Ukraine updates: Baltics agree on Russian entry restrictions

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed on Wednesday to restrict entry of Russian citizens traveling from Russia and Belarus.

Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkevics said the three Baltic states would significantly limit border crossings for Russian citizens with EU Schengen zone visas, with exceptions for humanitarian and family reasons, truck drivers and diplomats.

The three countries will coordinate to introduce the measures at the same time, which is expected to be in mid-September.

"In the last couple of weeks and months the border crossing by Russian citizens holding Schengen visas have dramatically increased. This is becoming a public security issue, this is also an issue of a moral and political nature," he told a press conference in Lithuania.

On Tuesday, the European Commission recommended that the European Union roll back a deal with Russia that eases the visa process. That will likely be passed by the European Council in the coming days. The new hurdles would increase processing times, raise the application fee and require more documents from applicants, while restricting multiple entry visas.

However, the EU has stopped short of a full entry ban for Russian nationals, despite some calls within the bloc to do so.

Here's a look at some of the other major news stories from Russia's war in Ukraine on September 7.

'Credible' accusations that Russia took Ukrainian children, UN says

The United Nations said there were "credible accusations" that Russian forces had forcibly taken Ukrainian children to Russia by removing children from the war zone and handing them over to adoptive parents inside Russia.

"We are concerned that the Russian authorities have adopted a simplified procedure to grant Russian citizenship to children without parental care, and that these children would be eligible for adoption by Russian families," Ilze Brands Kehris, the assistant UN secretary-general for human rights, told the UN Security Council.

Russia was accused of forcing large numbers of Ukrainians, who were not involved in combat, into detention camps and even prisons using a Kremlin-directed "filtration" program.

"Russia has systematically used the practice of forced deportations previously, and the fear and misery it evokes for people forced to live under the Kremlin's control are hard to overstate," said US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel.

However, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya denied the allegations, adding that the Moscow’s registration of Ukrainians willingly fleeing the war to Russia was being labeled "filtration".

"As far as we can judge similar procedures are applied in Poland and other countries of the European Union against Ukrainian refugees," he said.

'Good news' from the front line near Kharkiv, Zelenskyy says

In his nightly video address, President Zelenskyy hinted at success in the Ukrainian military's counter-offensive in the eastern region by referring to "good news from the Kharkiv region".

"Now is not the time to name this or that village to which the Ukrainian flag is returning," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukrainians had reason to be proud of their army. 

According to Russian war correspondents, the Ukrainian army has been advancing successfully near the town of Balakliya, recapturing several villages since earlier this week.

Zelenskyy named three brigades that had distinguished themselves in the fighting, thanking two brigades involved in the counter-offensive in southern Ukraine's Kherson region.

"Every success of our military in one direction or another changes the situation along the entire front in favour of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine admits to hitting targets in Crimea

The commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has for the first time admitted that his armed forces carried out missile strikes on targets in annexed Crimea.

In an article appearing in state-run Ukrinform, Zaluzhnyi wrote that Ukraine "successfully carried out missile strikes on enemy military bases, including Saki airfield."

Moscow previously said that a series of blasts at the Saki airbase in August had been accidental. At least one person was killed and aviation hardware was destroyed.

Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attack at the time, but it did openly cast doubt on Russia’s explanations.

Putin admits sanctions have effect

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that some sectors of the Russian economy are suffering as a result of sanctions and political pressure.

"Other challenges of a global nature that threaten the whole world have replaced the pandemic," the Russian president said in the far east city of Vladivostok.

"I am speaking of the West's sanctions fever, with its brazen, aggressive attempt to impose models of behavior on other countries, to deprive them of their sovereignty and subordinate them to their will."

However, Putin added: "No matter how much someone would like to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do this."

You can read the full story here. 

Truss and Biden pledge cooperation on Ukraine

The UK's new Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke to US President Joe Biden and the pair pledged to strengthen their relationship as they stand together against Russia.

"I look forward to deepening the special relationship between our countries and working in close cooperation on global challenges, including continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression," Biden said on Twitter following the call with Boris Johnson's successor.

Truss' office said in a statement that she looked forward to "working closely with President Biden as leaders of free democracies to tackle shared challenges, particularly the extreme economic problems unleashed by Putin's war."

The White House said the two leaders spoke about continuing close cooperation on Ukraine, as well as the challenges posed by China, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and "securing sustainable and affordable energy resources."

The White House has said that it expects continuity on Ukraine from the UK amid the change of prime ministers.

Moscow seeks clarification from IAEA

Following the release of a report from the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russia has requested clarifying details.

The report detailed worrying damage caused by shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently held by Russia, but did not attribute blame for the ongoing strikes.

Moscow said it was requesting "additional explanations” from the IAEA, but not did not publicly specify what information they were seeking.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian energy agency responsible for the plant has backed a UN call for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear plant over fears of a possible nuclear accident caused by the conflict.

The Ukrainian president's office commented on the report, saying it describes the situation at the plant but does not detail the next steps. In the report, the IAEA called for a security zone around the plant, which it said it would be willing to help facilitate.

Greenpeace nuclear specialist Shaun Burnie has accused Russia of "stealing a nuclear power plant" through its capture and continued operation of the Zaporizhzhia facility.

In an interview with DW, Burnie said Russian authorities have not been transparent about future plans for the plant.

"We're concerned that there is not enough explanation about what the Russian government and the nuclear industry of Russia, Rosatom, are actually doing at the plant, which is effectively planning in these coming days to reconnect the plant to the Russian grid and effectively stealing a nuclear plant," Burnie said.

EU proposes price cap on Russian gas

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed that EU member states agree to a price cap on Russian gas imports.

"The objective here is very clear. We must cut Russia's revenues which [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin uses to finance this atrocious war against Ukraine," von der Leyen told reporters.

The price cap would come alongside measures such as a mandatory EU-wide cut in electricity use and a cap on the revenue of non-gas power generators.

Putin has warned that if a price cap is imposed, Russia will stop supplying gas and oil altogether.

Some EU states have been wary of capping Russian gas prices in the face of this threat.

More on the conflict in Ukraine on DW

Russia's economy was predicted to collapse after Western countries imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. But is Russia's economy really hurting?

Germany's Scholz and opposition leader Merz have clashed on energy, inflation in a budget debate that comes in the wake of the Russian invasion.

Will the energy crisis spell the end for German bakeries? Skyrocketing prices for electricity, gas and grain are putting an existential burden on Germany's many bakeries. 

Berlin is investigating war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Witness accounts by Ukrainian refugees are crucial, regardless of whether the perpetrators will eventually be tried in Germany or elsewhere.

aw/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)