2023-09-25 13:55:16
Ukraine confirmed this Monday, September 25, that the commander of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, Viktor Sokolov, died after he had been seriously injured while his troops attacked the Odessa region, south of the Ukrainian country.
In an exclusive interview with the Ukrainian service of ‘Voice of America’, published this Saturday, September 23, the Head of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that senior Russian commanders were seriously injured.
“Among the wounded is the group’s commander, Colonel General (Oleksandr) Romanchuk, who is in very serious condition. The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General (Oleh) Tsekov, is unconscious,” stated Kyrylo Budanov.
Colonel General Oleksandr Romanchuk is the commander of Russian forces in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine, and Oleg Tsekov is the commander of coastal forces 2000 OMSB of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that a soldier was missing after the attack, although it initially said he had died.
Some Ukrainian sources also reported the death of Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, but until then, Budanov had not confirmed such information, nor had the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the attack was carried out with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles, sent by the United Kingdom and France. However, Budanov did not elaborate on the information.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks in the Black Sea and Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. “These measures will continue in the future,” a Ukrainian navy spokesman said.
Ukrainian forces continue a counteroffensive that began almost four months ago to retake territory occupied by Russia.
Russian attack on the Odessa region
Russia carried out a “massive” attack against the Odessa region in southern Ukraine, where local authorities reported on Monday one injured person and significant material damage.
For its part, Moscow assured that it shot down several drones launched by Ukraine against Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia, and two regions of its territory.
???????????????? | UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR: A video is shown showing the moment of the rocket attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
pic.twitter.com/vVEkBPozhQ— Alerta News 24 (@AlertNews24)
September 22, 2023
Russia “attacked the Odessa region with offensive drones and two types of missiles,” local governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram, mentioning several “bombings,” including the attack on a “port infrastructure.”
Also read: Tanks and other weapons, in the new US military assistance package for the war in Ukraine
“A civilian was injured in the blast wave,” he added.
According to the Ukrainian army, Russia used 19 Iranian-made Shahed drones and two Onyx supersonic missiles in the attack against the city of Odessa.
Another 12 Kalibr missiles were launched “with complex trajectories in different areas,” according to the same source. A submarine was also mobilized.
All drones and 11 Kalibr missiles were shot down by anti-aircraft defenses, the army continued.
The Odessa spa suffered “significant” damage and a fire broke out, quickly extinguished, in a hotel building.
Two of the 11 destroyed Kalibr missiles flew over the Mikolaiv (southern) and Kirovograd (center) regions, but the “vast majority” were detected in the Odessa region, according to the army.
An Onyx shell hit an “empty” grain warehouse at the port, said Natalya Gumenyuk, an army spokeswoman, calling the attack “massive.”
A second freighter with grain
Falling debris damaged other warehouses and businesses in the city’s suburbs.
Russian forces regularly attack this region of southern Ukraine, which overlooks the Black Sea and is home to port infrastructure vital to maritime trade.
Attacks have increased since July, when the grain agreement that allowed Ukraine to freely export its production was abandoned.
However, a second cargo ship of Ukrainian grain arrived in Istanbul on Sunday, through a maritime corridor implemented by Kiev in the Black Sea despite Moscow’s threats to bomb ships entering or leaving Ukraine.
The city of Krivoy Rog, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, was also attacked on Sunday night, local authorities reported.
The air defense “worked against enemy drones,” said Governor Serguiy Lysak.
The head of the military administration of Krivoy Rog, Oleksander Vilkul, mentioned “a downed drone”, the remains of which caused a fire that caused no casualties.
Drones shot down in Russia
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Monday that four Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the annexed Crimea peninsula and the northwest of the Black Sea.
Two other drones were shot down over the Kursk region in the south, according to the same source.
“There were no casualties,” but an administrative building was damaged, regional governor Roman Starovoyt said.
In the neighboring region of Bryansk, Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported three downed Ukrainian drones, two of them in the Surazh district (west), without mentioning victims or damage.
#Ukraine #killed #Russian #Black #Sea #fleet #commander