September 22, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Ukraine has launched a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet located in Sevastopol, the largest city in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow’s forces in 2014.

Russian state media TASS reported that debris was “scattered for hundreds of meters” following the missile strike. TASS added that a large number of ambulances were on their way to the scene of the attack.

Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the incident.

If you are just joining us, here are the latest developments:

A screengrab from social media shows smoke billowing from the top of a building, alleged to be the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, following a missile attack in Sevastopol on September 22.

A Russian soldier was missing as a result of the Ukrainian missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday, Russian’s Ministry of Defense said.

Meanwhile, Russian-appointed Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev had earlier said on Telegram that another attack was possible and advised residents to avoid the city center. Later, he updated to say there was no more “missile and aviation danger.”

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the incident.

Poland’s Agriculture Minister said he is willing to discuss grain shipments with Ukraine, as long as “the interests of the Polish farmer are secured and Ukrainian grain does not enter Poland.”

“I am glad that Ukraine started talking to us, and not over our heads with the European Union or individually with various countries outside us, because it was a ridiculous thing,” Poland’s Agriculture Minister Robert Telus told journalists on Friday, according to CNN affiliate TVN24. 

On Thursday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said he is willing to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “friends” to resolve “difficult situations” between their countries after Warsaw signaled it would stop sending arms to Kyiv amid a dispute over grain imports.

Grain dispute: Pressure has been building for months over a ban on Ukrainian grain, initially put in place earlier this year by several European Union nations to protect the livelihood of local farmers worried about being undercut by low Ukrainian prices.

Last week, the EU announced plans to suspend the rule. But three nations — Poland, Hungary and Slovakia — said they intended to defy the change and keep the restrictions in place.

“This matter needs to be resolved, it is a dispute that is in fact a legal dispute,” Duda told TVN24 on Thursday. “I understand that [Ukraine] are looking for help in their situation at all costs and therefore they do not care where they sell their grain, but it is not indifferent to us, and we want to help them and we do help them.”

Smoke rises above Sevastopol after a reported attack on the Black Sea Fleet on September 22.

Ukraine launched a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Crimea, said on Friday. 

Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters, is the largest city in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea that was illegally annexed by Moscow’s forces in 2014.

Russian state media TASS reported that debris was “scattered for hundreds of meters” following the missile strike. TASS added that a large number of ambulances were on their way to the scene of the attack.

Razvozhayev also said that a piece of shrapnel fell near the Lunacharsky Theater. 

The Russian-appointed governor said operational services went to the scene of the attack and said information about any casualties is being clarified. 

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the incident. 

Last week, Ukraine launched an extensive assault on the ship repair base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which damaged two Russian warships, according to officials. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian armed forces attacked the Sergo Ordzhonikidze shipyard in Sevastopol on September 13 with 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned boats, in what appeared to be Kyiv’s most ambitious strike on the port since the war began.

Polish president Andrzej Duda, center left, and the Government Plenipotentiary for Polish-Ukrainian Development Cooperation Jadwiga Emilewicz, center right, attend the 'Common Future' Congress for Reconstruction of Ukraine at the MTP Poznan Expo in Poznan, Poland, on September 22.

The Russian government predicts that tensions will likely increase between Ukraine and Poland, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. 

“As we can see, there are certain tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv. We predict that these tensions will increase,” Peskov said during a regular call with reporters, when asked to comment on Poland signaling that it would stop sending arms to Ukraine.

When asked to comment on the Polish government’s remarks that the country will focus on arming its own forces, and whether that’s causing concern in Russia and Belarus, Peskov said work to ensure Belarus and Russia’s security is “underway.”

“As for weapons, the neighborhood with Poland is not the most comfortable for our Belarusian comrades. The country is quite aggressive. It does not refrain from subversive activities and interference in internal affairs,” Peskov said. “But our Belarusian friends and allies are on alert against the background of the potential threats that could come from Poland, as are we.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and his wife Olena Zelenska after their arrival at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa, Ontario, on September 21.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ottawa on Friday “to reiterate Canada’s ongoing military, economic, humanitarian, and development support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”

In a statement released by his office on Thursday ahead of Zelensky’s visit to Canada, Trudeau said his country “will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

“The two leaders will continue to work closely together to strengthen ties between our countries and help ensure the Ukrainian people can continue to defend themselves against Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable invasion,” the statement said.

Both leaders will participate in a signing ceremony “to continue strengthening economic ties between our two countries.”

Trudeau later posted a video on X of himself welcoming Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska as they disembarked in Canada.

Zelensky will also deliver an address to the Canadian Parliament on Friday and meet with the Canadian finance minister and business leaders in Toronto.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Canada will “apply more economic pressure on Putin’s regime until it respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, including in sectors that are strategically important for Russia, such as oil and gas.”

Since January 2022, Canada “has committed more than $8.9 billion [$6.62 billion USD] in multifaceted support to Ukraine, including $4.95 billion [$3.68 USD] in direct financial support and over $1.8 billion [$1.34 billion] in military aid ranging from Leopard 2 tanks and air defense and artillery systems to armored vehicles, ammunition, and more,” the statement said.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it foiled another Ukrainian drone attack “against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation” on Friday morning, in addition to destroying two drones earlier in the day.

The Defense Ministry said Russian air defenses detected and destroyed one guided missile and two drones near the Crimean Peninsula, which they alleged were Ukrainian. 

Earlier on Friday, the ministry said it destroyed one drone in the southern Krasnodar region and intercepted another over the Black Sea near the southeastern coast of occupied Crimea.

It did not mention any damage or casualties.

A Russian missile attack overnight hit a two-story residential building in the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region, injuring 16 people, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday. 

The prosecutor’s office said two missiles struck the city late Thursday night, with one of them hitting the residential building. Windows and roofs in other apartment buildings were also damaged, as well as cars and garages. 

Authorities said preliminary information indicates that they were Russian Iskander missiles.

The Donetsk regional military administration also reported other attacks overnight in the region, which they say injured two people in Petropavlivka, two people in Molodetske, one person in Toretsk, and one person in the village of Kostiantynivka.

Palau-flagged bulk carrier Aroyat is pictured at sea, in this picture obtained from social media and released on September 22.

A second grain ship has left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, near the city of Odesa, after making the inbound journey last weekend, Ukrainian officials announced Friday.

The Palau-flagged vessel, called the Aroyat, left the port “after loading 17,600 [tons of] Ukrainian wheat for Egypt,” according to Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. 

It’s the second ship carrying grain to leave the port this week after a smaller ship left Chornomorsk under Ukraine’s temporary humanitarian corridor, Kubrakov said.

Ukraine established the temporary corridor last month after Russia pulled out of a UN-brokered agreement guaranteeing safe passage for grain ships across the Black Sea.

At least seven civilian ships have now made the journey, sailing south from Ukraine’s main ports around Odesa, since the corridor was announced.

Meanwhile, three more cargo vessels are en route to the port, Kubrakov announced Friday.

Three bulk carriers – called Azara, Ying Hao 01, and Eneida – are using the temporary corridor to export more than 100 tons of agricultural products and iron ore destined for China, Egypt, and Spain, the infrastructure minister said on social media. 

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday said he is willing to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “friends” to resolve “difficult situations” between their countries after Warsaw signaled it would stop sending arms to Kyiv amid a dispute over grain imports.

The decision by Poland, one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, was a major reversal that threatens to upend Europe’s strategic relationship Kyiv as it wages a counteroffensive against Russia.

Referring to Zelensky’s remarks Tuesday at the UN General Assembly that “some of our friends in Europe play out solidarity in a political theater,” Duda told Polish channel TVN24 that although his Ukrainian counterpart did not mention Poland specifically, “the suggestion was there and we all understood it.”

Asked whether he was upset by Zelensky’s comments, Duda said, “maybe upset is a too strong word.” 

Pressure has been building for months over a ban on Ukrainian grain, initially put in place earlier this year by several European Union nations to protect the livelihood of local farmers worried about being undercut by the low price of Ukrainian grain.

Last week, the EU announced plans to suspend the rule. But three nations — Poland, Hungary and Slovakia — said they intended to defy the change and keep the restrictions in place.

“This matter needs to be resolved, it is a dispute that is in fact a legal dispute,” Duda told TVN24. “I understand that [Ukraine] are looking for help in their situation at all costs and therefore they do not care where they sell their grain, but it is not indifferent to us, and we want to help them and we do help them.”

Arms shipments: Duda said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statement Wednesday that Warsaw would no longer transfer weapons to Kyiv was “interpreted in the worst possible way.”

Duda clarified that the prime minister was talking about new weapons earmarked for Polish army modernization and that Poland’s existing pledges to Ukraine — including for howitzers, ammunition and mine clearing vehicles — would be honored.

He also did not rule out the possibility of resuming arms transfers to Kyiv in the future.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens as President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington on September 21.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday vowed to liberate the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut and two other key Ukrainian cities from Russian occupation during a discussion with US editors in Washington.

Bakhmut, which has been the scene of the some of the fiercest fighting of the war, has long been a target for Ukraine after Russian forces claimed control of the city in May following a months-long slog in which soldiers had to grind for every inch of territory.

Here’s what else Zelensky addressed:

Joe Biden shakes hands with Volodymyr Zelensky in the East Room of the White House, in Washington on September 21.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced $128 million in new US security assistance to Ukraine as well as $197 million in arms and equipment.

The announcement comes amid President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House, where he met with President Joe Biden. 

During a meeting with Cabinet members, Biden reaffirmed the US commitment, along with its partners, to Ukraine. Zelensky in turn thanked Biden and the American people for their support. 

Here are the latest developments: 

The Pentagon has determined that the training and support of Ukrainian forces is exempt from a potential government shutdown, according to the Defense Department, and will continue even in the increasingly likely event that Congress fails to pass a spending bill in the coming days.

The determination allows critical elements of American support for Kyiv, such as the training of Ukrainian forces and the ongoing transfer of weapons to Ukraine, to proceed in the midst of an ongoing counteroffensive.

But as recently as Tuesday, Sherwood had cautioned that a government shutdown could disrupt US aid to Ukraine, warning that the delivery of equipment and the US training efforts “could be impacted by furloughs of personnel and DoD’s suspension” of activities deemed not essential to US national security.

Politico first reported on the designation.

With prospects growing of a potential government shutdown, a disruption to US support and training for Ukraine would have come at a critical juncture, with US M1A1 Abrams tanks set to arrive on the battlefield soon and Ukrainian pilots about to start a training program for F-16 fighter jets.

The decision to shield the US military’s operations related to Ukraine from the effects of a possible shutdown come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington, DC, meeting with President Joe Biden, as well as top leaders at the Pentagon.

The blue-and-gold flag draped hero worship of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s last Washington trip, which stirred comparisons to Winston Churchill’s wartime stand against Nazism, was a distant memory on Thursday.

Nine months later, Zelensky was back in town and he and his hosts learned some jarring lessons about one another at a moment when a path to ultimate victory in the war against Russia seems increasingly distant.

Zelensky got an abrupt preview of how Donald Trump’s possible return to power after the 2024 election and how the ex-president’s current sway over the ungovernable Republican-led House of Representatives could rupture the multi-billion dollar lifeline on which Ukraine’s survival depends. 

There’s also a question of whether Zelensky’s relentless efforts to shame the world into action might be reaching the point of diminishing returns. The pugnacious president might think so too judging by his multiple and poignant expressions of gratitude for previous help as polls show more Americans are skeptical of aid to Ukraine. He may need to develop new political skills to adapt to a vicious phase in American politics when Ukraine is being dragged into an impeachment saga for the second time and is a central general election issue.

Zelensky’s trip to the United States – whose democracy, while battered, is still a bulwark of free political systems around the world – was a mirror image of another journey made by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week to restock his own arsenal in a meeting with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Far East.

Read more about potential implications of mixed response to Zelensky’s visit.

Antony Blinken participates in the global infrastructure and investment forum in New York, on September 21.

The United States will give $128 million in new security assistance to Ukraine as well as $197 million in arms and equipment in previously authorized drawdowns, the secretary of state announced. 

The package includes additional air defense munitions “to help strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses against aerial assaults from Russia now and in the coming winter, when Russia is likely to renew its attacks against Ukrainian critical infrastructure,” Antony Blinken said Thursday.

This is the second time the US has provided the controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Defense Department said. In late July, shortly after the US first provided cluster munitions, the White House said Ukrainian forces were using the weapons “effectively” and “appropriately” against Russian defensive positions.

The US will not be providing Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine, however, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, despite requests from Ukraine. He said while not providing it in this package, Biden is “not taking it off the table in the future.”

The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Joe Biden in Washington, DC.

Mateusz Morawiecki arrives at The European Council Building in Brussels on July 18.

One of Ukraine’s closest and most vocal allies has said it will stop sending arms to Kyiv, a major reversal that threatens to upend Europe’s strategic relationship with the country as it wages a counteroffensive against Russia.

Poland’s decision was both sudden and predictable, coming after months of tensions over a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports to a number of European Union countries.

It also follows a pattern of increasingly confrontational behavior towards Kyiv from Poland’s government, just weeks before a tight general election.

And it could have implications for Ukraine’s attempts to push Russian forces out of the country’s southern regions, in an ongoing assault that has been making slow and grinding progress.

What has Poland announced? “We no longer transfer weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a blunt social media statement on Wednesday.

Morawiecki added in a television interview that Poland will now focus on supplying “the most modern weapons” for its own purposes, state news agency PAP reported. “If you want to defend yourself you have to have something to defend with,” the prime minister said.

It marks a major change in policy. In the spring, Poland became the first NATO country to send fighter jets to Ukraine – months ahead of the United States, which only agreed last month to approve the transfer of F-16 jets, pending the completion of training by Ukrainian forces.

It has also previously sent more than 200 Soviet-style tanks to Ukraine, and most Western military equipment and other supplies reach Ukrainian forces by crossing Polish territory.

Poland will now only carry out the supplies of ammunition and weapons to Kyiv that were agreed before Warsaw made its decision to stop shipments, government spokesman Piotr Muller said Thursday, according to PAP.

Muller emphasized that Ukraine has made a series of “absolutely unacceptable statements and diplomatic gestures” and that “Poland does not accept this type of unjustified actions,” PAP reported.

How did we get here? Pressure has been building for months over a ban on Ukrainian grain, initially put in place earlier this year by several EU nations to protect the livelihood of local farmers worried about being undercut by the low price of Ukrainian grain.

Last week, the EU announced plans to suspend the rule. But three nations – Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – said they intended to defy the change and keep the restrictions in place. It prompted protests from Ukraine, which this week filed lawsuits against all three countries over the issue.

Read more here about Poland’s reversal and how it might impact the war.

Ukraine’s state energy provider Ukrenergo said Thursday that Russian missile attacks caused damage to power facilities in western and central regions in Ukraine.

Ukrenergo said it was the first time that Russia had launched attacks on the power infrastructure in six months. The strikes come as Ukraine prepares for the winter months. Last year, Russia began a series of intense attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in October.

Vitalii Koval, head of the Rivne regional military administration, said the region suffered several missile strikes. “Unfortunately, there are hits on the energy and civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Speaking in front of a service station that was damaged, Koval said that there were no casualties, but added: “There is also no power supply in part of Rivne district.”

Some context: Last year, Russia ramped up strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as temperatures dropped. 

In October 2022, the country’s energy facilities were attacked at least 82 times — more than in all previous months of the full-scale invasion combined.

From October through to January, Russia hit infrastructure throughout most of Ukraine.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 36 of 43 missiles launched by Russia on Thursday in attacks across the country, Ukraine’s army chief said.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in a Telegram post that cruise missiles launched from aircraft in southern Russia were “constantly changing course along the route.”

In an update Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russian forces launched “a massive missile attack” on civilian infrastructure in multiple regions: