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Izyum, days after his country’s troops retook the city during an ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces in the northeastern part of the country.

Diplomacy

  • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to believe he did not commit a mistake by launching an invasion of Ukraine, after a 90-minute-long telephone call with the Russian president.
  • Former United States diplomat Bill Richardson visited Russia this week, several news outlets have reported, amid efforts to secure the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner and US military veteran Paul Whelan.
  • The Kremlin said Kyiv’s ongoing ambitions to join NATO still present a threat to Russia’s security.
  • Democratic and Republican US senators introduced legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, a label opposed by President Joe Biden’s administration.

Economy

  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled a legislative proposal to impose windfall levies worth $140bn on energy companies, in a bid to lessen the effects of surging gas and electricity prices that threaten economies and households this winter.
  • The European Commission still wants a European Union price cap on Russian gas, but more work is needed to assess the effects of the measure, the bloc’s energy commissioner Kadri Simson has said.
  • A United Nations proposal that Russia resume exporting ammonia via Ukraine has raised hopes that a global shortage of fertiliser could be eased.
Source: News Agencies