The human rights situation “has deteriorated significantly” in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, underlined, Monday September 18, the first report of the expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. The text documents the fact that “Russian authorities have severely restricted freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, both online and offline, and have fundamentally undermined the independence of the judiciary and fair trial guarantees”. According to the expert, Mariana Katzarova, “the situation was already in steady decline over the past two decades, partly due to the two wars in Chechnya which ended in 2009”. Follow our live stream.
>> War in Ukraine: bribes, schemes… How those resisting mobilization try to escape the authorities
kyiv shoots down drones and claims an advance. The Ukrainian army announced that it had shot down 18 drones and 17 missiles launched by Russia overnight from Sunday to Monday. kyiv also claimed the liberation of 7 km2 in the east and south of the country occupied by the Russian army. Since the launch of the counter-offensive, kyiv says it has recaptured 51 km2 around Bakhmut and 262 km2 in the southern part of the front..
Drones shot down by Russian authorities. Russia claimed, during the night from Sunday to Monday, to have shot down several Ukrainian drones in annexed Crimea, in the Moscow region, as well as in those of Belgorod and Voronezh, close to Ukraine. No casualties or damage were reported. “The production workshops of the Kharkiv armored plant were hit by a missile strike”added the Ministry of Defense.
Kim Jong-un delighted with his visit to Ukraine. The North Korean dictator expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to Vladimir Putin after his six days in Russia, the official North Korean agency KCNA reported on Monday. Kim Jong-un wished “prosperity to Russia and well-being to its people”. This visit further consolidated “militant unity” of the two countries, while “opening a new chapter” of their relations, Pyongyang wants to believe.
Official visit of a Chinese minister to Russia. At the invitation of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia from Monday to Thursday. The two men will have “a detailed exchange of views on issues related to the settlement of the situation in Ukraine, as well as ways to ensure stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region”said a spokesperson.