Ukraine-Russia war live: Zelensky says Putin is ‘afraid’ as Moscow suffers Satan II missile failure
Ukraine ‘closer to peace than we think’, Zelensky tells allies in Washington
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine was “closer to the end of the war” with Russia than many people realise.
He made the comments in an interview in which he also claimed Vladimir Putin was “afraid” of Ukraine’s Kursk operation, that has taken more than 1,000 square km of Russian territory.
Mr Zelensky is currently in Washington DC to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“I think that we are closer to peace than we think,” he told ABC in an interview that is due to be released in full on Tuesday.
Putin has been adamant peace talks will only begin if Kyiv abandons swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine to Russia and drops its NATO membership ambitions.
It comes as Russia appears to have suffered a “catastrophic failure” in a test of its Sarmat (Satan II) missile, a key weapon in the modernisation of its nuclear arsenal.
The Satan II missile is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks, according to arms experts.
The 35-metre-long RS-28 Sarmat has a range of 18,000 km (11,000 miles) and a launch weight of over 208 tonnes.
Russian TV channel simulates devastating nuclear strike on central London
A Russian television channel, known for its pro-Putin stance, has aired a documentary simulating a nuclear attack on central London. The video, shown on Tsargrad’s Telegram channel, shows a nuclear weapons explosion that it says could cause 850,000 deaths.
“Imagine for a moment that the unimaginable happens. A nuclear weapon explodes over London. In this documentary, we explore the devastating consequences of the catastrophe,” the documentary begins.
It shows a warhead with a nuclear yield of 750 kilotons heading towards the UK. The simulated epicentre of the explosion is Westminster.
“Upon detonation, a fireball as hot as the sun rapidly expands, reaching a radius of 950 metres (1,039 yards),” the video claims.
The initial death toll in the simulation is stated to exceed 250,000 people with more than 600,000 injured within a radius of six miles. It claims a further 450,000 people will die from burns, debris, injuries or radiation sickness and “over a million will be traumatised”.
“Within that radius anything that can burn will catch fire. Petrol stations, automobiles, power substations, gas infrastructure,” it claims.
The video adds: “Explosive facilities will explode and amplify the effect of the devastation over a huge area, including areas from Camden to Greenwich and Islington to Wandsworth.”
Russia’s air defence units destroy 13 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s air defence units destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said.
Of these, six drones were destroyed each over the Belgorod and Kursk regions, while one was downed over the Bryansk region, Russian news agency TASS reported.
Watch: Russian arms depot ablaze after massive Ukrainian drone attack
Arms depot ablaze deep inside Russia after massive Ukrainian drone attack
An arms depot in Russia’s south-western region of Krasnodar appeared to have been hit in a massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Friday 20 September, as verified footage on social media showed explosions at the scene. Other attacks were also reported in occupied Crimea and the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, and Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had shot down more than 100 drones. More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from Krasnodar after Ukraine launched the drones over the border.
Moscow suffers ‘catastrophic failure’ after firing ballistic missile named ‘Satan II’
Russia appears to have suffered a “catastrophic failure” in a test of its Sarmat missile, a key weapon in the modernisation of its nuclear arsenal, according to arms experts who have analysed satellite images of the launch site.
The images captured by Maxar on 21 September show a crater about 60 metres wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. They reveal extensive damage that was not visible in pictures taken earlier in the month.
Timothy Wright, research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, said the destruction of the area immediately surrounding the missile silo was suggestive of a failure soon after ignition.
“One possible cause is that the first stage (booster) either failed to ignite properly or suffered from a catastrophic mechanical failure, causing the missile to fall back into or land closely adjacent to the silo and explode,” he told Reuters.
The RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known in the West as Satan II, is designed to deliver nuclear warheads to strike targets thousands of miles away in the United States or Europe, but its development has been dogged by delays and testing setbacks.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments