Summary: Ukraine has liberated Klishchiivka in their campaign to retake Bakhmut. Along the Zaporizhian Line, Ukrainian forces have breached Russia’s second line of defense and have entered the communities of Verbove and Novoprokopivka. And devastating attacks against the Russian fleet based in Sevastopol, which resulted in the death of the commander of the fleet, l has forced the Russian navy to begin abandoning the port.
Russia 1 – Kupyansk/Svatove Line
Russian forces have not made any confirmed advances in the sector. Russia claimed to have advanced closer to Novojehorivka and to have taken some heights over the settlement.
Russian forces blew up a bridge over the Oskil River near Kupyansk used to resupply Ukrainian forces in the city. Several other bridges still exist, so it is only an inconvenience at this point.
Russia 2 – Svatove/Kreminna Line
Russian forces made confirmed advances south of Dibrova (6 miles SW of Kreminna). Russian forces had suffered great losses last week in their failed assault on Novojehorivka (11 miles SW of Svatove) and are now trying to regroup, thus the fighting has decreased significantly.
Geolocated footage confirms that Ukrainian forces made a strategic withdrawal from Novoselivske (11.5 miles NW of Svatove) on Tuesday, but retain the ability to reach the outskirts if Russian forces move in.
Russia 3 – Avdiivka/Marinka/Vuhledar Line
Russian forces have not made any confirmed advances in the sector but claimed to have retaken positions north of Avdiivka. Ukraine continues to maintain the initiative and made further confirmed gains east of Krasnohorivka (4 miles N of Marinka and 14 miles SW of Avdiivka).
Ukraine 1 – Liberate Bakhmut
Ukrainian forces liberated Klishchiivka (5 miles S of Bakhmut) on Sunday and made confirmed advances southeast of the town throughout the week. Ukrainian forces also made confirmed advances north of Bakhmut capturing positions east of Orikhovo-Vasylivka (8 miles NW of Bakhmut).
The liberation of Klishchiivka and Andriivka south of Bakhmut have significance way beyond the simple retaking of settlements. By controlling these two villages, it cuts off occupied Bakhmut from one of its major supply and communication routes and destroyed three Russian brigades.
With the fall of Klishchiivka, Russian forces were on the retreat in other areas as well. Ukraine claims to have gained territory around Predtechyne (10.5 miles SW of Bakhmut), Kurdyumivka (9 miles S of Bakhmut), Bila Hora (10 miles SW of Bakhmut), Opytne (3.5 miles S of Bakhmut), Oradivka (7 miles S of Bakhmut), and Andriivka (7 miles S of Bakhmut). All in all, Ukraine gained 3 square miles of territory around Bakhmut last week. Opytne and Oradivka are significant because if liberated by Ukrainian forces, Highway T0513 will no longer be able to be used by Russian forces to supply the defenders in Bakhmut.
Russian troops have been ordered to retake Andriivka and Klishchiivka at all costs, and it has cost them dearly trying. The troops have no artillery support and are low in number, with some even only having shovels in their hands. And those that do have artillery, report that more than half of them do not explode suggesting that quality control has been sacrificed at Russian military production facilities for quantity. It was reported that one Russian detachment was beaten by other Russian forces for refusing to attack.
Ukrainian troops struck the headquarters of the Hispaniola Volunteer Reconnaissance Assault Brigade. Several vehicles and personnel were destroyed in the attack.
Ukraine 2 – Drive to Berdyansk from Velyka Novosilka
Ukrainian forces made no confirmed or claimed advances in the sector. Russian forces claimed to have pushed Ukrainian forces back around Urozhaine (6.5 miles S of Velyka Novosilka) and unspecified positions around Priyutne (11 miles SW of Velyka Novosilka) taking back positions they had earlier lost.
Russian forces claim to have recaptured Stepove (14.5 miles SW of Velyka Novosilka) but this has not been verified. Russian sources also claim that Ukraine has withdrawn from the northwestern outskirts of Novomaiorske (11 miles SE of Velyka Novosilka).
Ukraine 3 – Drive to Melitopol from Orikhiv
Geolocated footage shows that Ukrainian heavy armored vehicles have now made it past Russia’s second line of defense designed to stop such vehicles to advance. This means they have cleared the obstacles and suppressed Russian artillery and anti-tank systems sufficiently to operate vehicles through the breach.
Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the sector widening their breach of Russia’s first line of defense. Ukrainian forces were confirmed moving closer to Verbove (13 miles SE of Orikhiv) with Russian sources claiming they have entered and reached the center of the city. Ukrainian troops have also been confirmed fighting with Novoprokopivka (10.5 miles S or Orikhiv).
Russia is moving quickly to bolster their defenses in the sector and have been reinforcing defenses around Tokmak which is the main supply hub still 10 miles from the current front lines. Russia is laying more mines and hedgehog anti-tank defenses and digging more anti-tank ditches around the city.
Mayor Ivan Fedorov of occupied Melitopol reported that Ukrainian partisans have committed attacks against infrastructure in Melitopol, Tokmak, and Polohy.
Ukraine 4 – Liberate Eastern Kherson
Russian sources claim that more Ukrainian reconnaissance troops have landed along the eastern bank of the Dnipro River and that Ukrainian forces now control half of Kazatsky Island.
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Russia claimed that Ukraine launched six military drones against targets in Crimea, but Russia had shot down all six of them. One downed drone fell near an oil depot around Feodosia. Russia also claimed to have intercepted a drone over a suburb of Moscow. Russia also claimed that Ukraine attempted an invasion of Crimea with 14 ships, but Russia was able to intercept them and turn them back, damaging several of the vessels.
Russian forces launched another series of missile and drone attacks focusing on Southern Ukraine. Ten cruise missiles and six military drones were launched, and Ukrainian air defenses shot down all but four missiles. The targets were primarily grain storage facilities in port cities along the Black Sea. There were no casualties. Russia later launched four missiles at civilian targets in Kharkiv.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg gave an interview to the German press calling on Western allies to prepare for a long war between Ukraine and Russia, but ended by saying Ukraine will eventually become a member of NATO.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ended his Russian visit and was gifted a military vest, an unspecified munition, and an unspecified military drone before crossing by train back into North Korea. Russia believes by giving these items as gifts, they are not in violation of international sanctions against North Korea. But South Korea disagrees calling for an investigation as the sanctions prohibit any “delivery” of weapons to North Korea.
A Russian military delegation arrived in Bamako, Mali a day after Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso signed a joint military alliance to defend their juntas against any attempts from the African Union forces to reverse their coups. The three nations have been relying on Russian Wagner Group forces to defend them, but now Russia must openly defend these juntas since they are dismantling the Wagner Group.
Rumors were reported that Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov has been in a coma over the last two days. A tape was released later in the day of Kadyrov encouraging people to exercise. But it was not sure whether it was a pre-recorded message. This could be a serious blow to Russian President Putin as he needs Kadyrov to stabilize the mostly Islamic region.
Russian border troops have begun conducting minor assaults for the purpose of pinning Ukrainian forces to the border so that they cannot join the counteroffensive in the south.
Russian officials have forcibly removed the first of thousands of Ukrainian children in the occupied regions to Moscow as part of their Culture Map 4+85 deculturation program.
It is reported that only 1000 Wagner Group forces are left in Belarus training Belarusian troops. Ukraine has reported sighting of some Wagner Group forces back in Ukraine fighting with the Russian Ministry of Defense forces.
Monday, September 18, 2023
Unknown saboteurs planted explosives destroying two planes and a helicopter at the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow to strengthen their cooperation.
Ukraine and Russia began going head-to-head at the UN International Court of Justice at the Hague. Russia is challenging the courts jurisdiction over the war in Ukraine claiming that they had been invited by the Russian people living in Eastern Ukraine to stop Ukrainian genocide against them.
The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers dismissed all six of their deputy defense ministers. This is a normal procedure whenever the head of a ministry changes, and Rustem Umerov recently replaced Oleksiy Reznikov as Minister of Defense.
Another Russian soldier has joined the ranks of Ukrainian partisans by blowing up two military trucks at a military base. Partisans claim that more and more Russian soldiers are willing to commit acts of sabotage in exchange for payment or agreement to immigrate to Ukraine.
September 19, 2023
Ukraine struck two Russian military headquarters in occupied Zaporizhia and Kherson Oblasts.
Russia conducted a series of missile and drone attacks against Ukraine. 31 drones and one missile were fired. Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 28 of the drones. The three drones that got through hit three industrial warehouses in Lviv killing one civilian and the one missile targeted President Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih. Russia also fired ten drones against Mykolaiv region, but all were shot down. Falling debris damaged some agricultural machinery. And Russia fired artillery at six civilian homes in Nikopol injuring a 71-year-old man.
President Zelensky arrived in New York to attend the gathering of the United Nations and gave an address to the international body questioning why Russia was still allowed to be a member of the UN, and even the Security Council, after invading another member State. Before the meeting, he visited Staten Island University Hospital where several Ukrainian soldiers are recuperating after receiving prosthetics.
Anton Korynevych is representing Ukraine at the International Court of Justice in the Hague presenting the case that Russia should be required to pay reparations for their invasion.
Azerbaijan has restarted their military operation against Armenia to reclaim Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia has been defending the region for Armenia, but with Russia distracted by the war in Ukraine, Azerbaijan has decided now is the best time to retake their territory. Russia has been angry with Armenia who publicly humiliated them by stating Russia was no longer a valuable ally and began holding military exercises with the United States. Russia announced that their peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh will not engage with Azerbaijani troops unless fired upon and blame Armenia’s recent slide towards the west as the main reason, but the truth is they do not have the military power to take on Azerbaijan at this time.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri in Tehran, Iran, to talk about bilateral military cooperation and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia is hoping that Iran can step in and defend Nagorno-Karabakh since they are unable.
Russia announced a ban on virtual mobile telephone numbers in preparation for controlling the information space for the upcoming presidential elections next year. Currently, people can purchase anonymous phone numbers to use to post criticisms of President Putin. The new law requires that every phone number has a registered user.
September 20, 2023
Ukraine struck the Russian 744th Communications Center of the Command of the Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea. Ukraine fired eight missiles of which three of them hit their target. Satellite imagery confirmed the next day that a significant portion of the command post was destroyed.
Russia conducted another round of drone strikes in the early morning hours launching 24 drones. Ukrainian air defense shot down 17 of them. One target hit was an oil refinery in Poltava Oblast.
Russian forces fired mortars at civilians of the small mining town of Torestsk killing two people and injured two others.
Russian targeting of Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea seems to be causing stress between Ukraine and neighboring countries such as Poland. Ukraine is relying more and more on shipping grain by land through European countries, and neighbors such as Poland are complaining about their economies being inundated with cheap Ukrainian grain exports. Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morwiecki announced that Poland would stop providing weapons to Ukraine in retaliation.
A social media post supposedly by Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov claimed that he was well and that rumors that he was in a coma was false. A video of him visiting his father in the hospital also accompanied the post. This does not prove that he is not in a coma as there is no way to know if he wrote the post or when the video was taken.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu toured a military drone factory in Iran.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the United Nations Security Council and describes the horrific war crimes committed against the residents of Yahidne which fell under Russian occupation in the first week of the second Russian invasion. The 300 civilians were all taken by gunpoint to the basement of the local elementary school where they stayed for over a month. Many of them died in the windowless basement with little running water. The corpses were not immediately removed and loved ones had to be by their deceased loved ones for hours.
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities accepted a ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan proposed by Russian mediators. Armenia, which is currently on the outs with Russian authorities, was not consulted. Despite the ceasefire, Azerbaijan forces opened fire on a Russian military vehicle with small arms killing Russian personnel.
September 21, 2023
Ukraine launched a drone and missile attack against the Russian airfield near Saky, Crimea where twelve Russian bombers and fighters were parked. Ukraine first launched drones to overwhelm the Russian air defense system, and then launched Neptune missiles. It is not yet known what damage was done to the planes, but at least 30 Russian personnel were killed.
Russia launched 44 missiles against infrastructure targets in Kyiv, Lviv, and Cherkasy. Ukraine air defense intercepted 38 of them. Then later, Russia launched six missiles at Kharkiv. Twenty missiles were shot down over Kyiv alone with the debris falling and injuring at least seven people and creating fires.
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN Security Council to outline the war crimes Russia has committed against Ukraine and calling for the Russia to lose its veto power.
The Polish and Ukrainian Ministers of Agrarian Policy met together to find a solution to the export of Ukrainian grain through Poland. Polish President Andrzej Duda walked back the threats of the day before by explaining that the Prime Minister was talking about the new weaponry that Poland was purchasing to replace what they had already given to Ukraine, but Poland is still firmly behind Ukraine in their war against Russia.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recognized Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh which is yet another blow to the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin who had positioned himself as the defender of Nagorno-Karabakh. But now Armenia no longer has a need to align itself with Russia and is moving towards friendship with the West.
September 22, 2023
Ukraine launched a massive missile strike against the Russian Command Headquarters in Crimea where several officers were gathered for a meeting. Several Russian officers who had gathered for a meeting were killed including the Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Sokolov. Colonel General Alexander Romanchuk, who is the commander of all Russian troops along the Zaporizhia defense line was in “very serious condition” and Lieutenant General Oleg Tsekov, the commander of the 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade is unconscious.
The Black Sea Fleet port in Sevastopol is now being abandoned by Russia as they can no longer defend their fleet at that location now that Ukraine has longer-range missiles. They are withdrawing to ports along the north edge of the Black Sea and will no longer be able to participate directly with the war against Ukraine.
The US announced another $325 million military aid package for Ukraine including air defense missiles, HIMARS rockets, air defense systems, anti-drone machine guns, artillery rounds, anti-armor systems, light tactical vehicles, demining equipment, and three million rounds of ammunition. It was also leaked that the US will be providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS.
President Zelensky met with President Biden in the morning and then made an unannounced visit to Canada to address their Parliament. Canadian President Justin Trudeau affirmed Canada’s unwavering support of Ukraine.
September 23, 2023
Ukraine announced that they will not be stopping the counter-offensive during the winter but will continue to attack Russian troops giving them no rest.
The Ukrainian attack on Russian Command Headquarters in Crimea the day before killed
Russia launched 15 drones and four missiles on an airfield in Kremenchuk. Ukraine shot down 14 of the drones.
Russia forcibly deported 90 Ukrainian children from occupied Kherson Oblast to Moscow and announced that thousands more will follow.
Brief History of Klishchiivka
The village of Klishchiivka, which had a population of 521 before the Russian invasion, was founded in 1695 during the reign of the Russian Czar Peter the Great. The name derives from “klyshchyk” which means “small branches” and the suffix “-ivka” which denotes it is small. Thus, it refers to a small village near the dense forest.
The village grew in the 19th century as an agricultural center and in 1841 the Church of the Ascension was built.
The name of the village was changed in 1945 during the rule of the Soviet Union to Karlivka, in honor of Karl Marx. After Ukraine gained its independence, the name reverted to Klishchiivka.
The village found itself near the frontline during the War in Donbass (2014-2022) and was part of Ukraine’s defense structure. The Russians began fighting for control over the village on November 29, 2022, as part of their campaign to capture Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces held on for nearly two months, but the village was captured by Russian forces on January 19, 2023.
As the Ukrainian summer counteroffensive began, Ukrainian forces began fighting to liberate Klishchiivka on July 23, 2023, having entered the western outskirts of the village. At the end of August, the Ukrainian 45th Separate Artillery Brigade destroyed two Russian fighting vehicles and a tank that guarded the bridge on the northeastern side of the village cutting off the resupply to Russian troops inside the settlement. The Tsunami Regiment of the Lyut Brigade rushed to the center of the village and secured the Cathedral on September 5. Two days later the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade advanced through the forest on the northwestern side circled around to the northeastern side cutting off all possible Russian retreats towards Bakhmut. Ten days later the village was liberated by the combined efforts of the Lyut Brigade, 80th Air Assault Brigade, 5th Assault Brigade, and the 95th Air Assault Brigade.