A wave of Russian airstrikes rocks Ukraine. Due to the massive shelling, seven million households are temporarily without electricity. There is also an explosion in Poland. Moscow denies being responsible, and NATO wants to investigate the allegations. The 265th day of the war at a glance.
Reports: Russian missiles hit Poland
Two people died in an explosion on a farm in a Polish town near the Ukrainian border. The radio station ZET reported that two stray rockets had fallen in Przewodow. The AP news agency reported, citing US intelligence circles, that two people had been killed in the impact of Russian missiles.
A representative of the Polish fire brigade confirmed two deaths in an explosion. “It’s unclear what happened,” the officer on duty said. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called a meeting of the National Security Council, his spokesman said on Twitter. NATO said it was looking into the matter. “We are reviewing these reports and are coordinating closely with our ally, Poland,” a NATO official said.
Russia described the reports as a “provocation”. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that no targets in the Ukrainian-Polish border area were fired upon. Poland is a member of the EU and the western defense alliance NATO.
Massive rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities
With over 90 rockets and cruise missiles, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy system, causing severe damage. According to Ukrainian military information, it was the most massive attack on infrastructure since the war began a good eight months ago. According to the authorities, around seven million households were temporarily left in the dark because the electricity failed or had to be switched off.
The Ukrainian President’s Office in Kyiv said it was possible to shoot down around 70 of the incoming missiles. However, 15 energy supply objects in different parts of the country were hit, said Deputy Chief Kyrylo Tymoshenko in the Telegram news service. The capital Kyiv was also hit, with a woman being killed, according to authorities.
Tymoshenko described the situation after the impacts in terms of energy infrastructure as “critical”. “Most hits were found in the center and north of the country,” he wrote. The state energy supplier Ukrenerho had to switch to extraordinary power cuts to stabilize the grid.
Selenskyj praises perseverance
Despite the hits, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s will to persevere. The enemy will not reach his goal, the 44-year-old said in a video message. Everything will be repaired and the power supply restored. At the same time he praised the Ukrainians with a clenched fist: “You are great guys!”
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba demanded that the G20 group of leading economic powers meeting in Indonesia should condemn the attack. The US government immediately condemned the missile attacks by Russia. “As world leaders gather at the G20 Summit in Bali to discuss issues vital to the lives and livelihoods of people around the world, Russia is once again threatening those lives and destroying critical infrastructure Ukraine,” said US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Hundreds of criminals released during Russian withdrawal from Kherson
According to the police, hundreds of murder suspects and other serious criminals escaped from prison when Russian troops left the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson. Of a total of over 450 fugitives, 166 were arrested again, police chief Ihor Klymenko said on Ukrainian television. A murderer sentenced to life imprisonment was taken to a prison in the neighboring city of Mykolaiv. A total of more than 100 men are being sought who are accused of a homicide. According to a reporter from the Internet broadcaster Hromadske, the prisoners were released by a prison employee when the Russians left.
US intelligence: Russia waited with withdrawal announcement because of midterms
According to a media report, US intelligence information suggests that Moscow may have delayed announcing the withdrawal from Kherson because of the US midterm elections. Russia did not want to give the government of US President Joe Biden any advantage before the so-called midterms, CNN reported, citing four unspecified sources. The elections were discussed among senior Russian officials as a factor in the formal announcement. But they weren’t the only factor. Biden made a similar statement the day after the midterms.
Military economist: Ukraine will win next year
Military economist Marcus Matthias Keupp considers the war to be a strategic decision. “The withdrawal from the city and the Cherson region shows that the war has already been strategically decided,” he told Die Zeit. “A victory for the Ukrainian armed forces is only a matter of time. You have the initiative, Russia has no more reserves to bring about a turnaround.” He expects Russia to lose next year, “maybe in September or October.” Keupp heads the Department of Military Economics at the Military Academy of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Stoltenberg: Don’t underestimate Russia despite defeats
Contrary to Keupp, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned against underestimating Russia’s military capabilities after recent defeats. “We have seen that Russia is willing to accept high losses,” said the Norwegian on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. Moscow has significant military capabilities and many troops. In addition, Russia is taking brutal action against civilians. “We must support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Despite defeats, Russian troops still hold almost a fifth of the neighboring country.
Russian army promises bounty and kill bonuses
The Russian military tries to motivate conscripts with kill bonuses and bounties in the war against Ukraine. The army channel “Zvezda” published a price list on its Telegram channel. According to this, the shooting down of a Ukrainian plane is compensated with the equivalent of 5,000 euros, a helicopter with a little more than 3,200 euros, and a battle tank with a good 1,600 euros. “In addition, payments to soldiers who have excelled in the destruction of fighters and the fulfillment of other tasks are possible – up to 100,000 rubles” – the equivalent of a good 1,600 euros – it says.
Exchange student apparently recruited by Russia and died
The Zambian Foreign Ministry mourns the death of a Zambian exchange student who is said to have been recruited by Russia. The African country was informed a few days ago that 23-year-old Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda had died at the front, according to a press release. The embassy in Moscow found out that the young man died on September 22nd. The exchange student was sentenced to prison in Russia and was in prison. The Zambian government is now demanding clarification as to how the Zambian got into the war zone.
UN reports torture of prisoners of war on both sides
According to UN human rights experts, prisoners of war in Ukraine have been mistreated and tortured on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides. This was reported by the head of the UN human rights delegation in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner. Accordingly, only the Ukrainian side, in accordance with international law, gave experts access to captured soldiers. The experts spoke to Ukrainian prisoners after their release from Russian custody.
The delegation relies on detailed information provided by the prisoners. In the past few months, the delegation spoke to a total of 159 prisoners of war who were being held by Russia or parties to the conflict linked to Russia. The team of experts spoke to 175 men in Ukrainian captivity.
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