Poisonous substance attack in the south and rocket attack on Zaporizhzhya: last night's highlights
On the southern front, the occupiers dumped containers with a toxic substance on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a new strike was launched on Zaporizhzhya, and the United States threatened Russia with severe consequences in case of annexation of Ukrainian lands. Here's what you may have missed from the previous night.
Attack with a poisonous substance
On September 23, Russian occupiers dropped containers with a poisonous substance from a drone on Ukrainian positions in the south. Combat medics "worked thoroughly", so there were no losses and critical injuries.
In response, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck 20 times at the enemy, destroying an enemy helicopter, an attack aircraft, 51 enemy troops and 18 other units of equipment. A pontoon ferry and a convoy of Russian weapons and equipment were also hit.
Rocket attack on Zaporizhzhya
In the morning, Russian troops struck the city of Zaporizhzhya. A rocket hit the residential sector of the city, which caused a fire in a multi-storey building. One person was killed, seven more people were injured.
Washington threatens Moscow with "severe consequences"
The United States said that together with other countries are ready to impose swift and severe economic costs that will have dire consequences for Russia. The West promises to take such steps if Russia resorts to the annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine, where pseudo-referendums are currently being held.
ICRC did not visit the released prisoners
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that Ukrainian prisoners released on September 21 did not see representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross during their captivity.
The organization assures that they have already visited many Ukrainian prisoners, but not all of them.
20 military administrations in Luhansk Oblast
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the establishment of military administrations in 20 temporarily occupied settlements of the Luhansk region. These are the cities of Starobilsk, Shchastia, Svatove, as well as a number of settlements and villages.
Head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration Serhiy Hayday explained that this will allow to make decisions quickly after the de-occupation of the territories and will be "an emergency measure to save people, tens of thousands of whom are entering the winter without light, gas, heating".
Abramovich participated in the organization of the prisoner swap
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in late August as part of the negotiations that ended with the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
The Sun newspaper reported earlier that Abramovich personally met the five released Britons on board a private jet flying to Saudi Arabia from Russia.
Mobilization of Crimean Tatars
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian occupiers in the annexed Crimea are trying to find and mobilize as many Crimean Tatars as possible for the war against Ukraine to try to destroy this people.
Russians resort to mobilization in the places of compact residence of Crimean Tatars on the peninsula. Ukraine already has evidence of this.
Lithuania will not accept Russians fleeing from mobilization
Lithuania officially stated that it will not grant asylum to Russians fleeing abroad from mobilization. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country stressed that "Russians must stay and fight. Against Putin". A number of other countries have previously adopted similar decisions.