Ukrainian forces hit oil terminal in Crimea; Zelenskyy touts ‘victory plan’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he was discussing Ukraine’s “victory plan” this week in a series of meetings and negotiations with “every country that can really help bring peace closer.”
“We invite our partners to define how they envision the end of this war, Ukraine’s place in the global security architecture, and the joint steps that can steer this war toward a conclusion,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address.
The victory plan is set to be formally presented at the upcoming Ramstein meeting in Germany with Ukraine’s allies where, Zelenskyy said, Ukraine “will try to convince our partners … of the urgent need for significant reinforcement of our capabilities and positions right now, during these autumn months.”
Long-range equipment and the production of weapons, drones, shells and electronic warfare systems are among the country’s most pressing needs, he said.
Earlier Monday, Ukrainian forces carried out an attack on an oil terminal in the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Ukraine’s military said the site it hit in Feodosia on the south coast of the peninsula was used to supply Russian forces.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that it shot down 12 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, as well as others over Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk and Voronezh regions.
Ukraine regularly has hit Russian military sites in Crimea since Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The strikes have hampered Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Vessel hit in Odesa
Also Monday, a Russian missile hit a Palau-flagged vessel in Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa, killing a Ukrainian national and injuring five crew members, officials said. It was the second such attack in as many days, they said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that the two ships were damaged in the Black Sea grain-export hub, but he gave no details on the ships’ conditions. He condemned Russia.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Moscow has repeatedly denied it attacks civilian targets.
Officials in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, reported a Russian aerial attack on the city Monday. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that rocket fragments landed in several of Kyiv’s districts, but that there were no reports of casualties.
The governor of Ukraine’s Cherkasy region said air defenses shot down three Russian drones, while the governor of Mykolaiv said another drone was shot down in that region.
Officials in Sumy said Ukraine’s military destroyed eight Russian drones.
Also Monday, a Russian court sentenced an American citizen to six years and 10 months in prison for fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
Prosecutors said Stephen James Hubbard, 72, was captured by Russian forces in 2022 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum. While he was captured more than two years ago, his case did not become public until his trial began last month.
In another court case Monday, a U.S. Marine who was already serving time in a Russian prison for assault was given an additional sentence of seven years and one month for assaulting a prison officer.
Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.