Ukraine-Russia war – live: Biden’s $325m package for Zelensky as Pentagon says Abram tanks ‘on schedule’

Russia suffered another blow as Ukraine carried out a fiery missile strike on the main headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, killing one serviceman, the Russian Defense Ministry said

Photos and video showed large plumes of smoke over the building in Sevastopol in annexed Crimea.

The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said no one was injured outside the burning headquarters, and he didn’t provide information on other casualties.

Firefighters battled the blaze, and more emergency forces were being brought in, an indication the fire could be massive.

Sevastopol residents said they heard explosions in the skies and saw smoke, Russian news outlets reported. Images circulated in Ukrainian Telegram channels showed clouds of smoke over the seafront.

A stream of ambulances arrived at the fleet’s headquarters, and shrapnel was scattered hundreds of meters around, the Tass news agency reported.

The Defense Ministry said five missiles were shot down by Russian air defense systems responding to the attack on Sevastopol. It was not immediately clear if the headquarters was hit in a direct strike or by debris from an intercepted missile.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an official with the Crimean administration, said one cruise missile downed near Bakhchysarai, about 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) inland, sparked a grass fire.

Razvozhayev said civilian infrastructure wasn’t damaged but did not mention the impact on the fleet headquarters.

Zelensky says he does not have time to see ‘the beautiful country’ of Canada but promises he will visit again ‘after the victory’.

He expressed his gratitude for Canadian support.

Justin Trudeau welcomes Volodymyr Zelenskey in the Canadian Parliament.

Trudeau jokes he ‘sees these people every day’ as he lets Zelenskey go ahead of him to greet his colleagues.

Ukraine‘s military confirmed it had attacked the Russian Black Sea fleet’s headquarters, but gave few details.

Ukraine‘s defence forces successfully struck the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet command in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.

Crimea was hit by a cyberattack after Ukraine attacked Russia’s Black Sea fleet headquarters, officials say.

Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the Russian governor of the region, wrote on Telegram.

A report published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukrainian armoured vehicles were behind the Russian defence line – known as the Surovikin line – for the first time, and involved in fighting near the village of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region.

“Ukrainian forces have brought heavy equipment beyond the anti-vehicle ditch and the dragons’ teeth for the first time,” said George Barros, an analyst for ISW, on X, formerly known as Twitter. He added: “Forces have been widening their breach of the lines for the past several weeks and may be preparing for a new push.”

Some 577 days into the conflict, experts see the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive to liberate Zaporizhzhia as the key to breaking Russia’s backbone, and potentially winning the war.

Read the full report here

Poland has said it will stop exporting weapons to Ukraine as a week of escalating tensions between the two countries reached boiling point over a ban on grain imports.

Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he would instead invest the money in arming Poland, which has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia invaded last year, with the most “modern weapons”.

The row between the neighbouring countries began last week when Poland imposed an import ban on Ukrainian grain, including wheat and maize, after an EU-brokered deal expired.

The deal, which ended on 15 September, allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia to ban the sale of Ukrainian grain, which they claim has flooded the European market and undercut domestic grain prices since Putin’s invasion, damaging their economies.

But Ukraine launched a legal challenge at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday after Poland reinstated the ban, claiming the country had failed to meet its “international obligations”.