Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Mustafa Ciftci / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP 17:10 pm, September 14, 2023

On the 568th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kiev announced that it had recaptured the village of Andriivka, south of the devastated city of Bakhmut on the eastern front, from Russian forces. At the same time, according to Ukraine's prosecutor general, the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an office in Kiev, "the largest" outside The Hague.

THE ESSENTIALS

Ukraine announced Thursday, on the 568th day of the Russian invasion, that it had recaptured from opposing forces the village of Andriivka, south of the devastated city of Bakhmut on the eastern front, one of the axes of the difficult counter-offensive carried out since June by Kiev troops. "Andriivka is ours," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said on Telegram, adding that fighting continues in this area and in surrounding areas near Bakhmut. "On the northern flank, the enemy is trying to regain lost ground. On the southern flank, we are advancing," she added, referring to the Bakhmut sector.

The main information:

- Ukraine announces that it has recaptured the village of Andriivka, south of Bakhmut

- The International Criminal Court opens an office in Kyiv

- Russia expels two US diplomats after alleged espionage case

International Criminal Court opens office in Kyiv

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an office in Kiev, "the largest" outside The Hague, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced Thursday. "The field office of the International Criminal Court has opened its doors in Ukraine," he said on X (ex-Twitter), assuring that it represented "a decisive step in our journey towards the restoration of justice".

Ukraine is seeking to establish a special tribunal to indict Russian leaders after the invasion of the country, launched on February 24, 2022. Kiev announced in March that it would soon open an ICC office to "investigate more fully international crimes committed in Ukraine".

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"Unlike the criminal Russian regime, Ukraine has nothing to hide," Kostin said, promising that his country would be "transparent" and would allow ICC experts access to "crime scenes, evidence and testimonies." "We are doing everything we can to ensure that ICC experts can see with their own eyes the consequences of the aggressor's crimes and draw independent conclusions," he said.

Russia expels two US diplomats over alleged espionage case

Russia announced Thursday the expulsion of two American diplomats, accused of having served as "liaison" agents for a former Russian employee arrested earlier this year and suspected of having transmitted to the United States information on the conflict in Ukraine. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two diplomats declared "persona non grata" are the first and second secretaries of the US embassy in Moscow, Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein. They "must leave Russian territory within seven days," the ministry said in a statement.

The two diplomats "carried out illegal activities by liaising with a Russian citizen, Robert Chonov, accused of confidential cooperation with a foreign state" and who "was entrusted with tasks in exchange for financial remuneration with the aim of undermining Russia's national security," the ministry charged. US Ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday and served with the decision, according to the same source.

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Kiev claims to have shot down a total of 17 Russian drones

Ukrainian air defense destroyed 17 Russian aerial drones overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, the Kiev Air Force reported Thursday morning, without providing information on possible damage or casualties. "A total of 22 launches of 'Shahed' (drones) were noted" towards the regions of Mykolaiv (South), Zaporizhzhia (South), Dnipropetrovsk (Center-East) and Sumy (Northeast), said on Telegram the Ukrainian forces according to which Moscow is responsible for the attack.

"According to the results of the night combat operations, 17 of the 22 enemy attack aerial drones +Shahed-136/131+ were destroyed by air defense," the source added. The Ukrainian Air Force did not provide information on any damage or casualties, or say where the aircraft were shot down.