German Defense Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Ukraine; Huge Explosion at Russian Air Base
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht made a surprise visit to Ukraine. A large explosion occurred at the Belbek air base in Crimea.
According to the Guardian, on October 1 (local time), German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht made an unannounced visit to the port city of Odesa. This is the first time Ms. Lambrecht has been to Ukraine since Russia launched its special operation.
Information from the German Ministry of Defense said that Ms. Lambrecht will meet with her Ukrainian counterpart, Mr. Oleksii Reznikov. Minister Lambrecht will announce the transfer of the IRIS-T air defense system during this visit.
 |
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in Ukraine. Photo: Twitter |
A Ukrainian source said that Kiev also wants to discuss with Berlin the transfer of Leopard battle tanks, as no NATO country has directly supplied Ukraine with modern tanks. Germany seems to want to make deals through third parties, who will supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, in exchange for defense support from Berlin.
Huge explosion at Russian airbase in Crimea
According to Pravda, on October 1 (local time), a large explosion occurred at the Belbek airbase in the city of Sevastopol, Crimean peninsula.
Footage taken by witnesses showed a thick plume of smoke rising into the air. According to the head of Crimea, the incident occurred after a plane had trouble landing.
"An emergency incident occurred at the Belbek base. A plane had problems landing and caught fire, and rescuers are working urgently," Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev informed.
Russia stops supplying gas to Italy
According to RT, on October 1, Russia's Gazprom announced the temporary suspension of gas supplies to Italy. The reason given was that "gas cannot be transited through Austrian territory".
Gazprom said the flow through Austria was suspended because its Austrian partner refused to confirm the plan to transfer gas to Italy. Meanwhile, Gazprom's Austrian pipeline operator, Gas Connect Austria, has not commented on the issue.
Chechen leader suggests Russia use nuclear weapons
According to Reuters, Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, said that Moscow should consider the possibility of using low-yield nuclear weapons. This statement was made after Russia was forced to withdraw its troops from the town of Lyman.
"I think we need more drastic measures, including imposing martial law in border areas and using low-yield nuclear weapons," Mr Kadyrov said.
