KYIV Ukraine
The United States delivered the first batch of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in a Telegram post on September 25 following the New York Times report.
Zelensky didn't mention how
many tanks were delivered. The U.S. pledged to provide Ukraine with 31 Abrams
tanks.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sept. 21 during a bilateral meeting
with Zelensky that the initial tranche of U.S. tanks would arrive in Ukraine
the following week as a part of a larger package that includes ammunition,
anti-tank weapons, and artillery.
Zelensky called the new American $325-million package "historic," saying the new
package will include "artillery, missiles for HIMARS, missiles for air
defense, additional air defense systems, tactical vehicles," and more.
In January, Biden announced the decision to send 31 Abrams tanks,
a force equivalent to one Ukrainian tank battalion, just as other countries
pledged Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 tanks.
Abrams tanks, which offer
greater mobility and firepower than Soviet and Russian battle tanks Russia
deployed to Ukraine, are expected to support Ukrainian defensive and offensive
efforts.
The shipments may add momentum
to the counteroffensive, which has begun to break through Russian defense lines.
Russian forces launched 19
drones, 12 Kalibr cruise missiles, and two anti-ship Onyx missiles against
Ukraine's south early on Sept. 25, killing and injuring civilians and damaging
port infrastructure.
The Air Force said air defense downed all the drones and 11 Kalibr
missiles, mostly over Odesa Oblast.
First responders have found
the bodies of two people under the rubble of a grain warehouse in Odesa hit in
Russia's overnight attack, Governor Oleh Kiper reported on Sept. 25.
Earlier the same day, Kiper
said a woman sustained injuries in Odesa due to the blastwave.
The attack significantly
damaged the Odesa Sea Port and an abandoned hotel on the port's territory,
Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces reported.
Debris from drones and
missiles fell in the Odesa suburbs, damaging warehouses and a private
household, the military added.
Since the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in
mid-July, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure, ports,
and grain stockpiles.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor
Serhii Lysak reported on
Sept. 25 that some Shahed drones were shot down over Kryvyi Rih. The governor
said debris caused a fire at an industrial facility without specifying how many
loitering munitions were downed over the city.
The remaining Kalibr missile
was downed over Mykolaiv Oblast, according to Vitalii Kim, the regional
governor. No damages were reported in the region.
Russian forces also dropped
four aerial bombs on Beryslav in Kherson Oblast on the morning of Sept. 25,
killing three people and injuring another, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
According to the Kherson
Oblast Prosecutor's Office, houses, farms, and cars have been damaged or destroyed
in the airstrike.
Partially occupied Kherson
Oblast is a regular target of Russian attacks.
Meanwhile, Russia's 14th
Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment commander, his deputy, and an intelligence
officer were killed or wounded in a Sept. 24 loitering munition attack on the
Khalino airfield near Kursk, Ukrainian media outlet Babel reported on Sept. 25, citing a military intelligence
source.
Kursk is located around 100 kilometers
north of Ukraine's border. Russian authorities report almost daily attacks on
the region.
Roman Starovoit, Kursk region
governor, claimed a drone attack in the morning of Sept. 25, saying several
houses and an administrative building have been damaged.
Babel reported, citing
intelligence sources, that the Sept. 25 attack hit a facility of Russia's
Interior Ministry.
Claims of Ukrainian drone
strikes within Russian territory have increased in recent weeks, though Kyiv
rarely takes responsibility for such attacks.
Ukrainian authorities have not
publicly commented on any of the recent Kursk drone attacks.
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