Ukraine war: Putin Black sea submarine hit as Kyiv launches explosive boats in Crimea

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sports Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close A submarine and landing ship were hit in an overnight attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet , a Ukrainian spy agency official has said. Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack, saying the Sevastopol shipyard in Crimea was struck by 10 cruise missiles ‘We confirm a large landing vessel and submarine were hit. We do not comment on the means (used) for the strike,’ Andriy Yusov, the official, told Reuters. Earlier, Kim Jong-Un promised that North Korea would help Russia ‘fight imperialism’ as he and Vladimir Putin met for weapons talks. Speaking at Russia’s far east spaceport in a remote part of Siberia, the North Korean leader said the friendship between the two countries had ‘deep roots’ and that Russia has ‘risen to a sacred fight’ to protect its sovereignty and security.’ ‘We will always support the decisions of president Putin and the Russian leadership…and we will be together in the fight against imperialism,’ he added. 1694594980 The Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Papal envoy cardinal Matteo Zuppi will visit China for talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, despite the lack of formal bilateral ties between Beijing and the Holy See. China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui will meet with Zuppi, Mao Ning, a spokesperson at the foreign ministry, told a regular news conference. “On the issue of Ukraine, China has always been committed to promoting peace talks,” said Mao. “We are ready to work with all parties and continue to play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation and cooling of the situation.” Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 09:49 1694593837 European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday the bloc would extend special protections granted to Ukrainian citizens who fled Russia’s war, restating the bloc’s long-term dedication to support Kyiv. “Our support to Ukraine will endure,” the European Commission president said in her annual policy speech to the European parliament. Politicians gave a standing ovation as von der Leyen recounted the fate of Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer and activist who perished in Russia’s war against Ukraine after delivering her son to safety in Prague, an EU capital. Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 09:30 1694592925 A Ukrainian military spy agency official said on Wednesday that an overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, had struck a large Russian landing ship and a submarine. “We confirm a large landing vessel and submarine were hit. We do not comment on the means (used) for the strike,” Andriy Yusov, the official, told Reuters. The attack on the major naval city took place around 3am and according to a local Russian-installed official injured 24 people. Videos purporting to show the strike showed three explosions in quick succession in Sevastopol. Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 09:15 1694591828 The face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is over, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday. Interfax reported the two leaders would then take part in an official lunch. The two leaders will reportedly dine on duck salad, crab dumplings fish soup, sturgeon with mushrooms and a berry dessert. Kim speaks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 08:57 1694591198 A Russian drone attack early on Wednesday damaged port infrastructure in the Izmail district of southern Ukraine, an important grain exporting hub, Ukrainian officials said. The attack on Izmail, which is in the Odesa region, was carried out in several waves, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. “Unfortunately, there were hits: damage to port and other civil infrastructure was recorded,” he said on the Telegram messaging app, without giving details of the damage. File photo: An explosion of a drone is seen in the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 08:46 1694590225 Responding to Putin’s opening remarks, Kim Jong-Un said North Korea would support Russia in its ‘fight against imperialism’. He also said the friendship between the two countries had ‘deep roots’ and that Russia has ‘risen to a sacred fight’ to protect its sovereignty and security.’ ‘The Soviet Union played a very big role in the liberation of our country,’ he said. ‘Our friendship has deep roots, and now relations with the Russian Federation are the first priority for our country I am sure that our meeting will be the next step to take relations to a new level. ‘Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security … against the hegemonic forces. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism. Kim also wrote in a visitor book at the centre: ‘The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal.’ Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 08:30 1694589442 Vladimir Putin said Russia and North Korea would discuss ‘economic cooperation’ as he welcomed King Jong-Un to the Vostochny cosmodrome for weapons talks. The Russian president said he was ‘very glad’ to see the North Korea premier and that the meeting was taking place at a ‘very special time’ as North Korea celebrates 75 years of its creation and foundation. ‘We, of course, need to talk about questions of economic cooperation and questions of a humanitarian nature,’ he said. ‘We have a lot of questions. I want to say that I am very glad to see you. Thank you for accepting the invitation and coming to Russia.’ Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 08:17 1694588842 Ukraine has nearly completed repairs of its power systems following Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure last winter, and is ready for the coming winter, a senior energy official said on Wednesday. “We have installed all the equipment we planned and we are ready for the winter loads,” Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, head of state-owned Ukrenergo power grid operator, told national television. Russia’s campaign of frequent missile and drone attacks resulted in power cuts and scheduled blackouts to limit energy use, leaving towns and cities in darkness for hours at a time over winter. Kudrytskiy said there was a ‘high risk’ of new attacks on the county’s energy system this winter, but that Ukrainian air defences were much stronger now. “We know what it looks like (to be attacked) and it will be very difficult for the enemy to surprise us after the 1,200 missiles they fired at the power system last winter,” he said. Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 08:07 1694587442 Russia is ‘rushing’ the deployment a new unit of its army to Ukraine because its forces are stretched along the front line, Britain’s Ministry of Defence has said. Elements of Russia’s new 25th Combined Arms Army (25 CAA) have highly likely deployed to Ukraine for the first time, the MOD added. The formation is likely focused on Luhansk Oblast in the north-east of the country. The Mod said in its latest update: ‘It is likely that units have been rushed into action early partly because Russia continues to grapple with an over-stretched force along the front and Ukraine continues its counter-offensive on three different axes. ‘However, there is also a realistic possibility that Russia will attempt to use parts of 25 CAA to regenerate an uncommitted reserve force in the theatre to provide commanders with more operational flexibility.’ Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 07:44 1694585920 Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 32 out of 44 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched into Ukraine early on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app. “The main target (of the attack) was the southern parts of the Odesa region – the region’s port infrastructure,” the Air Force said. Matt Mathers 13 September 2023 07:18 Ukraine Kyiv Vladimir Putin Russia Volodymyr Zelensky Crimea Kim Jong-Un Ukraine attacks Black Sea shipyard near Sevastopol as Kim Jong-un meets Putin, 13 September 2023 AP / AFP / Getty Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in