Ukraine Hits Russia’s Black Sea Naval Headquarters In Crimea
Russia steps up strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of autumn.
Nearly 16 weeks into its counteroffensive, Ukraine has succeeded in hitting the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea, which has been overseeing the blockade of the country’s shipping routes.
Friday’s attack is the latest in the string of Ukrainian missile strikes against Russian military targets in the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Last week, Ukraine destroyed a Russian submarine and a landing ship using the British cruise missile Storm Shadow. “Ukrainian cruise missiles Friday slammed into the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the occupied city of Sevastopol,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
Reuters reported the latest Ukrainian missile strike:
At least one Ukrainian missile struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea navy in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Friday, and a major cyberattack interrupted internet services on the peninsula, Russian-installed officials said.
Russia’s defence ministry said one serviceman was missing after the attack, revising its earlier statement that the man had been killed. Air defences had downed a total of five missiles, the ministry said.
Ukraine’s military confirmed it had attacked the Russian Black Sea fleet’s headquarters, but gave few details.
“On September 22 close to 12:00 [local time] Ukraine’s defence forces successfully struck the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet command in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.
The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reported that emergency services had brought a fire in the building under control.
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1705290312426377302
Ukraine’s counteroffensive grinds on in the east
While Ukraine has scored some successes in targeting Russian naval assets, its armed forces have made little headway in retaking ground in the east aimed at cutting off Russia’s land access to Crimea or driving a wedge through Russian defenses to divide them into two.
According to some U.S. defense planners, Kyiv only has a couple of weeks to wrap up the counteroffensive before cold weather sets in. Ukraine had a little over 30 days before weather hindered its counteroffensive, top-ranking U.S. General Mark Milley suggest September 10.
As the counteroffensive enters its 16th week, the BBC sums up Ukraine’s progress:
Ukrainian forces have been widening their breach of Russian defensive lines near the village of Robotyne for several weeks and analysts say they may be preparing for a new push.
The tiny village, some 56km (35 miles) south-east of the city of Zaporizhzhia, has been a focal point since Ukraine’s counter-offensive began at the start of June.
Progress has been slow but analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say they have confirmed that Ukrainian forces are operating armoured vehicles beyond the Russian anti-tank ditch and dragon’s teeth obstacles in the area for the first time – just to the west of nearby Verbove. (…)
However, the advance so far has been restricted to the area around Robotyne and Ukrainian forces have a long way to go if they are to achieve this aim by reaching the Sea of Azov.
Russia resumes strikes on energy infrastructure ahead of colder weather
Media reports indicate that the Russians are stepping up attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities as autumn approaches.
On Friday, Russia again hit the city of Kremenchuk where an oil field is located. “One person was killed and 15 injured following a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, authorities said,” Germany’s DW TV reported late Friday.
“Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that Russia had restarted a systemic campaign of aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure but that air defenses were better prepared for the onslaught than last year,” the broadcaster added. A similar Russian campaign last year left millions without electricity and water supply as temperatures dropped.
Europe wavers as Biden backs $22bn Ukraine aid package
While President Joe Biden is pushing Congress for an additional $22 billion aid package for Ukraine, European countries Europe appear to be wavering in its support for the war-ravaged country, the state-owned France24 TV suggested Thursday.
The U.S. congress has so far appropriated $113 billion for the war-ravaged nation. The U.S. military aid alone amounts to nearly $44 billion. To put this in perspective, Germany, UK, and France — countries directly impacted by the conflict on the edge of Europe — have so far provided some $28 billion in combined defense aid to Ukraine. Germany has provided over $20 billion for Ukraine’s defense. France has ‘pledged‘ $1.7 billion, much of which has not yet been delivered.
“The Polish prime minister announced a halt to weapons exports amid a pre-election row over cheap Ukrainian grain exports. Is this simply political grandstanding, or proof that NATO and Europe’s unwavering support is no longer so unwavering?” the French state TV asked. “After a spring counteroffensive that’s turned to summer and now fall, time certainly seems to be on Vladimir Putin’s side as Ukraine’s adversary digs in for the long haul,” the broadcaster added.
Slovakia, Ukraine’s staunch alley in eastern Europe, also appears to be moving away from Kyiv. Ahead of next week’s election, the populist front runner is promising to end the country’s military support for Ukraine. “We will not send a single round to Ukraine,” former prime minister of Slovakia and frontrunner, Robert Fico, said.
“A populist former prime minister whose party is favored to win Slovakia’s early parliamentary election plans to reverse the country’s military and political support for neighboring Ukraine, in a direct challenge to the European Union and NATO, if he returns to power,” the Associated Press noted this week.
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Far more than just one person killed in the HQ attack.
At least two missiles struck the Black Sea HQ. Twitter link below: slow motion video showing the second missile inbound strike. Likely possible third missile struck the third wing of the HQ building.
https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1705310856093856160
The sooner this largely avoidable conflict ends the better. Unfortunately the people of Ukraine allowed themselves to be used as a cat’s paw by an alliance of globalists, neocons and corrupt politicians across not only party and ideological lines but across the political and economic institutions of the West. Europe as a whole is weaker economically for it and the E/W fissures of NATO as well as N/S division within the EU have become more pronounced. The ultimate winner here may be the US neocons who created the conditions for this in the first place.
It’s like 1915 all over again. Two powers squaring off tossing away lives assaulting each other and getting nowhere. Will it take another 3 years before someone collapses and the shattered survivors can stumble home?
They “allowed themselves?” They were INVADED, and not for the first time. What, was Ukraine’s skirt too short or something?
And the unedited phone cam video:
https://twitter.com/Svdok198015/status/1705426338876690793
The invasion and continued war wastes so many young lives. Watching historians like Anne Applebaum and Timothy Snyder engage in sick-minded war propaganda really ticks me off. They think half of us are fools and know the other half ARE fools. Mike Benz claims (documented) both are CIA hand puppets.
The Russian leadership are unreconstructed irredentists. It’s irrefutable fact going back hundreds of years. The same tired old propaganda followed by invasion. Just ask Catherine II about it. Better yet, read the g-damn biography about her and Potemkin.
It’s also more than aggravating watching what Biden and the EU are doing. How Obama kicked it all off. How our political establishment are feasting like jackals on death and destruction and profiteering at the same time.
And then the cynics like Glenn Greenwood wade in with horseshit slogans like “you’ll fight until the last Ukrainian,” or some such garbage.
Greenwood cynically disrespects those young Ukrainian combat troops – patriots all – waging unwinnable war. Disgusting.
And the young Russian troops? They get killed in a foreign land and only their families weep for them. It’s a g-damn shame.
Zelenski and Putin are despicable men representing despicable ends.
Everything is absurd. Canadian parliament host a WWII war veteran who fought against the Russians.
“A 98-year old was given standing ovation by the Canadian parliament during Zelensky’s speech.”
https://twitter.com/UnityNewsNet/status/1705841969845403788
Whoops, the war veteran was Waffen SS.
And just like that Nazi’s become the lefts best friend!
Nazis are part of the left not the right so …yeah if the leftists can’t get full on communism adopted they want socialism and given their totalitarian tendencies national socialism will do. It’s one of the better PR campaigns of the left to somehow convince folks that national socialism isn’t of the left. Mussolini grew up as a lefty commie sympathizer and Stalin cheered him on until he discovered that fascism wasn’t going ‘far enough’ left to suit him.
That part of the lead-up to and early conduct of WWII is rarely mentioned.
Strange bedfellows.
Biden and corrupt Uniparty don’t give a rats ass about the ordinary Ukranian. There’s money to be made in weapon sales and humanitarian aid which will end up in their pockets.
There’d be a lot more money to be made if we had anybody to manufacture 105mm ammo as fast as the Ukrainians are burning it.
This conflict would have been over much sooner if the US didn’t send money every time that cokehead Zelensky whined.
Biden has the blood of thousands on his hands.
Slovakian Fico is an ex Communist that appeals to the old voters and Eastern Slovakia voters who want to return to the Communist ways of “if you pretend to pay us we’ll pretend to work”. Unfortunately, he may be able to form a minority government with his former Socialist b utt boy, Pelligrino and we’ll have a few more years of graft and corruption.
Let Europe pay for it, it’s their war not ours.
This war in the Slavic ‘bloodlands’ features no clean hands or white hats. They never do. Until the Russian Federation breaks apart along its natural fault lines, there are going to be high risk conflicts of one kind of another. A recent organization called the Three Seas Initiative has formed along economic interests and possibly defense issues as well. This group of about a dozen east European countries were at one time under Soviet Communism, all but Austria. They have had a lifelong front seat toward their common threat to their East..