Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Zelensky fires top prosecutor, security chief –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fires prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova and security chief Ivan Bakanov over what he calls the treasonous acts of scores of security officials.
In a national address, he says 60 officials who remained in territories now occupied by Russia are “working against our state”, for Moscow.
He says the authorities are investigating over 650 cases of suspected treason and aiding and abetting the enemy in total.
The scale of the alleged collusion raised “very serious questions” about the leadership of the security agencies, he says, vowing: “Each such question will be answered.”
– EU meets on new Russia sanctions –
EU foreign ministers meet to discuss imposing more sanctions on Russia, including the possibility of banning gold purchases from the country.
The EU has so far approved six packages of sanctions on Russia. The last one passed in June imposed a ban on most Russian oil imports. Apart from targeting gold, the bloc is also considering sanctioning more Russian officials.
“Moscow must continue to pay a high price for its aggression,” EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
– H&M quits Russia –
Swedish fashion retailer H&M says it has decided to wind down operations in Russia, after suspending all sales there in March.
“After careful consideration, we see it as impossible given the current situation to continue our business in Russia,” H&M Group CEO Helena Helmersson said in a statement.
H&M has about 6,000 employees in Russia and has operated in the country since 2009.
– Russian TV protester detained –
Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who shot to global prominence in March after interrupting a live Russian TV broadcast to denounce the country’s invasion of Ukraine, is briefly detained for a second time.
Ovsyannikova famously barged onto the set of Channel One’s evening news programme in the early days of the war, holding a sign reading “No War” in English.
She was briefly detained and spent a few months abroad before returning to Russia in July.
On Friday she posted photos of herself staging a new anti-war protest and two days later was detained again but was released hours later.
Her lawyer, Dmitri Zakhvatov, said she was accused of having “discredited” the army.
– UK defence chief slams ‘wishful thinking’ on Putin’s health –
The head of Britain’s armed forces dismisses as “wishful thinking” speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin is suffering from ill-health or risks being assassinated.
“President Putin has been able to quash any opposition, we see a hierarchy that is invested in President Putin and so nobody at the top has got the motivation to challenge President Putin,” Admiral Tony Radakin tells the BBC, lamenting a “bleak” outlook.
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