Ukraine Daily

Tuesday, September 13

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A kindergarten is seen following Russian shelling of Kharkiv on Sept. 9, 2022. (Alexander Khrebet/ the Kyiv Independent)

Zelensky: Ukraine’s Armed Forces liberate more than 6,000 square kilometers since start of September. In his evening video address on Sept. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of territory in the country’s east and south from Russian occupation, and that the movement of Ukrainian troops continues. Ukraine’s military has reached the Ukrainian-Russian border in some areas in Kharkiv Oblast as the counteroffensive continues.

Forbes: Ukraine has destroyed nearly $700 million worth of Russian equipment in few days. Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia has lost 2,850 troops and 590 pieces of equipment from Sept. 6 to 11, which Forbes estimates is worth over $670 million. Ukraine’s military has also reportedly seized 129 pieces of equipment, estimated at $104 million.

General Staff: Russia launches 18 missile strikes, 39 airstrikes on Ukraine within a day. The General Staff reported on Sept. 12 that more than 30 settlements in several regions, particularly Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Dnipro, were hit by the latest Russian attacks on both military and civilian infrastructure.

UK intelligence: Russian forces likely ordered to withdraw from Kharkiv Oblast. The U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence briefing on Sept. 12 that Russian forces will likely be forced to retreat from the entirety of occupied northern Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the region. Reuters on Sept. 12 reported that many soldiers of Russia’s military are returning to Russia.

Intelligence: Russian soldiers engaged in mass looting while fleeing Kharkiv Oblast. The intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 12 that Russian soldiers are stealing generators and local residents’ personal belongings, such as phones and computers, as they flee deeper into the occupied territories or into Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. There have also been cases of looting from educational institutions, according to the intelligence.

Prosecutor General’s Office: Bodies of 4 tortured civilians found in liberated Zaliznychne, Kharkiv Oblast. According to local law enforcement, the victims were allegedly killed by Russian troops during the community’s temporary occupation by Russian forces. Zaliznychne was liberated by Ukrainian forces during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

Southern Command: Ukraine liberates 500 square kilometers in Kherson Oblast. Nataliia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said on Sept. 12 that Ukrainian troops liberated the settlements of Vysokopillya, Novovoznesenske, Bilohirka, Sukhyi Stavok, and Myrolyubivka. The command also reported on Sept. 12 that the Antonivsky bridge near occupied Kherson is now unusable by Russian military after Ukrainian strikes on the bridge.

Southern Command: Russian soldiers trying to negotiate laying down their arms. Nataliia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, told Channel 24 on Sept. 12 that Ukrainian troops have advanced tens of kilometers deep into the occupied territories amid the counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast. According to Humeniuk, some Russian soldiers are trying to negotiate with Ukraine on how they can lay down their arms.

ISW: Ukraine’s southern counteroffensive continues to have significant impact on Russian military capabilities. The Institute for the Study of War in its latest update said satellite imagery of known Russian positions in Kyselivka, 15 kilometers northwest of the city of Kherson, shows that just four Russian vehicles remain. “The apparent withdrawal of Russian troops from this position may compromise the Russians’ ability to defend the northwestern outskirts of Kherson,” the ISW wrote.

Russia’s proxy in occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast says staged ‘referendum’ postponed indefinitely. Yevgeny Balitsky said on Sept. 12 that the “referendum” on joining Russia will be postponed due to what he claimed to be safety concerns amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south. Explosions at Russian military bases continue to be reported in the region, including a recent incident in occupied Melitopol which was reported by the city’s exiled mayor Ivan Federov on Sept. 12.

Video appears to show Ukraine’s military in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast. An unconfirmed video posted on social media appears to show Ukrainian forces in front of Sviatohirsk’s administrative building on Sept. 12. If confirmed by official sources, such progress could mean Ukrainian forces have crossed the Siverskyi Donets River, of strategic importance for Russia’s military.

General Staff: Russia has stopped sending new units to Ukraine. Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces reported on Sept. 12. that Russia’s military command has suspended sending new units to Ukraine, and that a large number of volunteers are also refusing to fight in Russia’s army.

IAEA head says Ukraine, Russia interested in ‘ceasefire’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The UN’s nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Sept. 12 that both sides are “engaging” with the agency regarding a protection zone. Discussions are centered around a “commitment that no military action will include or will imply aiming” at the nuclear plant, Grossi said.

IAEA: Second backup power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant restored. Two operating power lines allow one to be kept in reserve while the other provides the plant with electricity necessary for “reactor cooling and other essential safety functions,” the International Atomic Energy Agency reported from the site on Sept. 12. A reactor unit that was shut down yesterday has entered a “cold shutdown state” like the facility’s five other reactors, which means the unit will not need as much energy for cooling, the IAEA said.

WSJ: Ukraine to ask US, allies for long-range weapons. Ukraine will request additional weapons from the US and its allies, including Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATMS), which have a range of over 300 kilometers, reports the Wall Street Journal. The announcement comes amid Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensives. The Biden administration has reportedly declined to provide such weapons to Ukraine over concerns they could be used to strike Russian territory.

The world’s nuclear security is under threat as Russia occupies the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and uses it as a base to launch attacks on Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent explains why this is an unprecedented event and if the Zaporizhzhia plant will become the next Chornobyl.

Read our exclusives

Ukrainians capture Russian ammo, weapons, vehicles in Kharkiv Oblast

Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast forced Russian soldiers to beat a hasty retreat, abandoning ammunition and equipment to be captured by Ukrainian forces.

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‘Russia must be defeated,’ Ukraine, allies say at Kyiv YES conference, held in secrecy

Almost exactly 200 days into Russia’s all-out war, the world’s top diplomats, politicians, economists, and political scientists gathered in Kyiv for a discreet and heavily guarded event.

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The human cost of Russia’s war

Emergency Service: Russian strikes on Kharkiv kill 3. The State Emergency Service reported that on Sept. 11 Russian forces had fired two rockets at a critical infrastructure site in Kharkiv. According to the report, the fire spread more than 1,000 square meters and killed two people. Another missile strike hit a residential building in Kharkiv around midnight, killing one and injuring two.

General Staff: Russia has lost 52,950 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Sept. 12 that Russia had also lost 2,168 tanks, 4,640 armored fighting vehicles, 3,463 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,269 artillery systems, 311 multiple launch rocket systems, 162 air defense systems, 243 airplanes, 213 helicopters, 903 drones, and 15 boats.

Southern Command: Russia lost over 1,800 troops in Ukraine’s south in two weeks. Nataliia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, said Ukraine destroyed 500 armored vehicles, 122 tanks, two airplanes, and two helicopters.

International response

Reuters: IMF to discuss emergency funding to countries amid food price shocks due to war. According to Reuters, the plan under consideration could allow the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to draw an emergency fund for Ukraine and other countries affected by Russia’s war without imposing conditions that would normally be required in a regular fund program. The plan will be discussed at an informal executive board meeting on Sept. 12, Reuters reported.

Reuters: German Defense Minister rejects requests to supply Ukraine with battle tanks. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht rejected the requests on the ground that “no country has delivered Western-built infantry fighting vehicles or main battle tanks so far.” Most of the tanks sent to Ukraine were Soviet-made. Meanwhile, the U.S. has committed to sending hundreds of M113 armored vehicles to Ukraine.

Ambassador: Germany to supply 4 IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine. Germany’s Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen told NV news outlet that Berlin will provide two systems by the end of 2022 and two more in the early months of 2023.

Poll: 53% of Germans support sanctions against Russia despite sharp increase in energy prices. According to a poll conducted by the German sociological institute Civey, more than half of its respondents support Berlin’s sanctions against Moscow even if it meant that they would have to pay more for gas. Another 42% of the respondents admitted that they are not ready to make the sacrifice on a personal level while 5% said they were undecided.

Survey: 81% of Poles support accepting Ukrainian refugees. According to the Centre for Public Opinion Research, 75% of respondents believe Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens Poland’s security. 15% do not support accepting Ukrainian refugees.

In other news

French media: Two Ukrainian women assaulted in southern France. Two Ukrainian women from Izium residing in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin were allegedly beaten by a Russian man after playing Ukrainian music loudly on their phone, according to the French Nice-Matin news outlet. The Ukrainian Embassy in France condemned the attack and said it is monitoring the situation.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Teah Pelechaty, Alexander Query, Oleksiy Sorokin, Asami Terajima, Toma Istomina, Lili Bivings, and Dariya Akhova.

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