Ukraine: kyiv says it has taken back an oil platform in the Black Sea from the Russians

2023-09-11 17:53:44

The drone war continues. Early this Monday morning, September 11, Russia claimed to have shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine, without causing any casualties.

Nearly 300 kilometers to the south, near Bakhmout, two humanitarian workers, one Spanish, the other Canadian, were killed in a bombing that Kiev attributes to the Russians.

At the same time, Moscow claimed Sunday evening the victory of Vladimir Putin’s party in the elections organized in the territories annexed to Ukraine, with more than 70% of the votes, ballots considered “illegal” by Kiev and its allies.

Ukraine says it has taken back an oil platform in the Black Sea from the Russians (Defense)

Ukraine said Monday that it had recaptured from the Russians an oil and gas platform in the Black Sea controlled by Moscow since 2015, against a backdrop of a counter-offensive by Kiev’s forces and renewed tensions in the waters off Ukrainian ports.

“Ukraine regains control of the ‘Vishki Boïka'”, welcomed in a press release the military intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. During the operation, “fighting took place between Ukrainian special forces on board boats and a Russian Su-30 fighter plane”, he added, claiming that “the Russian plane was damaged and had to retreat”.

Kim-Jong un’s train ‘seems’ on its way

North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un’s train “appears” to be on its way to Russia for a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Monday. The armored train “appears to be gone,” the agency said.

The White House said on September 5 that Kim Jong Un wanted to meet Vladimir Putin to discuss arms sales to Moscow in the context of the war in Ukraine.

According to the American daily The New York Times, this meeting must take place in Vladivostok, on the east coast of Russia, where the 8th Eastern Economic Forum, organized by the Kremlin, is held until Wednesday. The American daily estimates that Moscow is seeking to obtain artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from Pyongyang, while Kim Jong-un is seeking advanced technologies for nuclear-powered satellites and submarines as well as a food aid.

Russia claims to have shot down two Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod region

“Active air defense systems destroyed two aerial drones over the territory of the Belgorod region” on Monday “around 01:20 Moscow time,” the Russian Defense Ministry wrote on Telegram. “Our defense system worked in the Yakovlevsky urban district: two aerial drones were shot down. There are no casualties,” declared the governor of the region Vyacheslav Gladkov, also on Telegram, adding that debris from the aircraft had fallen on a road near a residential building.

The Belgorod region is located in western Russia, on the border with Kharkiv on the Ukrainian side. Ukrainian drone offensives against Russian cities, whether close to Ukraine, in the annexed peninsula of Crimea or whether it is the capital Moscow, have multiplied in recent months against the backdrop of a counter – Kyiv offensive started at the beginning of June.

Ukraine again demands Taurus missiles from Germany

The official visit of the German Foreign Minister seems to backfire. While Annalena Baerbock arrived this Monday in kyiv for her fourth visit since the start of the invasion, her Ukrainian counterpart asked her to account for missile deliveries.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba said he did not understand why Germany still did not give the green light to the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles, in the midst of a counter-offensive by Kiev troops. “It’s only a matter of time. And I don’t understand why we are wasting time,” he lamented at a press conference alongside the German minister.

Ukraine’s foreign minister said that “we respect your discussions, we respect your procedures, but from everything we know about [le missile] Taurus, there is not a single objective argument against not doing it.” Earlier in the day, Annalena Baerbock pledged unwavering support for Ukraine, praising the country’s progress on the path to accession to the European Union.

Warsaw adds 500 Himars rocket launchers to its arsenal

kyiv is not the only country to want to arm itself as quickly as possible. To a lesser extent, Poland is continuing its militarization in the face of a possible threat from Russia: this Monday, the Polish Minister of Defense approved an agreement on the delivery of 486 Himars rocket launcher modules of American production, in order to strengthen the resources of the Polish army.

A contract estimated at 10 billion euros, approved in February by the US State Department. “The Polish army will have 500 Himars launchers, divided into 28 squadrons,” said Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, quoted by the PAP agency, adding that deliveries should start at the end of 2025.

This fear of an attack by Russia or its allies echoes another announcement, this Monday, September 11. While relations between Poland and Belarus worsened following the installation at the end of July of mercenaries from the private Russian Wagner militia in the country, Minsk accused the Polish army of shooting at its border. “Recently, several incidents have been noted in which Polish servicemen drove foreigners to the border with Belarus and forced them to pass through a gate designed for animals,” the KGB border guards said. Belarusian on Telegram.

More than 3,000 Ukrainian pilgrims gather for the Jewish New Year

Despite the war, more than 3,000 Ukrainian Jews from the Orthodox Hasidic community gathered this Monday in the city of Uman, in the center of the country, on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, according to a count by regional authorities. This event called Rosh Hashanah is planned this year from Friday September 15 to Sunday September 17, despite calls from the local government to cancel it. Every year, pilgrims come from all over the world to Uman for the Jewish New Year to the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, one of the main figures of Hassidism.

“Despite warnings from diplomatic services and the region, we have already welcomed more than 3,000 pilgrims,” Igor Tabourets, the regional governor, said on the Telegram social network. Although Uman is relatively far from the front where forces from Kiev and Moscow are fighting, Ukrainian and Israeli authorities had also urged pilgrims not to come for the celebrations planned for Friday evening through Sunday evening this year.

Two Western aid workers killed in Ukraine

Two aid workers, a Canadian and a Spanish woman, were killed near Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, in an attack attributed by kyiv to Russian troops on Sunday. “This Russian bombardment once again shows how close war is for all citizens of the world,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday evening, denouncing this “attack on a volunteer car by Russian terrorists”.

The victims are the Spaniard Emma Igual and the Canadian Anthony Ihnat, who worked for the NGO Road to Relief. Emma Igual, 32, was the director and co-founder. According to the NGO, the attack took place on Saturday morning in Chassiv Yar, near Bakhmout. “Following a direct hit, the vehicle overturned and caught fire,” she said. The aid workers had left Sloviansk and were heading to Bakhmut to assess the needs of civilians “caught in the crossfire” in the town of Ivanivske.

“All my love and support in these difficult times to the family and loved ones of Spanish humanitarian Emma Igual […]. Spain stands alongside its humanitarian workers who, through their dedication, put their lives at risk for others,” the head of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez reacted on Sunday on X (formerly Twitter). Canada confirmed the death of one of its nationals, without wishing to give further details.

Moscow claims a landslide victory for Putin’s party in Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia

Russia’s Central Election Commission said Sunday evening that the Russian president’s United Russia party came first in these regional elections in the four territories annexed to Ukraine, with more than 70% of the vote. The President of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, welcomed the elections which took place “dynamically, with few violations”. With these elections spread over three days, from Friday to Sunday, Moscow is trying to legitimize its annexations in Ukraine by voting in the occupied territories in the east and south. These polls are considered “illegal” by kyiv and its allies.

Results already called into question by the European Union: in a press release this Monday, the EU warned Russia that there would be “consequences” for all those involved in the organization of elections that it judged illegal in the Ukrainian territories annexed by Moscow. The Twenty-Seven indicate that they “strongly reject Russia’s futile attempts to legitimize or normalize its illegal military control and its annexation of part of Ukrainian territory.”

Despite strong condemnations from the West, Russia proclaimed in September 2022 the annexation of four Ukrainian territories that it only partially controls – Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk -, following “referendums” not recognized by the International community. The fighting is still raging there and the Ukrainian army has launched a counter-offensive.

“30 days left” to carry out Ukrainian counter-offensive says US Chief of Staff Mark Milley

“There are still around thirty to forty-five days left” to continue the Ukrainian counter-offensive before the weather conditions deteriorate. This observation is made by the head of the American army Mark Milley during an interview for the BBC Sunday with his British counterpart, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The military official also admitted that the kyiv troops had advanced more slowly than expected against the opposing positions. But “violent fighting continues, the Ukrainians continue to advance at a very regular pace across the Russian front lines”, indicates at the same time the general.