Putin addresses BRICS summit as Ukrainian forces push into Robotyne

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the BRICS summit Wednesday as Ukrainian forces pushed south into Robotyne, potentially paving the way to the city of Melitopol, which would allow Ukraine to cut off Russian supply lines if it were liberated.

Meanwhile the Russian government claims to have repulsed a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow. Footage posted online shows explosions in a high-rise district of the city and damage to buildings.

Air travel in and out of Moscow was halted as the authorities temporarily shut down all airports in the area of the capital.

Ukrainian officials rarely acknowledge strikes inside Russian territory, but German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Ukraine has the legal right to strike inside Russia.

"Ukraine is defending itself within the boundaries of international law," she told a press conference.

The Ukrainian government claims to have destroyed an S-400 anti-air missile system in occupied Crimea as Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate says Russia is preparing to sink ferries to protect the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to occupied Crimea, from Ukrainian naval drone attacks.

Putin addressed the summit via a pre-recorded video, unable to attend himself as the International Criminal Court, to which South Africa is a signatory, has issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president for mass abductions of Ukrainian children.

"We cooperate on the principals of equality, partnership support, respect for each other's interests, and this is the essence of the future-oriented strategic course of our association, a course that meets the aspirations of the main part of the world community, the so-called global majority. The figures speak for themselves. Over the past decade, mutual investments of the BRICS member states have increased sixfold," Putin said.

Putin blamed the West for the war in Ukraine.

Putin said Russia's "actions in Ukraine are dictated by only one thing -- to end the war that was unleased by the West and its satellites against the people of Donbas."

Putin also boasted about Russia's capacity to export agricultural products.

"I have repeatedly said that our country is able to substitute Ukrainian grain both on a commercial basis and in the form of gratuitous aid to needy countries, especially since we are again expecting an excellent harvest this year. As a first step, we have decided to send 25-50,000 tons of grain to six African countries free of charge, including free delivery of these cargoes," Putin continued.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the conference in Putin's absence.

U.S. officials have largely written off BRICS as a threat, characterizing the organization as marred by disunity.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan pointed out that BRICS nations have "differences of view on critical issues."

A Russian strike on the port of Izmail on the Danube River destroyed 13,000 tons of grain Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minster Oleksandr Kubrakov.

"Several private grain terminals and warehouses, cargo infrastructure were damaged at once. Agricultural products were destined for Egypt and Romania," Kubrakov said in a Telegram post.

"Russia is systematically hitting grain containers and warehouses to stop agricultural exports. Only during this night, the export capacity of the port of Izmail was reduced by 15%, before that there was the port of Reni and 35,000 tons of grain destroyed there," Kubrakov continued.