The commission investigating the circumstances of the plane crash with Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed that the leader of Wagner’s mercenary group was among those killed in the plane crash on Wednesday. After a forensic examination, all 10 bodies found at the scene were identified and their identities “corresponded to the list originally provided.” The commission did not provide details of what could have caused the accident.

​h2: Synthesis of the last 24 hours of the war

• A senior Ukrainian official has confirmed the safe passage of a second vessel across the Black Sea from the Ukrainian port of Odesa after Russia pulled out of a UN-brokered deal in July to allow grain exports.

• Russia’s defense ministry said it had dispatched a fighter jet after spotting a US Air Force reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. According to the TASS agency, the drone did not cross the state border of Russia.

• The Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation after the mid-air collision of two military planes in the west of the country, killing three pilots. One of the pilots, Andriy “Jus” Pilshchikov, was in Washington last summer to meet with members of the US Congress and lobby for the F-16.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that national elections could be held in wartime if international partners shared the costs. His reaction followed statements by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who, while praising the war effort, said Ukraine needed to prove it was different by holding wartime elections.

• The co-founder of Russian tech company Yandex has asked for EU sanctions against him to be lifted to see if the EU can be more sympathetic to those who distance themselves from the Kremlin.

• Russian officials said a new series of drone strikes on its territory on Sunday killed at least one person. It was also decided to temporarily close three major airports serving Moscow.

Highlights of the war in Ukraine, day 551, LIVETEXT:

07:05 Russia launched Kalibr cruise missiles on Monday morning, reports the Telegram channel of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

06:41President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that he would like to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine in 2024, but this requires legislative changes, funding from partners and international observers even on the front lines. At the same time, he recalled that holding elections during wartime in Ukraine is prohibited by law, and in an interview on Sunday evening he said: “The logic is that if you protect democracy, you should do it both in peacetime and during war Elections are one such form of protection of democracy.

11:30 in the evening Ukraine claims new gains on the southern front, while Russia steps up attacks in the northeast

Ukrainian troops are advancing on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region in the south of the country, while Russian troops have stepped up attacks in areas around the besieged city of Kupyansk on the eastern front, CNN reported, citing information released by the Ukrainian military on Sunday. .

Russian shelling around Kupyansk has been so intense in recent weeks that it has caused a large-scale evacuation of civilians.

10:40 in the eveningPictures from Kyiv. The building of the bombed-out hotel in December 2022 was completely remodeled: