LIVE – War in Ukraine: British Challenger 2 tank supplied to Kiev by London destroyed

It’s official: The Ukrainian parliament appointed a new defense minister on Wednesday morning. With a large majority, it was Rustam Omerov, a 41-year-old Crimean Tatar, who reclaimed this most strategic position in the current environment. A nomination proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shabbs has confirmed that a British Challenger 2 tank supplied to Kiev by London has been destroyed. “This is the first loss we know of,” he told Sky News. “We accept that in a war zone, there may be material losses,” said London, however, not planning to replace the vehicle.

As a reminder, the UK delivered 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine this year. As the Guardian noted on Tuesday, it was the first such device to be destroyed on a battlefield since it was commissioned in 1994, apart from a copy that was hit by friendly fire in Iraq in 2003.

In the pages of Le Monde, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reviews developments in the conflict and recent statements by Nicolas Sarkozy. According to the diplomatic chief, the former president of the republic “had his moment of glory in Georgia in 2008”. “The management of this crisis is one of the reasons for the chain of events,” he quipped, along with the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Ukraine. As a reminder, in an interview in the press, the man accused of benefiting from lucrative deals in Russia confirmed that “we need the Russians” and “they need us”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is in Kyiv before the Ukrainian parliament.

The head of US diplomacy should use the Kyiv visit to announce a billion dollars in new aid to Ukraine, a senior State Department official told reporters.

Washington will continue its “efforts” so that the Ukrainians “have what it takes to fight this war,” the State Department official said on condition of anonymity, referring to the counteroffensive. This is “not only for strikes, but also for truly breaking through the vicious defense lines put in place by the Russians,” according to the same official, who praised the “impressive advances” of Kiev forces in the south. But also in the East

Oleksandr Chirsky, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said the situation on the eastern front was difficult, with Russian forces trying to gain the upper hand to “retaliate” for an attack by Ukrainian troops. “The enemy has not abandoned plans to reach the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” he noted. As quoted by the Military Media Center. “He is stubbornly preparing for revenge,” he said.

US diplomat Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv this morning for his fourth surprise visit since the war began. The US diplomat is expected to discuss Ukrainian needs, particularly military aid, during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Chymikal and diplomatic chief Dmytro Kouleba.

9 am. A chance to review the highlights of the last 24 hours.

A Russian drone strike in the Odesa region of southern Ukraine killed one person, local governor Oleg Kiper said, adding that the port and agricultural infrastructure had been damaged. “Unfortunately, one died in the hospital,” he lamented, adding that the victim was working in agriculture.

Last night, Kiev was the target of a coordinated attack by “cruise missiles” and other “probably ballistic” missiles, the head of the military administration, Sergei Babko, said in a telegram. “All targets in the direction of the capital have been destroyed by air defenses,” he said. According to Ukrainian emergency services, there were no casualties. Only one “commercial enterprise” fire was caused by “enemy missile debris.”

According to the Daily Mail, London should add the Wagner group to the list of terrorist organizations. “Wagner is a violent and destructive organization that has acted as a military tool abroad for Vladimir Putin’s Russia,” Interior Minister Suella Braverman told the British newspaper.

The minister has the power to “outlaw” an organization he believes is involved in terrorist activities, making it a criminal offense to support the organization concerned. British media reports that the motion will be tabled in Parliament today.

Attacks targeting Ukraine occurred “very close” to the border with Romania, the NATO member state’s president said the day after Russian explosive drones fell over the Danube. “Attacks have been recorded 800 meters from our border,” Klaus Iohannis said, “very, very close”. Since the suspension in July of a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, Russia has stepped up its bombing of Romania’s southwestern border with Ukraine, where ports and other key infrastructure are located.

The White House has warned that North Korea will “pay the price in the international community” if it sends any weapons to Russia to support its war on Ukraine. When asked at a press conference about “active discussions” between Moscow and Pyongyang on the matter, National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, however, admitted that he could not say what kind of weapons would be provided in the framework of a possible agreement between them. Two allies. “What kind of material and the quality of this material can be provided remains an open question,” he admitted. But “it says a lot about Russia that it should turn to a country like North Korea to strengthen its defense capabilities”.

Hello and welcome to this new live stream dedicated to following the war in Ukraine as the 560ᵉ conflict unfolds.