Russia-Ukraine war updates: Kyiv to investigate attack after NYT report

Ukraine will soon receive M1 Abrams tanks from the US as Kyiv’s forces steadily advance in their counteroffensive against Moscow’s troops, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said.

“American M1 tanks will be arriving in Ukraine soon that will add another formidable armour capability to join the Leopards that are already on the battlefield,” said Austin.

Washington had promised the 31 tanks to Kyiv at the start of the year, part of more than $43bn in security assistance pledged by the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to push Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and stress to Moscow the importance of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We know that President Xi has significant influence on the world stage, including with Vladimir Putin. I know that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be travelling to Moscow and I hope that he will impress upon Russia the complete inappropriateness of their action. And I hope that China will call for Russia to withdraw,” he said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for peace summits to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and between Israel and the Palestinians, so humanity can focus instead on addressing climate change.

Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, is seeking peace and surrender deals in his own country with rebel groups and crime gangs to end a six-decade conflict which has killed at least 450,000 people.

“I propose ending war so we have the time to save ourselves. I propose the United Nations sponsor as soon as possible two peace conferences. One on Ukraine, the other on Palestine, not because there are not other wars in the world, like in my country, but because it would show how to make peace in all the regions of the world.”

Ukraine should remember the help it gets from Poland, Polish President Andrzej Duda has said amid a deepening tussle between the neighboring countries over agricultural imports.

“It would be good for Ukraine to remember that it receives help from us and to remember that we are also a transit country to Ukraine,” Andrzej Duda told reporters in New York.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will “step up” efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

“Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, we have been endeavoring to keep both our Russian and Ukrainian friends around the table with the thesis that war will have no winners and peace will have no losers,” the Turkish president said in his remarks at the UN General Assembly.

“We will step up our efforts to end the war through diplomacy and dialogue on the basis of Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.”

The UK’s defence department says it will provide “tens of thousands” more artillery shells to Ukraine this year.

“Today we’ve demonstrated the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine and set out more military support, including pledging tens of thousands more artillery shells to enable Ukraine to defend itself,” Defence Minister Grant Shapps after a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in Germany said.

“We have also set out how the UK will go further in the coming months in our priority support areas, including air defence and long-range strike capabilities, and training,” Shapps added.

US President Joe Biden told the UN General Assembly that the world must remain united in defending Ukraine and warned no nation can be secure if “we allow Ukraine to be carved up”.

Biden argued Russia is counting on countries to tire of the war, which will “allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence”.

He added Russia is standing in the way of a resolution, and Moscow’s price for peace was “Ukraine’s capitulation, Ukraine’s territory and Ukraine’s children”.

“I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the United States to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected?” Biden said in his address.

“I’d respectfully suggest the answer is no.”

He went on to ask leaders to stand up to “this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow”.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calls for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, saying that “no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue”.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Lula said, “I have reiterated that work needs to be done to create space for negotiations.”

He added, “A lot is invested in weapons and very little in development.”

Lula, who has faced accusations in the West of being soft on Russia, is expected to meet Zelenskyy on the summit’s sidelines.

The Brazilian leader has looked to position his country as a potential mediator in the conflict, along with other “neutral” countries, including China, India and Indonesia.

Russia says Ukraine was responsible for the blast in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine on September 6 that killed at least 16 people.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Kyiv had fired a 9M38 missile from a Buk surface-to-air missile system, which hit the busy marketplace.

“Even if it was done unintentionally, it is obvious to everyone: the complete demilitarisation of the Kyiv regime is not just a requirement, but a vital necessity,” Zakharova said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that evidence suggested a rogue missile fired by Ukraine had caused the explosion.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran to deepen Moscow’s ties with Tehran, the Russian Tass news agency reported.

A statement from the Russian defence ministry said, “During the visit, the delegation of the Russian Ministry of Defence will hold a number of negotiations with the military leadership of the republic.”.

The visit “will help strengthen Russian-Iranian military ties and will become an important stage in the development of cooperation between the two countries”, it added.

Shoigu’s trip comes as China’s foreign minister visits Moscow for a four-day trip and after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to eastern Russia for several days.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British opposition leader Keir Starmer stressed the importance of strengthening the cooperation between the two countries and the need to secure economic and energy security in Europe.

“They also reaffirmed their will to bring an ongoing support to Ukraine and its people,” the French presidency said in a statement after a meeting between the two men in Paris.

The UK’s King Charles is expected to visit France from Wednesday until Friday.

Ukrainian official slams the New York Times investigation as part of a growing “conspiracy theory”, after the newspaper found that a missile from Kyiv was responsible for the blast in Kostiantynivka on September 6.

On X, formally known as Twitter, Mikhalio Podolyak said, “No doubt, the appearance of publications in foreign media with doubts about Russia’s involvement in the attack on Kostiantynivka entails the growth of conspiracy theories, and therefore requires examination and legal assessment by the investigative authorities. The society will surely receive an answer to the question of what exactly happened in Kostiantynivka.

Podolyak added that the circumstances behind the blast are being studied, and the “legal truth will be established”.

“In the meantime, we must not forget: it was Russia that launched the invasion of Ukraine, and it is Russia that is responsible for bringing war to our country,” he said.

No doubt, the appearance of publications in foreign media with doubts about Russia's involvement in the attack on Kostiantynivka entails the growth of conspiracy theories, and therefore requires examination and legal assessment by the investigative authorities. The society will…

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 19, 2023

Click here for a roundup of the key events from day 573 of the war.

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• Russia launches air attacks against Ukraine’s western Lviv city
• Ukraine’s army commander claims 3 elite Russian brigades ‘crushed’ in east
• China’s foreign minister holds talks with Russia’s Lavrov in Moscow

At least three people have been killed in a Russian attack on the northeastern town of Kupiansk, Kharkiv’s governor says.

On Telegram, Oleh Synehubov wrote: “The Russian occupiers committed another war crime against the civilian population of Kharkiv region. Today, the enemy struck the city of Kupiansk with a guided aerial bomb. As a result of this strike, three civilians were killed. Emergency services are currently on site. The information is being clarified.”

US reporter Evan Gershkovich will appeal against the latest extension of his pre-trial detention in a Moscow court.

The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March for spying charges he denies.

While no date has been set for his trial, his detention in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison was extended by three months to November 30.

He has failed in two previous appeals, in April and June.

Washington says Russia is using Gershkovich for “hostage diplomacy” at a time when relations between the two countries are at their lowest levels.

The Russian TASS news agency reported that Denmark is purchasing 45 tanks to send to Ukraine, citing the Danish agency Ritzau.

The new aid package will include 30 Leopard 1 tanks and 15 T-72 tanks.

Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark previously jointly bought 100 Leopard 1s – the first 10 tanks arrived in Kyiv in early September after several months of delays.

But this is the first time that Copenhagen is donating T-72 tanks.

Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, who attended a meeting with counterparts at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, said Ukrainian forces “have experience using them”, so they “do not need to learn how to use them”.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says Ukraine will soon receive M1 Abrams tanks as Kyiv’s forces steadily advance in their counteroffensive.

“I’m… pleased to announce that the M1 Abrams tanks that the United States had previously committed to will be entering Ukraine soon,” Austin said at the opening of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

A senior US military official said the first tanks will be sent in the coming days, and the process will be completed within weeks.

At the start of the year, Washington had promised the 31 tanks to Kyiv, part of more than $43bn in security assistance package.

The tanks are expected to be paired with the controversial 120mm armour-piercing depleted uranium rounds.

South Korea’s foreign ministry says Russia should cease moves to expand military cooperation with Pyongyang.

Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Russia’s ambassador in Seoul to urge “Russia to immediately halt any moves to expand military cooperation with North Korea and to abide by [UN] Security Council Resolutions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Chang added Seoul will coordinate with the international community to respond to any actions that threaten its security.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s meeting with Putin last week raised concerns that the two countries could trade artillery and rockets, which Russia could use on Ukraine.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urges allied defence counterparts to “dig deep” and provide more air defence systems for Ukraine.

Opening a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Austin said: “Air defence is saving lives.”

“So I urge this group to continue to dig deep on ground-based air defence for Ukraine. We must continue to push hard to provide Ukraine with air-defence systems and interceptors.”

The group, made up of defence and military leaders from more than 50 nations, is the main forum for raising contributions of weapons and training for Kyiv’s war effort.

Before the meeting began, Bill Blair, the Canadian defence minister, said allies are listening to Ukrainian leaders’ descriptions of their military needs and discussing “new and important ways” to help boost Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

Putin is expected to travel to Beijing in October for talks with China’s Xi Jinping, in the Russian leader’s first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him, the Interfax news agency reported.

“In October, we look forward to thorough bilateral talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing,” Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said at a meeting in Moscow with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi.

Putin will attend the third Belt and Road Forum after an invitation by Xi during a high-profile visit to Moscow in March.

Patrushev, a close Putin ally, said Russia is looking to develop ties with China.

“Russia is committed to the progressive development and strengthening of Russian-Chinese relations,” Patrushev said, adding that the two powers had a “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation”.

US President Joe Biden is expected to use his speech to the UN General Assembly to make an appeal for world leaders to stand with Ukraine.

“We rallied the world to support Ukraine and united NATO because I was convinced at the beginning that Putin was counting on NATO not being able to stick together and that would be enough” for victory, Biden said at an election campaign fundraiser in New York.

Biden, a Democrat, has faced criticism from some Republicans who want Washington to spend less money in Ukraine.

In his speech, Biden “will make a very full-throated defence of why supporting Ukraine really does matter, not just for our national security but for the maintenance of the UN Charter and the idea of sovereignty and territorial integrity and what all that means”, a senior administration official said.

A new investigation by The New York Times (NYT) found that an explosion at a market in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka on September 6 was caused by a missile fired by Kyiv.

At the time, Ukraine said the blast, which killed at least 16 people, was caused by a Russian missile.

“Evidence collected and analysed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defence missile fired by a Buk launch system,” the newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Citing air defence experts, NYT found that missiles like the one that hit Kostiantynivka can go off course for a variety of reasons, including an electronic malfunction.

It said security camera footage showed the missile flew into Kostiantynivka from the direction of Ukrainian-held territory, not from behind Russian lines.

Ukraine told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that Russia is waging war “in the name of a terrible lie”.

Ukraine’s representative Anton Korynevych told judges, “The international community adopted the Genocide convention to protect, Russia invokes the Genocide convention to destroy”.

Korynevych called on the court to hear the case fully and eventually find that Russia must pay reparations for invading under a false pretext.

On Monday, Russia urged the ICJ to throw out the case and said Kyiv’s arguments were “hopelessly flawed”.

Kyiv argues Moscow is abusing international law by saying the invasion was justified to prevent an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he trusts Russia as much as he trusts the West.

In his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan said he failed to get him to restart the Black Sea grain deal after Moscow withdrew from the agreement in July.

But in an interview with the US broadcaster PBS in New York, where the Turkish leader is attending the United Nations General Assembly, Erdogan said, “I have no reason not to trust them [Russia]”.

“To the extent the West is reliable, Russia is equally reliable. For the last 50 years, we have been waiting at the doorstep of the EU and, at this moment in time, I trust Russia just as much as I trust the West.”

A dead body was found under the rubble of a warehouse following a Russian attack on the western city of Lviv, a local official has said.

“Unfortunately, there is a dead person due to the night attack on Lviv. The body of an employee was found under the rubble in the warehouse,” said Maksym Kozytskyy, governor of Lviv on his Telegram channel.

The city was rocked by explosions with several waves of drones attempting to hit targets starting at about 01:30 GMT.

The British Ministry of Defence has released its latest update on the war in Ukraine.

Its key points are:

• Heavy fighting has continued in the first half of September around the islands in the lower Dnipro River in the southern province of Kherson.
• Both Russia and Ukraine have launched raids on the islands and the opposite riverbanks with teams in small boats.
• Russian operations in the area are believed to have been energised since the sector came under the responsibility of the newly created 40th Army Corps.
• The number of forces involved are relatively small compared with other fronts, but both sides see the area as strategically important. The fighting there also provides an opportunity to draw the opposing side’s units away from combat in the provincs of Zaporizhia and Donetsk.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 19 September 2023.

Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/wN3SDU2h5D

🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/yAcwFfJcIa

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 19, 2023

Ukraine has filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization over bans on food imports from the war-torn country, the global body confirmed to Reuters news agency.

“We can confirm that a request for consultations was received Monday evening. Further information will be provided once the request has been circulated to our members,” a WTO spokesperson said.

He did not name the countries, although Kyiv has previously said the complaint targeted Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.

The three countries said last week they would extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports despite the European Commission’s disagreement over the restriction.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv has been rocked by blasts with local officials saying the Russian air attack has injured one man and caused a major fire at an industrial warehouse.

“A woman and a man were found under the rubble in Lviv. According to preliminary information, the woman was not injured. The man is in a serious condition,” the Lviv region’s governor, Maxim Kozitsky, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The scale of the attack and full extent of the damage was not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said air raid alerts for the region were called off after nearly three hours about 6am (03:00 GMT).

Ukraine’s air defence systems have destroyed 27 out of 30 drones and one ballistic missile that Russia launched on Ukraine’s territory, Ukraine’s air force says on the Telegram messaging app.

The Iranian-made Shahed drones were destroyed in Ukraine’s southern, central and western regions while the missile was launched in the direction of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, it said.