WORLD BRIEFING: September 6, 2023
Today marks 560 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The youngest son of Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she has been denied urgent medical care. Kim Aris said the military junta ruling the country blocked prison authorities' request for "urgent care". Prison sources told BBC Burmese Ms Suu Kyi, 78, has been suffering severe toothaches, leaving her unable to eat. However a military spokesman said she is in good health and receives regular check-ups from both military and civilian doctors. Ms Suu Kyi has been detained since February 2021, following the military coup that ousted her - BBC
Another Russian drone attack targeted Ukrainian port facilities in the Izmail area on the River Danube across from NATO member Romania, killing one person. The almost 3 hour attack damaged grain elevators, an administrative building & agricultural enterprises. Kyiv was also targeted by several rockets. As I told the BBC’s Yalda Hakim, incredible irony in that as the Kremlin is supposedly renegotiating the Black Sea grain agreement, it is targeting the very port facilities where the deal is anchored. It could be that their aim is to decimate Ukraine port infrastructure to the point where grain corridors shift to Russia.
Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who has defected to Ukraine, will receive the hryvnia equivalent of $500,000 (approximately Hr 18.48 million), Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on Sept. 5. In April 2022, Ukraine's parliament passed a law offering up to $1 million to Russian military personnel who manage to transfer equipment to Ukraine. The size of the reward depends on the type of equipment they hand over. The 28-year-old pilot landed his Mi-8 helicopter fully intact at an airfield in Ukraine when he defected, Ukrainian media reported on Aug. 23. He spoke at a press conference on the operation on Sept. 5 and explained that he defected because he "did not want to contribute" to the crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, which he believes is a "wonderful country." - Kyiv Independent
Ukraine's Defense Ministry has ordered 55 HAWK drones from a company partly owned by the wife of former MP Boryslav Rozenblat, despite the drones having clear defects, investigative outlet Bihus.info reported. Moreover, the ministry has already paid Hr 650 million ($17.6 million) in advance for the drones, as part of a Hr 807 million ($22 million) deal, but only received one drone from the company by the deadline of Aug. 15. A month before the deadline, the company organized a training exercise to show soldiers how to operate the drones. Three out of four test flights failed. Video footage shows the drones malfunctioning and unable to land. While the firm is officially owned by his wife, the former MP has publicly said that the project was his idea - Kyiv Independent
Required viewing…
What did Putin and Erdogan discuss in Sochi?
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin amid international efforts to revive grain deal. It is a meeting aimed at resetting ties between Turkey and Russia. Following his re-election in May, the Turkish leader has taken steps criticised by Moscow as hostile, like backing Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership. On Al Jazeera’s Inside Story, I try to connect all the dots. Watch here