Ukraine Repels Fresh Russian Attacks in the East: The Ukrainian military revealed on Sunday that its forces had successfully repelled fresh Russian attacks in several locations to the east of Kramatorsdk, a city in Donetsk oblast.
In an operational update, Ukrainian authorities described how its military is successfully holding back new efforts by the Russians to strengthen control over the Donetsk region and gave a specific example of what was achieved on Saturday, September 24. The update described how the Ukrainian military successfully repelled more than half a dozen fresh attacks in Soledar, Vyimka, Kurdyumivka, Zaitseve, Novomykhailivka, Pervomaiske, and Pavlivka.
“The skill of our artillerymen was once again confirmed. On September 24 of this year, as a result of the fire impact on enemy facilities in the temporarily captured territory of Zaporizhzhya oblast, about 10 units of enemy weapons and military equipment were destroyed in the area of the settlement of Hulyaipole, as well as one S-300 air defense system with ammunition storage near the city of Tokmak,” the update reads.
A total of 21 strikes were reportedly carried out by the Ukrainian Air Force over the weekend, and at least 14 Russian military sites, which contained military equipment and troops, were damaged. Seven positions containing anti-aircraft missile systems were also struck and damaged by Ukrainian forces, and 2 Russian UAVs were also destroyed.
It’s a positive and early sign for the Ukrainian military that despite Russia’s renewed efforts to take full control over the Donbas, defense forces are equipped to deal with the threat. How long Ukraine will be able to maintain this momentum, however, is unclear. Many of the 300,000 troops expected to leave Russia for Ukraine in the coming weeks and months may be unprepared now, but after going through the appropriate training and deployed in huge numbers in the east, Ukraine will have to work harder to keep up its momentum.
Still Committing War Crimes?
In the same operational update, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense described how Russian forces continue to “fully occupy the Donetsk oblast” and “hold the occupied territories,” while also focusing on disrupting the activity of Ukrainian defense forces.
The update also described how the Russian military is doubling down on attacks against civilian homes and infrastructure, and that the threat of air and missile strikes across Ukraine continue.
“Over the course of a day, the occupiers launched 4 missile and 7 air strikes, fired more than 24 MLRS strikes at military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine, violating the norms of international humanitarian law, the laws and customs of warfare,” the update reads.
HIMARS. This is similar to what is being used in Ukraine.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
