9/24/2023 0 Comments African ports map![]() Black Sea grain deal: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is visiting Equatorial Guinea to discuss food security in Africa nearly two weeks after Russia pulled out of a critical deal to allow safe passage of Ukrainian grain exports.It marks the latest in a series of recent strikes on Russian supplies and critical infrastructure in the Russian-annexed peninsula. Ammo dump in Crimea: Ukrainian forces hit an ammunition dump in Crimea on Saturday, forcing an evacuation of the area and canceling train services, according to information from Russian-backed authorities.Russia also shelled about 20 different civilian settlements in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, a military leader there said. According to regional leaders, at least two people were killed in Kharkiv. Fighting in other areas of Ukraine: Deadly Russian shelling also continued overnight in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for a "sky shield" provided by partners. Call for more air defense: Ukraine has been struggling in the past week to repel a wave of Russian strikes against Odesa, its air defenses unable to cope with the types of missiles that Moscow has used to pummel the region.Ukraine's Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko called for Russia's expulsion from UNESCO, and the European Union foreign policy chief called the cathedral's destruction "another war crime" committed by Moscow. Among the damaged buildings was an Orthodox cathedral that was the largest in the city and has a history that traces back to the 1800s. Monuments damaged: The attacks damaged 25 architectural monuments in the historic city center, many of which were protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).Russia’s defense ministry claimed Sunday that it is avoiding civilian infrastructure, as well as cultural and historical objects, in its strikes, which Ukraine, its allies and international bodies dismiss as patently false. At least one person was killed and more than a dozen others were wounded. Overnight strikes in Odesa: A fifth night of Russian strikes on the southern port city of Odesa damaged a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, architectural monuments and homes, according to Ukraine’s military.The Wagner group is in Belarus after Lukashenko helped broker a deal to end the group's rebellion against Moscow. Wagner fighters in Belarus: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that the Wagner mercenaries who are in his country have begun to "stress" him because they want to "go to the West" on "an excursion." Lukashenko is a close ally of Putin and he was apparently joking, but the tensions are very real surrounding the private military group's presence in Belarus and plans to hold training exercises near the Polish border.The minister joked that the group of 11 nations that have committed to helping Ukraine train pilots on the F16s are called “Ocean’s 11,” after the popular film. He said the trainings may be split between countries, but the final plans were still being finalized. The defense minister said the maintenance of the jets is a "serious task”. The training - which Reznikov said will likely be held in Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as possibly in the United Kingdom or Poland - will also include intensive sessions for technicians. “If you have more sophisticated, more modern weaponry will be more efficient,” he said. Speaking to CNN’s Alex Marquardt in the Ukrainian capital, Reznikov, a lawyer turned defense official, did concede that if Ukraine had these fighter jets now they would “certainly” have helped Ukraine make more progress in the ongoing counteroffensive. The defense minister said he thought, optimistically, pilots could be operating F-16s in the skies of Ukraine by spring of next year. Reznikov, speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN over the weekend, added that the training will take “a minimum of 6 months” and that Ukraine still needs to add some infrastructure for the fighter jets. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots will begin in August.
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