Ukraine's President expresses hope for an end to the war

By Stefan J. Bos 

Witnesses are in shock as flames have engulfed a Moscow-controlled terminal in Russian-occupied Crimea for more than four days after Ukraine unleashed at least two missiles.

A fresh explosion has triggered a tower of flames almost 200 feet (60 meters) high.

The Marine Oil Terminal in Feodosia, an essential fuel supplier for Russian forces, was reportedly targeted initially by Ukraine to coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin's 72nd birthday on Tuesday. It has been burning ever since, but the explosions are getting worse. 

Elsewhere on Saturday, officials said Ukrainian forces hit a fuel depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, causing a fire. 

Yet Russia is striking back, saying its forces have captured the two frontline villages of in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of territorial gains for Moscow.

Covering the war is getting more dangerous for media personnel, however, with Ukraine announcing an investigation into the death of 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina. 

Captured and detained

She was captured and detained by Russia while reporting on Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine in 2023. 

Officials say she died September 19, just as the young woman was transferred for a prisoner exchange. 

Despite these setbacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that the war with Russia “would end” next year. 

He spoke in Berlin during a visit to ask for sustained military support.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged that Germany and its European Union partners would send more defense equipment to Ukraine this year and German aid worth 4 billion euros, or some 4.4 billion dollars.