Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in assault on Crimea navy HQ’

Ukraiane has claimed that the commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was killed within the missile strike on Sevastopol on Friday.

The Ukrainian Particular Operations Forces mentioned in a social media replace on Monday that he was among the many 34 killed throughout the missile strike of the headquarters. In addition they claimed that 105 different occupiers had been injured.

Russia haven’t but commented on the claims and have beforehand reported just one serviceman as lacking.

America has signed a $2 billion direct mortgage settlement to help Poland’s protection modernisation program, the State Division mentioned on Monday.

The international army financing deal advances the 2 nations’ protection cooperation as Poland seeks to spice up its armed forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Along with its central help function in facilitating worldwide help to neighbouring Ukraine, Poland has demonstrated its ironclad dedication to strengthening regional safety by its sturdy investments in protection spending,” the State Division mentioned in a press release on Monday.

Poland is a high U.S. ally and has topped NATO’s spending charts this 12 months. The army alliance has forecast Poland pouring 3.9% of gross home product into army targets, virtually twice NATO’s present 2% goal.

The U.S. will present $60 million for the price of the $2 billion mortgage, which will probably be used to assist pay for Poland’s protection modernisation program with weapons purchases from the U.S., the State Division mentioned.

Russia instructed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday that he had solely himself responsible for Azerbaijan’s victory over Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of he had insisted on flirting with the West fairly than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Pashinyan mentioned in an tackle to the nation on Sunday that Russia had failed Armenia by not offering extra assist to avert the disaster over the breakaway area, including that he must rework Armenia’s safety alliances.

Russia’s international ministry hit again with a strongly worded assault on Pashinyan.

“We’re satisfied that the Yerevan management is making an enormous mistake by intentionally attempting to destroy Armenia’s multi-faceted and centuries-old ties with Russia whereas making the nation hostage to the geopolitical video games of the West,” it mentioned.

Azerbaijan seized Karabakh in a lightning offensive final week, sending hundreds of ethnic Armenians fleeing into Armenia. Baku has promised to guard the rights of the roughly 120,000 Armenians who name Karabakh dwelling however many refuse to just accept its assurances.

Karabakh is internationally seen as Azerbaijani territory.

Russia, which has about 2,000 peacekeepers within the area, mentioned Pashinyan was attempting to absolve himself “of duty for failures in home and international coverage by shifting the blame to Moscow”.

Vladimir Putin desires the Ukrainian counteroffensive halted by early October and has instructed Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu to enhance the scenario, in response to a Kremlin insider cited by a US-based think-tank monitoring the battle.

“Putin reportedly gave Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu a deadline of 1 month till early October 2023 to enhance the scenario on the frontlines, cease Ukrainian counteroffensives, and have Russian forces regain the initiative to launch an offensive operation in opposition to a bigger metropolis,” the Institute for the Examine of Warfare (ISW) mentioned in an intelligence replace on Sunday.

It mentioned the Russian army command is probably going ordering relentless assaults with the hope of forcing the Ukrainian counteroffensive to culminate, even at a excessive price to Russian army capabilities, if the claims are true.

US made Abrams tanks have arrived in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned on Monday, Reuters experiences.

“Excellent news from Minister (of Defence Rustem) Umerov. Abrams are already in Ukraine and are being ready to bolster our brigades,” he mentioned on the Telegram messaging app.

He didn’t specify what number of of tanks had arrived.

The jet-powered American tanks had been a high demand from Ukraine till Washington lastly provided greater than 30 of them in January. European nations have already despatched dozens of German-made Leopards and a few British Challengers.

The supply comes practically 4 months into Ukraine’s massive offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory. Kyiv has reported gradual, regular progress thus far, capturing villages and floor that it says improves its place, however has but to pressure a significant Russian retreat because it did thrice final 12 months. Moscow says the Ukrainian offensive has already failed.

“I’m grateful to our allies for fulfilling the agreements! We’re on the lookout for new contracts and increasing our provide geography,” Zelenskiy added.

U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned final week that the primary American Abrams tanks can be delivered to Ukraine this week.

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Infrastructure close to the port of Odesa, Ukraine, was broken because of a Russian drone and missile strike over the area final evening, in response to regional head Oleh Kiper.

Mr Kiper mentioned two folks working in a warehouse that was struck had been killed.

A hearth ripped by Lodge Odesa, which was not in use on the time, because of the strike. Mr Kiper mentioned firefighters extinguished the flames in a single day.

Footage shared by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Monday morning (25 September) reveals authorities engaged on the location.

The loss of life toll in Beryslav has risen to 3 in response to Ukrainian officers, following Russian aerial bomb assaults this morning.

Earlier, the governor of Kherson Oblast, Oleksandr Prokudin, confirmed {that a} 73-year-old man and a 70-year-old lady died because of the assault.

He reported through the Telegram messaging app on Monday afternoon that another particular person, a 55-year-old man, has additionally died. He added that one other lady is injured and in hospital.

Earlier, the governer mentioned that Russian forces dropped 4 aerial bombs on the town within the Kherson Oblast area in southern Ukraine. He mentioned one in every of them hit the housing and exploitation workplace constructing whereas one other destroyed a residential constructing.

Ukraine have claimed to have killed the commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, within the missile strike on Sevastopol on Friday.

Kyiv launched the missile assault on the fleet primarily based within the port metropolis of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Friday morning.

Ukrainian officers mentioned the assault, concentrating on what’s believed to be one of the best of Russia’s navy, was timed to coincide with the naval commanders’ assembly.

On Saturday morning, it adopted this up with one other missile assault on Sevastopol, in response to an area Russian-installed official.

The Ukrainian army mentioned the air pressure performed 12 strikes on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, concentrating on areas the place personnel, army gear and weapons had been concentrated. It mentioned two anti-aircraft missile programs and 4 Russian artillery items had been hit.

The Ukrainian Particular Operations Forces mentioned in a social media replace on Monday that Admiral Viktor Sokolov was among the many 34 killed throughout the missile strike of the headquarters. In addition they claimed that 105 different occupiers had been injured.

Russia haven’t but commented on the claims and have beforehand reported just one serviceman as lacking.

Canada’s Home of Commons gave a standing ovation to a Ukrainian veteran who had served in a Nazi SS unit throughout the Second World Warfare – with out realising who he was.

Yaroslav Hunka, 98, was sitting within the gallery when he was described as a “Ukrainian hero” and a “Canadian hero” to applause from prime minister Justin Trudeau and president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Home speaker Anthony Rota has since apologised after it emerged that Hunka served within the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division, a voluntary unit made up largely of ethnic Ukrainians beneath Nazi command.

Russia’s torture strategies in components of Ukraine it occupied have been so brutal that it tortured a few of its victims to loss of life, the pinnacle of a United Nations mandated investigative physique mentioned on Monday.

The Chair of the Fee of Inquiry on Ukraine, Erik Mose, instructed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva his workforce had “collected additional proof indicating that the usage of torture by Russian armed forces in areas beneath their management has been widespread and systematic”.

He added: “In some instances, torture was inflicted with such brutality that it triggered the loss of life of the sufferer.”

Mose’s fee visited components of Ukraine previously held by Russian forces comparable to in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas. It discovered that torture was dedicated primarily in detention centres operated by the Russian authorities, Reuters experiences.

The fee has beforehand mentioned that violations dedicated by Russian forces in Ukraine, together with the usage of torture, might represent crimes in opposition to humanity.

Russia denies committing atrocities or concentrating on civilians in Ukraine. Russia was given a chance to reply to the allegations on the council listening to however no Russian consultant attended.