Russia Ukraine sinks Russian ferry carrying oil in port
While the Ukrainian army's offensive in the western Russian region of Kursk continues, it has now also succeeded in striking a spectacular blow in southern Russia. According to official reports, a ferry loaded with fuel tanks caught fire and sank in a port in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar as a result of Ukrainian fire. According to the district administration, a total of 30 cisterns were on board the rail ferry.
The attack was captured on video by local residents, in which large flames and huge clouds of black smoke can be seen rising from an object in the harbor. "At this stage, 17 crew members have already been rescued," wrote the governor of the Krasnodar region, Wenjamin Kondratjew, on his Telegram channel. A search is still underway for two missing persons.
Strike against fuel supply for Russian troops
The port of Kavkas in the Krasnodar region is located opposite the Crimean peninsula, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014, and is used intensively to supply Russian troops in the war of aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, there was a missile alert in Crimea.
According to unofficial information from Moscow and Kiev, the ferry is said to have been hit by a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile. However, the official range of this weapon is 300 kilometers. There are only a few points in Ukrainian-controlled territory that are closer to the port.
Ukrainian army still under pressure in the east of the country
Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in eastern Ukraine. According to the General Staff in Kiev, there were more than 130 clashes over the course of the day. The focus of the Russian attacks was in the Pokrovsk region, according to the evening situation report. More than 50 attacks were reported from there.
Further north near the small town of Torezk, according to the General Staff, fighting is continuing around the village of Nju-Jork, which Russia's defense minister had already congratulated the Russian troops on capturing the day before.
Fighting is also continuing in the western Russian region of Kursk. There, Ukrainian forces are trying to cut off Russian troops south of the river from supplies.
Energy crisis: Ukraine fears worst winter
The Ukrainian government is expecting a cold and dark winter in view of the country's electricity and energy infrastructure being destroyed by Russian attacks. "We are facing the harshest winter in our history," said Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko during a video conference. This winter will be even more difficult than the previous one because the damage caused by the ongoing Russian attacks has accumulated. The Russian army is combining the use of various weapons in order to cause as much destruction as possible.
Although the Ukrainians are trying to repair power plants and import electricity from neighboring EU countries, there is still a huge supply gap compared to Halushchenko's predicted demand of 18 to 19 gigawatts - depending on how frosty the winter will be. Ukrainians must therefore expect massive power cuts and heating failures during the cold season.
Harris: Standing firm with Ukraine and Nato
Meanwhile, Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has made a clear commitment to Nato and also promised to continue to stand by Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. "I will stand firmly by Ukraine and our NATO allies," she said in her eagerly awaited speech at the end of the four-day Democratic Party conference in Chicago. Her Republican opponent Donald Trump, on the other hand, had threatened to abandon Nato, said Harris. He had also encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.
This will be important on Friday
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Kiev. The focus will be on a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Indian Prime Minister had only visited Moscow in July. Pictures of the meeting, during which Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin embraced, provoked criticism in Ukraine. India describes itself as neutral.
