Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title
[Korrespondent] 21:19 Deputy Minister of Defense Anna Malyar also confirmed the liberation of Kleshcheevka, but, according to her, the enemy is still trying to regain lost positions, so today we had to repel enemy attacks all day.
21:16 Crimean public pages write about explosions and fire in Sevastopol near Cape Fiolent. The publication Babel reports, citing sources, that the explosions in Sevastopol were a joint special operation by the Main Intelligence Directorate and the Navy. At Cape Fiolent, where the explosions were heard, the 26th Marine Radio Engineering Detachment is based, and there is also a radio engineering station with 12 radar antennas.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense forces allegedly destroyed two Ukrainian aircraft-type drones over the southwestern part of Crimea.
20:33 Trump said that Ukraine could have avoided an escalation of the conflict with Russia if it had given up some of the territories: “They could have reached an agreement with the loss of territories on a smaller scale than Russia has already, let’s be honest, annexed. They could have reached a deal and no one would have died." Trump believes that such an agreement would allow the Ukrainian authorities to save the country.
20:29 Zelensky, in an evening video message, confirmed the liberation of Kleshcheevka and thanked the 80th brigade of the DShV, the 5th separate assault brigade, the 95th and the United assault brigade of the National Police Lyut.
19:38 The head of the OP Andrey Ermak said that Kleshcheevka is Ukraine, and thanked the soldiers for the de-occupation of Ukrainian land. At the same time, the General Staff did not report in the evening information about the liberation of Kleshcheevka. According to the General Staff, in the Bakhmut direction the Defense Forces successfully repelled five enemy attacks in the area of Kleshcheevka and Belaya Gora, and the Russian Army also tried to restore the lost position in the Andreevka area of the Donetsk region.
19:19 Soldiers of the 80th separate air assault brigade of the DShV of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region, has been finally liberated from the Russians. “But the enemy is constantly trying to inflict maximum damage on our soldiers and is using all possible means of fire,” the message says.
18:34 Finnish President Sauli Niinistö considers the risk of using nuclear weapons in Russia’s war against Ukraine “huge”: “We are in a very sensitive situation. Even little things can greatly change the situation, and, unfortunately, for the worse. This is the risk such a large-scale war. The risk of using nuclear weapons is enormous." He also defended the cautious policy of states such as the United States and Germany in the issue of providing Ukraine with this or that weapon, since they bear great responsibility for the development of the future situation.
17:50 The process of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters has “gained momentum” and has moved a lot, said Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat: “They ask a lot of questions about where, in what country, how many pilots and how many aircraft we get "Unfortunately, we cannot now answer these questions in such detail. Not every state wants to go into particular detail about the process that is taking place on its territory. I can only assure you that the process has really moved forward very seriously. It was not in place, but gained momentum. The pilots are studying and undergoing training."
17:37 Canada has allocated about $24 million to purchase for Ukraine “hundreds of short- and medium-range anti-aircraft missiles and related systems necessary to protect Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure,” Defense Minister Bill Blair said. The funds are allocated as part of a new $370 million military aid package to Ukraine, which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced during a visit to Kyiv in June.
The country's Ministry of Defense recalled that the total amount of Canadian assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation is more than $8 billion, of which more than $1.8 billion is military assistance.
17:22 The Russians fired artillery at the civilian infrastructure of the Velikopisarevsky community in the Sumy region - one person was killed, one was wounded, the prosecutor’s office reported.
16:41 The Russians hit Tomina Balka in the Belozersky district of the Kherson region, one person was killed, the OVA reported. The Russian army also shelled Sadovoye, a policeman was injured. In the Berislavsky region, during field work, a tractor ran over a Russian mine - one person was killed, one was injured.
15:13 The mayor of Kherson Igor Kolykhaev, who was considered missing, is in Russian captivity on the territory of the Russian Federation, his son reported, citing data from the Red Cross. It is unknown where exactly he is being held.
14:28 The International Court of Justice in The Hague resumes hearings on the claim of Ukraine against Russia under the Genocide Convention. Public hearings on Russia's preliminary objections will be held September 18-27. The hearings will be held in two rounds: the Russian Federation will speak on September 18 and 25, Ukraine - on September 19 and 27. The court will hold a hearing on jurisdiction, and if it finds that it has jurisdiction and that the claim is fully or partially admissible, then the next step will be to consider the merits of the case.
The dispute concerns the interpretation, application and implementation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In the lawsuit, Ukraine demands that the Russian Federation be held accountable for distorting the concept of “genocide,” because Moscow accused Kiev of the genocide that Ukraine allegedly committed in the Donbass starting in 2014, and used this as a basis for a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
12:02 The drone fell on the territory of a logistics center in the Uzlovsky district of the Tula region, preliminary, no one was injured, regional authorities reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that a “Ukrainian drone” was intercepted over the territory of the Voronezh region.
11:54 Russia has concentrated 52 thousand military personnel in the Bakhmut direction, and in total there are about 150 thousand Russian soldiers in the East, said Ilya Yevlash, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces.
According to his information, 274 Russian tanks, more than a thousand armored vehicles, 150 artillery systems and more than 120 multiple launch rocket systems are concentrated in the Bakhmut direction. In total, the Russian Federation maintains about 1,000 tanks, about 3,000 armored combat vehicles, 1,000 artillery systems and 600 MLRS systems in the East. Yevlash added that enemy losses in the East exceed Ukrainian losses by 7-8 times.
10:37 British intelligence reports that Russian troops are strengthening the defense of the strategically important city of Tokmak, Zaporozhye region. Around Tokmak, located about 16 kilometers from the current front line, the Russian military is setting up additional checkpoints and anti-tank fortifications, as well as digging new trenches in the area held by the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation. According to analysts, they are preparing to make Tokmak the core of the second main line of defense of the Russian Federation.
10:19 As a result of a night attack in the south of the Odessa region, the territory of the Berezovsky district was hit, agricultural infrastructure was damaged - land and a granary. No people were injured, said the head of the OVA, Oleg Kiper.
09:20 During his visit to Washington on September 21, Zelensky will not speak before Congress, but will visit the Capitol, where he will hold talks with small groups of congressmen, the Financial Times writes, citing sources. The publication notes that Zelensky will ask Biden for additional military assistance.
09:16 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for preparations for a long war in Ukraine. According to him, "most wars last longer than expected at the beginning." He also spoke out against the truce and ceasefire: “The peace agreement should not serve as a respite for Russia to attack again. We can no longer allow Russia to jeopardize security in Europe.”
Stoltenberg noted that NATO is striving for a “quick peace,” but not at the cost of the disappearance of Ukraine. He also believes that "Ukraine will eventually be in NATO."
09:07 The head of the Kharkov OVA Oleg Sinegubov clarified that on Saturday, September 16, at about 11:10, the Russians attacked Kharkov with five Iskander K cruise missiles - buildings of civilian enterprises, private residential buildings were damaged, and fires occurred. Six people were injured. In addition, last night the enemy launched a missile attack on Kharkov with four S-300 guided missiles - they hit the building of a civilian enterprise and a fire occurred.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy has shelled settlements in the Kharkov, Bogodukhovsky, Chuguevsky, Kupyansky and Izyumsky districts of the region. Between the villages of Glubokoe and Streleche, Kharkov region, the Russians struck a civilian vehicle with a guided anti-tank missile - two people were killed, one was wounded. As a result of the shelling of the village. Petropavlovka, Kupyansky district, one person was injured.
08:44 At night, air defense destroyed six out of ten enemy X-101/X-555/X-55 cruise missiles and all six Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs , the Air Force command reported. The drones were launched from the south-eastern and southern directions (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Chauda), the missiles were launched from nine Tu-95ms strategic aircraft from the Engels area. The main direction of attack is the south of the Odessa region. Enemy missiles were recorded hitting the territory of a civilian agricultural enterprise in the Odessa region.
08:35 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of September 17:
- personnel - about 272,320 (+530) people,
- tanks - 4620 (+4),
- armored combat vehicles - 8828 (+4),
- artillery systems - 6003 (+15),
- MLRS - 776 (+2),
- air defense systems - 523 (+2),
- aircraft - 315 (+0),
- helicopters - 316 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 4742 (+4),
- cruise missiles - 1455 (+0),
- ships/boats - 20 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 8537 (+12),
- special equipment - 896 (+5).
07:59 Over the past 24 hours, more than 30 military clashes took place at the front, the Gestab reported in its morning report. In the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces repelled 13 enemy attacks in the Kleshcheevka area, and also did not allow them to break through the defenses in the Kurdyumovka and Andreevka areas of the Donetsk region. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are having success in the Kleshcheevka area and are pushing the enemy out of their positions.
In the Maryinsky direction, the enemy unsuccessfully tried to advance in the areas of Marinka, Severny, Rovnopol of the Donetsk region and Novodarovka of the Zaporozhye region. In the Avdeevsky, Maryinsky and Shakhtarsky directions, the Defense Forces hold the initiative and carry out assaults. In the Melitopol direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue their offensive.
05:55 At night, Russia and Crimea were attacked by drones, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. In the Moscow region, two drones were allegedly destroyed - over the Istra and Domodedovo districts. Another four UAVs were allegedly destroyed over the northwestern and eastern coasts of Crimea.
Governor of the Oryol region Andrei Klychkov said that another drone fell at night on a “non-residential object” in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Oryol. Russian telegram channels report that an oil depot in the Oryol region caught fire after a drone attack. Social networks publish footage of the fire and report that, according to preliminary data, a tank with a flammable liquid is burning.
03:48 Four Republican senators wrote an open letter to Biden, calling for the immediate transfer of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. According to Senators Roger Wicker, Tom Cotton, Suzanne Collins and Lindsey Graham, further delay would further undermine US national security interests and continue the war.
Senators insist that the provision of ATACMS will allow Ukraine to strike key Russian logistics and communications facilities, as well as cruise missile and drone launch sites in occupied territory. In addition, the provision of missiles will maximize the likelihood of success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces counter-offensive and subsequent operations.