Zelensky's plane "was almost hit by a drone" as it took off from Moldova towards Oslo, where together with other world leaders he attended the funeral of King Harald V of Norway. This was revealed by the Norwegian Prime Minister Store. Trump meanwhile claims to have had 'an excellent conversation' with Putin and that the tsar 'wants an agreement': 'If Zelensky wanted it too it would be nice, but the two hate each other,' says the tycoon. However, Kiev is also open to a 'compromise', while Moscow does not rule out the possibility of resuming trilateral negotiations with the USA in Abu Dhabi.
For further information:
What does the US-Russia peace plan include?
What we know about NATO's "Sentilla dell'Est" operation
Tomahawk, how the missiles that could change the war in Ukraine work
From Bucha to Kramatorsk, up to the pediatric hospital in Kiev: the worst massacres of civilians
Tactical nuclear weapons: what they are, the differences with strategic ones, the effects
Contributions from our correspondent in Ukraine
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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a former British embassy security guard accused of acting as an agent of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and of gathering information on British diplomats on behalf of a Ukrainian blogger, Dmitry Karpenko, known by the pseudonym Apostol Dmitry. This was announced by the FSB Public Relations Center and reported by Tass. According to the Russian secret services, Kiev wanted to use this information to "prepare and carry out acts of sabotage and terrorism against the head of the British diplomatic mission and other diplomats, with subsequent accusations of responsibility directed at Russia, in order to drag Great Britain into a direct armed conflict with the Russian Federation, ensure further supplies of weapons and military equipment from London to Ukraine and increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia". “In the course of counterintelligence operations, the Federal Security Service unmasked an agent of the Ukrainian security services, a Russian citizen born in 1981, employed by an organization dealing with the security of the British Embassy in Moscow,” the Center for Public Relations reported. The man was arrested and a criminal case was opened under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, i.e. for high treason. “It was documented that the Russian citizen, acting on the instructions of the Ukrainian blogger D.N. Karpenko (aka 'Apostle Dmitry'), collected information regarding the employees of the aforementioned diplomatic mission: personal and photographic data, information on residential addresses, vehicles used, meetings and trips, information on the security system of the diplomatic mission and the events taking place there,” the FSB reported.
Eight civilians were injured following an attack carried out by unmanned Ukrainian boats against a seafront in Sochi, a Russian seaside resort on the Black Sea. Tass writes this, citing the local crisis center. "The number of injured people is eight. Five were transported to hospital, while three received outpatient care", the center announced. According to the same source, the attack was followed by a fire. “The beach infrastructure and an adjacent stretch of the promenade suffered partial damage,” the center reported.
Donald Trump is reportedly considering giving CIA director John Ratcliffe a larger role in the negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, reducing that of envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the plans, according to which American officials have already discussed the possible turning point with European allies. The White House denied the reconstruction, calling it "totally false news", while according to sources, Trump has not yet made a final decision. Witkoff could still maintain his role as envoy for peacekeeping missions, working alongside Ratcliffe on the Ukrainian dossier.
The hypothesis comes after Ratcliffe's surprise visit to Moscow on August 25 to meet his Russian counterpart, the CIA chief's first known official trip to the Russian capital. Witkoff and Kushner, however, have just returned from new talks in Moscow and Kiev which do not appear to have produced a significant turning point. In fact, the negotiations remain blocked above all on the territorial question: Moscow demands that Ukraine cede the Donbass which is still partially under the control of Kiev, while the Ukrainian government asks for a ceasefire along the current front line and Western security guarantees.
The Russian military hit two ships carrying goods destined for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, bound for the port of Odessa, along with an escort tugboat and a drone depot in Mykolaiv. This was announced by the Moscow Ministry of Defense. Overnight, the Russian Armed Forces continued to launch coordinated attacks against Ukraine's logistics centers and seaports, as well as against ships deployed in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the ministry said. “Following drone attacks, two cargo ships, carrying goods destined for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a tugboat escorting them were damaged while sailing to the port of Odessa,” the statement read.
In Mykolaiv, a warehouse containing drones was hit, while in the port of Chornomorsk, the infrastructure of a customs distribution center, used for the unloading and storage of military goods from abroad, was hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Canada overnight, where he will meet Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen support for Kiev. The visit will be dedicated to cooperation in the fields of defence, economy and energy. Zelensky, accompanied by his wife Olena Zelenska, will participate in a series of events between Calgary, Toronto, North Bay and Banff until Friday. The Ukrainian leader arrives from Oslo, where he attended King Harald's funeral. During the previous stop in Moldova, Zelensky's flight was delayed after the temporary closure of the airspace caused by the incursion of a Russian drone, which was then shot down about 160 kilometers from Chisinau airport. However, a source in the Ukrainian presidency described the reconstruction according to which Zelensky would have been in direct danger as "exaggerated".
A Ukrainian marine drone hit the Black Sea port of Sochi, causing a fire, damage to infrastructure and injuring eight people. This was reported by the Russian authorities in the Krasnodar region. The city mayor, Andrey Proshunin, urged residents to seek shelter and remain calm, while images spread on social media showed a violent explosion near the seafront. The raid also prompted the evacuation of a concert by Russian singer Tatyana Bulanova taking place near the affected area. The raid comes just days after an earlier series of Ukrainian attacks on Sochi. On September 3, a marine drone hit and damaged a Russian ship, while in the following hours a fire was reported in an oil depot near the city. Yesterday Ukrainian drones also targeted Novorossiysk, another important Russian port on the Black Sea.
