Ukrainian troops advance in the Donetsk direction. Wagner fighters are back fighting near Bakhmut. Ukraine is to bolster air defenses to protect energy facilities before winter sets in, the Prime Minister says. Putin is systematically misinformed about Russian military’s struggles in Ukraine, Ukraine’s intelligence says.
Ukrainian troops advance in Donetsk direction, Wagner fighters are back fighting near Bakhmut
Ukrainian troops advance in the Donetsk direction, President Zelenskyi said Wednesday after a meeting where he was briefed on the situation on the front lines, and supply of ammunition and weapons, and heard intelligence reports.
“[Our troops] are advancing in the Donetsk direction. There are other plans that become a reality,” Zelenskyi said. He was also briefed on the situation in Kherson region where Russia dropped 26 guided bombs in the past day alone. The President said he issued orders to “find additional solutions to stop the terror”.
Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Kupyansk, and Lyman directions, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a morning report on September 27. Ukrainian troops thwarted the attempts by Russian forces to conduct offensive actions in the Maryinka direction and repelled their attacks in the Avdiyivka direction.
Ukrainian troops continue offensive operations in the Melitopol direction. Russian sources reported a Ukrainian assault in the Robotyne-Verbove area in Zaporizhzhia region. Сommander of the Tavria operational strategic group, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said there is “good news” in the Tavria sector.
Wagner mercenaries were back on the battlefield near Bakhmut in Donetsk region, a Ukrainian service member who goes by his call sign “Groove” told CNN.
Groove, a drone operator with the unit of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade, nicknamed “Code 9.2” said: “We will be hitting their first line and our guys will be advancing on the enemy.” Wagner mercenaries are back fighting in the area near Bakhmut, he added.
“[Russia] gathered troops from surrounding areas and brought them here,” he says. “They don’t have much personnel left here.”
After Russia confirmed the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s mercenaries were not participating in military operations in Ukraine “in any significant capacity,” the Pentagon said. Wagner fighters were redeployed from Bakhmut where they were taking heavy losses for months. The private military contractor has reportedly stopped recruiting fighters.
Ukraine is to bolster air defenses to protect energy facilities before winter sets in, Prime Minister says
Ukraine is to bolster its air defenses that protect energy facilities before winter sets in, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a forum on the Future of Ukrainian Energy. The project is unique in the world, he added.
“Our air defense system has become more comprehensive, there’s more experience now. We continue to work to improve it. Before winter sets in, it will become even more robust, strong and effective,” Shmyhal said. Last year, Ukraine did not have Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T, or SAMP-T systems, he added.
Ukraine has built a multi-layered system to protect energy facilities, with both active and passive components. “Ukraine is implementing projects that no one in the world has done before,” the Prime Minister said.
Works are underway to decentralize the energy system.
Shmyhal thanked the countries that had helped Ukraine to swiftly bolster its resilience.
“Our partners gave us USD 2.3 billion to repair and protect our energy facilities. We have also more than doubled the threshold for electricity imports from the EU, bringing it from 500 MW to 1200 MW,” Shmyhal said. More than 80 per cent of the power grids have been repaired, he added.
Russia has fewer missiles, he said. It can produce them at a slower pace than before.
Putin systematically misinformed about Russian military’s struggles in Ukraine, Ukraine’s intelligence says
According to a Ukrainian intelligence source, Russian officials are afraid to give President Vladimir Putin bad news, distorting his view of the Russian military’s capabilities and struggles in Ukraine.
Putin does not get reports of the reality of the situation on the front lines, a source within the intelligence community who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The New Voice of Ukraine.
Following a series of criminal charges that the Kremlin brought against high-level Russian officials, advisers that report to Putin on the war in Ukraine try to play down bad news. It has grown into a silent consensus. “No one dares to give him bad news. So Putin has limited understanding of the reality of the situation, especially of that on the battlefield,” the source said.
“This is both good and bad news for us,” he added.
He said that according to available information, Putin will never accept his military defeat and will try to fight the war as long as possible.
Ukraine’s diplomatic resilience at the UN General Assembly. Ukraine in Flames #512
After the start of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, there has been a growing wave of criticism directed at the Security Council and the United Nations. Concerns are particularly focused on russia’s behaviour as a permanent member of the Security Council and the fact that Moscow has frequently exercised its veto power to obstruct unfavorable international resolutions. In December 2022, Ukraine proposed the removal of russia’s permanent member status and its expulsion from the UN, but according to the current UN charter, this cannot be done without the consent of russia itself. Watch Ukraine in flames #512 to find out about how Ukraine can use the UN platform taking into account the prevailing situation and geopolitical dynamics, and the evolving practice of diplomatic boycotts within the Security Council.
Guests:
- Valeriy Chaly, Chairman of the UCMC Board, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine
- Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN (1997-2001 and 2015-2018), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine