September 26, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Norway pledged 1 billion Norwegian kroner (US $92 million) for humanitarian funding to Ukraine to help the country make it through another winter of war, the Norwegian government announced in a news release Tuesday. 

Funding “is being channeled via the UN, including the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,” the government said.

The key support will be provided to local civil society organizations in Ukraine as well as to “the most vulnerable people, children, refugees and the internally displaced, helping to ensure that they have access to shelter, food, water and sanitation, education, health care, and psychosocial support, as well as protection against sexual and gender-based violence,” the news release noted. 

The provision of aid was announced at the Third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of Ukraine in Oslo, co-hosted by Norway and the European Union. 

The United Nations estimates “more than 17 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian assistance,” the news release stated.

Ukraine’s Health Ministry clarified that women medics required to register at military enlistment offices starting October 1 will be allowed to travel abroad.

The updated clarification contradicts a prior announcement made by Fedir Venislavskyi, a representative of the Ukraine’s President in the Council and member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence.

Venislavskyi had said that women medics, once registered for the military service, acquire the status of conscripts and are not permitted to leave the country without special permission. 

In a statement Tuesday, however, the health ministry clarified that there have been no changes in the rules for women traveling abroad, including for those “on military registration.”  

The Russian Ministry of Defense has published video that appears to show the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Adm. Viktor Sokolov, participating in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other Russian military leaders on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

If Russia’s Black Sea Fleet commander is dead, “it’s good news for everybody,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told CNN Tuesday.

But, in an exclusive interview from Kyiv, he neither confirmed nor denied Adm. Viktor Sokolov had been killed in a Ukrainian strike last week on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Earlier, the Russian defense ministry published a video appearing to show Sokolov participating by video conference in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, calling into question Ukrainian claims that the admiral had died in the attack.

In the Russian footage, a man resembling Sokolov appears to join the meeting via video conference. The nametape on his uniform reads Sokolov V. N. and his screen shows the Cyrillic letters “ЧФ,” the abbreviation for the Black Sea Fleet. 

Ukraine’s military has said it is “clarifying” information received about Sokolov. CNN cannot confirm if the man in the video is Sokolov, when the meeting took place or where his video appearance was filmed.

Here are the latest developments:

Russia is seeking to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council after it was expelled in April of last year following its invasion of Ukraine. 

Russia is listed on the United Nations website as a candidate for the election of members of the Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 term, which is due to take place on October 10.

Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution, with two vacant seats in the Eastern European States regional group, according to the United Nations. Russia, along with Albania and Bulgaria, are listed as having announced their candidacy for that region so far.

According to Russia’s position paper, which CNN obtained, Russia considers the Human Rights Council a “key body in the United Nations systems.”

The position paper, which Russia is circulating to UN members to drum up support, states that Russia “believes it is important to prevent the increasing trend of turning the Human Rights Council into the instrument, which serves political wills of one group of countries punishing non-loyal governments for their independent internal and external policy.”

If Russia’s Black Sea Fleet commander is dead, “it’s good news for everybody,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told CNN Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview from Kyiv, he neither confirmed nor denied Admiral Viktor Sokolov had been killed in a Ukrainian strike last week on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Earlier Tuesday, the Russian defense ministry published a video appearing to show Sokolov participating by video conference in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, calling into question Ukrainian claims that the admiral had died in the attack.

Some context: Ukraine’s military has said it is “clarifying” information received about Sokolov. CNN cannot confirm if the man in the video is Sokolov, when the meeting took place or where his video appearance was filmed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier on Tuesday refused to comment on the Ukrainian claim that Sokolov had been killed.

A screengrab taken from video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense appears to show the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, participating in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other Russian military leaders on Tuesday.

The Russian defense ministry published video Tuesday that appears to show the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, participating in a meeting. The video comes after the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces claimed Monday that Sokolov was killed in a strike on Sevastopol military headquarters on Friday.

In the video, a man who resembles Sokolov appears to join the meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other Russian military leaders via video conference.

The nametape on his uniform reads Sokolov V. N. and his screen shows the Cyrillic letters “ЧФ,” the abbreviation for the Black Sea Fleet. He appears healthy.

CNN cannot confirm the person is Sokolov, when the meeting took place or where his video appearance was filmed.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier on Tuesday refused to comment on the Ukrainian claim that Sokolov had been killed.

“There has been no information from the Ministry of Defense. This is entirely in their purview and we have nothing to say here,” Peskov told reporters Tuesday during a routine call.

Ukraine’s response: After the video was released, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said on Telegram that they are “clarifying” information received about Sokolov.

“Available sources claim that the Black Sea Fleet Commander is among the dead. Many have not yet been identified due to the fragmentation of body fragments,” the special forces said.   

Read more.

US soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division train with M1A2 Abrams tanks in Nowa Deba, Poland, in April.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on the arrival of the US Abrams tanks in Ukraine, saying they “will burn” like other weapons and will not alter the situation in the conflict zone.

On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed 31 US Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine.

Peskov said that despite their significance, no single type of weapon could change the balance of power on the battlefield and alter the course or the outcome of the war.

“​​All this can in no way affect the essence of the special military operation or its outcome,” he said, using the term that Putin and Russian leaders use to refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Firefighters work to extinguish burning trucks that were damaged during a Russian drone attack on a Danube river port compound in Ukraine's Odesa region on September 26.

Russian ships are still launching strikes on Ukraine following the alleged assassination of the commander of Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet on Friday. Kyiv has claimed Admiral Viktor Sokolov and 33 other officers were killed in an attack on occupied Crimea on Friday, one of Kyiv’s boldest attacks yet.

But the Russian defense ministry published a video on Tuesday that appears to show Sokolov participating in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other Russian military leaders. CNN cannot confirm whether the man in the video is Sokolov, when the meeting took place or where was his video appearance filmed.

The Kremlin earlier on Tuesday refused to comment on the Ukrainian claim that Sokolov had been killed.

Here are some of the other latest developments from the war in Ukraine:

Here’s where the state of control stands in Ukraine:

A local resident carries humanitarian aid while passing through a battle-scarred downtown area of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on February 14.

Norway will provide 1 billion Krone ($92 million USD) in humanitarian support to Ukraine, the Norwegian government announced Tuesday.

The humanitarian funding aims to “ensure that the most vulnerable, children, refugees and internally displaced persons” receive vital assistance, such as “shelter, food, water and sanitation, education, health care and psychosocial support, as well as protection against sexualized and gender-based violence,” the government said in a press release.

“Russia’s brutal warfare causes great suffering to the Ukrainian civilian population,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said, adding that Ukrainians “need our help to get through another winter of war.”

The aid will be distributed through existing programs for Ukraine created by the United Nations and the Red Cross.

Norway, which is a founding member of NATO, previously announced it was sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. It also donated anti-aircraft missiles, de-mining sets and additional funding to secure gas and electricity supply in the country. 

A satellite image shows smoke billowing from a Russian Black Sea Navy headquarters after a missile strike in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 22.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to comment on the alleged assassination of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Admiral Viktor Sokolov.

Ukraine claimed on Monday that Sokolov was killed during its attack on the occupied peninsula of Crimea on Friday.

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces claimed that Sokolov, as well as 33 other officers, were killed in the attack on the Black Sea headquarters in Sevastopol Friday, in perhaps the boldest attack by Ukrainian forces on the occupied peninsula of Crimea so far.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a school in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, on September 21.

The vast store of goodwill accumulated among the forces of democracy for Ukraine and its courageous and utterly unorthodox president may be running dry, writes CNN contributor David A. Andelman.

That is the clearest and most present danger to the security of Europe and the entire Western alliance. It is surely also the fervent hope on which Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to pursue his carnage and the reason he has chanced his whole presidency on what once seemed like a sure bet, and is instead turning into a morass of quicksand and violence with no easy exit.

America — and its allies — must under no circumstances allow that to happen.

Read the full opinion here.

A ferry crossing point between Romania and Ukraine was suspended Tuesday morning following an overnight Russian drone attack that hit port infrastructure on the Ukrainian side.

The Orlivka-Isaccea crossing on the Danube River has been closed and traffic is being directed elsewhere, according to a spokesperson for the Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

The Orlivka-Isaccea crossing, in Ukraine’s Odesa region, is close to the border with both Romania and Moldova. Despite the close proximity to the border, Odesa’s Danube River ports have been repeatedly targeted by Russia following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal in July. 

The Romanian Border Patrol confirmed the suspension of movement across the border, noting that traffic is being redirected to the Galati Rutier crossing point.

Oleh Kiper gives an interview in Odesa on August 16.

Russian drone attacks hit Danube River port infrastructure and injured two truck drivers overnight, a Ukrainian military official said Tuesday.

A crossing point, warehouses and about 30 trucks were damaged in the attacks on Izmail district in the southern region of Odesa, said Oleh Kiper, head of the region’s military administration.

Odesa’s Danube River ports, located close to the border with Romania, have been repeatedly targeted by Russia following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal in July.

The latest attacks come after Russian strikes on the city of Odesa killed at least two people and caused “significant damage” to port infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pictured at the National Archives in Washington, DC, on September 21.

US Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine and are “getting prepared to reinforce our brigades,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

“I am grateful to our allies for fulfilling the agreements! We are looking for new contracts and expanding the geography of supply,” Zelensky said in a Telegram statement. 

The Pentagon confirmed that the first batch, which includes 31 Abrams tanks, have arrived in Ukraine. The armored capability adds a powerful ground component to Ukrainian troops, who have already endured more than a year and a half of war.

Catch up on the latest developments:

Here’s where the state of control stands in Ukraine:

Russian forces on Monday thwarted Ukrainian missile and drone attacks on Crimea and regions bordering Ukraine, officials said.

Air defenses shot down four Ukrainian drones over the western Kursk region and seven drones over the neighboring Belgorod region, the Russian defense ministry and regional officials reported.

Russian forces also stopped a missile attack over Crimea’s largest city Sevastopol on Monday, the defense ministry said.

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russia-appointed governor of Sevastopol, said air defenses shot down the missile near the Belbek military airfield in the region, without providing any further details.  

Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev is pictured in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June 2022.

No significant damage or casualties were reported. 

Some context: The reports Monday come after Ukraine claimed it killed the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, in one of Kyiv’s boldest attacks yet on Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in an update that Friday’s attack killed Adm. Viktor Sokolov along with 33 other officers. CNN has reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment. 

Emergency units carry out rescue tasks in the Ukrainian region of Kherson on September 25.

At least six people have died and five others were injured as a result of Russian attacks in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region on Monday, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the region’s military administration, said in a social media post.

According to Prokudin, three more people were also injured.

Earlier, Prokudin reported that three people had died and two others were injured as a result of a Russian airstrike on the city of Beryslav in the Kherson region Monday.

Prokudin said only a quarter of the population remains in Beryslav after civilian evacuations following intense Russian shelling.

“Over the past two weeks, almost 100 children and their families have left the dangerous coastal communities” of the Kherson region, Prokudin said.

Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov salutes during a send-off ceremony for reservists, in Sevastopol, Crimea, in September 2022.

Russian ships were still launching strikes on Ukraine following the alleged death of the commander of Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet, but those attacks are being launched “by inertia,” Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said Monday on national television. 

Pletenchuk was asked about comments made by Ukrainian authorities earlier Monday, claiming that Adm. Viktor Sokolov, as well as 33 other officers were killed in Friday’s attack in Sevastopol. 

Pletenchuk said Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not control the actual operation of ships at sea,” and relies on his admirals who know “their means and forces, personnel, how to manage them, how to better deploy them. And they can also keep things from [Putin], not report on certain issues.”

Pletenchuk added: “Yes, last night [Russian ships in the Black Sea] were still launching strikes by inertia,” but he compared the operations to “a chicken running around without a head.”

“Therefore, as of now, [the Russian navy] will have respective problems with the control of the troops,” he said. 

Earlier Monday, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said Sokolov was killed in Sevastopol on Friday, in perhaps the most daring attack by Ukrainian forces on Crimea so far. 

“Eliminated during a strike on the headquarters in Sevastopol Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Admiral Sokolov,” said Col. Vladislav Nazarov, spokesperson for the Operational Command South. 

CNN cannot independently confirm Ukraine’s claims about Sokolov and the rest of the casualties in Sevastopol. CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.

There is “continuous evidence” Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine, the United Nations Human Rights Council said.

The council alleged that attacks in Ukraine include “unlawful attacks with explosive weapons, attacks harming civilians, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and attacks on energy infrastructure.”

The council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said it had “documented explosive weapons attacks on residential buildings, a functional medical facility, a railway station, a restaurant, shops and commercial warehouses.”

The commission heard from torture victims and quotes one person as saying, “every time I answered that I didn’t know or didn’t remember something, they gave me electric shocks … I don’t know how long it lasted. It felt like an eternity.”

The commission reported Russian soldiers committing sexual violence against women of ages ranging from 19 to 83, and said it continues to “investigate individual situations of alleged transfers of unaccompanied minors by Russian authorities to the Russian Federation.”

Furthermore, the commission said it is investigating what caused the Nova Kakhovka dam to collapse in June.

Volodymyr Zelensky stands for the Ukrainian national anthem in Toronto, Canada on September 22.

US Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine and are “getting prepared to reinforce our brigades,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

The Pentagon confirmed that the first batch, which includes 31 Abrams tanks, have arrived in Ukraine.

“The mere presence of Abrams tanks serves as a potent deterrent. By having these tanks in their arsenal, the Ukrainian army can more effectively discourage aggressive actions,” Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz said Monday.

The armored capability adds a powerful ground component to Ukrainian troops, who have already endured more than a year and a half of war.