August 23, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

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

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya called Tuesday’s Security Council meeting a waste of time and said that Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia filled it with “fictitious soundbites.”

“I wish we had been gathered here by Russia to hear the only thing that the entire world wants to hear – and that is a statement that Russia demilitarizes Zaporizhzhia NPP [nuclear power plant], withdraws its troops, and hands it over to the government of Ukraine. Instead, we wasted more than one hour to listen to a slew of fictitious soundbites,” Kyslytsya said.

CNN previously reported that, according to one UN diplomat, Russia had called for Tuesday’s meeting.

“Once again, [Russia] has the audacity to convene a UN Security Council meeting to discuss its own provocations, its own terror, at the Z-NPP [Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant],” Kyslytsya said, calling Russia a “terrorist state.”

Kyslytsya also refuted Nebenzia’s statements that Ukrainian shelling has deteriorated the security situation at the nuclear site at Zaporizhzhia.

“Russian narratives about Ukrainian shelling of the station do not stand up to scrutiny. Nobody who is at least conscious can imagine that Ukraine would target a nuclear power plant at tremendous risk of nuclear catastrophe on its own territory. Such a catastrophe would lead to numerous deaths and pollution for many years to come,” Kyslytsya said.

During the meeting, Russia’s UN Ambassador blamed the car bomb death of the daughter of a leading Putin-ally on Ukrainian intelligence agencies, during a Tuesday Security Council meeting on the in-peril nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

“An explosion of a car took place. Inside the car was…Darya Dugina. Our competent authorities are investigating this and preliminary conclusions are that this monstrous crime was organized by the Ukrainian special services,”?Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in translated remarks.

Nebenzia also blamed the West for supporting the pro-Ukrainian groups.

Nebenzia said the life of Dugina was stopped at “its very height.” He also said a Ukrainian female agent connected to Dugina’s death had escaped to Estonia. Ukraine has denied any responsibility for the attack.

He called on the UN Security Council to condemn the attack, though such condemnation is unlikely.

The Russian representative also said access for international inspectors to the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest in Europe, will go forward “in the near future.” Russia and Ukraine have requested the IAEA to go to the power plant site, but so far the UN has said that security is not safe. The Russian Ambassador said the security situation at the nuclear site has deteriorated. He blamed Ukrainian shelling. He denied allegations of Russian abuse of Ukrainian staff at the facility.

After months of warnings for Americans to leave Ukraine, the White House says the US is not going to be “facilitating the movement of American citizens” inside the country, as the State Department renews its warnings and says increased Russian strikes could be coming soon.

Kirby did not offer any new information on the killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a close Putin ally that the Russian government claims was killed by Ukrainian intelligence agencies. Ukraine denies any involvement.

“We don’t have any more information or data about this violence,” Kirby said, but he reiterated the US feels “there’s no place for this kind of violence period against anyone.?

Asked about?an American teacher sentenced to 14 years in Russian prison, who a group of nine bipartisan senators called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to immediately designate as “wrongfully detained,” Kirby said there was “a limit to what I can say on this particular case… based on some legal considerations.”

“The designation of wrongful detention is one that the State Department has to make, and they take that very, very seriously,”?Kirby said. “They’re still working their way through this and reviewing the case, and that’s really about as far as I can go.”?

As CNN’s Jennifer Hansler previously reported, the classification that would allow the US government to undertake active diplomatic efforts to secure Marc Fogel’s release.

US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills said Tuesday afternoon that Russia is “pushing us to the brink of nuclear disaster” for using the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant “as a staging ground for war.”

Mills also echoed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for Russia to “immediately…establish a demilitarized zone in the area surrounding the plant.”

“A demilitarized zone would enable the IAEA team to travel to the facility, conduct an inspection, and assess the safety, security, and application of safeguards to ongoing nuclear plant operations,” Mills said.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports?announced?Tuesday that at least 133 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Minister of Youth and Sports?Vadym Gutzait wrote, “The flag will no longer be raised and the anthem will no longer be played in honor of the sports victories of the deceased athletes.”

The announcement was accompanied by a video tribute to Ukraine’s fallen athletes and coaches created by the ministry together with the Sports Committee of Ukraine and the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.

CNN cannot independently confirm the number of deaths of Ukrainian athletes and coaches.

CNN’s Rich Phillips, Karen Smith and Josh Pennington contributed reporting to this post.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov speaks during an interview on August 23.

When asked by CNN if the Russia-Ukraine war was drifting into a stalemate, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said his country has the “worst scenario” behind them.

Speaking on Tuesday with CNN’s Sam Kiley in Kyiv, Reznikov said, “we are in a stage of stabilizing all the battlefield or battle lines with the small moving of the units, and we made a lot of good deterrents there.”

Reznikov said he believes Ukraine is on the verge of a “new stage” of the war by starting its counter-offensive campaign in a different direction.??

Reznikov said “fatigue syndrome” in the international community is one of the main threats in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

When asked by Kiley if he is afraid the international community will begin to get tired of the war, Reznikov said, “I call it fatigue syndrome, and for me it’s one of the main threats, and we need to work with this threat, because we need to speak like with you, to communicate, to ask people, don’t be on this fatigue. Because this is very, very dangerous for us.”

The United Nations has consulted with its International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and determined that it has the “logistics and security capacity in Ukraine to support any IAEA mission to the [Zaporizhzhia]?plant from Kyiv, provided Ukraine and Russia agree,” Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations under-secretary for political and peacebuilding affairs, said in remarks to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

DiCarlo also said that preparations for the mission are proceeding and that “IAEA is in active consultations with all parties regarding its efforts to send such a mission as soon as possible.”?

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has met with both Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the physical integrity, safety, and security of the nuclear plant, according to DiCarlo.

DiCarlo also reiterated Guterres’ calls for an end to all military activities in the immediate vicinity of the plant and “for all sides to refrain from targeting its facilities or surroundings.”

“We must be clear that any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia, or any other nuclear facilities in Ukraine, leading to a possible nuclear incident would have catastrophic consequences, not only for the immediate vicinity, but for the region and beyond,” DiCarlo said.

CNN’s Richard Roth?contributed reporting to this post

The US State Department is not planning any immediate changes to the US diplomatic presence in Ukraine despite concerns about Russia stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine in the coming days, according to a senior administration official.?

While the diplomats will take extra precautions in the coming days they are not going to be departing Kyiv at this time, the official said.?

Their continued presence at the US embassy in Ukraine’s capital comes as the State Department is urging Americans – once again – to immediately depart Ukraine, citing concerns about Russia planning to target Ukrainian infrastructure and government facilities.

“The security situation throughout Ukraine is highly volatile and conditions may deteriorate without warning,” the announcement said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference in Ankara on August 23.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday reiterated Turkey’s position that Ankara supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and rejects Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, according to the state-run Anadolu agency.

Erdogan said in a video message to the Second Crimea Platform Summit in Kyiv that Crimea must be returned to Ukraine.?

“The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an inseparable part, is essentially a requirement of international law,” Erdogan said

Erdogan said Ankara will continue to support the Crimean Platform, which was established to resolve the Crimean issue through peaceful means.

Erdogan added that protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political unity is “critical,” not only for regional but also for global security and stability.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our Crimean Tatar compatriots is also among Turkiye’s priorities,” he said.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in eastern Ukraine on August 19.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked about the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and “the available opportunities for organizing a visit to the station” by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.?

Lavrov outlined Russia’s approaches to the war — what it calls the ongoing “special military operation” — and said that “the Kyiv regime continues to shell the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and the territory adjacent to it, exposing the entire European population to the danger of a nuclear catastrophe with the obvious connivance of its foreign sponsors,” according to the ministry.

Some context: Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed for a mission from the IAEA, a UN nuclear watchdog, to access the Russian-occupied?Zaporizhzhia?plant via territory controlled by Ukrainian forces. He gave his consent during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, according to a source from the élysée Palace.

Russia and Ukraine have both made accusations about security and military action at and around the plant, the largest nuclear complex in Europe. The lack of independent access to the plant makes it impossible to verify what is happening there.

Over the past month, a number of rockets and shells have landed on the territory of the plant, according to satellite imagery analyzed by CNN.

The US is set to announce a security assistance package of up to $3 billion for Ukraine on Wednesday, according to a US official, which is the country’s Independence Day and marks six months since the beginning of the war.?

This package, first reported by the Associated Press, is far larger than any single previous US package since the start of the war.?

The package falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and will include Western air defense capabilities, a large quantity of ammunition, as well as training and maintenance, the official said.??

More background: Because this package is part of the USAI, it will not be drawn from existing US inventories. Instead, it will come from contracts with arms manufacturers.?

The official said the package has not been finalized and details could still change.

Last week, the US announced a $775 million package that included HIMARS and 105mm Howitzer ammo, anti-armor missiles, mine-clearing capabilities, and more. That package came through Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which means it will be pulled directly from US stocks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference on August 23 in Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Ukraine’s responsibility in Russian political commentator Darya Dugina’s murder by car bombing, saying that the suspect is not a Ukrainian citizen.

“She is not in the territory of Ukraine — occupied or not,” he added.

Dugina, the editor of a Russian disinformation website, was also the daughter of prominent Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) alleged that the assailant was a Ukrainian woman who arrived in Russia on July 23 with her young daughter, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

After remotely detonating explosives planted in Dugina’s Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the FSB said the woman and her daughter drove through the Pskov region to Estonia, roughly a 12-hour journey.

The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting today on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, which has come under assault as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.

The plant, located in eastern Ukraine, has been under Russian control since March.

Russia called for the session, according to one UN diplomat, which is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET on camera, the official UN schedule shows.

The council can expect to hear Russia blame Ukraine and the United States for shelling the plant zone, while the US and others on the council are expected to accuse Moscow of threatening a radiation leak.

Talks are ongoing regarding getting an?International Atomic Energy Agency mission to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news briefing Tuesday.?

Dujarric said the UN still needs safe assurances in order for staff to visit the site.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a news conference in Berlin on August 23.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which is nearing the six-month mark — has changed the world permanently, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin neither stopped “at that final turning point [on] Feb. 23” nor responded to “countless offers of talks,” Baerbock said, leading “his country into a long, ever darker night until today, without any sign of compliance, without any serious offer of negotiation, without remorse.”

“As long as this brutal war of aggression continues, we will continue to support Ukraine with military aid in its right to self-defense,” Baerbock said. However, Germany itself must remain capable of defending itself, also in view of the threat situation in the Baltic States, she added.?

Gylfadottir also said her country is “on the side of the Ukrainian people in their heroic struggle against Russian aggression.” She vowed to “help Ukraine rebuild so that the younger generation has reason to hope and reason to dream. This is what we owe them. We owe this to the people who are fighting and dying to defend their country.”?

Russia needs to be held accountable and “must not achieve its goals,” the Icelandic foreign minister said. “Ukraine must win.”

European Union chief?Ursula von der Leyen?said that Russia used Crimea as a “testing ground” for human rights violations that has extended into President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. ?

The president of the European Commission said that since the peninsula’s annexation in 2014, Crimea has “been used not only as a Russian military base, but also as a testing ground for the brutal methods Russia is now applying across the other occupied parts of Ukraine.”

Von der Leyen’s comments to world leaders came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to restore Ukraine’s rule in Crimea, stressing that for Ukrainians, Crimea is “a part of our people.”?

In his opening remarks, European Council chief Charles Michel told world leaders that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine did not start on Feb. 24, it started with the illegal annexation of Crimea.”

“Crimea is Ukraine,” Michel emphasized, calling on international partners to help Ukraine to restore its “full territorial integrity within its international borders.”

In his address, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany had a “clear message” regarding any further Russian attempts to “alter the status of parts of Ukraine territory,” stressing that these efforts will “never be recognized” by Germany.

US Ambassador to NATO?Julianne?Smith?speaks during a news briefing on the eve of a meeting of alliance defence ministers in Brussels, Belgium, on February 15.

A top US diplomat has told CNN that despite the difficulties expected in the coming months — from a global cost-of-living crisis to energy shortages during a brutal European winter — it’s their view that the Western alliance will remain united in its support for Ukraine.

Speaking to CNN from the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to NATO, said she remains optimistic that the West will continue to support Ukraine in the way it has since the conflict began.

In her comments, which were made during the week that marks six months since Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his forces to invade Ukraine on February 24, Smith also directly rebutted Russian claims that the US and NATO are directly involved in the conflict.

Regarding any future NATO involvement in the conflict, Smith reiterated the statement that “neither the United States nor NATO are a party to the conflict full stop,” underscoring that NATO’s only involvement was “non-lethal.”

Smith acknowledged there are “corners of the globe where the Russian narrative appears to be getting through,” and setting the record straight “will be a continued challenge for the alliance to continue to state the reality.”

The US and NATO have provided weapons and intelligence to Ukraine; in early August, Russia accused Washington of direct involvement in the war.

Disinformation and rivalling narratives have been a feature of this conflict from day one. Most recently, Moscow is blaming Ukraine’s special services for the killing of Darya Dugina, a Russian political commentator and the daughter of prominent ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.

Ukraine has denied any involvement in?Dugina’s killing, describing the Russian claims as fiction. Prior to her death, Dugina was the editor of a Russian disinformation website.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart following their talks in Moscow, Russia, on August 23.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there won’t be mercy for?those responsible for the death of Darya Dugina, a Russian political commentator and the daughter of prominent ultranationalist ideologue?Alexander Dugin.

“I believe that this is a barbaric crime, for which there should be no forgiveness, and for those who organized it,” Lavrov said during a news conference Tuesday with his Syrian counterpart.?

“Now, as I understand it, the FSB has already established the facts, which are now being investigated. I hope the investigation will be completed soon and, as a result of this investigation, of course, the organizers and those who ordered the murder will get no mercy,” he said.?

In a two-day investigation, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) pinned the blame for Dugina’s murder on the Ukrainian special services. Ukraine has denied any involvement in Dugina’s killing, calling FSB claims fictitious.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to restore Ukrainian rule in Crimea during an international online summit on Tuesday.?

Speaking on a panel alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda, Zelensky outlined his country’s ambitions to regain power in the peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The president stressed that for Ukrainians, Crimea is “not just some territory” or even a “figure in the geopolitical game.”?

“For Ukraine, Crimea is a part of our people, our society, a community of people to whom we guarantee freedom,” he continued.?

The Ukrainian president also said Crimea has become “a military platform for aggression and the spread of grief,” referencing the 750 different cruise missiles he said the Russians have launched from Crimea since the invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has warned citizens to be “especially careful” on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a threat of Russian missile strikes as Ukraine marks its Independence Day.

“The air raid alarm is a serious signal, that everyone should take into account. Especially on Aug. 23 and 24 — these are not just words, you have to be especially careful,” he warned.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that his warning to the country about a potential major attack or uptick in attacks by Russia this week came from Ukraine’s partner-nation intelligence.?

Russia’s “priorities” would be to target Ukraine’s infrastructure and state institutions, Zelensky said at news briefing alongside Polish President?Andrzej Duda in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Zelensky also underlined that while Russia attacked “all the time” since the start of the ‘full-scale invasion’ launched on Feb. 24, Russia could increase strikes this Tuesday and Wednesday specifically.

He then vowed a “powerful response” to Russia’s attacks.

Oleksiy?Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, gives and interview in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 8.

Darya Dugina’s death was organized by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and is the “first in the row” of expected attacks on civilians,?the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov tweeted on Tuesday.

“Support for the war is falling in Russia. The Kremlin needs public mobilization. The FSB is expected to organize a series of terrorist attacks in Russian cities with mass civilian casualties. Dugina is the first in the row,” he said.

“Unlike Russia, Ukraine is not at war with civilians,” he added.

Dugina, the editor of a Russian disinformation website, died after a bomb planted in a car she was driving went off in the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday evening.

Russia has blamed Ukrainian special services for Dugina’s murder, TASS reported on Monday. Ukraine has denied any involvement in Dugina’s killing, calling Russia’s FSB claims fiction.

Officials have warned Ukrainians to avoid mass gatherings around the Day of the National Flag on Tuesday and Independence Day on Wednesday amid concerns that Russian forces could target them with missile attacks. The UN has raised concerns that Russia could carry out illegal trials for prisoners of war in Mariupol in the next few days.

Here are the latest headlines:

Shakhtar?Donetsk?take on FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv at the NSC Olympiyskiy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on August 23, as the Ukrainian Premier League begins again.

For the first time since Russia’s invasion of the country, Ukraine’s?footballing?stars will be taking to the?field?as the Ukrainian Premier League begins again.

On Tuesday, Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 Kharkiv kick off the new?season?in Kyiv at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex.

Although the stadium has a capacity of around 70,000, there will be no fans in attendance as the league takes safety measures to protect its civilians from Russia’s ongoing attacks.

It is one of many precautions implemented to attempt to keep both players and staff as safe as possible, including bomb shelters and air raid sirens.

But, having been forced to cancel last season’s league campaign on February 24 due to the invasion, it is a little slice of normality for the besieged Ukrainian population.

Read the full story here.

Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, speak during a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 10.

Russia maintains a dialogue with the United States via diplomatic communication channels, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said in an interview with RT Arabic, quoted by state news agency RIA Novosti.??

“The dialogue [with the US] has never stopped, we are conducting it on an ongoing basis. We are committed to contacts through our embassies, and, of course, through telephone contacts,” Ryabkov said, as quoted by?RIA Novosti.?

Ryabkov also said “the role of diplomacy, unfortunately, is not at the proper level now.”

“These circumstances we are in now and the dynamics of Washington, its desire to punish Russia will fail and will not change anything. We are always fighting for a more just world,” he said.

A mended wall is seen in Irpin's School Number 17.

The new school year is a day of celebration in?Ukraine, where children dress up and give bouquets of flowers to their teachers.

But Russia’s invasion has cast a shadow on the happy day. Now educational facilities across the country are racing to build bunkers and bomb shelters for returning students.

As schools prepare to open their doors in September, many educators are grappling with the fact that they don’t have the ability to provide safety to pupils, or peace of mind to parents, should their schools come under attack. “Our schools are not designed to be used as defensive facilities,” Serhii Horbachov, Ukraine’s education ombudsman, told CNN.

In Irpin, a leafy suburb of the capital Kyiv, fighting has wrecked parts of School Number 17, one of the largest in the city that teaches more than 2,400 children aged six to 17. Shrapnel has damaged the school’s roof and broken all its windows.

The gaping holes in bright-colored walls and floors of the school have since been fixed with concrete and plaster. With the help of the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, the school is rebuilding its bomb shelter. “We make it so that it is safe and comfortable there, and that children are not afraid, and that parents are calm,” the school’s headteacher, Ivan Ptashnyk, told CNN.

Read the full story here.

The southern city of?Nikopol?suffered shelling on Ukraine’s Day of the National Flag on Tuesday, a local official said, adding that people should avoid mass gatherings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Yevhen Yevtushenko,?the?head of the district military administration in Nikopol, which is across the Dnipro River from the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), said people should stay away from open areas and infrastructure facilities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials have warned that Moscow may carry out intense attacks, including missile strikes, to coincide with Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday.

Russian forces “congratulated the city of Nikopol on Flag Day by shelling its territory with barrel artillery and MLRS [Multiple Launch Rocket Systems],” Yevtushenko?said.

Bolstered Russian presence: Meanwhile, Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power operator, claimed the amount of Russian soldiers and equipment at?Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is increasing.

“Yesterday, August 22, 2022, the occupiers additionally brought two armored personnel carriers and six special trucks to the repair zone of the NPP,”?Energoatom said Tuesday.

“In total, over 40 units of military equipment are now stationed on the territory of the plant. There are 16 military vehicles near the first power unit, and seven near the second. The occupiers drove another 12 pieces of equipment under the overpass,” it added.

“In addition, the Russians have added a considerable number of “strong” orcs [soldiers] to their ranks, some of them wearing masks,” added the agency.

Some background: Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian forces, which seized the plant in March, of storing heavy weaponry inside the complex and using it as cover to launch attacks, knowing that Ukraine can’t return fire without risking hitting one of the plant’s six reactors, which would spell disaster.

Moscow, meanwhile, has claimed Ukrainian troops are targeting the site, which is the largest complex of its kind in Europe.

Both sides have accused the other of threatening nuclear terrorism.

On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio?Guterres said that electricity generated at Zaporizhzhia belonged to Ukraine, following reports that the Kremlin could divert electricity produced at the plant to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.?

An aerial view taken on April 12, shows the city of Mariupol, Ukraine, after intense fighting.

The United Nations has warned that Russia and affiliated groups could be planning trials for Ukrainian prisoners of war around the country’s independence day on Wednesday.

“We are concerned by reports that the Russian Federation and affiliated armed groups in Donetsk are planning — possibly in the coming days — to try Ukrainian prisoners of war in what is being labelled an ‘international tribunal’ in Mariupol,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday.

Shamdasani said that willfully depriving prisoners of war a fair trial is a war crime, and international humanitarian law prohibits the establishment of courts solely to judge prisoners of war.

Some context: On August 12, Ukrainian officials said they expect Russia to start the trials in Mariupol.

“The occupiers are turning the Mariupol Philharmonic Hall, the pearl of the city, where only festive events took place, into a place of trial for our prisoners of war and civilians,” said city mayor Vadym Boichenko.

A correspondent working for Zvezda, the Russian Defense Ministry’s channel, reported from outside the philharmonic hall in the same week, noting that a “huge metal frame is being built next to the philharmonic. This is a future hangar, where prison wagons with Azov prisoners of war will presumably come by.”

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement they had submitted a number of new urgent demands to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding ensuring the right to life and the prohibition of torture in relation to the Ukrainian fighters at Azovstal steel plant who were captured by Russian soldiers.

Ukraine demanded that urgent measures be taken to prevent the use of Ukrainian defense lawyers in any kind of so-called “tribunals” or trials, the statement said.

“Conducting any trials of prisoners of war for propaganda purposes is prohibited and equated to war crimes. We appeal to the world with the demand to use all available mechanisms to protect our prisoners of war and bring the Russian Federation and specific individuals to justice for their crimes,” said Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Deputy minister of justice Iryna Mudra said that trials cannot be held for prisoners of war.

“We expect that the ECHR will carefully consider and grant Ukraine’s request,” she said.

Russian political scientist and ideologue?Alexander?Dugin?delivers a speech during a memorial service for his daughter Darya?Dugina, in Moscow, Russia, on August 23.

Alexander Dugin, a prominent Russian ultranationalist, said his daughter Darya Dugina died for her country, as he delivered an emotional speech at a memorial service in Moscow Tuesday.

Dugina, the editor of a Russian disinformation website, was killed by a car bomb on the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday.

“Since childhood, her first words, which of course we taught her, were Russia: Our state, our people, our empire,” Dugin said at his daughter’s memorial.

“She had no fear, and the last thing she said, when we talked at the Festival of Tradition, she said to me: ‘Dad, I feel like a warrior, I feel like a hero. I want to be like this, I don’t want any other fate. I want to be with my people, with my country,’” Dugin said.?

“At my last lecture, we were next to each other and I told her that our history is a constant battle of light and darkness. God and his adversary, and that we are now in this and our political situation and our war in Ukraine, but not with Ukraine. This is also part of this war: Light and darkness,” he added.?

Dugin said he “could feel how happy she was” after the Russian Federation awarded Dugina a posthumous order of courage in a?decree signed by Putin on Monday.?

The Russian President sent his condolences to Dugina’s family on Monday.

“A vile, cruel crime cut short the life of Darya Dugina, a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart – kind, loving, sympathetic and open. A journalist, scientist, philosopher, war correspondent, she honestly served the people, the Fatherland, she proved by deed what it means to be a patriot of Russia,” Putin said in a statement published on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.?

Denis Pushilin,?head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, also extended his condolences and praised Dugina’s support for the Donbas region, saying she “fearlessly came to the burning cities of the republic to tell the world the truth about what is happening in our country,” in remarks delivered on his behalf during the service.?

Russia has blamed Ukrainian special services for?the murder of Dugina, TASS reported on Monday.?

Ukraine has denied any involvement in Dugina’s killing, calling Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims fiction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers a speech on Ukraine's Day of the National Flag, August 23.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that the Ukrainian flag will fly “where it’s supposed to be” in all currently occupied parts of Ukraine.

“Today I’d like to talk not only about the past of our flag but also about its future,” said Zelensky on Tuesday in a speech to mark Ukraine’s Day of the National Flag.

It comes ahead of the country’s independence day on Wednesday, which will mark 31 years since Ukraine broke its ties with the Soviet Union.

Events to mark the day have been banned in Kyiv as officials warn that Russia may carry out missile attacks against the Ukrainian capital. In the city of Kharkiv, authorities have announced a curfew from 7 p.m. on the eve of Independence Day to 7 a.m. on the day after.

Wednesday also marks six months since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv Tuesday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his office said in a Twitter post.?

Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west, has received millions of Ukrainian refugees and donated military equipment to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion began in February.

Some context: Poland was among a number of countries named by Zelensky on Monday as part of a new initiative to reinforce ties between Kyiv and Eastern European and Baltic states. The Ukrainian president described the initiative as “a very promising line of our work in the Euro-Atlantic direction.”

Russian paratrooper Pavel Filatyev speaks with CNN.

The Kremlin’s justification for invading Ukraine “is a lie,” a Russian paratrooper who previously publicly condemned his country’s war in Ukraine has told CNN.

Two weeks ago,?Pavel Filatyev?spoke out against the conflict in a 141-page-long testimony posted to his VKontakte social media page, then fled Russia. He is the first serving member of the Russian military to publicly criticize the?invasion of Ukraine?and leave the country.

Now he tells CNN that his fellow troops are tired, hungry and disillusioned — and that the Kremlin’s war effort is “destroying peaceful lives.”

“We understood that we were dragged into a serious conflict where we are simply destroying towns and not actually liberating anyone,” Filatyev told CNN’s Matthew Chance. CNN is not disclosing the location of the interview for the security of the interviewee.

Filatyev, 33, told CNN “corruption” and repression are rife in his home country and said his unit — which was based in Crimea and sent to Ukraine entering Kherson early in the conflict — was ill-equipped and given little explanation for Russia’s invasion.

According to Filatyev, the soldiers and their commanders did not know what they were expected to do in Ukraine. He added that they soon became disillusioned with the government’s reasoning for its invasion after arriving in Kherson and facing resistance from locals who did not want to be “liberated.”

Read the full story here.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on June 13.

The Japanese government on Tuesday said it will continue to work with the Group of Seven and other related countries to impose sanctions against Russia and provide assistance to Ukraine.

His comments followed a meeting held with senior members of the Japanese government, in which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told ministers to work closely with the G7 to ensure stable energy supplies and that Japan’s defenses are secure.

The US Embassy is seen on April 25, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The US government is urging Americans in?Ukraine?to leave the country immediately, warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days.

Some context: The renewed US warning comes as Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine approaches the six-month mark on Wednesday and follows similar warnings, from Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials, that Moscow may carry out intense attacks, including missile strikes, to coincide with?Ukraine’s Independence Day on Wednesday.

In Kyiv, the city military administration issued a ban on all big gatherings between Monday and Thursday, saying “it is forbidden to hold mass events, peaceful meetings, rallies and other events related to a large gathering of people.”

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Darya Dugina.

Russia has awarded a posthumous order of courage to Darya Dugina, the daughter of influential ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The decree notes she was awarded for her work as a correspondent for Tsargrad Media.

Russia has blamed the Ukrainian security service for the car bombing that killed Dugina. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the explosion.?

Both Dugin and Dugina have been sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for acting to destabilize Ukraine.

The?US Treasury sanctioned?Dugina in March as the chief editor for the disinformation website United World International, which it claimed was owned by Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin and pushed messages suggesting Ukraine would “perish” if it was admitted to NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during his evening video address on Monday August 22.

Ukraine began a new initiative set to reinforce its ties with Eastern European and Baltic countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday in his nightly address.?

The Ukrainian president described the initiative as “a very promising line of our work in the Euro-Atlantic direction.”

He also called on European countries to add an eighth sanctions package against Russia, saying “the longer the interval between sanctions packages, the greater Russia’s audacity.”

In his address, Zelensky also announced that search operations have ended following a Russian attack against?a residential building in Kharkiv?last week.

The United Nations has a fact-finding team ready to investigate the Ukraine prison attack in Olenivka — but it’s going nowhere for now.

Despite Russia and Ukraine requesting an independent probe, the UN believes the situation around the prison is not safe for access without proper assurances.?

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced other members of the team Monday.?

Joining a veteran retired police lieutenant general from Brazil is a diplomat from Iceland and a police official from Niger.?

The panel would establish facts and report back to the UN secretary-general.

Some background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the end of July the attack on the prison in separatist-held eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of at least 50 prisoners, was “a deliberate war crime by the Russians.” Russia, meanwhile, blamed Ukraine for the attack.

Olenivka is in the part of the Donetsk region, which has been held by pro-Russian forces for eight years.

The facility has been used to house many of the Ukrainian soldiers who?surrendered at the Azovstal plant?in Mariupol several months ago. CNN could not independently verify the allegations of either side.

Russia has blamed Ukrainian special services for the murder of Darya Dugina, a Russian political commentator and the daughter of prominent ultranationalist ideologue?Alexander Dugin, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Ukraine has denied any involvement in?Dugina’s killing, calling the FSB claims fiction.

“We have nothing to do with the murder of this lady — this is the work of the Russian special services,” said Oleksii Danylov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Council, in an interview on Ukrainian television Monday.

Dugina, the editor of a Russian disinformation website, died after a bomb planted in a car she was driving went off in the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday evening.

The FSB said the assailant was a Ukrainian woman who arrived in Russia on July 23 with her young daughter, TASS reported. The pair attended a festival on Saturday near Moscow where Dugina was a guest of honor.

After remotely detonating explosives planted in Dugina’s Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the FSB said the woman and her daughter drove through the Pskov region to Estonia, roughly a 12-hour journey.

CNN cannot independently verify the FSB claims cited by the TASS report.

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