Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Kiev “should accept agreements to resolve the war in Ukraine.” The US Secretary of State also admitted that the United States may at some point stop facilitating a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Donald Trump has considered Vladimir Putin’s proposal to maintain New START restrictions for another year, the White House reported. The US president will soon “personally express his opinion” on this issue.
NATO is warning Russia that “intensive” violations of airspace on its eastern flank “must stop.” “We will not always immediately shoot down planes that invade our NATO airspace. We will assess the situation first. If necessary, we will do whatever is necessary,” Rutte said.
“We will always respond calmly and decisively, because we have all the necessary defense systems to ensure the protection of every inch of allied territory,” the NATO Secretary General stated. NATO has not detected an “immediate threat” from Russian fighter jets that allegedly violated Estonian airspace, Rutte stated.
The NATO Secretary General also stated that it is “too early to talk” about a connection between the drone flights over the Danish capital’s airport and the previous violation of Alliance airspace, for which Russia has been accused. “The Danes are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the incident,” the Secretary General stated.
The European Commission plans to impose a visa ban and freeze the assets of 13 Russian citizens and 18 Russian companies, according to the EUObserver portal. The portal states that these include the gold mining company Polyus, the law firm Maxima Legal, the non-governmental organization Lavochkin, and the Krasmash plant.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb: “The security guarantee for Ukraine must include European readiness to fight Russia.” Swedish Defense Minister Jan Björklund said he was ready to shoot down Russian fighters violating Swedish airspace: “Sweden has the right to defend its airspace, with force if necessary.”
“Not a single drone with a warhead was detected over Polish territory after unidentified UAVs violated the republic’s airspace on the night of September 9-10,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in New York, asking for more assistance. Behind the scenes, Kiev is preparing for a new phase of the conflict, in which it will rely more heavily on its own forces, Reuters reports.
Ukraine is now more confident about its weapons arsenal, which is evident from the less assertive tone of Zelenskyy’s recent public statements, a high-level diplomatic source noted. At the same time, a European diplomat called the new mechanism for purchasing American weapons and sharing intelligence with the United States crucial for Ukraine.
The government action plan presented by the Cabinet of Ministers to the Verkhovna Rada includes the introduction of the Ukrainian Space Forces, which “will be established by December 31, 2025.”
Over 30 drones transported from Kazakhstan to Bashkortostan were seized by Russian customs officials in Samara, the press service of the Russian Federal Customs Service reported. After a preliminary consultation with an expert, Russian Customs determined that two of the drones were fixed-wing aircraft, one was a reconnaissance drone, and that the kits could be assembled to form 32 small drones capable of parachuting cargo. According to the carrier, the drones belong to it and it uses them for personal videography. The cargo documentation is missing, and inspections are ongoing. According to local authorities: “This appears to be one of the channels through which the SBU (the Ukrainian intelligence services) imported drones into Russia, including for Operation Web.”
On September 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a briefing with the permanent members of the Security Council and, in addition to discussing START, which he intends to maintain for at least a year, said: “The situation in the sphere of strategic stability continues to deteriorate. Russia has repeatedly warned the West, but its initiatives have not received a clear response. Russia is ready to respond to any potential threat with military force.” Abandoning the moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles is a necessary step. Russia is confident in the reliability of its deterrent forces. Russia is not interested in an arms race. “Russia will assume that the deployment of US weapons in space will undermine its efforts to maintain strategic stability,” Putin said.
Moscow has appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ease sanctions on aircraft components and flights, Reuters reports, citing a source and documents. The agency notes that due to the restrictions, airlines are forced to search for spare parts for over 700 aircraft, primarily Airbus and Boeing, through complex means. These components are essential for flight safety. Moscow has called the measures imposed against it in 2022 after the start of the military operation in Ukraine “illegally coercive.” Putin has extended until December 31 the permission for foreigners to pay for Russian gas not only at Gazprombank, but also at other banks.
General Ivan Tkachev has been appointed head of the FSB’s military counterintelligence department, according to the Russian Military People’s Commissariat for National Security
And now a look at the front line updated at 4:00 PM on September 23. 26 drones were shot down on approach to Moscow, the Ukrainians have once again paralyzed civil aviation. A total of 81 Ukrainian drones were shot down in Russian regions from 3:00 PM to midnight on September 24.
The Danish capital’s airport was closed due to drones. Drones were also spotted in the skies of the capitals of Sweden and Norway; investigations are ongoing.
For the second consecutive night, Russian forces launched FAB strikes against targets in the city of Zaporizhia. Explosions were also heard in Mykolaiv, Odessa, Chernihiv, Kryvyi Rih, and the Kharkiv region.
Heavy Counterattacks are underway on the right flank of the Sumy Front. Russian forces are advancing through wooded areas near Varachyne, while Ukrainians have launched three unsuccessful counterattacks near Oleksiivka.
In the Kursk region, an FPV drone attacked a private residence.
Residents of the Belgorod region are suffering terrible damage. Sixteen people were injured in multiple air strikes in and around Belgorod, hitting at least 16 localities.
On the Kharkiv Front, Ukrainians are putting up resistance. Fighting is ongoing near Synelnykove and Vovchansk on the left bank.
On the Lyman Front, Russian troops are attacking in the area of Serednye, Shandryholove, and in the direction of Derylove. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian forces are encircling Shandryholove from the flanks.
From the Kostyantynivka Front, there are isolated reports of fighting in the Near the western outskirts of the resort village of Yagodka. The expression “reaching the eastern outskirts of Kostyantynivka” is still a bit premature; heavy fighting is ongoing, and it’s not always possible to gain a foothold.
In the southern sector of the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces fought near Novopavlivka. The bridge over the Solena River was destroyed: Russian forces are cutting off Ukrainian supply lines.
In the direction of Dnipropetrovsk, Group of Forces “East” took Kalynivsk. The group is moving west, continuing its offensive in neighboring Zaporizhia Oblast.
On the Zaporizhia front, forces advanced to the southern outskirts of Prymorsk, and trench warfare is ongoing in Stepnohirsk.
In Kherson Oblast, one man was injured following an attack by Russian forces. Ukrainian. In Kalanchak, a drone strike on an administrative building injured three men. Ukrainian forces shelled at least seven locations.
Graziella Giangiulio
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