September 25, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 05:14 Ukrainian special investigator calls for help with criminal prosecution +++
The Ukrainian special investigator for the documentation of war crimes, Gyundus Mamedov, calls for international support in criminal prosecution. The judiciary of other countries can investigate if there are starting points, says Mamedow. This could be the case if victims of the Russian war of aggression are in countries like Germany. “We have documented around 500 cases of violations of international humanitarian law since September last year. Other institutions must be involved in identifying those involved,” said Mamedow. It is exemplary that the German judiciary has carried out legal proceedings for crimes committed in the Syrian war.
+++ 04:08 Merz wants a quick decision about Taurus +++
Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz is calling on the federal government to make a quick decision on the delivery of German cruise missiles. “The Americans have now decided to supply cruise missiles. I’m curious to see how the federal government responds to this,” Merz told the “Augsburger Allgemeine.” The West must support Ukraine militarily so that it can win the war against Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If the West stops its support, Ukraine is lost, and if the country is lost, our freedom is seriously endangered,” said the CDU leader.
+++ 03:18 Russia takes Odessa under fire +++
Russia attacks the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa with drones and missiles. According to media reports, a large building was hit on the coast and caught fire. The Ukrainian Air Force had previously warned on Telegram about attacks with Shahed drones, Kalibr missiles and Oniks cruise missiles. The military governor of Odessa, Oleh Kiper, called on residents of the port city and the region to seek safety and not to leave the shelters prematurely.
+++ 02:23 Rake attack on Kremenchuk: number of injured further corrected upward +++
After the Russian air strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, the number of injured has risen to more than 50, according to official figures. The military governor of the Poltava region, Dmytro Lunin, said on Telegram that there were six children and a pregnant woman among the injured. Nineteen people are in hospital. At least one person was killed in the attack on Friday. According to Lunin, the Russians fired several rockets at Kremenchuk, southeast of Kiev. One of the projectiles was blocked by the air defense, another hit a civilian building.
+++ 00:46 Drone attacks near Moscow – air traffic restricted +++
Russian air defense combats a drone attack on the Tula region of Russia. This is reported by the Russian news agency RIA. Tula borders the Moscow region to the north. According to current information, there should be no damage or injuries, according to the RIA. According to the state news agency Tass, air traffic at Moscow’s two major airports, Vnukovo and Domedovo, was restricted and flights were diverted.
+++ 22:52 Russia reports another drone attack on Kursk +++
The drone attacks on Kursk apparently continue. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone at 8:30 p.m. local time, and a video published on Telegram channels showed clouds of smoke near the airport east of the city. Kyiv has not yet commented on this. Drones had already attacked targets in the city, which is around 110 kilometers behind the border, earlier in the day. One is said to have hit the building of the Russian domestic secret service FSB, and a second an oil refinery. In the fall, Russia began building defensive positions in the border region. According to Ukrainian information, these are now orphaned.
+++ 22:18 “Productive week”: Zelenskyj draws conclusions about his trip to the US and Canada +++
President Zelenskyj drew a satisfied conclusion after his trip to the USA and Canada. Arrangements have been made with the two western partner states regarding military and financial aid as well as joint arms production, he said in his evening speech on his Telegram channel. “It was a productive week.” A decision was made with the US government about a military aid package. It includes, among other things, ammunition for artillery – including Himars multiple rocket launchers – and air defense, as well as other air defense systems, tactical vehicles and other types of weapons. Zelensky did not mention the US ATACMS missiles that Kiev had long demanded in his speech.
+++ 21:35 Ukrainian forces advance near Melitopol +++
The Ukrainian army continues its counteroffensive near Melitopol. This is reported by the Kyiv Independent newspaper, citing the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “The Defense Forces continue their offensive in the Melitopol sector. Our defenders successfully repelled enemy attacks near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” said a report from the General Staff.
+++ 8:15 p.m. US official: Wagner troops not yet withdrawn from Africa +++
The U.S. has not noted any withdrawal of Wagner troops from Africa “in significant numbers,” according to a senior U.S. defense official. This was reported by the US broadcaster CNN. The number of Wagner troops in Africa, located primarily in the Central African Republic, Mali and Libya, remains “pretty stable,” the official told the broadcaster. There are also indications that the Wagner forces are “trying to exploit” the July coup attempt in Niger to gain a foothold there, the official continued, without elaborating.
You can read more about the events of the previous day here.