live blog
According to Defense Secretary Austin, the “Abrams” main battle tanks promised by the USA should arrive in Ukraine “soon”. Ukraine reports Russian air strikes on Lviv. All developments in the live blog.
In January, the USA promised Ukraine that it would supply 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks. These will soon be delivered to the Ukrainian military, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced at the start of the meeting of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group at the Ramstein base.
Ukrainian troops “continued to make steady progress” in the fight against Russia. The “courageous Ukrainian soldiers break through the heavily fortified lines” of the Russian army, Austin said.
One person is said to have died in a major fire in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is said to have been caused by Russian drone attacks. This was reported by the Reuters news agency, citing the city’s mayor. Accordingly, it is a man who is said to have worked in one of three industrial warehouses that were hit in the attack.
According to Ukrainian reports, the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv is also said to have been the target of drone attacks. In the city of Krivyi Rih, a drone hit a multi-story residential building, causing a fire to break out there too.
Hatched: territories occupied by Russia, as of September 18, 2023
According to British intelligence, Russia has increased its military activities around the islands on the lower reaches of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. In the first half of September, the islands were heavily contested. However, the number of troops involved was relatively small, according to a report published by the Ministry of Defense in London.
During his visit to Russia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Both sides have similar views on Western policy, it said after the conversation from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow: “The similarity of the positions of the two parties with regard to the actions of the USA on the international stage, including those of an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese nature , was ascertained.”
In addition, Lavrov and Wang Yi both emphasized “the futility of attempts” to end the war against Ukraine “without taking Russian interests into account and especially without their participation.”
Chinese state media had previously reported on the meeting. Accordingly, Lavrov praised the position paper that China had already presented in February and in which the People’s Republic was committed to peace talks. Wang Yi also emphasized to Lavrov again that the paper takes into account “the security concerns of all parties” and helps to “eliminate the causes of the conflict.” China has never clearly condemned Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine.
In the Romanian border area with Ukraine, the Russian war of aggression is sometimes only a few kilometers away. Especially since the Danube ports have become the focus of Russian attacks.
The Russian military is said to have attacked Ukraine again with 30 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force said. 27 of the drones could have been destroyed. An Iskander rocket was also fired.
The G7 states are once again calling on China to use its influence over Russia to push for a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. According to the Reuters news agency, this emerges from a joint statement by the G7, which is to be published at the UN General Assembly that begins today. China should therefore work for “a just and lasting peace”. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Russia yesterday. The visit is scheduled to last until Thursday.
In the joint morning magazine from ARD and ZDF Military expert Claudia Major from the Foundation for Politics and Science showed a lack of understanding that the federal government has not yet decided to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. She can understand that such a decision needs to be “carefully considered,” “but I can’t understand why it’s taking so long.” Major pointed out that France and Britain have already delivered similar weapons systems. According to the military expert, it is also possible to limit the range of the missiles. Germany bases its concerns on the concern that Ukraine could also use the cruise missiles to attack Russian territory.
The “Taurus” missiles would probably come too late for the Ukrainian military’s current offensive, Major said. But the war is likely to drag on for a long time and even if the “Taurus” projectiles are not a “miracle weapon”, they are still crucial for the Ukrainian troops to be able to get behind Russian positions during attacks.
A “long-term, secure, industrial perspective” through the support of the West is crucial for Ukraine. “Russia is betting that Ukraine will run out of resources,” emphasized Major. And Moscow is also betting that the West will not hold out with its support in the long term.
Before his speech to the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia for continuing to be in the “control positions of power” despite the war of aggression against his country. There is “still – it’s a shame, but still – a place for Russian terrorists in the international community,” said Zelensky in New York. Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto rights.
The so-called Ukraine contact group is meeting today at the US air force base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate to discuss further action and possible further aid for Ukraine. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has invited counterparts from other countries and high-ranking military representatives to the group’s 13th meeting. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius cannot take part due to a corona infection.
Just yesterday, Pistorius announced further arms aid worth 400 million euros for Ukraine. In addition to ammunition, mine clearance systems are also to be delivered.
Safety at the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has improved slightly, according to a report by the Russian news agency RIA. “So far we have seen some improvement, but the situation is still very fragile,” the Russian news agency quotes the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. The nuclear regulator did not observe any attack on the facility. “But I weigh my words carefully.” Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant has been controlled by Russia since the first days of the war.
The western Ukrainian city of Lviv was rocked by explosions, according to Ukrainian sources. Both the city’s mayor, Andriy Sadowy, and the region’s governor, Maksym Kosytskyi, called on the population to stay in shelters as further attacks were expected. There was an air alert overnight in the western half of Ukraine. According to local authorities, several Russian air strikes had to be repelled.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honors wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a New York hospital before his speech to the United Nations. “It is very important for us that all our words, all our messages are heard by our partners,” Zelensky told reporters at Staten Island University Hospital, where Ukrainian soldiers are being treated for amputations. He awarded the soldiers and some hospital employees with medals. Today Zelensky will address the General Assembly of the 193-member world organization in person for the first time since Russia invaded his country in February 2022. On Thursday he will be received by US President Joe Biden at the White House. He is also planning meetings with military and business people, Zelenskyj wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine says it has broken through a Russian defense line near Bakhmut. According to crew chief Pushilin, the headquarters of the Russian forces in Donetsk was attacked with rockets. Monday’s developments to read.