Ukraine – 9/18/2023 Sitrep
By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans
September 18, 2023
The Ukraine War Ebook, “The Ukrainian People vs. The Russian Horde”
The Ukraine War Ebook we sent to those who were kind enough to support us, that included all our emails that we sent during the first week of the war, has been very well received. Since early July, when the Ebook was released, we have added several new email recipients. For new recipients, plus existing recipients who would like to receive the Ebook, we would be happy to send you a copy in return for your support for our efforts. If you would like to support us in any amount in any currency, and receive an Ebook as our gesture of gratitude, please click on the link HERE. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Elon Musk Speaks (Again)
According to the Kyiv Post, Musk was remarking on a Tweet by David Sacks, a venture capitalist who is a friend of Musk, by saying about Ukraine’s counteroffensive, “So much death for little.” The Kyiv Post stated that Sacks had posted a quote that he attributed to David Pyne, a contributor to “The National Interest,” part of the Center for the National Interest, an organization, along with the publication of the same name that was recently characterized as “two of the most Kremlin-sympathetic institutions in the nation’s capital, even more so than the Carnegie Moscow Center, which has evolved from a hub of Russian liberalism into an accommodationist, intellectually-compromised think tank.”
Musk’s description of Ukraine’s counteroffensive is factually wrong. Ukraine has:
· Broken through 2 of Russia’s defense lines in the direction of Tokmak.
· Taken Klishchiivka and Andriivka, south of Bakhmut, opening a route to Optyna to the northeast, and a possible eventual encirclement of Bakhmut.
· Threatening a major crossing of the Dnipro River.
· Substantially degrading the Black Sea Fleet.
· Breaking Russia’s air superiority over western Crimea.
Seems as if Saks and Musk are either not terribly well-informed, or they’re willing repeating Russian disinformation. As has been stated before, statements such as “so much death for so little” is straight out of Russian disinformation, implying that “so much death” is the fault of Ukraine, and it would all end if only Ukraine would agree to a ceasefire in place, effectively ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.
President Zelenskyy’s Visit to the U.S.
Pres. Zelenskyy speaks to the UN General Assembly tomorrow (Tuesday). I expect a major part of his speech will be directed at countries in South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America that have either remained neutral, or even actively supporting Russia. While he is in New York, I expect he’ll be having meetings/attending events with representatives from the large Ukrainian Diaspora groups based in both the U.S. and Canada.
On Thursday, Pres. Zelenskyy will be in Washington, where his major focus will likely be the U.S. Congress, which is currently debating a FY 2024 aid package valued at approximately $24 billion. While meeting with Congressional leaders, I think Zelenskyy will point out that while the counteroffensive has been slow, Ukraine has made recent significant gains, south of Robotyne, around Bakhmut, and the degradation of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, to the point where it can no longer enforce a blockade of Ukraine’s grain ports.
Pres. Biden is expected to announce an additional aid package during Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House. I would not be surprised if Pres. Zelenskyy’s decision to fire 6 Deputy Defense ministers was timed to coincide with his visit to Washington, to address any concerns that U.S. and European assistance, both military and non-military has been diverted. I’m sure that Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s recently appointed defense minister, also wants his own team in place, including those experienced in auditing, something that reflects Umerov’s own experience running the State Property Fund.
While this visit will not be the lovefest that took place during Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington last December, where Pres. Zelenskyy gave former Speaker Pelosi a Ukrainian flag that was autographed by the defenders of Bakhmut, Ukraine still enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress. Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes, and the introduction of the new Defense Minister, will only help the narrative that Zelenskyy likely hopes to emphasize.
News From the Battlefield
“Reporting From Ukraine” covers the liberation of Klishchiivka, including an incident, starting at 2:40 into the video, when Russian artillery fired on Russian troops who were in the process of surrendering to Ukrainian troops. There is likely going to be some hand-wringing and twisted knickers, mostly among Western observers, over the photo at about 2:20 into the video, of a Ukrainian soldier standing in liberated Andriivka, holding a flag that contains a symbol often used by the Azov Battalion, for which Azov was accused of having Nazi sympathies.
Grain Carriers Arrive in Odesa – According to the Telegraph’s “Ukraine – The Latest” podcast, 2 large grain carriers arrived at the Port of Odesa last Saturday. They expect to load around 20,000 tons, each, destined for markets in Africa and S. Asia. Thanks to recent losses and Ukraine’s increasing control over the northwest part of the Black Sea and the approaches to Odesa, Russia no longer has significant ability to enforce a blockade.
9/18/2023 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon September 17 to 12:00 noon September 18, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration; SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Monday, September 18
12:21 am: Zelenskyi will speak before the US senators on Thursday. An unnamed assistant to the Ukrainian president told CNN about this.
● Zelensky is expected to address senators around 10:00 a.m. local time while on a visit to Capitol Hill.
8:22 am: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Russia on September 18-21 and hold the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations. This was reported by the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Mao Ning.
10:56 am: The wreckage of an unmanned aerial vehicle was found near Romania, on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, — Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria.
● It is reported that an 82-mm mine was attached to it. The event happened in the area of Tyulenovo village, which is located 30 km from the Romanian border. Navy specialists were sent there to examine the item and dispose of it.
11:42 am: Hearings in the case against the Russian Federation on charges of violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Genocide began in The Hague at the UN International Court of Justice
● Ukraine proves that the Russian Federation manipulated when it argued for a full-scale invasion by saying that it wanted to protect people in Donbas from genocide.
● The court will hear arguments from the parties within two weeks.
Sunday, September 17
4:24 pm: The International Court of Justice of the United Nations resumes hearings on the claim of Ukraine against Russia - it is about the Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide.
● Ukraine asks the court to hold Russia accountable for distorting the term "genocide". The hearings will be held in two rounds - Russia will speak on September 18 and 25, and Ukraine will speak on September 19 and 27.
5:17 pm: Canada will provide $24.5 million to purchase military aid to Ukraine.
● This was stated by the Minister of National Defense of Canada, Bill Blair.
● The contribution is part of the $500 million in military aid to Kyiv announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June.
9:40 pm: The European Commission has called on Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to be constructive following their announcements about the ban on Ukrainian grain imports, — Reuters.
● "We are aware of the statements of some member states regarding unilateral measures. Currently, it is important that all countries work in the spirit of compromise and engage in constructive interaction," said a representative of the European Commission.
● According to her, the European Commission is currently focused on introducing a new system for importing grain from Ukraine.
NATIONAL
Monday, September 18
12:03 am: Substantial enemy tactical aircraft activity remains in the eastern and southeastern direction.
● The threat of using air missiles and guided air bombs.
12:24 am: Repulses on "Shakhed" in the south.
12:29 am: The takeoff of up to seven Tu-95ms from Olenegorsk has been confirmed. Launches of cruise missiles are possible. - This is reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
12:54 am: Yaroslava Maguchih is the champion of the Diamond League in high jump. The Ukrainian jumped 2.03 m, set a season record in the world and won the Diamond League final for the second time in a row.
● Maguchih is the first two-time champion of the Diamond League in the history of Ukraine.
1:27 am: Kherson region, Mykolaiv region - the threat of "Shakhed" again - reports the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
4:34 am: A group of rockets is moving from the east in a southwest direction (the course may change), - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
4:44 am: Cruise missiles on the border of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Moving in the western direction - the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
5:17 am: Cruise missiles are headed in the direction of Uman, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
5:59 am: Airspace reconnaissance is underway. New rockets are not fixed. Repulses of air alarms are expected, - Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.
6:10 am: Repulse missile threat, - Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.
7:16 am: During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces made 9 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons, and military equipment of the Russian Federation, - the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
● Units of the missile forces hit 2 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, 2 anti-aircraft missile systems, 11 artillery pieces, 3 ammunition depots and an electronic warfare station.
7:34 am: The Armed Forces of Ukraine can still cut the land connection between the Russian Federation and Crimea before winter, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Russian Federation, said in an interview with The Economist.
● Budanov notes that the first defense line of the Russians in the Zaporizhzhia region has already been breached in some places, which means that the rupture of the "land corridor" is possible in the coming weeks.
● The head of GUR named the three main goals of launching drones in Russia
● According to him, one of the goals is to exhaust the Russian air defense system, secondly, to disable military transport and bombers, and, thirdly, to cause damage to military production facilities, such as, for example, the recent attack on a factory for the production of rockets of fuel in the Tver region.
● Kyrylo Budanov is sure that "drones will certainly facilitate operations to liberate our territories." "The drones have no fear. They are not sorry," he emphasized.
● Kirill Budanov said that Russia will receive a response to strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure
● The head of the GUR said that he is developing a program of "deterrence and retaliation" to counter Russia's expected winter campaign of shelling of infrastructure facilities.
● "Let them begin. They will also receive an answer," he said.
8:37 am: Tonight, air defense forces hit 18 "shaheed" and 17 cruise missiles, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
● A total of 24 strike UAVs were recorded in the direction of Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. Also, the Russian Federation involved eight aircraft carriers, the launches of 17 cruise missiles of the Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 type were recorded.
9:26 am: Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that he knows where Ukraine intends to break through Russian defenses.
● "We want this very much - to break through the defense line. It's not an easy way. It will be, I'm sure. I can't say where faster, I can't talk about it... because I know where we are going to break through and break through powerfully," he said the president in an interview with CBS news.
9:37 am: The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is advancing slowly, but it is necessary to "not give Putin a break," — Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
● "We have to free our territory as much as possible and move forward. Even if it's less than half a mile, or 100 meters, you must do it. We must not give Putin a break."
● According to him, now Ukraine and Russia each produce 40,000 shells per day.
10:10 am: Attention! Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions - the threat of using ballistic weapons! - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:43 am: The Cabinet of Ministers dismissed all the deputy ministers of defense and the ministry's state secretary, Cabinet Minister Nemchinov said.
Sunday, September 17
1:20 pm: Operational Command South has released today's combat performance of air defense forces on cruise missiles.
3:26 pm: More than 1,627 children were injured in Ukraine because of the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation, — Prosecutor General's Office.
● "As of the morning of September 17, 2023, according to the official information of juvenile prosecutors, 504 children died and more than 1,123 were injured of various degrees of severity," the message reads.
6:17 pm: Activity of enemy tactical aviation in the eastern and southeastern directions, — Air Forces of the ZSU.
● There is a threat of using aviation weapons.
6:21 pm: For the first time, non-Russian fuel was loaded into the nuclear unit at the Rivne NPP, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine said.
● "It was produced by the Westinghouse company with the participation of Ukrainian specialists," the press service of the ministry notes.
7:58 pm: Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on September 17:
● 25 combat clashes took place during the day.
● Also, the Russian Federation struck Ukraine with air-launched cruise missiles and attack UAVs of the Shahed-136/131 type.
● As a result of combat work, anti-aircraft defense destroyed 6 cruise missiles and 6 "shaheeds".
● "In total, the enemy carried out 15 missile and 44 air strikes, carried out 35 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas
● "During the day, the Air Force of the Defense Forces carried out 9 strikes on areas where the enemy's personnel, weapons and military equipment were concentrated.
● Units of the missile forces hit 2 anti-aircraft missile systems, 9 artillery pieces, 1 ammunition depot and the enemy's EW station.
9:17 pm: The launch of several groups of strike UAVs from the area of the Chauda training ground (Crimea) in the direction of the southern regions was recorded by the enemy, — the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
● It is possible to spread alarms in the direction of movement of the strike UAVs. In the event of an air alert, go to shelter.
9:32 pm: Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia regions - missile danger, — Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
9:32 pm: Mykolayivska, Kherson region - threat of enemy use of attack UAVs, — PS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:02 pm: A rescuer in equipment weighing more than 25 kg ran 50 km, setting a Ukrainian record
● After setting the record, the rescuer ran another 12.7 km.
● He dedicated the race to the memory of rescuers and civilians who died because of Russian bombings.
● During the race, a charity collection for the needs of emergency workers continued.
11:03 pm: Movement of "Shakheds" in the direction of Pervomaysk, Kropyvnytskyi. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:15 pm: The Ukrainian military liquidated the brigade commander of the 31st amphibious assault brigade of the Russian Federation Andriy Kondrashkin with the call sign "Danuy". This is reported by Russian Telegram channels.
● 31 DShB took part in the battles for Gostomel, and also fought in the Bakhmut direction.
MORDOR - ruZZia
Sunday, September 17
12:56 pm: Temporarily occupied Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region may become an outpost of the second line of defense of the Russians, — British intelligence.
● After analyzing the available data, intelligence believes that Tokmak is preparing to become a pillar of the second line of defense of the occupiers. The improvement in the city's defenses probably indicates Russia's concern about Ukraine's tactical penetration of the first main line of defense in the north.
7:31 pm: Dozens of armed men on helicopters seized an oil company in the Irkutsk region, — rosZMI.
● It is reported that everything happened on the territory of the "Dulisma" enterprise. Half of the employees were laid on the ground, half were placed facing the wall.
● "The "guests" took possession of all the company's documentation and became the managers," the report says.
8:30 pm: On Fiolent in the area of temporarily occupied Sevastopol, explosions are heard, local residents report.
9:12 pm: The explosions in Sevastopol are a joint special operation of the GUR and the Navy, — mass media.
● "The 26th marine radio engineering unit is based at Cape Fiolent, where the explosions were heard. There is also a radio engineering station with 12 radar antennas located there," the report says.
9:33 pm Social Networks: Repeated explosions are heard in temporarily occupied Sevastopol.
10:39 pm: Crimean local TV channels report explosions in the area of Fiolentivskyi Shosse.
● There is a Russian military air defense unit, armed with the S-400 "Triumph" air defense system.
REGIONS
SUMY
Monday, September 18
11:30 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Sumy region.
Sunday, September 17
12:10 pm Sumy RMA: At night and in the morning, the Russians carried out 4 attacks on the border. 28 explosions were recorded.
● Seredino-Budsk, Yunakivsk, Khotynsk, and Krasnopilsk communities came under fire.
3:55 p.m.: The Russian army shelled the Velikopysarov community in the Sumy region, the Sumy regional prosecutor's office reported.
● As a result of the shelling, a 47-year-old man died, a 40-year-old woman was injured.
KHARKIV
Monday, September 18
12:12 am: Kharkiv region - missile danger.
Sunday, September 17
11:47 am Kharkiv RMA: Last night the Russians launched a missile attack on the city of Kharkiv. It was recorded that 4 guided missiles of the S300 air defense system hit the building of a civilian enterprise. There was a fire.
● Around 11:30 a.m. between the villages of Hlyboke and Strelecha, the Russians hit a civilian car with a guided anti-tank missile. The man and woman who were in the car died on the spot. Another 72-year-old man who was in the car was injured. Hospitalized in serious condition.
● As a result of the shelling of the village A 23-year-old civilian was injured in Petropavlivka.
3:01 pm: The offensive of the Russian army in the Kupyan direction has slowed down. Probably, the occupiers are regrouping, - the head of the press service of the Eastern group of troops, Ilya Yevlash.
● "First of all, it is connected with the fact that they got a good beating near Novoyehorivka. And secondly, it seems to me that it is connected with the formation of their units," he said.
DONETSK
Monday, September 18
11:10 am: In de-occupied Andriivka, Donetsk region, the Third Separate Assault Brigade raised the Ukrainian flag.
Sunday, September 17
12:32 pm: A photo of armed forces soldiers in the village of Klishchiivka appeared online.
● We are waiting for official information.
1:47 pm: Defense forces destroyed two Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile complexes, — StratCom of the ZSU.
● According to the agency, enemy equipment was eliminated in occupied Svitlodarsk. Both air defense systems tried to protect the adjacent parts of the headquarters of the brigade and the airborne division.
2:10 pm: the Russians concentrated 52,000 of their troops in the direction of Bakhmut. There are 274 tanks, more than a thousand armored vehicles, as well as 150 artillery systems and more than 120 self-propelled guns.
● This was reported by the head of the press service of the Eastern Group of Forces, Ilya Yevlash.
● In general, the forces of the Russian Federation concentrated about 150,000 soldiers and thousands of pieces of equipment in the Eastern direction.
4:34 pm: Active assault operations are underway in Klishchiivka, it is not possible to confirm one hundred percent control over the settlement as of now.
● This was reported in the press service of the "Lyut" brigade and advised to wait for the official reports of the General Staff.
7:12 pm: The Ukrainian military liberated Klishchiivka in Donetsk region, which is seven kilometers from Bakhmut.
● This was reported by the head of the press service of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ilya Yevlash.
● Video — 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade.
7:51 pm: Donetsk region – missile danger, — Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
ZAPORIZHIA
Monday, September 18
8:22 am: the Russians have blocked the WhatsApp network in the temporarily occupied Melitopol of the Zaporizhzhia region, the townspeople cannot call the territory controlled by Ukraine, - Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov.
Sunday, September 17
10:18 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the temporarily occupied Tokmak of the Zaporizhia region.
the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
11:28 pm: Zaporizhzhia region - missile danger. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
DNIPRO
Sunday, September 17
6:44 pm Dnipro RMA: During the day, the Russians shelled Nikopol district 4 times with heavy artillery and kamikaze drones.
● "Specialists are inspecting the settlements. The consequences of the enemy's aggression are being investigated. Fortunately, there were no casualties among the residents," Lysak writes.
KHERSON
Monday, September 18
10:26 am Kherson RMA: Russians targeted a crowd in Berislav by dropping explosives near the local bus station.
● The injured are three men, aged 75, 56 and 73, as well as a 67-year-old woman. All the injured are now in hospital.
● Also received a message about yesterday evening's shelling of Mykolaivka. the Russians attacked the houses of local residents. A 40-year-old man died, another was injured.
11:20 am Kherson RMA: In Mykolaivka, the Russians attacked an ambulance.
● At the time of the Russian strike, medics were assisting the wounded. According to preliminary information, the paramedic and the driver were not injured. The official car was damaged.
Sunday, September 17
2:38 pm: The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed the status of the captured Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhaev.
● "The Russian side submitted my father Igor Kolyhayev to the list of prisoners and he is on the territory of the Russian Federation. They did not say where exactly or about his state of health. His status in the personal office of the coordination headquarters was also updated," said the son of the captured mayor.
5:42 pm Kherson RMA: A 69-year-old man died as a result of Russian shelling of the Belozersk community, the Prosecutor General's Office reports.
● Earlier, the head of Kherson OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin, wrote that a tractor driver who ran into a Russian mine died in the Beryslav district.
● "A 26-year-old man was also injured. He was hospitalized in a moderate condition," added Prokudin.
5:55 pm Kherson Municipal Military Administration: In Kherson, a 19-year-old boy was wounded as a result of shelling by the Russian army at around 4:00 p.m.
● "At the time of his arrival, he was on the street. He is currently injured in the hospital," Mrochko writes.
6:59 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
7:45 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kherson.
8:01 pm Kherson Municipal Military Administration: Heavy explosions are heard in Kherson, occupation forces have resumed shelling.
10:53 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Kherson.
MYKOLAIV
Monday, September 18
5:54 am: On the night of September 18, the city of Snigurivka in the Mykolaiv region was shelled, - the head of the city's military administration, Ivan Kukhta.
● Previously, there were no casualties or injuries.
Sunday, September 17
2:50 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in the Mykolayiv region.
10:25 pm: In the Mykolaiv region, air defense is working. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
ODESA
Monday, September 18
12:37 am: Odeshchyna - the threat of the use of attack UAVs by the enemy - the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reports.
1:58 am: Odeshchyna - the threat of the use of attack UAVs by the enemy - reports the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
1:32 am: The Shahed group is moving in the direction of Ochakov - the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
9:11 am: Today, the Russian Federation again attacked the Izmail district. Air defense forces destroyed 11 attack drones over the Odesa region, Oleg Kiper, head of OVA.
● There are no casualties among civilians. A hit to the recreational infrastructure of Vylkovo was recorded. As a result of which a fire broke out, the rescuers promptly eliminated everything.
Sunday, September 17
11:06 pm: Odesa - threat of enemy use of attack UAVs. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:29 pm: "Shaheed" group is moving towards Reni. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:30 pm: Explosions were heard in Odesa region. Previously, the work of air defense.
CHERKASY
Monday, September 18
4:58 am: Cruise missiles are headed in the direction of Cherkasy, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
KIROVOHRAD
Sunday, September 17
10:07 pm: Kirovohrad region - threat of enemy use of attack UAVs. -Sunday,
11:49 pm: In the airspace of the Kirovohrad region - "Shahedy". They are moving in the western direction. Air defense works. - reported the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
VINNYTSIA
Monday, September 18
5:20 am: Vinnytsia - movement of rockets in the western direction, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
KHMELNITSKY
Monday, September 18
5:34 am: Cruise missiles in Khmelnytskyi, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
5:40 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Khmelnytskyi region, subscribers report. We are waiting for official information.
5:51 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard again in Khmelnytskyi region.
6:06 am: Explosions were heard in the Khmelnytskyi region. Air defense works. More detailed information later - first deputy head of Khmelnytskyi OVA Serhii Tyurin.
9:54 am: Due to the downing of missiles in the Khmelnytskyi region, the blast wave damaged the roofs and windows of several households, - First Deputy Head of OVA Serhiy Tyurin
● In addition, debris fell and two explosions occurred on the territory of the production enterprise. The fire has been extinguished. The railway track was also damaged by debris. Restoration work has begun.
ZHYTOMYR
Monday, September 18
5:46 am: Rocket in the direction of Zhytomyr region, - Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://espreso.tv/
https://t.me/uawarinfographics
https://t.me/svoboda_radio
The maps I’ve seen of Ukrainian lines before and after the offensive look pretty much the same. Maybe you have link to share, otherwise Musk’s statement seems pretty accurate. Any disagreement with Ukraine’s position in the war is not automatically “Russian disinformation”. Plus I’m hearing that Ukrainian losses in the latest push is many times what was happening at the beginning of the conflict.
It’s so sad with all those young men dying. Ukrainian’s endgame seems to be to push Russia completely out. But is this even possible without first coming to the table?
Would losing all the young Ukrainian men be worth it?
I don’t know the answers but hate the current situation.