09/04/2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 05:45 Massive shelling in Sumy: 137 explosions +++
According to the Sumy military administration of Ukraine, Russian troops have attacked the region in the north-east of the country 20 times in the past few hours. There were 137 explosions. Loud Kyiv Independent The Russian military shelled seven municipalities, including Esman, Krasnopillia, Bilopillia, Khotin, Znob-Novgorodske, Velyka Pysarivka and Swesa. Several weapons were used against Sumy during the day, including mortars, grenades, artillery and unguided aerial missiles. A private house and an outbuilding were destroyed in Bilopillia as a result of the shelling.
+++ 04:46 Kremlin Army honors launch of hypersonic missiles +++
The Russian unit, which fired Kinshal-type airborne hypersonic missiles for the first time in Ukraine, is being honored with state awards, according to the TASS news agency. “The Su-34 aircraft used the Kinshal hypersonic missile during the special military operation,” Tass quoted military circles as saying. “The first crew that successfully coped with this task received state awards.” It is not known when Russia first used the hypersonic missile in Ukraine. The Ukrainian military says Russia uses them frequently.
+++ 03:54 Russia attacks grain export port +++
According to the Ukrainian authorities, a few hours before the top meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia launched an aerial attack on one of the country’s most important grain export ports. After midnight, the Ukrainian Air Force urged residents of the port of Izmail to go to safety. Some Ukrainian media reported explosions in the area. Nothing was initially known about the extent of the attack. The Danube ports in the Odessa region were already the target of Russian air raids on Sunday.
+++ 02:55 Russia reports drone attack on Kursk +++
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defense systems shoot down two drones launched by Ukraine over Kursk Oblast. The region is located in southern Russia and borders Ukraine. Ukraine has not commented. The government in Kiev almost never publicly comments on attacks in Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.
+++ 02:15 Kiev puts pressure on Taurus missiles +++
Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mikhail Podoljak has reiterated his country’s call for the Taurus cruise missiles to be delivered as soon as possible. “It is necessary to make decisions faster and more decisively,” says Podoljak of the “Bild” newspaper. There is “no other way to destroy Russian logistics and rear guard, so Taurus is needed,” he argues. The aim is not “to attack Russian territory” but “to destroy the resources of the occupiers”.
+++ 01:17 “What is Scholz waiting for?” Strack-Zimmermann is pushing for a Taurus delivery +++
The FDP defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann sharply criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the discussion about the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. “What in God’s name is the chancellor waiting for?” writes Strack-Zimmermann in the evening in “X”, formerly Twitter. Scholz “alone is blocking this decision within the coalition. It’s irresponsible,” she adds.
+++ 00:25 fled to Ukraine: Russian pilot calls on comrades to desert +++
The Russian pilot of a Mi-8 helicopter, who surrendered to Ukraine after landing at a Ukrainian airfield on August 23, shouts, according to the information platform Kyiv Independent other Russian pilots to follow his example. A video shows the landing of the helicopter in the Kharkiv region. The Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov is received by employees of the Ukrainian secret service. The scene can be seen in the documentary “Downed Russian Pilots”, which was broadcast on Ukrainian television in the evening. The film reveals how the landing was planned and carried out. “If you do what I did, you won’t regret it at all. You will be provided with absolutely everything for the rest of your life,” Kuzminov explains in the film. The pilot reportedly provided “valuable evidence about Russian army aviation, communications systems and the airfield network.” Finally, Kuzminov explains that there are no fascists or Nazis in Ukraine.
+++ 23:18 Selenskyj talks to Macron about pilot training in France +++
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says he has reached a “very important agreement on training our pilots in France” with French President Emmanuel Macron. He and Macron also talked about what France could do to protect the city of Odessa and the region there, says Zelenskyj in a video speech.
+++ 22:01 Ministry of Defense in Kiev decides on innovations, who is considered fit for military service +++
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has approved an amended list of illnesses exempting Ukrainians from military service. How “Ukrainian Military Pages” reported, the law changes were made on August 18 and came into effect on August 25. Effective immediately, people with clinically cured tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, slowly progressive blood disorders, thyroid disorders with minor dysfunctions, and people who are HIV-positive but asymptomatic are considered fit for military service. The list also includes people with mild mental disorders, slowly progressive central nervous system diseases, etc. On August 30, President Zelenskyy announced a mass review of decisions by military medical commissions on issuing medical certificates on disability or unfitness for military service.
Read more about the events of the previous day here.