Ukraine Daily

Monday, September 12

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A damaged church is seen in Grakove village after the Ukrainian forces took control of the village in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Sept. 09, 2022. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Zelensky reacts to massive blackouts, calls Russians terrorists. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “terrorists remain terrorists” when commenting on Russian strikes on infrastructure that led to major blackouts. Zelensky said that there had been complete blackouts in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts and partial blackouts in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy oblasts. “History will put everything in its place,” he said, addressing the Russians. “We will be with gas, light, water, and food… and without you.”

Kuleba: Partners who answer calls for weapons share in Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, “prompt supplies bring victory and peace closer.”

Zaluzhnyi: Armed Forces are within 50 kilometers of Russian border as Ukraine makes further gains in Kharkiv Oblast. Valery Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said that Ukraine’s military continues to liberate Kharkiv Oblast. “Since the beginning of September, more than 3,000 square kilometers have been returned under Ukrainian control,” he said.

Governor: Ukrainian partisans raise flag over Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said there are also reports that Russian proxies in communities of Luhansk Oblast occupied in 2014 are fleeing.

Governor: Armed Forces liberate over 40 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov told a local media outlet that the actual number of recaptured settlements is higher, but “we simply cannot announce this number, taking into account the interests of the ongoing military operation of our Armed Forces.”

General Staff: Russian troops retreat from Svatove, Luhansk Oblast. According to the General Staff, four Russian Kamaz trucks and 20 Tigr infantry mobility vehicles left the settlement in the direction of Russian-occupied Luhansk.

Meduza: Russia postpones plans to stage ‘referendums’ in occupied territories amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive. The Kremlin abandoned plans to conduct staged “referendums” in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, Russian news outlet Meduza reported citing sources familiar with the matter. The only region where Russia still plans to hold the so-called “referendum” is Kherson Oblast, the report reads.

ISW: Ukraine’s recapture of Izium puts stop to Russia’s plans in Donetsk Oblast. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia can no longer advance on Bakhmut or Donetsk from the north, meaning any advances towards the cities “have lost any real operational significance.” Using HIMARS and other Western weapons, Ukraine was able to inflict major operational losses on Russia and recapture most of Kharkiv Oblast, the ISW said. The ISW report noted that the counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast is still making gains along the Dnipro River.

NYT: Ukraine’s capture of Izium may represent ‘turning point’ in Donbas. Ukraine’s liberation of Izium is the “most devastating blow to Russia since its humiliating retreat from Kyiv,” says the New York Times. Ukrainian forces now have more territory from which to conduct further offensives and it may offer some relief to cities such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk that have been shelled relentlessly by Russian troops.

Intelligence: Command of Russia’s Western Military District dismissed after series of mass defeats. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive continues, Russia has changed the leadership of its army’s Western Military District, says Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov, who had commanded Russia’s intervention in Syria and was appointed commander of the Western Military District on Aug. 26, was removed from command.

Intelligence: Russia plans to again shell Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Russian forces are allegedly planning another attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the neighboring city of Enerhodar, says Ukraine’s Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate. According to the Directorate, Russian forces were ordered to take shelter at 2:00 p.m.

Shmyhal: Ukraine plans to become full-fledged part of EU in two years. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during the 17th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference that Ukraine has the ambition to fulfill all seven European Commission conditions that were set when granting Ukraine candidate status by the end of this year, and then proceed with the negotiation process regarding EU membership.

Russia admits its troops were pushed back from almost entire Kharkiv Oblast. The Russian Defense Ministry published a video showing that Ukraine’s Armed Forces knocked out the Russian forces from the north of Kharkiv Oblast. Institute for the Study of War earlier said that Ukrainian forces have “penetrated Russian lines to a depth of up to 70 kilometers” and taken over 3,000 square kilometers since Sept. 6, liberating more territory than Russia captured since April.

The human cost of Russia’s war

Governor: Russian attacks kill 1 person, injure 9 in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 11. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russian shelling killed a man and injured four civilians in Kharkiv. Russian attacks also injured people in the region’s Chuhuivskyi, Iziumskyi, and Kupianskyi districts.

Official: Russian attack on Voznesensk, Mykolaiv Oblast, injures 2 people. Mykolaiv Oblast Council head Hanna Zamazieieva said the Russian attack targeted civilian infrastructure. No further information was provided.

Russian troops kill 10, injure 19 people in attacks on Donetsk Oblast. According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, four people were killed in Pokrovsk, three in Krasnohorivka, two in Bakhmut, and one in Raihorodka. The National Police recorded 24 Russian attacks on the oblast over the past 24 hours.

Governor: Russian shelling kills 1, injures 1 in Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that Russia’s attack on the critical infrastructure in Kharkiv killed a man. Rescuers are still searching for people. Emergency medical workers also hospitalized a 35-year-old man with a blast injury in the Chuhuiv district, located in Kharkiv Oblast, Syniehubov reported.

Mayor: Russian forces shell Kharkiv overnight on Sept. 12. According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, a residential building in the Novobavarskyi district was hit by Russian shelling. There is no information on casualties or damages available at the moment.

State Emergency Service: Russian shelling kills 2, injures 1 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Sept. 11. The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Emergency Service reported that Russian forces shelled the oblast’s Synelnykivskyi district, killing two people and severely injuring a 19-year-old girl. There is no information on damages available at the moment.

International response

Transport Minister: France to sign deal with Romania to increase grain export from Ukraine. French Transport Minister Clement Beaune told LCI television channel that the agreement is aimed to increase Ukrainian grain exports to developing countries, including to the Mediterranean. He added that the agreement envisions exports via land, sea, and river.

PM: Greece won’t provide Ukraine with S-300 surface-to-air missiles. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that such support for the war-torn country “should not come at the expense of weakening Greece’s defense system.”

Macron discusses Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with Putin, asks him to withdraw weapons. In a Sept. 11 phone call, French President Emmanuel Macron told Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Russian-occupied Enerhodar posed a threat to the plant’s integrity. He asked Putin to withdraw both heavy and light weapons from the plant, and ensure the site’s safety by following the International Atomic Energy Agency’s recommendations.

Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority prohibits national airlines from resuming flight to Russia. Moldova’s Civil Aviation Authority issued a directive on Sept. 10 that bars national airlines from flying in Russia’s airspace. Air Moldova said it won’t resume flights to Russia on Oct. 1, as it had planned. The company shared it will try to resolve the issue. “In the event of failure to resolve this issue with the Civil Aviation Authority, we reserve the right to appeal to the court,” the statement reads.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Alexander Khrebet, Oleksiy Sorokin, Thaisa Semenova, Oleg Sukhov, Natalia Datskevych, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland, and Dariya Akhova.

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