Ukraine Daily
Thursday, September 29
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainian telecom workers repair broken internet infrastructure in Kharkiv Oblast. During the occupation of the parts of Kharkiv Oblast, Russians stole equipment belonging to Ukrainian internet providers. (Mykhailo Fedorov / Telegram)
Governor: First mobilized Russian troops arrive at the front line in Ukraine. Only one week after Russia announced “partial” mobilization, the Russian conscripts have already arrived, sent to replenish the ranks of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of Russia’s 1st Tank Army, according to Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai. “They didn’t undergo any training at all,” Haidai said on Telegram.
Russian proxies officially call for annexation by Russia after sham referendum results. In a video address on Sept. 28, head Russian proxy in Luhansk Oblast Leonid Pasechnik called upon Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to officially pass a decree on the “joining” of the region to Russia. Less than an hour later, head Russian proxy in Kherson Oblast Volodymyr Saldo also called for the region’s annexation, according to Russian state media.
Meduza: Kremlin to hold back on illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories after sham referendums. Independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the illegal annexation of occupied territories in four Ukrainian regions will be postponed as at the moment it will not have the desired “PR effect” on the Russian population, which has been dissatisfied with the mobilization. Russia will also postpone the ban on leaving the country for men of draft age, according to Meduza.
US announces additional $1.1 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including 18 HIMARS. The U.S. Defense Department announced on Sept. 28 that the country would provide $1.1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine. The new package will include about 18 more HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), ammunition for them, and 12 Titan systems, which are used to counter drones, according to the Washington Post.
Politico: US ups intelligence, surveillance measures in response to Russian nuclear threats. Russia is being monitored closely for any signs of an order given by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Politico reports, citing five unnamed current and former U.S. officials.
The Times: Russia likely bombed Nord Stream pipeline with an underwater drone. An alleged Russian sabotage attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines that caused large blasts in the Baltic Sea was “probably premeditated and planned for,” the Times newspaper reported on Sept. 28, citing a British defense source. Russia likely dropped an explosive device into the sea weeks before it was detonated, according to the Times.
Ukraine liberates Novoselivka village in Donetsk Oblast. The National Guard of Ukraine reported on Sept. 28 that its service members, along with the 81st airmobile brigade, had liberated Novoselivka, a village in Donetsk Oblast, with a prewar population of 1,200 people. During the operation, the Ukrainian military also captured a Russian armored vehicle.
Russian missile strikes school in Donetsk Oblast. Twelve people, including two children were in the bomb shelter of the school in the town of Mykolaivka in Donetsk Oblast at the time of the strike, according to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. The bomb shelter survived the hit, but one school worker remains unaccounted for.
UK intelligence: Ukraine making steady advances in country’s northeast. Ukrainian forces continue to push east into the occupied parts of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts after making successful crossings of the Oskil and Siversky Donets rivers in several locations, the U.K.’s Defense Intelligence wrote in their daily brief. These advances come despite Russian efforts to consolidate defensive lines after Ukraine’s rapid counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast earlier in September.
EBRD: Ukraine’s economy to contract by almost a third in 2022. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development forecasted a 30% shrinkage in Ukraine’s GDP in 2022. With high levels of uncertainty about the progress of the war and Ukraine’s economic recovery, the EBRD also updated its expectations for a GDP rebound in 2023 from 25% to 8%.
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People under Russian occupation cut off from internet, mobile connection. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has continuously used the disruption of telecom services as a weapon. Cutting off Ukrainian internet providers, television and mobile connection creates an information blockade for the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.
Photo: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images)
Wife of Izium mass grave victim learns of husband’s death from viral photo. Scrolling through photos from the mass burial site in Izium, Oksana Sova immediately recognized her husband’s bracelet on a corpse’s wrist.
Photo: (Courtesy)
Ukraine war latest: Kremlin’s proxies in occupied territories ask to join Russia as Ukraine makes progress in Donetsk Oblast. After claiming a nearly 100% support rate in illegal annexation votes, proxy leaders in Moscow-held territories of Ukraine asked to formally join Russia on Sept. 28.
Photo: Getty Images
The human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attack kills 3, injures 5 in Dnipro. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Valentyn Reznichenko reported that Russian forces attacked Dnipro overnight on Sept. 29, killing three people, including one child, and injuring five, including a 12-year-old girl. Rescuers continue to search for bodies under the rubble, Reznichenko said.
Governor: 6 civilians killed, 4 injured in Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported that Russian forces killed two civilians in Toretsk, one in Bakhmut, one in Pivnichne, one in Blahodatne, and one in Mykolaivka. According to Kyrylenko, since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has killed 901 civilians in Donetsk Oblast, not including Mariupol and Volnovakha.
General Staff: Russia has lost 58,150 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Sept. 28. that Russia had also lost 2,312 tanks, 4,889 armored fighting vehicles, 3,742 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,331 artillery systems, 331 multiple launch rocket systems, 175 air defense systems, 262 airplanes, 224 helicopters, 989 drones, and 15 boats.
International response
Erdogan: ‘Referendums’ in occupied territories will undermine efforts to resume Ukraine-Russia peace talks. During a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 28, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia’s “unilateral” referendums held in Russian-occupied territories of four Ukrainian regions will complicate efforts to revive the “diplomatic process.” According to a statement released by Erdogan’s office, he also said that Turkey “stands ready to provide every kind of support for the settlement of the war through peaceful negotiations.”
European Commission proposes new sanctions following Russia’s sham referendums. The package proposes to introduce a price cap for Russian oil sold to third countries, impose further trade restrictions, and target individuals who circumvent the EU sanctions.
Retired US general: Ukrainian army could enter Crimea by mid-2023. Speaking to Lithuanian media outlet LRT, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges said: “I hope that by the end of this year, Ukrainian forces will push Russian forces to the positions of Feb. 23, and that by the middle of next year, the Ukrainians will be in Crimea.”
Apple removes Russian VK, Mail.ru apps from App Store. As of Sept. 28, Russia’s popular homegrown social network VK (formerly VKontakte) and email service Mail.ru are no longer available for download on the App Store in any country. In a statement, Apple cited conflicts with British sanctions as the reason for the removal. Apps that are already downloaded can continue to be used, according to Apple.
Ukraine receives 500 million euros in budget support from EU. Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, said on Sept. 28 at a press conference in Kyiv that the money would help strengthen Ukraine’s food security.
In other news
Soccer club Real Madrid raises over $1 million for Ukraine over past year. The world-famous Spanish soccer club announced the figure, collected as part of their “All for Ukraine” campaign, in their annual review of last season’s accounts. The funds were distributed to numerous Spanish humanitarian aid organizations working in Ukraine, as well local partners on the ground.
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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Denys Krasnikov, Francis Farrell, Thaisa Semenova, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings, and Anastasiya Gordiychuk.
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