Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky listens to the US delegation at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, Scranton, Pennsylvania September 22, 2024 (Curt Loter/US Army)

Monday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy in the US

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1703 GMT:

At least three civilians have been killed and 24 wounded in the latest Russian attack on Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

Russia attacked at least four districts in the afternoon, including the most densely populated area of the city. Several apartment blocks were damaged.

Ukraine human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets posted, “Russia is terrorizing the Kharkiv region with impunity….A direct strike on a residential building.

Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a levelled residential building was damaged at the start of Russia’s invasion in early 2022: “It was almost repaired, windows were installed, it was insulated, and prepared for heating season. The enemy hit it second time.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy commented:

We just need to stop the terror. To have security. To have a future. We need Russia to end this criminal and unprovoked aggression that violates all global rules.

UPDATE 1515 GMT:

After 31 months, Russia is finally closing on the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Video on Russian state media shows Vuhledar, with a population of more than 14,000 before the invasion, under heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. Moscow’s forces are reportedly trying to cut the last route into the town.

Andriy Kovalenko of the Ukrainian Security Council said Russia’s use of guided aerial bombs had aided its advance.

Russia has lost thousands of troops in assaults on Vuhledar and previous efforts have ended in disaster, including the destruction of armored columns in February 2023 and June 2024.

See also Ukraine War, Day 372: How Russia Lost 130+ Armored Vehicles in the Battle for Vuhledar

Kovalenko said:

[Vuhledar] used to be easy to defend, it is on high ground. But with the active arrival of guided aerial bombs at the front, the enemy managed to destroy it and move to the flank.

Guided aerial bombs and aviation are the only things that allow the enemy infantry to move.

UPDATE 1323 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has used US national television to reiterate his appeal to partners to allow use of their weapons for long-range strikes inside Russia.

Zelenskiy told ABC’s Good Morning America, “Putin will continue to destroy us, to kill people, to kill children, absolutely. He will act in this way. We will lose thousands of schools and tens of thousands of lives. That is what will be happening.”

First Lady Olena Zelenska spoke of the estimated 19,500 Ukrainian children deported and held in Russia or Russian-occupied territory.

“They are being told that nobody is looking for them in Ukraine. Nobody needs them in Ukraine,” Zelenska said.

She said only 388 children have been returned from Russia so far:
“If we are going to bring our children back at this rate, we will need more than 30 years to bring them back.”

UPDATE 1304 GMT:

Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak has said that an “invitation to NATO is part of the ‘Victory Plan’” being presented by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to US counterpart Joe Biden this week.

UPDATE 1253 GMT:

Russia’s historically-high defense spending will rise further in 2025.

In the draft three-year budget proposal, defense expenditure increases by 27% to 13.2 trillion roubles ($142 billion) from the planned 10.4 trillion ($112 billion) this year.

The spending will be 6.2% of GDP before projected falls to 5.6% in 2026 and 5.1% in 2027. It will take up 40% of Russia’s total budget outlay next year — greater than education, health care, social policies, and the national economy combined.

UPDATE 1252 GMT:

One person has been killed and two others injured by Russian attack guided bombs were used on Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

The attack damaged two infrastructure facilities.

UPDATE 0544 GMT:

Czech President Petr Pavel has said of Russia’s invasion, “The most likely outcome of the war will be that part of Ukrainian territory will be temporarily under Russian occupation.”

Pavel told The New York Times that the “temporary phenomenon” could last for years, citing “a number of examples” in Europe.

A former army general and chair of the NATO Military Committee, Pavel said neither side will be able to achieve its goals: “If we talk about the defeat of Ukraine or the defeat of Russia, then this simply will not happen….The end [of the conflict] will be somewhere in the middle.”

UPDATE 0536 GMT:

A man has been killed and seven other civilians, including a 13-year-old girl, injured in an overnight Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia city.

The strike targeted a critical infrastructure facility and a residential neighborhood. A municipal official, Regina Kharchenko, said 74 blocks of flats and 24 private houses were damaged throughout the city.

The previous night, Russian strikes injured at least 22 people, including two children.

UPDATE 0527 GMT:

A UN expert has testified about a rise in violence in Russia caused by prisoners who had sentences shortened or pardoned to fight in Ukraine and then returned home.

Mariana Katzarova spoke of an estimated 170,000 convicted violent criminals recruited for Vladimir Putin’s invasion: “Many of them who return – and this is an emerging trend – have been perpetrating new violent crimes to begin with against women, against girls, against children, including sexual violence and killings.”

Katzarova said the rights situation inside Russia has become “much worse” over the past year amid a tightening “state-sponsored system of fear and punishment”.

“Nobody is safe,” she summarizeed.”

UPDATE 0513 GMT:

A UN commission has found prisons controlled by Russia are deliberately withholding medical care from Ukrainian prisoners.

The commission, set up by the Human Rights Council, said doctors in one prison are participating in “torture”.

The experts set the finding in the wider context of “systematic” torture by Russian authorities.

Another common element emerging from the evidence points towards a coordinated use of personnel from specific services of the Russian Federation involved in torture in all the detention facilities investigated by the Commission.

A further common feature is the recurrent use of sexual violence, mainly against male victims, as a form of torture in almost all of these detention centres.

Addressing the Council, commission chair Erik Mose said torture has become a “common and acceptable practice” as Russian authorities act with “a sense of impunity”.

Speaking in the US, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the fight against Russia’s 31-month invasion is a critical point.

At the American Academy of Achievement award ceremony, Zelenskiy summarized:

We don’t have much time. The next few months will be decisive. Ahead of us in this war — Russia’s war against Ukraine, and all of you because this is Russia’s war against freedom itself — we are short of time to define what the outcome will be.

And we must define it. Not Russia, not their bloody allies. We need to be faster. We need not to lose the next few months in war, so that we don’t lose the next decades.

In an interview with ABC News, to be broadcast Tuesday, Zelenskiy elaborated that the defeat Russia is “closer to an end” than many believe: “The plan of victory is strengthening of Ukraine. That’s why we’re asking our friends, our allies, to strengthen us. It’s very important.”

Zelenskiy will address the UN General Assembly in New York today.

Commenting on Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region from early August, Zelenskiy told ABC’s Robin Roberts, “It’s true. [Putin] is afraid very much. Why? Because his people saw that he can’t defend — that he can’t defend all his territory.”

The President said after a meeting with Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress, “Decisive action now could hasten the just end of Russian aggression against Ukraine next year.”

Our Victory Plan will help to practically force Russia into peace. American leadership plays a critical role in preserving freedom around the globe.

Zelenskiy also saw a series of national leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The main focus of our conversation was on enhancing our interaction on international platforms, particularly at the UN and G20, as well as implementing the Peace Formulak and preparing for the second Peace Summit. We had a substantive discussion on the available opportunities.

I am grateful for the clear support of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelenskiy commented after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tokyo’s assistance: “Restoring our energy supply after Russian shelling and preparing for winter are tasks we are actively working on now.”