October 23, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 04:59 Ukraine reports heavy fighting in the east and south +++
Fierce fighting between Ukraine and the Russian invaders continues in the south and east of the country. More than 60 enemy attacks were repelled during the day, including in the Kupyansk and Lyman front sectors in the east, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Facebook. The same applies to Avdiivka and Maryinka near Donetsk and in the city of Zaporizhia in the southeast. It goes on to say that 82 combat operations took place at the front. “The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult.” The front is around 1000 kilometers long.
+++ 02:03 Explosions shake Crimea +++
Reports and video footage show a series of new explosions in Crimea. The “Kyiv Independent” reports, citing the Telegram channel “Crimean Wind”, that the detonations occurred on Sunday evening in the Bay of Sevastopol. Accordingly, there is said to be a fuel storage facility in the region. Ukraine has been regularly attacking Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, for many weeks. In one of the largest attacks, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol was destroyed on September 22nd. According to Ukrainian information, 34 Russian officers were killed.
+++ 23:30 Zelenskyj: Have to advance 500 meters every day +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on his armed forces to advance every day to pressure the Russian army and prove to the world that Ukraine is making further progress in its counteroffensive. “We need the help of everyone who fights,” Zelensky said in his evening speech. “Ukraine must make progress every day. We must repel Russian attacks, kill occupiers and advance. One kilometer or 500 meters per day. At least. We must put pressure on the occupiers to improve Ukrainian positions.” This gives the country new strength, says Zelensky. “And it motivates the world to help us.”
+++ 21:59 Germany is helping Kiev with 200 million euros for reconstruction +++
Germany promises Ukraine further help with reconstruction. Development State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth announced that during a visit to Kiev and Mykolaiv he pledged an additional 200 million euros in support for education, health care and drinking water as well as for urban reconstruction. According to its own information, the Development Ministry has made a total of around one billion euros available for civil support for Ukraine since the start of the Russian war of aggression in 2022. During his trip over the past two days, Flasbarth spoke to government representatives, municipal associations, entrepreneurs and international partners. According to the State Secretary, it is important to maintain key economic sectors such as agriculture because people need economic prospects and jobs.
+++ 21:28 Cooperation should be expanded – Lavrov travels to Iran +++
According to information from Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov wants to travel to Iran for talks this Monday. In addition to Lavrov’s Iranian counterpart Hussein Amirabdollahian, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are also expected to take part in the meeting in Tehran. This was announced by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to the Interfax agency. The topic will be, among other things, the recently escalated conflict between the ex-Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus, it is said. The Iranian state news agency Irna also confirmed the meeting, which will also focus on expanding regional cooperation. Russian-Iranian cooperation in the economic and military fields is repeatedly sharply criticized internationally. According to Western findings, the Islamic Republic is supporting Moscow in its war of aggression against Ukraine with so-called kamikaze drones. Tehran denies this. However, parts of drones shot down by Ukraine often come from Iranian production.
+++ 20:47 Zelenskyj: Ukraine needs results every day +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasizes the importance of the ongoing liberation of Russian-occupied areas of his country. Ukraine needs results every day – that’s why constant advances on the front are important. “Whether just by one kilometer, whether by 500 meters, but forward every day to improve the Ukrainian positions, to put pressure on the occupiers,” Zelensky said in his evening speech. Accordingly, the fighting for Avdiivka and Marjinka near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is currently particularly tough. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, more than 20 Russian attacks were repelled on each of these sectors of the front on Sunday.
+++ 19:59 Training of Ukrainian soldiers on F-16 will start soon +++
The first group of Ukrainian pilots is about to switch from F-16 flight simulators to fighter jets, says Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat according to the Ukrinform news agency in a television speech. “We assume that the first group of F-16 pilots, who are already training in flight simulators today, will move to the cockpit of a training and combat aircraft in the near future,” says Ihnat. The pilots “did their homework” and quickly mastered the training program, said the spokesman. The Ukrainian pilots will train on real F-16s at centers in Romania and the United States, but they are unlikely to use the aircraft on the battlefield before next spring, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on October 11 .
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.