Ukraine bombed Crimea

Ukraine has admitted to being responsible for the explosions at Russian bases in Crimea around four weeks ago. / Ukraine bombed Crimea

The Ukrainian army is apparently making progress with the offensives in the south and east.

About a month after several explosions in Russia’s annexed Crimea, the Ukrainian army has claimed responsibility. “It’s about a series of successful rocket attacks on the air bases in Crimea, primarily around the Saki airfield,” Ukrainian supreme commander Valery Zalushny wrote in an article published by the state news agency Ukrinform. Up to ten Russian warplanes were destroyed in the attack.

However, Zalushnyj did not write which types of rockets are said to have been used. After the explosions in August, there was speculation as to which weapons Ukraine might have used. The aim of the attacks, Zalushnyj wrote, was to make it clear to the Russians, even in areas further away from the front, that there was a real war with defeats and casualties. The commander no longer assumes that this war could end this year.

Ukraine demands weapons for counterattacks / Ukraine bombed Crimea

Rather, the Ukrainian army wants to expand its counterattacks in the coming year – but for that they need new western weapon systems, said Saluschnyj. He named new missiles for the US HIMARS missile launcher, which could fire up to 300 kilometers away and which Ukraine does not yet have. On Thursday, the western partners want to meet at the US air force base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate and discuss further arms deliveries.

Apparently progress on offensives in the south and east

In its counter-offensives in the south and east of Ukraine, the army is apparently gaining ground. In its report, the General Staff reported Russian air and missile attacks on places in the southern Kherson region that had previously been considered Russian occupied. However, the General Staff still did not provide any more specific information on what was happening in the battle.

Numerous photos of the front south-east of Kharkiv are currently circulating on social media. There, the area around the town of Balaklija was recaptured by Ukrainian troops. According to Russian reports, the Ukrainian army has launched another counteroffensive there at a width of 20 to 30 kilometers, which is putting Russian units under considerable pressure. However, neither the Ukrainian general staff nor the offensive in the south commented.

Areas around nuclear power plants under fire again

Regardless of international demands for a protection zone around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Russian units are to start shelling the surrounding area again. According to Ukrainian sources, the city of Nikopol, which is across the Djnepr from the power plant, was shelled with rockets and artillery. “There are fires, power outages and other incidents at the plant that force us to prepare the population for the consequences of the nuclear threat,” said Governor Valentyn Resnichenko. In the past few days, authorities have been distributing iodine tablets to area residents in case of a nuclear emergency.

Vote on annexation of Kherson postponed

On Monday, the Russian occupiers in the southern region of Cherson announced that they would postpone a planned referendum on Russia’s annexation of the region. The vote was supposed to take place in September parallel to the Russian regional elections, now November 4 has been named as the new date. It has a symbolic character, in Russia the “Day of National Unity” is then celebrated.

“We are sure that 80 percent of the population will come to the referendum,” said Moscow’s deputy chief of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremoussov, according to the state news agency TASS. Stremusov is no longer in Cherson, but in Russia – according to Ukrainian information, other officials have also fled the embattled region.

Scholz and Zelenskyj on the phone / Ukraine bombed Crimea

Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy further help in a telephone call. Germany will not let up in supporting Ukraine militarily, but also politically, financially and humanitarianly, stressed the Chancellor in the conversation after a statement by the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Hebestreit. The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was also an issue.

After the phone call, Selenskyj tweeted that he thanked Scholz for confirming the EU financial aid of five billion euros. But he also emphasized the need for an aid program from the International Monetary Fund.

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