The moves, announced separately, came after Washington expanded its sanctions last week to include the head of the entity that runs Mir, which is popular with the tens of thousands of Russian tourists who have arrived in Turkey this year. The suspensions by two of the five Turkish banks that used Mir reflect their effort to avoid a financial crossroad between the West and Russia, as the Turkish government maintains a balanced diplomatic stance. Isbank, whose shares fell 10% on Monday, said it had stopped payments to Mir and was evaluating new US Treasury sanctions. Isbank also stated that it wishes to comply with national and international laws, regulations and business principles. — Reuters
Missile strikes near Ukraine’s nuclear plant, IAEA says
A. A Russian serviceman guards an area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in territory under Russian military control, southeastern Ukraine, May 1, 2022. AP An explosion near a power plant in Ukraine damaged windows and power lines but did not affect the operation of three reactors there, Kyiv told the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday. The blast from the bombing occurred about 300 meters, or 984 feet, from the industrial site of the Southern Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in Mykolaiv province, the IAEA said in a news release. No personnel were injured by the missile, which hit three power lines that were quickly reconnected, Ukraine’s nuclear power company Energoatom told the IAEA. Ukrainian authorities have reportedly called the bombing an act of “nuclear terrorism” by Russia. The IAEA also said its experts discovered that a power line used to supply electricity to another nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, had been disconnected on Sunday. Zaporizhia, located in southeastern Ukraine, is Europe’s largest power plant and has six reactors currently in a “cold shutdown state,” the IAEA said. The plant still receives the electricity it needs for essential security functions, but now has no access to backup power from the Ukrainian grid, IAEA experts said. The disconnected power line carried electricity from the Ukrainian grid through the switching station of a nearby thermal power plant, the IAEA said. It was not immediately clear how the line was disconnected. “The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant remains fragile and precarious,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the press release. “Last week, we saw some improvements on its power supplies, but today we were informed of a new setback on that. A nuclear safety and protection zone must be urgently established there,” Grossi said. — Kevin Breuninger
Schumer is asking for another $12 billion in US aid to Ukraine
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) holds a press conference to support the $430 billion Democrat-sponsored drug pricing, energy and tax bill at the US Capitol in Washington, US , August 5, 2022. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Lawmakers will vote next week on whether to add $12 billion in aid to Ukraine to the budget, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said Sunday. The proposed boost in military funding for Kyiv comes as Ukrainian forces appear to be making significant gains as they mount a counteroffensive against invading Russian troops. Those gains coincide with Russia’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly this week, Schumer said during a news conference. “We’re going to hear from world leaders what a remote nation and a lawless nation Russia is,” he said, according to an NBC News transcript of his remarks. Additionally, Congress faces a deadline at the end of the month to pass a spending bill, called a continuing resolution, that would keep the government from shutting down until mid-December, Schumer noted. “Ukraine depends on our help. And now that they’re really starting to push back the Russians, more help at that point is vital,” Schumer said. Democrats could face obstacles from Republicans who are wary of putting more money into the continuing resolution, a Schumer spokesman told CNBC on Monday. — Kevin Breuninger
Kremlin denies allegations of war crimes committed in Izium after mass graves discovered
EDITORS NOTE: This post shows graphic content of mass graves uncovered near Izium, Ukraine. Two medical examiners discover a body in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine on September 16, 2022. Juan Barretto | AFP | Getty Images The Kremlin has denied that Russian forces executed civilians in the Ukrainian city of Izium after more than 400 mass graves were discovered with grizzly bears. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian troops of committing war crimes in the eastern Ukrainian city. “More than 400 bodies were found at the mass grave in Izyum with signs of torture. Children, those killed as a result of missile attacks, fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in English on the Telegram messaging app last week. Izium was recently liberated from Russian occupation after a stunning Ukrainian counterattack. “This is a lie and, of course, we will defend the truth throughout this story,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as translated by NBC News. “This is the same scenario as in Bukha. Everything is unfolding according to a scenario,” Peskov said, referring to the more than 450 dead civilians found in this Kiev suburb after Russian soldiers retreated after about five weeks of occupation. The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces target and kill civilians, a violation of international humanitarian law. — Amanda Macias
Five NATO allies have yet to approve Sweden and Finland’s entry into the alliance
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C), Finnish Foreign Ministers Pekka Haavisto (L) and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde (R) give a press conference after their meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022. John Thys | AFP | Getty Images Five NATO member countries have yet to sign ratification protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance. Of NATO’s 30 member countries, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey are the latest countries to concede Sweden and Finland. Greece was the last NATO ally to sign ratification documents on September 15. In May, both nations began the formal process of applying to NATO as Russia’s war in Ukraine raged. All 30 members of the alliance must ratify countries’ entry into the group. Last month, US President Joe Biden signed ratification documents after a 95-1 vote in the Senate for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. — Amanda Macias
Russia has lost 55 aircraft in Ukraine, US Air Force general said
The wreckage of a Russian fighter jet is seen in a residential area amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in this handout photo released on March 5, 2022. Press Service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters Russia has lost 55 aircraft in Ukraine since the invasion began, US Air Force Gen. James Hecker told reporters on Monday. That number from Hecker, the top US Air Force commander in Europe, is in line with the current tally of aircraft losses compiled by the military blog Oryx. Of those 55 aircraft, 53 were destroyed and two were damaged, according to Oryx. More than 80 percent of Ukraine’s aircraft are left, Hecker estimated during remarks at the 2022 Aviation, Space & Cyber Conference, reporters reported. — Kevin Breuninger
More than 163 ships carrying agricultural products have left Ukrainian ports
The Barbados-flagged general cargo ship Fulmar S is pictured in the Black Sea, north of the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 5, 2022. Mehmet Caliskan Reuters The agency that oversees agricultural exports from Ukraine said so far 163 ships have left the besieged country since ports reopened. The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said the ships carried a total of 3.6 million metric tons of grain and other food products. In July, three of Ukraine’s ports were reopened for exports under the UN-backed Black Sea Initiative. — Amanda Macias
The UN says at least 5,916 have been killed in Ukraine since the war began
A volunteer places a cross on the grave of one of the fifteen unidentified people killed by Russian troops, amid Russia’s continued offensive in Ukraine, during a burial ceremony in the town of Bucha, Kyiv region, Ukraine, September 2, 2022. Vladyslav Musiienko Reuters The United Nations has confirmed 5,916 civilian deaths and 8,616 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its former Soviet neighbor on February 24. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher because the armed conflict may delay reporting of deaths. The international body said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling by heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as rockets and airstrikes. — Amanda Macias
Biden to hold bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss at UN General Assembly
The next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Liz Truss Dan Kitwood | News Getty Images | Getty Images President Joe Biden will meet with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. The two leaders were originally expected to meet after Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral. Truss, who took office as prime minister earlier this month,…
