Yevgeny Prigozhin tells his Wagner mercenaries in Belarus that they will not fight in Ukraine and asks them to prepare for a “new journey to Africa”, a video appears to show.
South Africa, host of this year’s BRICS summit, says Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend. A member of the International Criminal Court, the African nation would have been obligated to arrest the Russian leader for war crimes in Ukraine if he showed up.
Ukraine accuses Russia of damaging grain export infrastructure in “hellish” overnight strikes focused on two of its Black Sea ports.
The United Kingdom’s MI6 chief says Putin is “clearly under pressure” after last month’s Wagner Group mutiny and calls on Russians to spy for the UK.

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Russia is going to classify all ships traveling to Ukrainian ports as potential carriers of military cargo.

In a statement Russia's Defense Ministry said this is due to the termination of the Green Deal.

Additionally the ministry said all flag states of ships traveling to Ukrainian ports will be considered party to the conflict on Kiev's side.

Parts of the Black Sea in the northwest and the southeast have been declared as temporarily unsafe for navigation from 21 GMT on Wednesday.

Fighting has been intensifying on several fronts in Ukraine.

For the second night running, dozens of Russian drones and missiles have attacked Ukraine's main seaport, Odessa.

Ukraine says buildings and equipment for grain exports are being targeted.

In Crimea, a military base is caught fire.

Russian forces say they've captured a railway station near Kopyansk.

The Ukrainians say the Russians are amassing 100, 000 soldiers and around 900 tanks in the east.

We've got correspondents covering both sides of the conflict.

In a moment we're going to go to Rob McBride in Kiev, first we're going to go to Yulia Shapovalova in Moscow.

Yulia, let's talk about this reclassification of shipping as far as the Black Sea is concerned.

Well actually the Kremlin used to say many times in the past that Kiev was using the Green Deal for smuggling weapons into the country.

Now the Russian Defense Ministry has issued the warning for all international ships heading to the ports of Ukraine and starting, as you said, at midnight on July the 20th, all ships sailing in the Black Sea towards Ukrainian ports will be considered carriers of military cargo involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kiev.

And they mentioned several maritime areas in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea, and they have been declared temporarily dangerous for navigation.

And earlier this week, Russia, of course, announced it was pulling out of the grain deal, meaning that Ukraine basically would be—well, saying that there won't be any safe passage for Ukrainian ships.

And Ukraine called on Turkey and the UN to continue transportations of the grain.

And as we know, that over the past 2 days, Russia has been attacking the port infrastructure in the city of Odessa.

Yulia, I want to come back to you in just a couple of minutes but I want to go to Rob McBride first of all who's been following developments from Kyiv.

Rob, we've got more attacks then on Odessa and with this latest announcement as well that there's a reclassification of shipping that's going to be going to Ukrainian ports.

That's right, a second night of even more intensive attacks centred on the port of Odessa, seemingly in reprisal for Monday's attack on the Kerch bridge that connects with Crimea.

Russia vowed a tough response at the time and this would seem to be that.

Monday also saw of course Russia pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal and Ukraine is now accusing Russia with these attacks on Odessa, which of course is a very important grain exporting hub, are really showing Russia's attitude towards global food security.

A night of intensive air attacks in and around the port city of Odessa, Ukraine says grain handling facilities were the target.

Ukrainian commanders say dozens of drones and missiles were launched by Russia and while some were intercepted, many got through.

Images on social media show damage to port facilities as well as buildings in the city, with reports of some civilian casualties.

Coming in the same week that Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, which provided a safe shipping corridor for exporting Ukrainian grain, Kyiv says it shows Moscow's disregard for global food security.

Last night, Russian rockets targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure, which is involved in the export of food and agrarian produce.

Such attacks conducted by Russia target not only our country, but also global stability.

This was the second night of air attacks, mainly targeting southern Ukraine in what appeared to be Russia's promised reprisals for the attack on the Kerch Bridge, connecting the Crimean Peninsula on Monday.

Ukraine says in addition to damage to grain handling facilities, 60, 000 tonnes of food was destroyed in Tuesday night's attack.

The Ukrainians are accusing Russia of trying to create a global hunger crisis.

Well, also today, the leader of the Wagner Group has apparently reappeared for the first time since the mercenaries moved to Belarus after their mutiny in Russia.

In a video that hasn't been independently verified, Yevgeny Prigozhin is reported to be heard telling his fighters that they wouldn't take part in the war in Ukraine anymore and that what's happening in Ukraine is a disgrace.

Poghosian has also told them it's time to prepare for what he called a new journey to Africa.

Let's go back to Yulia, she's still with us in Moscow.

The video we've just been looking at there, Yulia, very dark, very difficult to see who is actually in the pictures, very difficult to identify pretty much anything at all, but it is going to give rise to more speculation about where Yevgeny Prigozhin is and how safe he is.

It's a very strange looking video and we can't say where exactly it was taped.

But according to sources, Yevgeny Prigozhin was addressing his fighters in a new field camp in Belarus.

Allegedly, it was a flag transferring ceremony when the Wagner company flag from the base in the village of Molkino in Russia's southern Krasnodar region was transferred to Belarus.

And it's believed to be the first video with precaution released after the failed military rebellion that took place at the end of June.

It was announced that Wagner would stay in Belarus for some time and then they would probably head to Africa.

Just several days ago, we were reporting that Wagner commanders had already begun training Belarusian territorial defense units stationed in military camps near the Belarusian city of Osipovichi.

But no 1 can say exactly what tasks the Kremlin has prepared for them, how many mercenaries have arrived in Belarus, how many of them will remain in Russia, who is going to finance them there.

And earlier, there were also reports that the Wagner fighters began handing over their military kit to the Russian Ministry of Defence.

So what the Wagner Group looks like now is a big ask.

And according to analysts, there is an option that probably Prygorzhin will be removed from the group's management.

This is Yulia Shapovalova bringing us up to date from Moscow.

Well further east in Ukraine battles are intensifying as both sides try to break through the front lines.

The Ukrainians say the Russians are amassing a hundred thousand soldiers and 900 tanks.

Asad Beg has visited a bombed-out town to see how the few who have remained are braving the threat of further attack.

The buildings are burnt-out shells of what they were before the war.

This man tells us, we receive aid, but every day they fire mortars.

We hear the bang and 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, they land.

Despite the sounds of the shells firing and landing, people gather to enjoy what they can of the summer days.

MAN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE, Russian Translator, said,

We saw the 2 clouds rise from 2 locations, mushroom-shaped.

It was just very powerful and everything shook.

It's the little everyday things that people hold on to here.

Migrant Volunteer, Migration Officer, Ukraine I

have a small gas stove and a small canister.

I put the coffee, sugar and some special spices, cinnamon, and it has a good smell.

When people go to other parts of Ukraine that don't see the war, they say, you're from Donbass?

From the edge of town, you can see Lesser Chansk.

Russian forces took control of it in July last year.

Everything in between is considered too dangerous to visit.

And just like that, the afternoon peace is shattered.

Gunfire can be heard as Ukrainian soldiers attempt to shoot down a drone.

When you visit these towns and villages along the front line, you ask yourself, what's left of these places?

Yes, they are positioned on a map and may hold some strategic significance, but most of the buildings here have either been destroyed or damaged and most people have left.

And that gives you an idea of what this place is going through.

There's artillery strikes and there's drones up in the air.

And we can't leave until there's a lull in the battle, because we don't want to become a target.

Assad Beg, Al Jazeera, Siversk, Eastern Ukraine.

A fire has broken out at a military base in Russian-annexed Crimea.

Russian media is reporting explosions have been heard at the base near Stary Krim.

The Kremlin-appointed governor of Crimea says at least 2, 000 people have left the area.

The fire follows explosions on Monday which damaged the Kerch Bridge which links the peninsula to Russia.

The cause of the fire will be determined by investigators.

Outside assistance to Crimea is not needed.

The consequences of the fire will be dealt with in the near future by the Interior Ministry forces, the FSB and so on.

People are getting all the help they need.

I ask everyone to remain calm and focus only on official sources of information.


Speaker 0: Russia is going to classify all ships traveling to Ukrainian ports as potential carriers of military cargo. In a statement Russia's Defense Ministry said this is due to the termination of the Green Deal. Additionally the ministry said all flag states of ships traveling to Ukrainian ports will be considered party to the conflict on Kiev's side. Parts of the Black Sea in the northwest and the southeast have been declared as temporarily unsafe for navigation from 21 GMT on Wednesday. Fighting has been intensifying on several fronts in Ukraine.

For the second night running, dozens of Russian drones and missiles have attacked Ukraine's main seaport, Odessa. Ukraine says buildings and equipment for grain exports are being targeted. In Crimea, a military base is caught fire. It's not clear what caused the blaze. Russian forces say they've captured a railway station near Kopyansk.

The Ukrainians say the Russians are amassing 100, 000 soldiers and around 900 tanks in the east. We've got correspondents covering both sides of the conflict. In a moment we're going to go to Rob McBride in Kiev, first we're going to go to Yulia Shapovalova in Moscow. Yulia, let's talk about this reclassification of shipping as far as the Black Sea is concerned. What has Russia been saying?

Speaker 1: Well actually the Kremlin used to say many times in the past that Kiev was using the Green Deal for smuggling weapons into the country. Now the Russian Defense Ministry has issued the warning for all international ships heading to the ports of Ukraine and starting, as you said, at midnight on July the 20th, all ships sailing in the Black Sea towards Ukrainian ports will be considered carriers of military cargo involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kiev. And they mentioned several maritime areas in the northwestern and northeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea, and they have been declared temporarily dangerous for navigation. And earlier this week, Russia, of course, announced it was pulling out of the grain deal, meaning that Ukraine basically would be—well, saying that there won't be any safe passage for Ukrainian ships. And Ukraine called on Turkey and the UN to continue transportations of the grain.

And as we know, that over the past 2 days, Russia has been attacking the port infrastructure in the city of Odessa.

Speaker 0: Yulia, I want to come back to you in just a couple of minutes but I want to go to Rob McBride first of all who's been following developments from Kyiv. Rob, we've got more attacks then on Odessa and with this latest announcement as well that there's a reclassification of shipping that's going to be going to Ukrainian ports.

Speaker 2: That's right, a second night of even more intensive attacks centred on the port of Odessa, seemingly in reprisal for Monday's attack on the Kerch bridge that connects with Crimea. Russia vowed a tough response at the time and this would seem to be that. Monday also saw of course Russia pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal and Ukraine is now accusing Russia with these attacks on Odessa, which of course is a very important grain exporting hub, are really showing Russia's attitude towards global food security. A night of intensive air attacks in and around the port city of Odessa, Ukraine says grain handling facilities were the target. Ukrainian commanders say dozens of drones and missiles were launched by Russia and while some were intercepted, many got through.

Images on social media show damage to port facilities as well as buildings in the city, with reports of some civilian casualties. Coming in the same week that Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal, which provided a safe shipping corridor for exporting Ukrainian grain, Kyiv says it shows Moscow's disregard for global food security.

Speaker 3: Last night, Russian rockets targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure, which is involved in the export of food and agrarian produce. Such attacks conducted by Russia target not only our country, but also global stability.

Speaker 2: This was the second night of air attacks, mainly targeting southern Ukraine in what appeared to be Russia's promised reprisals for the attack on the Kerch Bridge, connecting the Crimean Peninsula on Monday. Ukraine says in addition to damage to grain handling facilities, 60, 000 tonnes of food was destroyed in Tuesday night's attack. The Ukrainians are accusing Russia of trying to create a global hunger crisis. Rob McBride, Al Jazeera, Kyiv.

Speaker 0: Well, also today, the leader of the Wagner Group has apparently reappeared for the first time since the mercenaries moved to Belarus after their mutiny in Russia. In a video that hasn't been independently verified, Yevgeny Prigozhin is reported to be heard telling his fighters that they wouldn't take part in the war in Ukraine anymore and that what's happening in Ukraine is a disgrace. Poghosian has also told them it's time to prepare for what he called a new journey to Africa. Let's go back to Yulia, she's still with us in Moscow. The video we've just been looking at there, Yulia, very dark, very difficult to see who is actually in the pictures, very difficult to identify pretty much anything at all, but it is going to give rise to more speculation about where Yevgeny Prigozhin is and how safe he is.

Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. It's a very strange looking video and we can't say where exactly it was taped. But according to sources, Yevgeny Prigozhin was addressing his fighters in a new field camp in Belarus. Allegedly, it was a flag transferring ceremony when the Wagner company flag from the base in the village of Molkino in Russia's southern Krasnodar region was transferred to Belarus. And it's believed to be the first video with precaution released after the failed military rebellion that took place at the end of June.

It was announced that Wagner would stay in Belarus for some time and then they would probably head to Africa. Just several days ago, we were reporting that Wagner commanders had already begun training Belarusian territorial defense units stationed in military camps near the Belarusian city of Osipovichi. But no 1 can say exactly what tasks the Kremlin has prepared for them, how many mercenaries have arrived in Belarus, how many of them will remain in Russia, who is going to finance them there. And earlier, there were also reports that the Wagner fighters began handing over their military kit to the Russian Ministry of Defence. So what the Wagner Group looks like now is a big ask.

And according to analysts, there is an option that probably Prygorzhin will be removed from the group's management.

Speaker 0: Yulia, thank you very much indeed. This is Yulia Shapovalova bringing us up to date from Moscow. Well further east in Ukraine battles are intensifying as both sides try to break through the front lines. The Ukrainians say the Russians are amassing a hundred thousand soldiers and 900 tanks. Asad Beg has visited a bombed-out town to see how the few who have remained are braving the threat of further attack.

Speaker 4: There's an eerie emptiness in Soversk. The grass is overgrown. Stray animals wander the streets. The buildings are burnt-out shells of what they were before the war. Thousands of people used to live here.

Few remain. This man tells us, we receive aid, but every day they fire mortars. I'm fed up with it. We hear the bang and 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, they land. Despite the sounds of the shells firing and landing, people gather to enjoy what they can of the summer days.

Speaker 0: MAN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE, Russian Translator, said,

Speaker 5: When the missiles hit, we were here. Where else would we be? We saw the 2 clouds rise from 2 locations, mushroom-shaped. Nobody was injured. It was just very powerful and everything shook.

Speaker 4: It's the little everyday things that people hold on to here. ZOYA, Ukrainian

Speaker 1: Migrant Volunteer, Migration Officer, Ukraine I

Speaker 6: have a small gas stove and a small canister. That's how I heat the water. I put the coffee, sugar and some special spices, cinnamon, and it has a good smell.

Speaker 4: Zoya says she doesn't want to leave.

Speaker 6: When people go to other parts of Ukraine that don't see the war, they say, you're from Donbass? This all happened because of you. Go back to Donbass. Why don't you flee elsewhere? But where should we flee?

Some hostel? I live in my own flat, my own.

Speaker 4: From the edge of town, you can see Lesser Chansk. Russian forces took control of it in July last year. Everything in between is considered too dangerous to visit. The playground is empty. There are no children left.

And just like that, the afternoon peace is shattered. Gunfire can be heard as Ukrainian soldiers attempt to shoot down a drone.

Speaker 7: When you visit these towns and villages along the front line, you ask yourself, what's left of these places? Yes, they are positioned on a map and may hold some strategic significance, but most of the buildings here have either been destroyed or damaged and most people have left. And that gives you an idea of what this place is going through. There's artillery strikes and there's drones up in the air. And we can't leave until there's a lull in the battle, because we don't want to become a target.

Assad Beg, Al Jazeera, Siversk, Eastern Ukraine.

Speaker 0: A fire has broken out at a military base in Russian-annexed Crimea. Russian media is reporting explosions have been heard at the base near Stary Krim. The Kremlin-appointed governor of Crimea says at least 2, 000 people have left the area. The fire follows explosions on Monday which damaged the Kerch Bridge which links the peninsula to Russia.

Speaker 8: The cause of the fire will be determined by investigators. There are no casualties to date. Outside assistance to Crimea is not needed. The consequences of the fire will be dealt with in the near future by the Interior Ministry forces, the FSB and so on. People are getting all the help they need.

I ask everyone to remain calm and focus only on official sources of information.

See all Al Jazeera English transcripts on Youtube

Wagner boss says mercenaries won’t fight in Ukraine, eyes Africa

See all Al Jazeera English transcripts on Youtube

Wag­n­er boss says mer­ce­nar­ies won’t fight in Ukraine, eyes Africa

Wagner boss says mercenaries won’t fight in Ukraine, eyes Africa