Ukraine Daily
Sunday, September 11
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A tank of the Ukrainian army advances to the fronts in the northeastern areas of Kharkiv city on Sept. 8, 2022. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces liberate Vasylenkov and Artemivka in Kharkiv Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sept. 10 that the servicemen of the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade liberated the two settlements in Kharkiv Oblast.
Zelensky: Ukrainian army has liberated 2,000 kilometers since beginning of September. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that in the past few days alone, around 1,000 kilometers have been liberated amid a massive counter-offensive. “It’s not a bad decision for (Russian) to flee,“ Zelensky said, adding that “there will never be a place for occupiers in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian troops confirm entering Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast. The Security Service of Ukraine posted a photo of special operations forces in Kupiansk after unverified reports of the liberation of the city on the morning of Sept. 10. The liberation of Kupiansk, which had a peacetime population of 28,000, is one of the most significant Ukrainian victories since Russian troops withdrew from the north of Ukraine in April, and represents a likely near total collapse of Russian defenses in the region.
Russians in occupied parts of Kharkiv Oblast tell civilians to ‘evacuate’ to Russia. Russia’s state-controlled media TASS reported that Russian сollaborator Vitaliy Ganchev said that “all residents of the region should evacuate.” The Ukrainian military liberated about 30 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, including Kupiansk, Balakliia, and Izium, after a major counteroffensive in the region.
Russia claims it withdrew from part of Kharkiv Oblast to boost its efforts in Donetsk Oblast. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia’s Defense Ministry, said on Sept. 10 that Russia had transferred troops from Balakliya and Izium in Kharkiv Oblast to Donetsk Oblast. He claimed that the aim of the withdrawal was to achieve the main aim of Russia’s so-called “special military operation” - the capture of the entire Donbas. The statement came after Ukrainian forces regained control over Balakliya, Izyum, and Kupiansk as part of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Donetsk proxy confirms Russian retreat from Izium, Kharkiv Oblast. Daniil Bezsonov, a Russian proxy leader in Donetsk Oblast, wrote on his personal Telegram channel that Russian troops had withdrawn from Izium and a few other settlements in Kharkiv Oblast. Izium has been a key stronghold of Russian occupying forces in eastern Ukraine since it was occupied in late March.
Mayor: Ukrainian troops fight Russian forces on outskirts of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast. Oleksandr Zhuravlyov, the mayor of Russian-occupied Lyman, told Suspilne television that a Ukrainian flag had not yet been raised in the town. Russian forces keep resisting the Ukrainian advance towards Lyman, he added.
Governor: Ukrainian forces advance to outskirts of Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai told Suspilne television on Sept. 10 that locals have already seen Ukrainian soldiers on the outskirts of Russian-occupied Lysychansk. According to Haidai, Ukrainian partisans raised the country’s flag over Kreminna, a town near Sievierodonetsk, overnight on Sept. 10. He also added that Russian occupiers and collaborators are now leaving settlements in Luhansk Oblast en masse.
Ukrainian troops confirm entering Izium, Kharkiv Oblast. Ukraine’s 25th Airborne Brigade published a video of its soldiers in Izium. Earlier on Sept. 10, Russian proxies confirmed that Russian troops had withdrawn from Izium and a few other settlements in Kharkiv Oblast.
Ukrainian army makes progress on the southern front. Ukrainian forces made advances from several to tens of kilometers in some areas, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, said on television. Nine tanks were destroyed and 70 Russian soldiers were killed in the day’s fighting. Humeniuk also mentioned that two howitzers used to shell Nikopol from across the Dnipro River were destroyed by Ukrainian fire.
Media: Explosions reported in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Local media reported on Sept. 11 explosions followed by air raid sirens throughout the city of Dnipro. No casualties or damage have been reported.
General Staff: Russian military fires 9 missiles, 10 air strikes against Ukraine on Sept. 10. The list of settlements hit by Russia includes Bakhmut, Vilne Pole, and Maryinka in Donetsk Oblast, Slavhorod in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Mali Shcherbaky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as well as the cities of Dnipro and Mykolaiv.
Energoatom: Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant’s last reactor shuts down. The plant’s sixth and last functioning reactor was disconnected from the national grid in the early morning of Sept. 11, reported Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom. The sixth reactor was operating on “island mode” for the past three days, maintaining only its own needs, after Russian shelling damaged power lines. The restoration of a power line means “preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state,” reportedly the “safest state.”
Water and electricity were restored to Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Dmytro Orlov, mayor of Enerhodar, where the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located, said workers restored power and electricity for citizens after it was disconnected due to Russian shelling.
Ukrainian forces destroy Russian ammunition depots and ferry crossing in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command reported the destruction of ammunition depots in and around the city of Kherson, as well as a ferry crossing in Nova Khakovka on Sept. 10. As a result of the Ukrainian ongoing counteroffensive, the destruction of eight Russian tanks, 17 armored vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer, one Orlan-10 UAV, and the deaths of 80 Russian troops have been confirmed.
Russian strike on Dnipro leaves multiple wounded. Mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov said several residents were injured after Russian forces struck the center of the city overnight on Sept. 11. Further details about the attack are being investigated.
Kuleba: Kharkiv counteroffensive shows Ukraine can defeat Russia, but more weapons needed. At a joint conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine needs continued military support from its allies as it continues its counteroffensives. “And so I reiterate: the more weapons we receive, the faster we will win, and the faster this war will end,” Kuleba said.
Five more grain ships leave ports of Odesa Oblast. The ships were loaded with 90,000 tons of Ukrainian agricultural products bound for European and African countries, according to the Infrastructure Ministry. Over 2.6 million tons of food products have left Ukraine through the Black Sea since shipping was restarted in August.
Governor: Russia has stolen more than 1 million tons of grain from Luhansk Oblast. The number was shared by Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk Oblast, the entirety of which is currently occupied by Russian forces.
Latvian president becomes first world leader to stay overnight in Kyiv. Egils Levits arrived on Sept. 9 for the first multi-day visit that a world leader has made to Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. After meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky, Levits called for the opening of accession negotiations between Ukraine and the EU. “Ukraine not only politically and culturally belongs to the European family, but also should be a member of the EU because the EU is an association of free democratic countries,” Levits said as quoted by Interfax Ukraine.
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Four days into Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces have retreated from the key cities of Kupiansk and Izium, signaling a near-total collapse of the Russian line of defense in the area.
Latvian President Levits: ‘Ukraine will be strong EU member in relatively short time’
From day one of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Latvia has been among Ukraine’s most outspoken supporters. Having been occupied by the Soviet Union, Latvia has been open about considering Russia as a threat to its own security. And Latvia was making it clear it will do everything it can to help Ukraine.
Zelensky: 90 days ahead will be more crucial for Ukraine than past 30 years of independence
President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the 17th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference where he spoke about the country’s EU membership, the Russian-orchestrated energy crisis, and what Ukraine needs to win the war.
The human cost of Russia’s war
Prosecutor General’s Office: Russia’s war has killed at least 383 children, injured over 747 since Feb. 24. The largest number of casualties was reported in Donetsk Oblast, where 390 children have been killed or injured. The numbers of children killed and injured are expected to be higher and do not include casualties in Russian-occupied areas and near the frontline.
Ukrainian TV camera operator killed in combat during liberation of Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast. Oleksiy Yurchenko, a cameraman for the Priamy television channel, enlisted in the Ukrainian army at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Alongside years of experience as a camera operator, Yurchenko had previously fought in the Donbas in 2015-2016.
Official: One person killed, two injured in Kharkiv as a result of Russian shelling on Sept. 10. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that Russians hit the city’s western district with two rockets, damaging several residential buildings and causing a fire in one of them.
Russian forces shell Mykolaiv, injuring 9. Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said Russian forces struck the city on Sept. 11, leaving nine residents wounded, with four still receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Governor: Russian forces kill 10 civilians, injure 19 in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 10. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported that Russian forces killed four people in Pokrovsk, three in Krasnohorivka, two in Bakhmut, and one in Raihorodok in the past 24 hours.
Governor: Russian shelling injures 4 people in Dnipro. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Valentyn Reznichenko reported that Russian shelling overnight on Sept. 11 of Dnipro’s Dniprovskyi and Nikopolskyi districts seriously injured three men and a woman. The attack also damaged administrative buildings, commercial infrastructure, and residential areas.
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.
General Staff: Russia has lost 52,650 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Sept. 11 that Russia had also lost 2,154 tanks, 4,617 armored fighting vehicles, 3,445 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,263 artillery systems, 311 multiple launch rocket systems, 162 air defense systems, 242 airplanes, 213 helicopters, 902 drones, and 15 boats.
International response
German foreign minister arrives in Kyiv. “We will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary, with the delivery of weapons, with humanitarian and financial support,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said upon her arrival in Kyiv by train on Sept. 10, according to Spiegel. This is Baerbock’s second trip to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, during which she will meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
US official: US will continue efforts to limit Russia’s attempts at circumventing sanctions. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said limiting access to high technologies is necessary to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and to prevent further aggression. Nuland added that the already imposed sanctions are already beginning to take effect on the Russian economy which is struggling to sustain its weapons production.
German Foreign Minister Baerbock calls on Russia to return control of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Ukraine. During a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Moscow to grant permission for the International Atomic Energy Agency delegation to remain at the nuclear power plant, return the plant to Ukrainian control, and for Russia to demilitarize the surrounding area to avoid a nuclear catastrophe.
US official: Ukraine should decide how to liberate territories occupied by Russia. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Ukraine’s Armed Forces should independently decide when and how to liberate territories occupied by Russia in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as well as Crimea. Addressing other nations at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, Sullivan said it is the goal of the U.S. and its allies to help Ukraine achieve these goals, either through negotiations or on the battlefield.
Nuland says ‘no interest’ in President Biden meeting Putin at G20 summit. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said at the 17th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference that she does not “see any interest in Putin from our president,” regarding talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during the upcoming G20 summit.
Scholz: Germany prepared to face coming winter without Russian gas. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany is ready to weather the winter season if Russia decides to halt gas exports. Scholz said terminals have been prepared in northern Germany to import liquid gas, coal-powered plants are operating, and nuclear power plants in the south will be ready by early 2023, if necessary.
Minister: Rammstein-5 meeting a success, Western support remains strong. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that focus was placed on sustained support, the maintenance of Western weapons systems, and the continued training of Ukrainian personnel. The Sept. 8 meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine (the so-called Rammstein-5 meeting) was held in Germany.
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