Russia’s counteroffensive in the Kursk region is in line with the Ukrainian plan, Zelenskyi says. Russian shelling kills three Red Cross workers in Donetsk region. A Russian Shahed drone flies close to the nuclear power plant in Khmelnytskyi region during an overnight attack.
Russian counteroffensive in Kursk is in line with Ukrainian plan, Zelenskyi says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi confirmed on Thursday that Russia had launched a counteroffensive in the Kursk region.
“The Russians have started counteroffensive actions, which is going in line with our Ukrainian plan,” Zelenskyi said during a joint news conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in Kyiv.
DeepState, a Ukrainian OSINT project said on Wednesday that Russian forces had launched a concerted push against Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region. The situation for the Ukrainian group of forces there has worsened on the left flank, the analysts said.
Russian forces may intend to temporarily bisect the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast before beginning a more organized and well-equipped effort to push Ukrainian forces out of Russian territory, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report published on Wednesday.
“Russian forces began counterattacks along the western edge of the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast and reportedly seized several settlements northeast and south of Korenevo on September 10 and 11,” the analysts said.
“The size, scale, and potential prospects of the September 11 Russian counterattacks in Kursk Oblast are unclear and the situation remains fluid as of this report. It is premature to draw conclusions about Russia’s new counterattacks and ISW will continue following the situation,” the report reads.
Russian shelling kills three Red Cross workers in Donetsk region
Russian shelling on Thursday killed three Ukrainians working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and wounded two others in a village in Donetsk region.
“Another Russian war crime. Today, the occupier attacked vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian mission in the Donetsk region,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on X.
“As of now, we know of two injured people who are receiving all necessary assistance. Unfortunately, three people were killed in this Russian strike. My deepest condolences to their families and friends,” he said.
“In this war, everything is absolutely clear—Russia sows evil, Ukraine defends life. If anyone wants to hear ‘both sides,’ in Russia, it is only perceived as permission to kill again,” Zelenskyi said.
He urged the world to mount a “firm and principled” response.
The Red Cross workers were killed in a Russian artillery strike on the village of Virolyubivka, in Donetsk region, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets said. They were on a truck that was carrying humanitarian supplies, he added.
“The news of the attack has spread, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) are silent! No reaction or condemnation followed, [they] offered no condolences,” Lubinets said.
The silence covers Russia’s criminal policy, he added. He called on the ICRC to officially recognize the violation of the Geneva Conventions by Russia.
“Is the ICRC completely indifferent to the deaths of their employees? Or are they too scared to tell the truth?” Lubinets said.
The ICRC issued a statement later on Thursday. The organization did not say who was behind the shelling.
Russian shelling of the village of Virolyubivka hit an industrial site, destroying a truck with humanitarian supplies and a passenger car, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin said.
Russian Shahed drone flies close to nuclear power plant in Khmelnytskyi region during overnight attack
A Russian attack drone flew close to a nuclear power plant in Khmelnytskyi region during an overnight drone strike on Thursday, head of the regional military administration, Serhiy Tyurin said.
“The Shahed drone was later shot down by the air defenses. Russia is consciously charting the routes for drones and missiles that pass over Ukraine’s nuclear sites. This is not happening for the first time. This is part of the Russian terrorist tactic,” Tyurin said.
He said air defenses had shot down 11 Shahed drones over the region overnight and in the morning on Thursday. As a result of the attack a fire broke out at a furniture warehouse.
Overnight on Thursday, Russia attacked using 69 drones across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force shot down 44 of them with four more likely downed by electronic warfare systems. Three more drones returned back into Russia. Russia also used two Iskander-M missiles, a Kh-59/69 missile and two Kh-22/32 missiles in the attack, the Air Force said.
At least 14 people had been hurt in an overnight drone attack on Konotop in Sumy region that significantly damaged energy infrastructure in the city.
The situation with power supply in Konotop was critical, the city’s mayor Artem Semenikhin said. Works are ongoing to restore power to a hospital and the city’s water utility, he added.
“No one can forecast when power will be restored to households, at least for several hours [as part of rolling outages],” he said. A large number of educational facilities were damaged.
Windows were blown out in several hospital buildings. Medical equipment was not seriously damaged, and the hospitals continue to work. Water supply will be rationed by hours, Semenikhin said.
In the city center, part of the tram tracks was destroyed, and tram movement was restricted.
Protection of cultural heritage: The Netherlands will help Ukrainians. Ukraine in Flames #662
In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we’ll explore how the Netherlands will help Ukrainians protect its cultural heritage. The experts discuss the Black Sea Hub’s unique role in addressing war-related cultural preservation challenges in Ukraine, highlighting the transformative power of grassroots civil society, the need for coordinated support from international partners and local authorities, and the ongoing efforts to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage amid the war. Watch UIF #662 to learn more about how the Netherlands plans to do so.
Guests:
- Robert Quarles van Ufford, Head of the Department of Cultural Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
- Vanessa Fraga Prol, the Cultural Emergency Response Head of Programmes
