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Ukraine Invasion
Defense Policy / Programs
Foreign Policy
News Reports

Ukraine Invasion

• Heavy Fighting Reported Around Key Eastern Village That Ukraine Says It Has Liberated RFE/RL 18 Sep 2023 -- Heavy fighting between Ukrainian soldiers and invading Russian forces was reported early on September 18 in and around Klishchiyivka, a key village in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said.
• Ukraine Says Russia Used Drones, Cruise Missiles in Overnight Attacks VOA 18 Sep 2023 -- Ukraine said Monday that Russia used 24 drones to attack the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions overnight, in addition to firing 17 cruise missiles at Ukraine.
• Russia Calls On UN's Top Court To Dismiss Ukraine's Genocide Case RFE/RL 18 Sep 2023 -- Russia called on the UN's highest court in The Hague on September 18 to dismiss what it said was a "hopelessly flawed" case challenging Moscow's argument that its invasion of Ukraine was carried out to prevent genocide.
• Ukrainian Forces Shell Donetsk City Center Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- Ukrainian troops fired three MLRS shells at the center of Donetsk on Monday, the DNR representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to Ukrainian War Crimes (JCCC) reported.
• Russia Hits Ukraine's Storage Facilities for Depleted Uranium Ammunition - MoD Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- The Russian armed forces have attacked storage facilities with Storm Shadow cruise missiles and ammunition with depleted uranium in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
• Bulgaria Says It Found Drone Remains Likely 'Connected' To War In Ukraine RFE/RL 18 Sep 2023 -- Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said on September 18 that drone wreckage was found on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and that a special military unit has been sent to the site to investigate and to dispose of ammunition that was attached to the debris.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Northern Fleet inaugurates an exercise with an expeditionary grouping of forces and troops Russia MoD 18 Sep 2023 -- Today, the Northern Fleet launched an exercise with an expeditionary grouping of forces and troops, which is part of one-year-long training cycle for the Northern Fleet's military command and control bodies.
• Russia Holds Drills to Protect Northern Sea Route Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- Military exercises to protect the Northern Sea Route are being held in northeastern Russia under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Adm. Nikolai Evmenov, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
• Statement by Russian Defence Ministry Russia MoD 18 Sep 2023 -- On 18 September 2023, Russian airspace control systems detected an aerial target approaching the State border of the Russian Federation over the Barents Sea.
• Russian MiG-31 Scrambled to Prevent Entrance of US Aircraft to Russian Airspace Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- A P-8A Poseidon aircraft of the US navy approached Russian airspace over the Barents Sea on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that a MiG-31 fighter was scrambled to prevent a border violation.
• Russian Forces to Test New Composite Kamikaze Drone in Special Op Zone Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- The Russian Armed Forces have been skillfully using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the special military operation to accomplish tasks without casualties.
• Russia Sentences First Woman For Skipping Mobilization Call-Up RFE/RL 18 Sep 2023 -- A Russian court has for the first time sentenced a woman to prison for failing to report for active duty following the Kremlin's call-up of reserves last year.
• Meeting on draft federal budget for 2024-2026 President of Russia 18 Sep 2023 -- The President held a videoconference meeting on the federal budget for 2024 and for the 2024-2026 planning period.
• Russia's Economy Recovers, Country Withstands Sanctions Pressure - Putin Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- The Russian economy has recovered, and the country has successfully withstood sanctions pressure, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

Foreign Policy

• Foreign Ministry statement on Russia's withdrawal from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 18 Sep 2023
• Russian International Money Launderer Arrested for Illicitly Procuring Large Quantities of U.S.-Manufactured Dual-Use Military Grade Microelectronics for Russian Elites US Dept. of Justice 18 Sep 2023 -- Maxim Marchenko, 51, a Russian citizen who has resided in Hong Kong, was charged today in connection with conspiring to defraud the United States and with smuggling, wire fraud, and money laundering offenses based on his alleged participation in a scheme to unlawfully procure U.S.-sourced, dual-use microelectronics with military applications on behalf of end users in Russia.
• Moscow slams European Union's 'absurd' travel restrictions against Russians Press TV 18 Sep 2023 -- Moscow has denounced the European Union for enforcing a set of restrictions on Russians seeking to travel to the 27-nation bloc, describing the move as absurd.
• Russian Gorchakov Fund, Sanctioned By The EU, Holds Conference In Republika Srpska RFE/RL 18 Sep 2023 -- The Russian state-financed Aleksandr Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, which was sanctioned by the West for its ties to the Kremlin, will hold a conference in Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks during talks with Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi, Moscow, September 18, 2023 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 18 Sep 2023
• Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 18 Sep 2023
• Chinese, Russian Diplomats Open Talks in Moscow VOA 18 Sep 2023 -- China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, hailed his country's "strategic cooperation" with Russia as he opened talks Monday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other officials.
• Chinese top diplomat to start strategic security talks in Russia; channel vital to smooth high-level exchanges, ensuring mutual support Global Times 18 Sep 2023 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday began his four-day trip to Russia to attend the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation, with a range of bilateral and multilateral issues related to security expected to be discussed, following his two-day meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta over the weekend.
• China FM heads to Russia after meeting with US national security adviser Press TV 18 Sep 2023 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi heads to Russia to hold security talks in Moscow after meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
• China's Wang Yi heads to Russia as North Korea's Kim wraps up visit Radio Free Asia 18 Sep 2023 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday began a four-day trip to Russia during which both sides could shore up their strategic ties, a day after Beijing's ally and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un concluded a six-day visit to Russia's Far East.
• China, Russia Bear Special Responsibility for Global Strategic Stability - Wang Yi Sputnik 18 Sep 2023 -- Russia and China bear special responsibility for maintaining strategic stability in the world, with their bilateral cooperation not aimed against anyone, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.
• Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Visits Various Objects in Vladivostok of Russia KCNA 18 Sep 2023 -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), visited Far Eastern Federal University, the Maritime Territorial Aquarium and the Arnika Bio-Feed Mill on September 17.
• Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Concludes His Visit to Russian Federation KCNA 18 Sep 2023 -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), left Vladivostok City on September 17 after successfully completing the schedule of his official goodwill visit to the Russian Federation.

News Reports

• Can Civil Society and Private Organizations Combat Russian Propaganda in Africa? VOA 18 Sep 2023 -- As Russia makes significant gains in its disinformation campaigns in Africa, experts say civil society groups and private organizations may hold the key to counter such propaganda.