Alle aktuellen Entwicklungen zum Krieg in der Ukraine.
Die Ukraine behauptet, ihr Vormarsch im Süden öffne den Weg zur Krim
Die Ukraine sagte, sie habe mit der Eroberung der „strategischen“ Stadt Robotyne in dieser Woche den Weg für ihre Offensive in den von Russland besetzten Süden frei gemacht und bezeichnete den Sieg als einen großen Durchbruch.
WERBUNG„Indem wir uns an den Flanken von Robotyne verschanzen, ebnen wir den Weg dazu [the southern towns[ of Tokmak, then finally to Melitopol and the [administrative[ border of Crimea,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba told French diplomats in Paris on Tuesday, in a speech made public on Wednesday.
The Russian army has so far not announced its retreat from Robotyne but has reported heavy fighting in the area and on the outskirts of the nearby town of Verbove.
“The Robotyne-Verbove grey zone is going to become a mass grave for Ukraine’s armed forces,” proclaimed the head of the Russian occupation for the Zaporizhzhia region, Evgeny Balitsky, on Telegram.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June in the east and south is proving very difficult, with limited advances in terms of 2 kilometres.
In particular, it had to contend with solid Russian defences, consisting of trenches, anti-tank traps and minefields stretching for hundreds of kilometres, especially in the south.
Biggest drone attack on Russia since fighting began
Moscow has accused Ukraine of launching supposedly one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian soil since it invaded 18 months ago.
Drones hit an airport in Russia’s western Pskov region near the border with Estonia and Latvia, sparking a massive fire, the governor and local media reported.
More drones were shot down over Oryol, Bryansk, Ryazan, Kaluga and the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
All flights to and from Pskov airport were cancelled on Wednesday so the impact of one strike, involving between 10 and 20 drones, could be assessed in the daylight.
Four Il-76 transport aircraft were damaged, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.
Footage and images posted on social media showed smoke billowing over Pskov city and a large blaze.
ADVERTISEMENTRegional Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said there were no casualties, with the fire contained. He added it was the largest drone strike on Russian soil attack since the fighting began in February 2022.
Two killed in drone strike on Kyiv
Two people died Wednesday morning in the largest Russian strike on Kyiv “since spring”, according to military authorities in the Ukrainian capital.
Falling debris killed two men and injured another after Russia launched a “massive combined attack” on the Ukrainian capital involving drones and missiles, the head of the local military administration Sergei Popko wrote on Telegram.
Explosions in Ukraine were also reported in the southern city of Odesa and the Cherkasy region.
In May, Ukraine said it had countered the “largest drone attack” on Kyiv “since the start of the Russian invasion”. At least 59 drones were fired at the Ukrainian capital, then killing two.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian speedboats destroyed says Russia
Moscow claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian military boats carrying special forces off the coast of the annexed Crimean peninsula.
On Wednesday at around midnight, a Russian aircraft in the Black Sea “destroyed four military speed boats [carrying] Landegruppen ukrainischer Spezialeinheiten [of] bis zu 50 Personen“, teilte das russische Verteidigungsministerium mit.
Nähere Angaben machte sie nicht.
Auch ein ukrainischer Drohnenangriff auf die besetzte Krim wurde gemeldet, doch der örtliche russische Gouverneur Michail sagte, die Lage sei „unter Kontrolle“.
Er sagte jedoch nicht, wie viele Drohnen zerstört wurden.
WERBUNGDie Ukraine gratulierte sich am Donnerstag für die Durchführung einer seltenen Kommandooperation auf der 2014 von Moskau annektierten Halbinsel Krim.
Am 22. August behauptete Russland außerdem, eine Barkasse mit ukrainischen Soldaten im Schwarzen Meer „zerstört“ zu haben, nachdem es am selben Tag die Zerstörung eines Aufklärungsschiffs behauptet hatte.