Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, September 22, 2024 (Commonwealth Media Services)

Sunday’s Coverage: Destroying Russia’s Ammunition Depots

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1431 GMT:

One person has been killed and at least 10 injured by Russian attacks on the city of Kramatorsk and the village of Shakhove in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Seven people, including two children, were injured in the strike on Shakhove near Pokrovsk. Three administrative buildings and 24 houses were damaged.

UPDATE 1240 GMT:

The UK’s position on permission for Ukraine’s long-range strikes inside Russia with Western-supplied weapons “remains unchanged”, says a spokesperson for the Prime Minister.

Earlier this month, following a trip to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, reports circulated that the US would finally approve strikes with British-made Storm Shadow missiles. However, this was never confirmed publicly or privately.

On Sunday, Lammy said it was “a time for nerve and guts” as Kyiv and its partners considered “what more might be necessary”: “here is a very real-time discussion across allies about how we can support Ukraine as we head into winter.”

But the Prime Minister’s spokesperson pushed back on any expectation of a change in policy, “I think, as the PM said following his trip to Washington just last week, our ongoing discussions on Ukraine are not about one specific bit of military equipment.”

UPDATE 1224 GMT:

Speaking at the American Academy of Achievement award ceremony in Washington, UKraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said:

We don’t have much time. The next few months will be decisive. Ahead of us in this war — Russia’s war against Ukraine, and all of you because this is Russia’s war against freedom itself — we are short of time to define what the outcome will be.

And we must define it. Not Russia, not their bloody allies. We need to be faster. We need not to lose the next few months in war, so that we don’t lose the next decades.

UPDATE 1030 GMT:

Three civilians have been killed and 38 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

In addition to at least 17 injured by a Russian guide bomb on Zaporizhzhia city (see 0748 GMT), there were casualties in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions.

The fatalities were in Donetsk: one in the village of Novoukrainka near Vuhledar and two in the town of Myrnohrad near Pokrovsk.

Air defenses downed 3 of 4 Iran-type drones launched by Russia overnight. One drone and two Kh-59/69 cruise missiles failed to reach their targets because of electronic counter-measures.

UPDATE 0751 GMT:

On the eve of his trip to the US, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy challenged Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, who has called for an end of American support to Kyiv against Russia’s 31-month invasion.

Chiding Vance as “too radical”, Zelenskiy told the New Yorker, “The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable. But I do not consider this concept of his a plan, in any formal sense.”

Vance said in an interview on 12 September that a Trump plan could include the establishment of a special demilitarized zone between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine would retain its sovereignty, but would have to give guarantees to Russia that it would not join NATO or any other allied institutions.

Zelenskiy responded:

I don’t take Vance’s words seriously, because, if this were a plan, then America is headed for global conflict. It will involve Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Taiwan, China, as well as many African countries.

That approach would broadcast to the world the following implicit rule: I came, I conquered, now this is mine.

Zelenskiy also spoke of the high stakes for the visit, with his appeal for support of the “Victory Plan” to repulse the Russian invasion.

This plan is designed, first and foremost, with [US President] Joe Biden’s support in mind. If he doesn’t want to support it, I cannot force him. If he refuses — well, then we must continue to live inside Plan B. And that’s unfortunate.

Asked “If Biden says no?”, Zelenskiy answered:

That’s a horrible thought. It would mean that Biden doesn’t want to end the war in any way that denies Russia a victory. And we would end up with a very long war — an impossible, exhausting situation that would kill a tremendous number of people.

UPDATE 0748 GMT:

At least 16 civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, have been injured by a Russian guided bomb on Zaporizhzhia city overnight.

The strike partially destroyed an apartment building and damaged nearby structures, starting a fire.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in the US for important meetings in Washington and New York this week.

Zelenskiy will present the “Victory Plan” to defeat the 31-month Russian invasion. Details of the proposal have not been made public, but the general lines including further military and economic support for Kyiv; permission for long-range strikes inside Russia; security guarantees from Ukraine’s partners; and a plan for negotiations with Moscow to end the Russian occupation and confirm Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelenskiy will have discussions with US President Joe Biden in the White House. He will then confer with other leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and address the chamber on Tuesday.

The President will also meet Democratic and Republican members of Congress and both candidates for the US Presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Zelenskiy posted on arrival in the US:

He visited a plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania which manufactures 155mm artillery shells: “It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail. Thanks to people like these—in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries — who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”

In his nightly address to the nation, delivered from his plane, he summarized, “This fall will determine the future of this war. Together with our partners, we can strengthen our positions as needed for our victory—a shared victory for a truly just peace.”