Live blog: Two killed in Russian airstrikes in Kherson region, Ukraine says

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Russian airstrikes killed two people and wounded three others in southern Ukraine's Kherson province, the region's governor has reported.

According to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin, Russian forces struck the city of Beryslav, destroying an unspecified number of private houses. A woman was killed and three people were wounded, including a police officer, he said.

Another airstrike also killed a 67-year-old man in the village of Lvove, Prokudin said without specifying the type of weapons used in the attack.

The communities hit both are located in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Kherson region, where the Dnieper River that bisects the province has marked a battle line since Russian troops withdrew across it in November 2022.

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0446 GMT — Second Ukraine wheat shipment reaches Türkiye: tracking sites

A second shipment of Ukrainian wheat has reached Türkiye via the Black Sea, according to maritime traffic monitoring sites, despite Russian withdrawal from a deal securing grain exports.

The Palau-flagged bulk carrier Aroyat — laden with 17,600 tonnes of wheat — left the port city of Chornomorsk on Friday bound for Egypt.

Ukraine is testing a new sea route that avoids using international waters and follows those controlled by NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, following Russia's withdrawal from a Türkiye- and UN-brokered grain export deal.

According to the websites Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder, the Aroyat was at the southern exit of the Istanbul Strait at 0300 GMT on Sunday.

It was to head towards the Canakkale Strait to reach the Mediterranean.

0850 GMT — Ukrainian drone strikes Russia’s Kursk: official

A Ukrainian drone strike hit an administrative building in the centre of Russia's southern Kursk city, authorities have said.

"In Kursk, a Ukrainian drone attacked an administrative building in the central district," Governor Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram.

"The roof was slightly damaged. Employees of the emergency services are working at the scene."

0814 GMT — Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he met top businessmen during US visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he met leading American entrepreneurs and financiers including Michael Bloomberg during his visit this week to the US, where they discussed investment opportunities in Ukraine.

"We are working for the victory and reconstruction of Ukraine," he posted on the Telegram messaging app along with photos of the meeting.

0653 GMT — Gazprom to send 41.8M cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine

Russia's Gazprom has said it would send 41.8 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Sunday, the same volume as the previous day.

For our live updates from Saturday (September 23), click here.