Day 577 of the Invasion of Ukraine: New Attack on Sevastopol

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Day 577 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Second missile attack over Sevastopol
• Two Russian generals are among the wounded in yesterday’s attack on Sevastopol
• American media: the US will provide Ukraine with long-range missiles
• Britain has been holding secret talks with Russia

Second missile attack over Sevastopol

Sevastopol is under rocket fire again this morning, UNIAN reported.

Moscow-appointed authorities in the city on the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea said missile debris had fallen in an area of the city after a missile defense system was tipped off. Representatives of the special services have arrived at the scene.

The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, wrote on Telegram that the Ukrainian Neptune and Harpoon missiles had been shot down.

New explosions are reported in occupied #Sevastopol. A strike is reported near Inkerman, where the Black Sea Fleet's oil depot is located pic.twitter.com/UXhuoagiDA

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 23, 2023

According to Crimean Wind, smoke is visible in the area of Suharnaya Balka, where the Russian naval arsenal is located.

The movement of sea passenger transport in Sevastopol has been stopped again. Razvozhaev warned of the danger of a rocket attack on the city.

"Missile danger! Close the windows well and do not approach them," urged the governor of Sevastopol.

Residents of occupied Crimea cannot enter bomb shelters during air raid warnings, which have already been issued twice across the peninsula because of the attack.

A video of the bomb shelter's doors being locked has surfaced. It shows how people cannot enter the locked basement, next to which it says that it is a "shelter". To help them, they are offered a sign with contact information on where to go.

A little later, Razvozhaev announced that the danger of a missile attack had passed.

So far, there has been no reaction from Kyiv.

On the afternoon of September 22, Ukraine launched a large-scale missile attack on the occupied Crimea. The missiles were launched in Sevastopol, at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. Later, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov commented that at least 9 people died in the attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. 16 people were injured. Russian generals are also among the wounded.

However, Moscow denied this information, announcing that only one person had disappeared without a trace.

Two Russian generals are among the wounded in yesterday’s attack on Sevastopol

As a result of Ukraine's attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, at least 9 people died. 16 people were wounded, including at least two Russian generals, said the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, quoted by UNIAN.

Among the wounded is the commander of the group, Colonel-General Alexander Romanchuk. He is in serious condition. Another casualty is the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Oleg Tsekov.

"The number of wounded rank-and-file servicemen who are not employees of the headquarters is still being established. These are servicemen who are on duty, security and so on - they are not included in the list that I communicated to you," said Budanov.

Alexander Romanchuk, commander of the grouping of Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction, was promoted to the rank of colonel general in 2023. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsekov is the commander of the 200th motorized rifle brigade of the coastal forces of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

Budanov did not confirm the information about the probable liquidation of the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov.

According to him, intelligence collects data from all sources. However, he did not say whether Western-made missiles were used in the attack on the plant.

On September 22, missiles hit the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the strike but reported one fatality, which was later "reclassified" as "missing".

The Armed Forces of Ukraine officially confirmed the attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to the Strategic Communications Department of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the target was hit as a result of a successful attack.

Storm Shadow missiles were used.

"The Defense Forces of Ukraine launched a successful strike against the command headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol," the Ukrainian army announced on Telegram.

American media: the US will provide Ukraine with long-range missiles

US President Joe Biden plans to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to help the counteroffensive to retake its territories occupied by Russia, US media reported, as quoted by the BBC and BTA.

This would allow Kyiv to strike Russian targets far beyond the front lines.

Biden administration officials familiar with the matter said Ukraine would receive several ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers.

On Thursday, as the US president received his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, the White House announced a new military aid package for Kyiv that does not include such missiles.

Biden is hesitant to deliver ATACMS to Ukraine amid concerns that it could lead to a direct confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia, the BBC commented.

At least one missile hit the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the city of Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea yesterday.

A Ukrainian military source told the BBC that the attack was carried out with Storm Shadow missiles, which the country receives from Britain and France.

This underscores the importance of Western arms supplies to Kyiv, noted British public radio and television.

These missiles have a range of over 240 kilometers.

Yesterday, a day after the meeting between Biden and Zelensky, two American media - NBC television and the Wall Street Journal newspaper - announced, citing unnamed officials of the administration of the American president, that he had promised his Ukrainian counterpart a "small number" of ATACMS missiles. The weapons will be shipped in the coming weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Another American daily, the Washington Post, cited several people familiar with the talks as saying that Kyiv will receive ATACMS missiles with cluster munitions rather than a single warhead.

The reports of the American media have not been confirmed by either the United States or Ukraine, the BBC points out.

Britain has been holding secret talks with Russia

The United Kingdom has held secret negotiations with Russia against the backdrop of the Ukrainian conflict, “i news” reported.

The paper said British officials had been involved in diplomatic discussions with key Kremlin officials on global security amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The secret meetings have taken place over the past 18 months, in places as diverse as Vienna and New York, as part of a behind-the-scenes diplomatic effort, “i news” claims.

Discussions have centered around security concerns affecting both the UK and the international community, covering topics such as grain shortages and nuclear safety.

However, the UK has not actively pursued peace talks aimed at a diplomatic solution to the conflict, as confirmed by a senior British diplomat involved in some of these talks.

"We have been in contact and we think it is extremely important to maintain an open dialogue during the war in Ukraine. We are in no way dividing parts of the country or concluding peace agreements on behalf of anyone, but it is vitally important to maintain contacts," the diplomat said.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed “i news” that meetings with Russian officials did take place, but only when they were deemed "absolutely necessary". The spokesman also rejected any claims that those discussions were aimed at negotiating an end to the conflict in Ukraine, calling such claims "neither credible nor accurate."

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