WORLD BRIEFING: September 25, 2023

  • Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday, queuing up for fuel and jamming the road to Armenia after their decades-old separatist state was defeated by Azerbaijan in a lightning military operation. The leadership of the 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home told Reuters on Sunday that they did not want to live as part of Azerbaijan and that they would leave for Armenia because they feared persecution and ethnic cleansing. In the Karabakh capital, known as Stepanakert by Armenia and Khankendi by Azerbaijan, crowds of people were loading belongings into buses and trucks as they left for Armenia. Refugees who reached Armenia told Reuters they believed the history of their breakaway state was finished.

  • A hotel and seaport sustained "significant damage" in a missile barrage on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, according to the country's prosecutor general's office. The attack by Russia injured at least one person, though casualty information is still being clarified as the debris is cleared, authorities said Monday. Russian forces employed Iranian-made drones, hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles and a submarine in the assault, Ukraines defense forces said. Nineteen drones and 11 missiles were shot down. The debris from the downed weapons damaged some warehouses and private homes. Blast waves shattered the windows of several residences, wounding a civilian woman -- the lone casualty so far reported -- the defense forces said. The granaries were damaged in the hypersonic missile strike.

  • Two people have been confirmed dead following Russia's overnight attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, according to Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional military administration. One victim was found under the rubble of a warehouse where grain was stored, Kiper said in a social media post. The body of another individual working in the warehouse was found earlier.

  • Ukraine's military alleged that Russia's attack on Odesa was a violation of international humanitarian law, as it targeted both troops and civilian infrastructure, including the power supply. Ukraine's energy minister said Monday that about 1,000 consumers were without electricity. A "large-scale repair campaign" is under way, according to the ministry, and engineers continue to prepare the power system for the winter heating season.

  • The Philippines on Sunday condemned the Chinese coast guard for installing what it called a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying that it prevented Filipino boats from entering and fishing in the area. In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the floating barrier was discovered by Philippine vessels during a routine maritime patrol on Friday and measured around 300 meters (984 feet).

  • The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons has apologized after celebrating a Ukrainian veteran who fought for a Nazi military unit in World War II. Speaker Anthony Rota recognized 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka in a speech given Friday during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the Canadian parliament on Friday and lauded Hunka as a Ukrainian and Canadian veteran.

Michael BociurkiwComment