Status: 24.09.2023, 09:29 a.m.
By: Daniel Dillmann
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Ukraine is receiving new weapons systems from the United States. Russia reports further attacks on Sevastopol. The news ticker on the Ukraine war.
- "Secret talks" with Russia: British government confirms meeting
- Heavy losses in Ukraine war: Russia loses hundreds of soldiers in battles with Ukraine
- New missiles for Kyiv: Volodymyr Zelensky celebrates diplomatic success
- The information processed here comes from international media and news agencies, but also from the warring parties Russia, Ukraine and their allies. In particular, the information on losses of the armies involved in the Ukraine war cannot be independently verified.
Update from September 24, 9:23 a.m.: According to official military information, Ukrainian troops continue to advance on the front line in the south near the village of Werbowe. The report of the General Staff in Kiev for Sunday morning said that the troops "are pushing the enemy out of their positions near Verbove, in the Zaporizhzhia region, and are entrenched in the positions reached."
The US Institute for the Study of War ISW wrote that it was here that Ukraine broke through the region's best-fortified Russian defense belt. This belt included minefields, manned trenches, anti-tank trenches and concrete barriers. The commander of the Ukrainian troops in this section, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said in an interview with the US channel CNN that a breakthrough had been made near Verbove.
In the flat steppe, the Russian positions are often hidden in long rows of trees. "We move from row to row of trees, sometimes 50 to 100 meters per day, sometimes 300 to 400 meters," an army spokesman said on Ukrainian television.
In their counteroffensive since June, Ukrainian troops have been trying to advance in the south towards the Sea of Azov. An intermediate goal is to bring artillery so close to the occupied city of Tokmak that this Russian supply hub can be fired upon.
Morawiecki warns Zelensky: Never insult Poland again
Update of September 24, 8:21 a.m.: In the dispute over the grain trade, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has intensified his criticism of the recent statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN general debate. "I want to tell President Zelensky that he must never again insult the Poles, as he did the other day during his appearance at the United Nations," the national-conservative politician said in Swidnik on Friday evening, according to the PAP agency. The Poles would never allow this, warned the 55-year-old. Poland is currently in the hot phase of the election campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections on 15 October.
The EU Commission recently decided to lift trade restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports. Poland, meanwhile, is sticking to an import ban. Alluding to this, Zelensky said at the UN general debate: "It is alarming to see how some of our friends in Europe are playing a political theater of solidarity and making a thriller out of the grain." These countries would only appear in their own roles, but prepare the stage for the actor from Moscow.
Zelenskyy thanks volunteers during stopover in Poland
Update of September 24, 7:02 a.m.: Ukrainian President Zelensky has made stops in Poland and Ireland on his way home from North America. In Lublin, Poland, on Saturday he thanked the people of the NATO and EU country for their support for Ukraine's defensive fight against the Russian invasion...
Recently, a dispute between Kiev and Warsaw over the Polish import ban on Ukrainian grain had come to a head - and is now also affecting the military cooperation of the allies. Poland now wants to limit its arms deliveries to Ukraine to contracts that have already been concluded.
Update from September 23, 22:37 p.m.: The US and various allies are engaged in "direct war" with the Russian Federation. At least that's the view of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The 73-year-old answered a question from a journalist on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Saturday. "You can call it whatever you want to call it, but they are directly at war with us. We can call this a hybrid war, but this does not change the reality," Lavrov replied.
The U.S., the U.K. and other allies would "wage war" against Russia, Lavrov continued. The wording is also remarkable because, according to its own statements, Russia is not at war with Ukraine. Since the invasion in February 2022, the Kremlin has primarily spoken of a "special military operation".
"No interest in a major war": Russia's Lavrov provokes with admonishing UN speech
Update from September 23, 20:29 p.m.: Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, caused a stir with a statement on Saturday. Moscow has no interest in a major war, the 73-year-old explained. "It's entirely up to us how the story will unfold. It is in our common interest to prevent a downward spiral into a full-scale war and the final collapse of the mechanisms of international cooperation," Lavrov said on Saturday as part of the UN general debate in New York City.
Putin's foreign minister did not mention the Ukraine war started by Russia and concerns about its expansion or even a nuclear confrontation in this context.
"Secret talks" with Russia – British government confirms meeting
Update from September 23, 17:37 p.m.: Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, diplomatic talks between the UK and the Kremlin continue, according to media reports. This was reported by the British portal Sky News with reference to the newspaper i. According to the report, there have been repeated "secret talks" between representatives of the two countries over the past 18 months. The aim of the meetings was to discuss security concerns affecting both the UK and the international community and issues such as grain shortages and nuclear safety.
The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the British Foreign Office who confirmed the meetings. Accordingly, these would only have taken place if it was "absolutely necessary". The spokesperson dismissed allegations that a possible end to the Ukraine war had also been discussed during the talks as "neither credible nor accurate".
Successes in the south: Ukraine achieves breakthrough through Russian lines
Update from September 23, 11:45 a.m.: The Ukrainian military reports success on the southern front line. In the Zaporizhzhia region, a breakthrough was made by Russian lines near the village of Verbow, Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told CNN. The general in charge of the counteroffensive in this area also expects further territorial gains.
Update from September 23, 10:02 a.m.: Ukraine is apparently launching the next attack on the Crimean peninsula. The Russian-appointed governor of the city of Sevastopol called on the population on Saturday morning via Telegram to go to shelters. Further missile attacks by Ukraine on the city and the positions of the Russian army and navy located there are expected.
Ukrainian soldiers deployed on the Southern Front. There, the units are said to have managed to break through Russian lines. © Oliver Weiken/dpa
Update from September 23, 08:43 a.m.: Russia continues to suffer heavy losses in the Ukraine war. Current figures on this are provided by the General Staff of Ukraine. According to the report, more than 275,000 Russian soldiers have already fallen in combat. The number of destroyed tanks is said to be over 4600.
This information cannot be independently verified. Russia itself provides virtually no information about losses of its own military in the Ukraine war.
Russia's losses in the Ukraine war
- Soldiers: 275,460 (+510 the previous day)
- Tanks: 4655 (+11)
- Armored combat vehicles: 8912 (+21)
- Vehicles and tankers: 8716 (+26)
- Anti-aircraft guns: 530 (+2)
- Artillery systems: 6210 (+33)
- Multiple rocket launchers: 789 (+4)
- Aircraft: 315
- Helicopters: 316
- Combat and reconnaissance drones: 4867 (+9)
- Ships and boats: 20
- Source: Data from the General Staff of Ukraine as of September 23, 2023
- Note:According to calculations by independent Russian media from the beginning of July 2023, around 47,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the Ukraine war so far. These figures are very different from those published by the Ukrainian side. British intelligence, on the other hand, places the figures in the middle of these claims.
Update from September 23, 08:05 a.m.: Ukraine reports a Russian drone strike in the Dnipropetrovsk region. A total of twelve Shahed kamikaze drones were shot down by the company's own air defenses. The wreckage of the drones would have caused only slight damage.
Ukraine receives ATACMS missiles - fierce fighting reported from the front
First report from September 23, 6:00 a.m.: Kyiv - Fighting is reported from numerous parts of Ukraine on Saturday morning. Russian missiles are said to have hit the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. At least one person is said to have been killed, another 31 injured. Three children are said to be among the injured. This was announced by the military governor of the Poltava region, according to the dpa news agency. One of the projectiles was able to fend off the air defense, another hit a civilian building.
On Saturday night, the alarm sirens also sounded in Odessa. According to Ukrainian air defense, Russia is said to have fired several missiles at the port city. This is reported by the news portal Ukrainska Pravda. Residents were urged to seek shelter. So far, nothing is known about possible damage.
Zelensky achieves diplomatic success in Ukraine war
Ukraine, in turn, confirmed the missile attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the annexed Crimean peninsula. According to several British media, Storm Shadow missiles were used. The British broadcaster BBC published a video verified by him, which is supposed to show the destructive force of the missile impact on the fleet headquarters.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky achieved a diplomatic success in the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian president is in North America, where he met with US President Joe Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now several US media are reporting that the US is now ready to provide Kyiv with longer-range ATACMS missiles for use in the Ukraine war. The U.S. government will soon provide the weapon system requested by Kiev to defend against the aggressor Russia, the Washington Post and U.S. broadcaster NBC News reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Fierce fighting reported for Bakhmut
According to the Washington Post, it is an ATACMS variant that can be equipped with cluster munitions. NBC News reported that U.S. President Joe Biden had promised Zelensky the provision of "a small number" of ATACMS during his visit to Washington on Thursday. The U.S. government did not confirm the reports. "I have nothing to announce," a White House spokeswoman said at Friday's press briefing. But it has always been made clear in the past that a possible ATACMS delivery is not off the table.
If Kyiv does indeed receive the new missiles from the United States, this would significantly increase the effectiveness of Ukrainian troops and increase the chances of a successful counteroffensive. This already seems to be bringing its first successes, at least in the east of the country. Russia itself reported heavy artillery shelling and heavy fighting around the city of Bakhmut. Zelensky has already held out the prospect of recapturing the strategically important city.
