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A volley of Ukrainian cruise missiles and drones – believed to be British-made Storm Shadow missiles – attacked Russia‘s highly prized naval force in seized Crimea, causing damage to two military ships and injuries to at least 24 people.
The Sevastopol shipyard was attacked shortly before 1:30 a.m (GMT) on Wednesday, September 13. The moment a piece of the neighbourhood was hit by multiple explosions was captured on video.
It is believed £340m worth of Russian military hardware was taken out in the attack.
According to Russia‘s Ministry of Defence, Ukraine launched ten cruise missiles, seven of which were intercepted. Three unmanned boats were also launched “at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships on a sea crossing.”
In a rare acknowledgement, they admitted that the strikes caused “damage” to two ships.
THIS BLOG HAS NOW CLOSED. 
Naval fleet in Crimea rocked by Ukrainian missile strike (Image: Telegram)
A former Russian security officer who now resides in Ecuador has provided insights into Vladimir Putin‘s security measures, shedding light on the leader’s concerns about potential assassination attempts.
Vitaly Brizhaty, the former guard, disclosed that Putin employs one of his bodyguards as a washing machine operator at his dacha in Crimea, a secret residence annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.
He said: “This is how much he fears for his life.”
Brizhaty’s interview with TV Rain, an independent Russian TV station exiled from the country, offered a rare insight into Putin’s security protocols.
According to Brizhaty, armed divers are deployed to swim around Putin’s private beaches, ensuring constant surveillance for any potential threats. These precautions demonstrate Putin’s heightened awareness and concern for his personal safety.
Read more here.
Elon Musk has claimed that Ukraine asked him to switch off the Starlink satellite system over the Crimean coast, in what he said would have been a “major act of war”.
The billionaire CEO has this week responded to allegations in a newly released book.
The book claims that he deliberately disrupted Ukraine‘s access to Starlink over the Crimean coast with the aim of preventing a potential attack on the Russian naval fleet.
In response to these allegations, Musk asserted that although he didn’t personally instruct engineers to deactivate the satellite system, he did decline Kyiv’s request to reactivate it.
Read more here
Russia has expressed its interest in developing an alternative maritime route between Vladivostok and Chennai, bypassing Europe, in an attempt to strengthen trade ties with India.
A Russian delegation, led by Sergey Mochalnikov, Deputy Minister of Energy Minister, Russian Federation, and Maxim Reshetnikov from the Ministry of Economic Development of Russian Federation, conveyed this message to Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, during a meeting in Vladivostok.
Sonowal, who is leading an Indian delegation to the 8th Eastern Economic Forum meeting in Vladivostok, extended an invitation for an Indo-Russian workshop on the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) in Chennai.
The workshop aims to bring together port authorities, railways, logistics and shipping companies, and trade transporters from both countries to discuss the operationalisation of the EMC.
Read more here
WhatsApp may be banned in Russia, according to comments made by Duma deputy Gorelkin on the launch of the channels function in WhatsApp.
Gorelkin said: “If the application of the extremist company Meta starts expanding its functionality towards mass distribution of information, the official position regarding its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation may be reconsidered.”
In a recent conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin made desperate attempts to reassure his country during the sharp decline of the national currency – the ruble.
But his reassurances seemed to lack any substantial backing from German Gref, the head of Russia‘s largest lender, Sberbank.
While Putin expressed support for the central bank’s actions in response to the currency’s plunge, his statements appeared more like a scramble to maintain a sense of control rather than a well-founded strategy.
Read more here.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have banned entry to their respective countries for vehicles registered in Russia after a recommendation by the European Commission.
Russia is planning an attack in Uman with the intent to blame the Ukrainian Government, according to Ukrainian counterintelligence.
In an embarrassing incident near the Donetsk airport, more than two dozen Russian soldiers were mistakenly shot dead by their fellow comrades who mistook their disorganised retreat for a Ukrainian assault.
Reports suggest that the soldiers’ chaotic retreat and lack of coordination led to the fatal friendly fire incident.
According to Kyiv MP Yuriy Mysiagin, the Russian troops were retreating to new positions in a disordered and almost panicked manner when they were fired upon by their own forces, reports Mail Online.
The Russian soldiers, assuming their comrades were enemy soldiers attempting to reclaim territory, unleashed artillery fire on them. The result was a significant number of casualties and the loss of several pieces of equipment.
Mysiagin said: “The result was 27 dead and 34 wounded.
“Approximately half of the wounded had their arms or legs blown off.”
His account was corroborated by a Ukrainian colonel in a Facebook post, who attributed the incident to the Russians’ poor coordination.
Read more here
Shocking footage appears to show the moment eight Russian soldiers are killed by Ukrainian artillery fire.
During the video, which is yet to be verified, a squad of Russian soldiers can be seen fanning out from a building in an unknown location in Ukraine.
The clip then cuts to the aftermath of the artillery fire, with giant plumes of smoke billowing out from the building where the soldiers were last seen running from.
The footage, which appears to have been taken from a drone, then pans out to reveal the scene of devastation, with dead soldiers strewn among debris.
You can read the full story here.
Russia has claimed that the two vessels damaged during the strikes on Sevastopol in the early hours of this morning will be “fully restored” despite images showing their “complete demolition”.
In a statement published on Telegram, the Russian MoD said: “Two ships of the Navy undergoing scheduled repairs at the ship repair plant named after. S. Ordzhonikidze in the city of Sevastopol and damaged as a result of a missile attack by the Kiev (Kyiv) regime on September 13, will be fully restored and will continue to serve in combat as part of their fleets.”
But independent open source intelligence groups on X (formerly Twitter) noted that the “Minsk” landing ship, one of the two vessels affected by the strikes, appears to be heavily damaged.
One analyst wrote that the rear-mounted AK-725 gun (57mm) was “gone” while “a major portion of the superstructure collapsed”.
Noting that the “Minsk” was built in 1983, another wrote: “Given the ship’s age and level of damage – it is likely beyond economic repair.”
You can view pictures of the damaged “Minsk” vessel further down in this blog.
Vladimir Putin gave his counterpart Kim Jong-un a “bonecrusher” handshake, leaving the North Korean leader cowering as the pair met for showdown talks in Russia this week.
That’s the verdict of Darren Stanton, a behavioural psychologist, who exposed how Kim “couldn’t keep his eyes open” while showing signs of anxiety during the meeting.
You can read the full story here.
Footage has shown the moment a first-person view (FPV) drone destroyed a Russian T-90 tank in southern Ukraine.
In the footage, which was published by the Defence Forces of Southern Ukraine on Telegram, the tank can be seen engulfed in flames.
The attack was carried out by the 11th operational brigade of the National Guard, according to the original post.
The footage has since been geolocated to a forested area to the east of Oleshky, a small town south of the Dnipro River in occupied Ukraine. The river in that region effectively demarcates the frontline.
The T-90 main battle tank is an upgraded version of the Soviet-era T-72, which is Russia’s most common tank in Ukraine.
The T-90’s are comparatively much rarer than their predecessors and have been beset by technical problems since their introduction.
Michael Clarke, a military expert, told Express.co.uk that the tanks lack “accuracy in their guns” and are “not as sophisticated” as their Western counterparts, such as the British Challenger 2 and the German-made Leopard 2 tank.
He said they are “still the same basic tank” as the T-72 “but with more bells and whistles”.
FPV drones are unmanned aerial vehicles operated by a soldier using a headset and controller. Their speed and manoeuvrability make them particularly hard to shoot down
ud83cuddfaud83cudde6 FPV vs Russian most modern working tank T-90u041c
T-90M destroyed by the 11th brigade of National Guard of ud83cuddfaud83cudde6https://t.co/qYOigvGvJv pic.twitter.com/eszpURHI8H
Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson has attended a memorial service in western Ukraine for soldiers killed in the fight against Russia.
Mr Johnson joined the mayor of Lviv, a major city near the Polish border, for the service at the Field of Mars.
It borders the fence of the local Lychakiv Cemetery Museum and Reserve.
I joined the Mayor of Lviv @andriysadovyi to pay tribute to the fallen at Mars Fields. These brave soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend their country. Slava Ukraini ud83cuddfaud83cudde6 pic.twitter.com/26oPf9zsjX
Ukrainian soldiers have been pictured on one of four oil and drilling platforms liberated from Russian occupation on Monday (September 11).
Members of the Ukrainian Battalion Stugna were seen on the drilling platform Crimea-1.
It was known as Ukraine until the Russian capture in 2014 in the Black Sea.
Russia had been using it as a military outpost for their military helicopters before a Ukrainian operation recovered them this week.
ud83dudcf7Soldiers of Ukrainian Battalion Stugna on the drilling platform Crimea-1 (known as Ukraine until the Russian capture in 2014) in the Black Sea.#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/R4NMKHh99M
Huge explosions have been reported in Nova Kakhovka in occupied Ukraine.
Footage has shown explosions south of the Dnipro River, where small units of Ukrainian special services have been probing for months as part of the counteroffensive.
These reports have not been confirmed.
Powerful strikes on Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, Russian controlled left bank, are reported. Claimed location marked on the map. pic.twitter.com/qc73Bet73i
Germany has provided Ukraine with 20 additional Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), as well as a package of other vital equipment.
The German government announced this latest package, which also includes reconnaissance and surveillance equipment, munitions, and other aid, today.
Missile strikes on Russian military bases in occupied Crimea destroyed more than £340m worth of military hardware, Express.co.uk can reveal.
Russia alleged the strikes this morning were launched by Ukraine. High-ranking Ukrainian military officials have since alluded to their role in the attack, though they have not admitted full responsibility in accordance with protocol on strikes in Russian-held territory.
A Russian landing ship and a military submarine were damaged in the strikes.
The B-237 Rostov-on-Don submarine, added to Russia’s Black Sea fleet in 2014, is worth an estimated £240 million ($300m), according to a Ukrainian politician and junior sergeant.
The value of the “Minsk” landing ship, a Ropucha-class vessel made in 1983, is worth at least £100m, according to conservative estimates.
You can read the full story here.
Images have shown a burning ship this morning in the Crimean port of Sevastopol following a massive missile strike in the region.
Russia alleged earlier today that Ukraine fired 10 cruise missiles at Sevastopol, as well as carrying out a drone attack against ships in the Black Sea.
They claimed they shot down seven of the missiles but admitted two ships had been “damaged” by the attack.
A burning ship in a dry dock in Korabelnaya Bay, Sevastopol, has since been published online.
It is believed to be the smoking remains of the “Minsk” landing ship, a Ropucha-class Soviet-era military vessel. Satellite images also show the destruction wrought by the missile attack.
You can read further details about the missile strike here, as well as further down in this blog.
The ‘Minsk’ landing ship can be seen burning in Sevastopol (Image: CRIMEAN WIND / TELEGRAM )
Satellite images show the aftermath of the missile strike in Sevastopol (Image: CRIMEAN WIND / TELEGRAM )
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly conveyed strong assurances to President Vladimir Putin regarding the capabilities of Moscow’s forces.According to these reports, Kim Jong Un stated: “We are confident that the Russian army and people will certainly win a great victory in the holy struggle to punish the gathering of evil.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has issued a stern warning to Western nations during his long-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This encounter marks their first face-to-face dialogue since 2019 and carries far-reaching implications for global politics.
Kim said: “We have always expressed full and unconditional support for the actions taken by the Russian government.
“I take this opportunity to affirm that we will always stand with Russia on the anti-imperialist front.”
Putin took Kim on a tour of the Vostochny Cosmodrome this morning, Russia’s most important domestic satellite launch centre, before sitting down for a one-on-one, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Kim Jong Un met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in a summit this morning and vowed to work together in the future, in a terrifying warning to the West.
The pair shook hands as they met this morning, flanked by an entourage their most senior advisors. During the meeting, Kim Jong-un vowed to strengthen the partnership between Russia and North Korea
He said: “Russia has now risen to defend its national sovereignty and protect its security. We want to further develop relations with the Russian Federation; we have always supported Putin and the Russian government.”
He also called the Russian military operation in Ukraine “a sacred struggle to protect state sovereignty”.
The meeting occured as North Korea launched a missile in the latest provocative act in the country’s continuing weapons testing frenzy since the beginning of 2022. Kim leveraged the distraction provided by Putin’s involvement in the Ukraine war to boost his country’s weapons development.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff did not immediately reveal how far these North Korean missiles had travelled.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Coast Guard, using information from Tokyo’s Defence Ministry, stated that the missiles had most likely already landed but encouraged vessels to keep vigilant for falling debris.
Tass has announced on its Telegram channel that Putin and Kim’s in-person meeting has ended.
Tensions have spiked as Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a serious accusation against the UK, alleging their involvement in an alleged sabotage attempt on a Russian nuclear facility. The situation unfolded during Putin’s speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.A spokesperson from the UK government swiftly responded to Putin’s allegations, stating that they would not engage in a real-time exchange regarding Russian claims. The spokesperson emphasized that such claims serve as a distraction from Russia‘s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.”We are not offering a real-time response to Russian claims, which only serve as a distraction from Russia‘s unlawful invasion of Ukraine.”
The presence of high-ranking diplomats and military officers in both the North Korean and Russian delegations indicates the probable nature of the negotiations between the two leaders.
Ri Pyong Chol, the commander of the Korean People’s Army, Pak Jong Chon, his second-in-command, and Jo Chun Ryong, the head of North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department, are all members of Kim Jong Un’s team. Notably, Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s powerful sister, has also travelled to Russia, as we learnt today.
President Putin, on the other hand, has travelled a long distance from Moscow and is accompanied by Russia‘s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. This excellent roster from both sides emphasises the importance of the talks.
Formal negotiations between two significant world leaders, President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, have officially begun at the prestigious Vostochny cosmodrome in Amur. This meeting, as reported by Tass, is attended by members of their respective delegations.The talks are currently taking place in a specially designated meeting room located on the first floor of the engineering building within the technical complex of the Soyuz-2 space rocket facility, according to information from the Russian news agency.
Reports from the area indicate that two Russian military ships, currently undergoing repairs at the Sevastopol shipyard in occupied Crimea, have been damaged as a result of the attack. Furthermore, it’s been confirmed that at least 24 people have sustained injuries in the aftermath of this strike.
According to Russia‘s defense ministry, Ukraine launched ten cruise missiles at the Sevastopol shipyard. These precision-guided missiles found their marks, resulting in substantial damage to the ships that were targeted.Follow the latest reporting HERE.
Good morning from London. I’m Tim McNulty, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: tim.mcnulty@reachplc.com
Twitter: @TimDMcNulty
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