“Ukraine – Russia”

The Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.

A group of Ukrainian Army soldiers pierced by Russian grenades and mortar shells arrived at a hospital recently in need of surgery. It would have been a familiar scene from the bloody war grinding on in Ukraine, except for two crucial differences: Most of the wounded soldiers were American, and so was the hospital — the U.S. Army’s flagship medical center in Germany.

The Army has quietly started to treat wounded Americans and other fighters evacuated from Ukraine at its Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Though the number so far is small — currently 14 — it marks a notable new step in the United States’ deepening involvement in the conflict.

h/t Mauser

Their relationships might be close, the handshakes might have been firm, but President Volodymyr Zelensky had to roll his sleeves up during his trip to the US and Canada.

The latter was the easier end. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” against Russia’s invasion, and he has cross-party support in that endeavour.

America’s pockets are deeper, but its politics are far more complicated.

President Zelensky secured another $325m (£265m) military package from the White House, but it wasn’t the $24bn biggie he’d been hoping for.

Friday’s Storm Shadow missile strike on the Kremlin’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in occupied Crimea killed and badly injured several Russian military commanders, Ukraine has said.

“The details of the attack will be revealed as soon as possible and the result is dozens of dead and wounded occupants, including senior fleet commanders,” the Ukrainian army said.

Some MPs worried about waning enthusiasm among their constituents for supporting Ukraine’s defence say they hope President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit changes some hearts and minds.

“It’s important that we continue to stay unified as Canadians … and advocate for the aid necessary to ensure Ukraine wins the war,” said Toronto-area Liberal MP Yvan Baker, chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Oh oh…

TORONTO: Trudeau and Zelensky leave Royal York Hotel as an even bigger crowd of protesters shout “F**K YOU” “GET OUT OF OUR COUNTRY”

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
pic.twitter.com/iwiYU8wkJT

— Kat Kanada (@KatKanada_TM) September 23, 2023

A Storm Shadow missile struck one of its highest profile targets yet, punching a huge hole in a navy headquarters in the key Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

Footage showed a large plume of smoke over the smouldering building in Sevastopol, after the audacious attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet nerve centre.

“The enemy launched a missile attack on the headquarters of the fleet,” confirmed Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol.

A video appeared online that shows the moment of the rocket strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol. pic.twitter.com/GxZlmAkEVU

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 22, 2023

“Slava Ukraini,” a voice shouted as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy entered the chamber of the House of Commons to give his historic address to Canadians.

Zelenskyy appeared to wipe a tear away as he was met with a minute-long standing ovation before Trudeau gave his welcome speech emphasizing the “pivotal” moment facing the world, and pledging $650 million in new funding to support Ukraine over three years.

More at CBC – Russia’s violence ‘must not go unpunished,’ Zelenskyy tells Canadian parliamentarians

Polish prime minister, Matesuz Morawiecki, has declared that his country is “no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine”. Instead, it will be focusing on “arming Poland with more modern weapons”. As explosive as the announcement is, it is unlikely to change the situation in Ukraine in the short term.

What matters more is the language. It is incredibly telling that president Andrzej Duda described Kyiv as behaving “like a drowning person clinging to anything available”, potentially bringing down those attempting to save them. It sounds like an acceptance that Ukraine cannot win this war, at the current scale and intensity, and that Europe cannot continue to supply it.

Poland has announced it will stop supplying weapons to Kyiv amid a row over grain supplies, in a new crack in western support to Ukraine.

Warsaw had been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies but the trade dispute has thrown the relationship into doubt.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s prime minister, said the decision would allow his country to focus on upgrading its military.

The controversial American transgender spokesperson for Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces Sarah Ashton-Cirillo (born Michael Cirillo) has been suspended indefinitely by the Ukrainian military, also pending an investigation. According to an official Ukrainian military statement, Ashton-Cirillo’s recent statements regarding “hunting down” dissidents and “propagandists” were not approved…

Who hired this freak?

Oops …

BREAKING: Ukrainian media edited Zelensky's UN speech to make it look like he had a bigger audience

They forgot to edit out Zelensky himself sitting in the audience. Look at the 0:14 mark pic.twitter.com/xA1DLr2eXH

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) September 21, 2023

The United Nations Security Council is no match for Europe’s most consequential war in decades, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, told members of the council at its headquarters on Wednesday, dubbing the council’s attempt at ending the war “ineffective.”

If one needed an example of the UN’s most powerful body’s struggling to be effective, the session provided one, starting with a long procedural debate about when Mr. Zelensky would be allowed to speak. Eventually, Mr. Zelensky took the stage.

#Ukraine: An active Russian Osa SAM system was destroyed by a Ukrainian precision artillery strike south of Lozove, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/eVvSvgOnbb

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 20, 2023