September 23, 2023 at 2:20 am EDT
Members of the Russian Navy patrol the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea, last year. (AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine’s special forces claimed on Telegram early Saturday that dozens were killed and injured, including top officials, in Friday’s attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in occupied Crimea. The attack came at “exactly the right time” to occur during a fleet leadership meeting, the post said. A geolocated video verified by Storyful and confirmed by The Washington Post showed smoke rising from the building in Sevastopol. a strategic objective that was considered well defended. It is the latest attack about Russian military infrastructure across the peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014. “We promised there would be more,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleschuk posted on Telegram.
Canadian media reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Toronto on Friday, where he met with business leaders to discuss private sector investment in Ukraine and greeted people gathered at an armed forces facility, to show their support. The surprise trip to Canada, his first trip to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion, follows a whirlwind week of travel for Zelensky that also included stops in New York and Washington.
Here you will find the latest information about the war and its global impact.
The US plans to supply Ukraine with a version of the ATACMS long-range missiles Armed with cluster bombs rather than a single warhead, The Post reported. Ukraine has been demanding ATACMS, which stands for Army Tactical Missile System, since last year. Cluster-armed ATACMS can have a range of up to 190 miles, depending on the version, and would allow Ukraine to attack targets far behind Russian front lines and dug-in defenses.
Russian media reported that six people were injured in the attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters. but officials have not confirmed the number. The Russian Defense Ministry initially said a soldier had been killed, but later issued a statement saying he was missing. Ukrainian forces described the attack as a “successful attack.”
Russia has maintained the headquarters since the fall of the Soviet Union, and Russian military personnel stationed there are believed to have been involved in the 2014 invasion of Crimea. The head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, wrote further social media that the Black Sea Fleet has two options: “voluntary or forced self-neutralization.” “Otherwise the Russian Black Sea Fleet will be chopped up like salami,” he said.
In his address to the Canadian Parliament on Friday, Zelensky praised Canada for being on the “positive side of history.” He noted that the world’s first monument commemorating the 1993 Ukrainian famine genocide was erected in Edmonton and said he hoped to see a monument to Ukraine’s victory over Russia “maybe in Edmonton.” “Stay with our victory,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the war in Ukraine as a defense of global democracy. “They are on the front lines, not only in the fight for Ukraine, but also in the fight for the future in which we will all live,” he said. According to Trudeau’s office, Canada has provided more than 8.9 billion Canadian dollars ($6.6 billion) in direct financial assistance and military equipment since January 2022.
A Russian missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk killed one person and injured 31, including three children. Dmytro Lunin, a regional official, wrote on Telegram. Sixteen people had to be hospitalized, Lunin said, and civilian infrastructure was damaged.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will visit Kiev to conclude talks on Ukrainian grain imports. local media reported. A surge in Ukrainian grain in neighboring countries as a result of wartime blockades in Black Sea ports has driven down prices, angered local farmers and prompted the European Commission to temporarily ban Ukrainian grain imports to its five EU neighbors. The ban expired this month, prompting Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to impose their own restrictions.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he wanted to “tell President Zelensky never to insult Poles again.” in an interview with Polish media, referring to Zelensky’s speech at the UN headquarters in which he called on countries blocking Ukrainian grain imports. Poland threatened to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons because of the dispute, but Polish President Andrzej Duda appeared to withdraw the threat.
During Zelensky’s visit, Canada announced it would impose sanctions on an additional 63 Russian individuals and entitiesincluding a number of universities, think tanks, publications and youth organizations.
Watch Ukrainian helicopters fire volleys of rockets from treetop height: Helicopters are becoming increasingly useful in Ukraine’s slow-moving counteroffensive. The flights are risky because Ukraine has no helicopters or crews left and Russian fighter jets are ghosts in the skies over the region – often the helicopters can be seen without being seen, the crews told the Post.
Despite the danger, their work is essential to maintaining pressure on the enemy, said Yevhen Kulbida, a commander with the 18th Tactical Aviation Brigade. The missions also served as a thunderous release for the Ukrainian troops overflown, write Alex Horton and Serhii Korolchuk. “They understand that they are not alone,” Kulbida said.