Updated August 28, 2023 at 8:08 p.m. EDT | Published August 28, 2023 at 2:12 a.m. EDT
A man is seen photographing a memorial in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia for Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, the founder and commander of the Wagner Group, respectively (Anastasia Makarycheva/Reuters).
Russia Today, a state-controlled news outlet, released new footage of Paul Whelan, the security executive serving a 16-year sentence for espionage in Russia. The video, which aired on Monday, shows Whelan in a penal colony, engaged in various tasks and eating lunch. This marked the first time Whelan’s brother, David, had seen footage of Paul since 2020. David described Paul as looking strong and determined.
Whelan and the U.S. government have consistently denied the charges against him, and the Biden administration is actively trying to negotiate his release.
Authorities in Poland are investigating a series of sabotage attacks that caused multiple trains to come to a halt over the weekend. The attacks have raised concerns about Russian efforts to destabilize the country. According to Stanislaw Zaryn, a senior security official, the attempts to disrupt Poland are being carried out by the Russian Federation in collaboration with Belarus.
Here is the latest news on the ongoing war and its global implications.
Prior to the plane crash that claimed the life of Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, Russia had been preparing for the future without him. The Russian Investigative Committee, responsible for determining the cause of the crash, may face challenges in uncovering the truth due to the opaque and politicized nature of investigations in Russia, as noted by Western analysts.
Investigators from the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine are currently conducting a probe into alleged human rights violations and abuses committed during Russia’s invasion. They will be visiting Kyiv and Uman, among other locations, and plan to present their findings within the next two months. This visit marks the commission’s third trip to Ukraine since the start of the war, and they are expected to remain there until September 4.
In a previous report to the United Nations, the commission concluded that Russia has violated human rights in Ukraine. The report stated that Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, some of which amount to war crimes. The report also acknowledged a small number of violations by Ukrainian armed forces.
The Russian Investigative Committee has confirmed that DNA testing confirmed the death of Yevgeniy Prigozhin in the plane crash. The investigation identified all 10 individuals who lost their lives in the crash, including two of Prigozhin’s close associates and three crew members. Aviation experts have indicated that there is limited information available to definitively determine the cause of the crash, although it is unlikely to be due to mechanical failure or human error.
Russia’s Federal Security Service has announced plans to interrogate two U.S. diplomats who have been charged with “cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state.” The diplomats are accused of directing a former embassy staffer, Robert Shonov, to gather information about Russia’s war in Ukraine. It is unclear whether the diplomats are still in Russia or if the State Department will allow them to meet with the investigators.
The British Defense Ministry has reported that Russia has canceled its large-scale military exercise, Exercise ZAPAD, due to a shortage of troops and equipment. It is speculated that the strain the war has placed on Russian forces, as well as domestic criticism, may have influenced this decision.
A factory was struck by a Russian missile, resulting in three fatalities, according to the acting governor of the Poltava region. Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak has stated that five individuals were injured in the strike, all of whom were night-shift workers at the factory.
Ukrainian forces have gained control of the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region. They are currently advancing southeast of Robotyne, which could bring them closer to Tokmak, a Russian-held transportation hub. The recapture of Melitopol, a key objective of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, would be facilitated by gaining control of Tokmak. Russian forces have been attempting to recapture Robotyne through shelling but have been unsuccessful thus far, according to Myroslav Halan, the battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has claimed to have thwarted several attacks overnight and on Monday, including attempted drone strikes over Crimea and the Bryansk and Moscow regions. The ministry has attributed these attacks to Ukraine. The ministry also reported the successful interception of a cruise missile over the Black Sea near Crimea. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, confirmed that Russian air defenses destroyed a drone intended for Moscow without causing any harm or damage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone call that he will not be attending the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi next month, according to Russian news agency Interfax.
The interior ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have called on Belarus to remove the Wagner Group in order to safeguard the European Union’s borders. In a joint statement, they accused Belarus of triggering and sustaining illegal migration and threatened to close their border crossings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to have a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the near future, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Although a specific date has not been announced, there have been agreements made, and they will be adhered to.
A vessel has departed from Ukraine via a temporary Black Sea corridor, marking the second ship to do so since Russia unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments. The ship is carrying steel destined for Africa and departed from the port of Odessa on Sunday. When asked about the vessel’s movements, Peskov stated that it does not impact the potential resumption of the grain deal and that the Ministry of Defense is closely monitoring the situation.
The lingering popularity of Wagner Group leader Prigozhin poses a challenge for Putin, even in death. Some Russians have erected public memorials for Prigozhin, demonstrating support for the late commander who led a mutiny against the Russian military in June. While these memorials do not represent widespread mourning, they highlight the Kremlin’s delicate task of managing potential disgruntlement among Prigozhin’s supporters.
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