Zelenskyy says Bakhmut is ‘holding on’
- Kyiv’s forces are repelling constant Russian attacks towns in the eastern region of Donbas, Ukrainian authorities say.
- Bakhmut and Soledar were “holding on”, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, as Moscow-backed separatists claim to have captured Bakhmutske, an eastern village.
Russian actor faces criminal charges after ‘anti-Russian’ remarks, say investigators
Investigators say that Russian actor Artur Smolyaninov faces criminal charges after allegedly making “anti-Russian” comments in a newspaper interview.
In an interview last week, Smolyaninov said that he would fight for Ukraine, not Russia, if he had to participate in the conflict.
His interview for Novaya Gazeta Europe, a newspaper now banned in Russia, were condemned by members of the Russian parliament.
One member added that Smolyaninov should be barred from all state-contracted films.
“For my part, I will appeal to the Investigative Committee with a request to initiate a criminal case against this traitor,” lawmaker Biysultan Khamzaev told the RIA news agency.
The Investigative Committee said it had launched a criminal case against Smolyaninov after he took part in an interview with a “Western publication” but did not provide further details.
In fear of breaching the country’s strict new laws on spreading “misinformation” about the war in Ukraine or discrediting the Russian army, many actors have fled the country.
Western ‘ammo supplies’ will extend war: Russian spokesperson
According to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, additional Western weapons to Kyiv will delay the end of the conflict.
On Twitter, the Russian embassy in the UK wrote: “Zakharova: West’s irresponsible actions & ammo supplies to Kyiv regime not only multiply victim numbers & delay Ukraine conflict end, but could also draw NATO into direct military confrontation with Russia. Yet instead of stopping, Ukraine’s Western sponsors build up their supplies”.
Russian missile kills two women in Shevchenkove, say prosecutors
A Russian missile has hit a village market in Shevchenkove, Kharkiv, killing two women and wounding four others, including a 10-year-old girl.
“The Russian army committed another act of terror against the civilian population – a child was wounded, two women were killed,” the regional prosecutor’s office said.
“An enemy missile hit the territory of the local market.”
In a written statement, prosecutors said they have opened an investigation into a potential war crime, referencing preliminary information that the attack came from an S-300 air defence system in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.
Two killed, 10 wounded on Sunday, says Ukrainian official
The Ukrainian presidential office’s deputy head, Krylo Tymoshenko, has said two people were killed and 10 others were wounded on Sunday.
“Victims among the civilian population as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation for 01/08/2023 (as of 09:00 01/09/2023),” he wrote on Telegram.
“Donetsk region two dead, two wounded, Zaporizhzhia region – two wounded, Kharkiv region – three wounded, Kherson region – three wounded, according to regional military administrations.”
Kremlin condemns pro-Bolsonaro riots in Brazil
The Kremlin says it supports Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and condemns riots by supporters of the country’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the instigators of the riots, and we fully support Brazil’s President Lula da Silva,” Peskov told reporters.
