“Abrams tanks will soon be in Kiev.” Putin in Beijing in October

7:45 Moscow: 7 attacks against Donetsk repelled The head of the press center of the Southern group, Georgy Minesashvili, said that his troops repelled seven attacks in the direction of Donetsk, inflicting losses of up to 210 servicemen on the enemy. The assaults of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Soledaro-Artemovsky, Avdeevsky and Aleksandro-Kalinovsky directions. 7:48 NYT: “Massacre at Kostiantynivka market was a mistake” According to the New York Times, the missile that arrived on the Kostiantynivka market on September 6, killing at least 17 people and injuring over 30, was not launched by the Russians but could have been an anti-aircraft missile that went off course. A reconstruction demonstrates this: the rocket would have arrived from the north-west, therefore from the areas controlled by Kiev, and not from the sector occupied by the Russians. 8:11 The first ship with grain left after suspension of the agreement A cargo ship carrying grain has left the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk on the Black Sea for the first time since the suspension of the agreement decided by Moscow on July 17th. Last month Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to bypass the blockade. 8:11 Kiev: Moscow attempts to regain positions in Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia region Russian troops tried to regain lost positions near Klishchiyivka and Andriivka in Donetsk and Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region, reports the Ukrainian General Staff. While Ukrainian units “continue assault operations in the area south of Bakhmut, inflicting significant losses on the enemy and consolidating their positions”. 9:32 “Russian soldiers shot at a trolleybus in Kherson” The head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Alexander Prokudin, denounced the attack by Russian troops on a trolleybus in Kherson, southern Ukraine. In the attack “two passengers were injured”. 10:08 New weapons from Germany, but not Taurus missiles Germany will provide Ukraine with a new essentially military aid package worth 400 million euros, but has not yet decided on the delivery of the long-range Taurus missiles requested by Kiev. This was announced by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. 10:11 Explosions in occupied Melitopol In Melitopol, a city in the Zaporizhzhia region under Russian control, “at least five explosions” were recorded, the city’s exiled mayor, Ivan Fedorov, wrote on Telegram. “The strongest occurred in the Avtokolorlit area. We are awaiting details from our military.” 10.19am 007 Gb: “Moscow strengthens activities in the lower Dnipro area” “Throughout the first half of September 2023, heavy fighting continued around the islands of the Lower Dnipro, in Kherson Oblast, which currently marks the front line. Both sides launched raids with teams in small boats against the islands and against the opposite banks of the rivers,” reads the British intelligence report. “There is a realistic possibility that Russian operations in the area have been strengthened since the sector came under the responsibility of the newly created 40th Army Corps. The number of forces involved is relatively small compared to other fronts; however, both the sides consider the area strategically important. It also provides the opportunity to distance one’s opponent’s units from the intense fighting in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.” 10.20am Washington: “Soon the Abrams will be in Ukraine” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine soon. “I am also pleased to announce that M1 Abrams tanks previously committed by the United States will soon enter Ukraine.” Last week, the Pentagon confirmed to RIA Novosti that Abrams tanks would arrive in Ukraine this fall. 10.25am In NY Olena Zelenska will see the Clintons Together with Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly, there is the Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska who plans to meet the Clintons, as part of a series of appointments on humanitarian issues. 10:38 US Defense: “Ukrainian counteroffensive is making constant progress” Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, declared at the opening of the meeting of the contact group for the defense of Ukraine taking place in Ramstein, that Kiev’s “counteroffensive continues to make steady progress” and “courageous Ukrainian troops are breaking through the heavily fortified lines of the Russian army of aggression.” 10:52 Isw: “Kiev’s successes south of Bakhmut, Russian defense weakens” The liberation of Klishchiivka and Andriivka by the Ukrainian army may have deteriorated the Russian defense in the area south of Bakhmut and may have rendered up to three Russian brigades ineffective according to Ukrainian military officials, reads the latest report on the war in Ukrainian Institute for the Study of War (ISW). 11:00 am Moscow bans media from calling Zelensky president of Ukraine The Kremlin has ordered state media to never refer to Volodymyr Zelensky as “president of Ukraine.” The directive was published by the independent Russian site Holod, and relaunched by the Moscow Times. According to anonymous sources, the ban caused “a wave of indignation” in the editorial offices with “threats of resignation”. Moscow would have imposed the use of the expression “Zelensky’s regime” or calling the Ukrainian president only by name, without adding his title. 11.05am Putin will go to Beijing in October The secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will be in Beijing for consultations with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October. 11.23am Kiev outraged by Musk’s post Outrage in Ukraine over a post by Elon Musk on Ukraine’s territorial gains thanks to its much-vaunted counteroffensive are so tiny they are barely visible on a map.” In response Musk commented: ‘So many deaths for so little’. 11.43am Moscow: “Convoy of Ukrainian armored vehicles destroyed” Russian troops destroyed a convoy of armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporozhzhia region. The acting governor of the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, wrote on Telegram: “I just spoke with the command of our units in the Orekhovsky direction. Today, around five in the morning, our reconnaissance discovered the movement of enemy armored groups in the direction of Rabotinus, the entire column was destroyed”. 12.13pm Denmark sends another 45 tanks to Ukraine Denmark, thanks also to collaboration with other countries, will send another 45 tanks to Ukraine. These are 30 Leopard 1 tanks and 15 T-72 tanks. The confirmation comes from Copenhagen’s Defense Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, as reported by the Ritzau agency. The purchase is “in cooperation with other countries that have access to the tanks,” Troels Lund Poulsen reported. 12.24pm In the attack on Lviv, 300 tons of humanitarian aid were destroyed Over 300 tons of humanitarian supplies were destroyed in the Russian drone attack on Lviv. On Telegram Andriy Sadovoy, the mayor of the western Ukrainian city, confirmed the death of a man who worked in the affected building where “about 300 tons of humanitarian goods” were contained. The supplies were worth millions. “I just talked to the head of Caritas: they had just received humanitarian aid, clothes, shoes, generators to send from Lviv to other parts of Ukraine. Now everything is on fire. A lot of food and light industrial products are burning,” the mayor underlined. 1.28pm Moscow: “Two drones headed for Russia intercepted” Russian anti-aircraft intercepted two Ukrainian drones headed towards its territory, one over the Belgorod region and one over the Bryansk region. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense.