Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding back Russian offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The hottest battles are currently in the Kurakhovsky and Pokrovsky directions, where more than 40 enemy attacks have been repelled since the beginning of the day.
Since the beginning of the current day, 103 combat clashes have occurred on the front in 12 directions. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a report on Wednesday, September 18.
Thus, in the Kharkov direction, the enemy is trying to storm the positions of Ukrainian units in the Volchansk area.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked nine times in the areas of Sinkovka, Kruglyakovka and Stelmakhovka. Two combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the invaders carried out seven assaults during the day near Druzhelyubovka, Cherneshchyna, Nevsky and Makeyevka. Two combat clashes continue.
In the Seversky direction, Russian troops are trying to advance in the Verkhnekamensk area. The soldiers repelled one assault, another clash is ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, attacks near Chasy Yara and Stupochki were repelled.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attempted seven times to penetrate the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defenses in the areas of the populated areas of Dachnoye, Shcherbinovka, Nelipovka and New York.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian invaders made 24 attempts to push back our defenders in the areas of Novoaleksandrovka, Novotoretsk, Grodovka, Novogrodovka, Mikhaylovka and Krasny Yar. The defense forces repelled 21 enemy attacks, three combat clashes are still ongoing.
In the Kurakhovsky direction, enemy troops attacked 26 times in the direction of the settlements of Tsukurino, Ukrainsk, Georgievka, Dalneye and Konstantinovka. Fighting is currently ongoing at three locations.
In the Vremevsky direction, there were five enemy attacks near Katerinovka and Bogoyavlenka. Three battles have not yet ended.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, Russian invaders unsuccessfully attacked in the Gulyai-Polye area.
In the Orekhov direction, the enemy has stormed the Malaya Tokmachka and Novodanilovka areas four times. One combat clash is still ongoing.
In the Dnieper direction, the enemy unsuccessfully attacked our defenders four times.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also conducting an operation in the Kursk region . There, the enemy's aviation continues to raze their own villages and towns to the ground. Since the beginning of the day, Russian aircraft have carried out 12 strikes with 16 UABs on their own territory.
Let us recall that in the course of 24 hours on September 17 , more than 1,100 Russian invaders were "minused" at the front . The total number of Russian losses since the beginning of the war is approaching 640 thousand people.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21:40 Germany has allocated an additional 50 million euros for the treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers in its hospitals. According to Interior Minister Nancy Feser, Germany has already evacuated almost 1,200 seriously wounded and injured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and provided them with assistance in German hospitals.
21:34 Russia produces 42 to 56 ballistic and 90 to 115 long-range cruise missiles per month, which can be used to strike deep into Ukrainian territory, including energy infrastructure. The production rate of Shahed-136 drones is more than 500 units, Forbes Ukraine writes, citing an intelligence source.
20:59 The defence ministers of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have called on NATO in a joint statement to prepare a "collective response" to the violation of the Alliance's airspace by Russian drones and missiles. "This new reality cannot be ignored. We need a collective response within NATO to the challenges posed by modern weapons and technologies, including by strengthening our ability to detect, identify and, if necessary, engage low and slow flying objects," the statement said.
20:17 Zelensky said in an evening video address that the victory plan is completely ready: "There is not and cannot be any alternative to peace, no freezing of the war or any other manipulations that will simply transfer Russian aggression to another stage. We need reliable and long-term security for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe." The president also emphasized the need to implement agreements with international partners, in particular on staffing brigades and deliveries of promised air defense systems.
In addition, Zelensky noted "a very important result" on the territory of Russia: "Such inspiring accuracy." In this regard, the head of state thanked the special services - the SBU, the GUR, the Special Operations Forces.
The head of state also reported that he heard two reports from Syrsky today - on defense and offensive steps, "regarding changes in the situation in the Kursk region and our reaction - a strong reaction." The President noted each Ukrainian unit in this direction, where the Defense Forces "are maintaining the situation on our bridgehead within the calculations." Attention was also paid to the situation in the east of Ukraine: "Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Kurakhovo - we are working on strengthening, and this concerns both weapons and personnel."
18:55 Of the additional 495 billion hryvnia allocated by the Verkhovna Rada for defense, 274.4 billion will be spent on payments for the military and their families, and another 76.2 billion on weapons and equipment that will help modernize the army, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. He added that priority in purchases will be given to Ukrainian weapons manufacturers.
18:13 By the end of the week, the Ministry of Defense will issue a decree according to which it will be impossible to mobilize men of limited fitness between the ages of 18 and 25, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported. And those of limited fitness under 25 who have already been mobilized will not be sent to assaults or other operations associated with an increased risk to their life and health.
17:36 The Russian counteroffensive in the Kursk region has been stopped, part of its territory remains under Ukrainian control, said the representative of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commandant's Office Alexey Dmitrashkovsky. According to him, Russian troops "tried to attack from the flanks, but were stopped, the situation has stabilized and today everything is under our control, they did not succeed."
16:58 The WSJ data on the death of 80 thousand Ukrainian soldiers is exaggerated, said the secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Roman Kostenko. According to him, in 2022 and 2023, Ukraine lost 19 thousand dead soldiers - this is about official death certificates. There are also more missing, but Kostenko did not specify their number, as well as the data for 2024.
16:14 One of those wounded as a result of Russian shelling of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk region has died in hospital, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
15:47 Russians fired artillery at Marganets in the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region - three people were wounded, including a nine-year-old child, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
15:32 During the 11th meeting of the Core Group on the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, its participants reached an agreement on the general concept of creating a special tribunal, the Office of the President reported. In particular, the model of the tribunal, which will be created by an agreement with the Council of Europe, was determined. The Core Group participants moved from general issues of the format of the special tribunal to discussing the draft Charter. The meeting was attended by 41 delegations. All of them confirmed that those guilty of the crime of aggression against Ukraine will be brought to justice, and also determined the next steps in creating a special tribunal.
14:38 Estonian defense company Frankenburg Technologies announced that it will begin production of anti-drone missile systems in Ukraine.
14:29 Lithuania plans to provide Ukraine with additional aid worth 40-50 million euros by the end of the year in addition to the 153 million euros already allocated in 2024, Defense Minister Laurynas Kaščiūnas said. Of this amount, 10 million is allocated for the production of the Palianitsa unmanned missile system in Ukraine, which was announced earlier, as well as for the purchase of radars, demining equipment, and short-range air defense systems.
14:13 Russians launched a suicide drone strike on Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding two people, reported the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak.
13:36 Le Monde writes, citing sources, that one of the points of Zelensky's victory plan is an invitation to NATO. According to the publication, the Ukrainian president hopes to receive an invitation from Biden before the US presidential elections.
13:21 Russians attacked a farm in the village of Malinovka in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk Oblast, wounding three people, the prosecutor's office reported. Three more people were wounded as a result of Russian artillery strikes on the city of Konstantinovka.
12:04 More than 100 Ukrainian-made attack UAVs were used to attack an ammunition depot in Toropets, Tver Oblast, media outlets reported, citing sources in the Defense Forces. The distance to the target from the Ukrainian state border is about 500 km. Sources report that significant stocks of North Korean KN23 ballistic missiles, missiles for the Grad MLRS, S-300 air defense systems, and ballistic missiles for the Iskander system were destroyed at the depot.
11:15 The Verkhovna Rada has adopted bill No. 11417 on increasing the budget this year by UAH 500 billion for military needs. Thus, expenditures this year amount to a record UAH 3.73 trillion for Ukraine, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported.
11:08 The SBU reported that it detained an FSB agent among Ukrainian servicemen in a combat brigade fighting in the Pokrovsk direction. He was preparing a series of Russian air strikes on the locations of Ukrainian troops, for which he was promised 1 million rubles. The Ukrainian was recruited remotely, the promised money was not paid. The traitor was detained when he was recording the geolocations of the forward positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The offender is in custody, he faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
10:49 At night, drones of the SBU, GUR and SSO destroyed a large warehouse of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry in the village of Toropets in the Tver region. Ukrainian media write, citing sources, that the warehouse contained missiles intended for the Iskander operational-tactical missile systems, the Tochka-U tactical missile systems, as well as KABs and artillery ammunition. After the strikes, an extremely powerful detonation began, and a fire is currently ongoing on a 6 km wide area.
According to Volcano Discovery, 18 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2 to 3.2 were recorded in the Tver region after UAV strikes on an ammunition depot.
10:17 In Kropyvnytskyi, as a result of a Russian attack, several residential buildings were damaged - one person was killed, one was injured, reported the head of the Kirovohrad OVA Andriy Raikovich.
09:56 Air defense destroyed 46 out of 52 attack UAVs at night, five drones were lost, and another one flew to Russia, the Air Force reported. In addition, Russia struck at night with three Kh-59/69 guided air missiles, which, due to counteraction by electronic warfare systems, did not reach their targets. There is damage to agricultural equipment, but there were no casualties or injuries. Air defense operated in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Sumy and Poltava regions.
09:10 The number of casualties as a result of yesterday's Russian strikes on the Kievsky district of Kharkov has risen to nine, including four rescuers and a 15-year-old teenager, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Another person was injured as a result of shelling of the village of Odnorobovka in the Bogodukhov district.
09:03 In the Kherson region, over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed and four were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.
08:59 In Donetsk region on September 17, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was wounded - in Konstantinovka, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.
08:54 At night, Russians attacked energy facilities in the city of Sumy with "shahedeen", OVA reported. In the Krasnopolskaya community, one person was wounded as a result of artillery shelling.
08:48 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of September 18:
personnel - about 637,010 (+1,130) people,
tanks - 8691 (+6),
combat armored vehicles - 17,080 (+3),
artillery systems - 18,154 (+25),
MLRS - 1188 (+0),
air defense systems - 947 (+0),
aircraft - 369 (+0),
helicopters - 328 (+0),
Operational-tactical level UAVs - 15,354 (+25),
cruise missiles - 2592 (+0),
ships/boats - 28 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 24,784 (+45),
special equipment - 3109 (+18).
08:35 In the Toropetsky district of the Tver region, after a drone attack, an ammunition depot has been burning and detonating since the night, Russian publics write. There are two military units in Toropets, but local authorities did not admit to the attack on the ammunition depot, stating only that the fire broke out after the debris of the downed drone fell. NASA satellite images recorded heat signatures over almost the entire territory of the 107th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate in the Tver region. According to OSINT experts, the attacked warehouse stored, among other things, 122-mm rockets for Grads and 82-mm artillery mines.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that air defense destroyed 54 UAVs during the night, 27 of which were over the Kursk region, 16 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Smolensk region, three over the Belgorod region, and one over the Oryol region.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 20:16 Zelensky said in an evening video address that he heard Syrsky's report today regarding Ukrainian defense and offensive steps, "regarding the changes in the situation in the Kursk region and our reaction - a strong reaction." The President noted each Ukrainian unit in this direction, where the Defense Forces "are maintaining the situation on our bridgehead within the calculations."
18:47 The operation in Kursk region continues, the General Staff reported. The enemy's aviation continues to raze its own villages and towns to the ground. Since the beginning of the day, Russian aircraft have carried out 12 strikes with 16 KABs on their own territory.
16:18 The Russian counteroffensive in the Kursk region has been stopped, part of its territory remains under Ukrainian control, said the representative of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commandant's Office Alexey Dmitrashkovsky. According to him, Russian troops "tried to attack from the flanks, but were stopped, the situation has stabilized and today everything is under our control, they did not succeed."
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[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces In Liptsy and Volchansk directions inflicted damage on formations of 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 36th Naval Infantry Brigade, and 5th Border Security detachment of the Ukrainian Border Guard near Volchansk (Kharkov region).
The AFU lost over 170 troops and a U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar.
The Zapad Group of Forces improved tactical situation, engaged manpower, and military hardware of 14th, 30th, 44th, and 53rd Mechanised brigades of the AFU, 1st National Guard Brigade near Petropavlovka, Glushkovka (Kharkov region), Zhovtnevoye (Lugansk People's Republic), and Serebryansky Forestry. Four counter-attacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 63rd and 67th Mechanised brigades were repelled.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 610 troops, a Kozak armoured fighting vehicle, a U.S.-made M113 APC, nine motor vehicles, a U.S.-made 155mm M-198 howitzer, three 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, a UK-made 105mm L-119 gun, and four Anklav-N EW stations. Four field ammunition depots were destroyed.
The Yug Group of Forces seized more favourable lines and engaged the 23rd, 24th, 28th,and 54th Mechanised brigades, 30th Motorised Infantry Brigade, 72nd Airmobile Brigade of the AFU, 109th Territorial Defence Brigade, and 21st National Guard Brigade near Kalinina, Chasov Yar, Minkovka, Grigorovka, Seversk, Dyleyevka, Predtechino, and Yelizavetovka (Donetsk People's Republic). Two counterattacks launched by assault detachments of the AFU 56th Motorised Infantry Brigade were repelled.
The enemy lost up to 640 troops, eight motor vehicles, a U.S.-made 155mm M-777 howitzer, a UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer, a U.S.-made 105mm M-119 gun, and an EW station.
The Tsentr Group of Forces continued to advance into the enemy's defence, struck formations of 53rd, 59th, 96th, 118th, 151st Mechanised brigades, 78th Air Assault Regiment of the AFU, 119th Territorial Defence Brigade near Shcherbinovka, Krasnoarmeysk, Petrovka, Mirolyubovka, Rozovka, Kurdyumovka, Kurakhovo, Selidovo, and Dimitrov (Donetsk People's Republic).
The Russian units repelled ten counter-attacks of 425th Assault Battalion, 32nd and 100th Mechanised brigades, 25th Airborne Brigade of the AFU, 5th Special Operations Brigade, Lyut Assault Brigade of the Ukraine national police, 3rd, 12th national guard brigades.
The enemy's losses amounted to over 500 troops, a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, two pickups, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, a 100mm Rapira anti-tank gun.
The Vostok Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions as well as inflicted losses on formations of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the AFU, 118th Territorial Defence Brigade near Ugledar, Dobrovolye, Shakhterskoye, and Zolotaya Niva (Donetsk People's Republic). One counterattack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 72th Territorial Defence Brigade was repelled.
The enemy lost over 100 troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, and five motor vehicles.
The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, 35th Naval Infantry Brigade, 108th, 123rd and 124th Territorial Defence brigades near Belogorye, Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region), Tokarevka, Kamyshany, and Lvovo (Kherson region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 40 troops and three motor vehicles. One ammunition depot was destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces delivered strikes at power facilities supporting the enterprises of the Ukrainian defence industry, airbase infrastructure, an unmanned aerial vehicle assembly workshop, and clusters of manpower and materiel in 138 areas.
Air defence units shot down 13 U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 66 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, 646 airplanes, 283 helicopters, 31,724 unmanned aerial vehicles, 579 SAM systems, 18,163 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,454 MLRS combat vehicles, 14,753 field artillery guns and mortars, 26,175 units of support motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces carrying on offensive actions inflicted damage on the 22nd, 4th,and 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 1st National Guard Brigade, 129th Territorial Defence Brigade of the AFU near Lyubimovka, Daryino, Nikolo-Daryino, Tolsty Lug, and Plekhovo.
For the last 24 hours, Russian units repelled four counter-attacks of the enemy in the direction of Bolshaya Obukhobka, Malaya Loknya, and Lyubimovka, as well as disrupted attempts to attack in direction of Olgovka and Borki.
The AFU lost up to 40 troops killed and wounde; eight servicemen were taken prisoners; two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured fighting vehicles, and a motor vehicle were destroyed.
With support of army aviation and artillery, the Group's units repelled four attempts of the AFU to break through the border of the Russian Federation towards Vesyoloye and Medvezhye.
The AFU sustained losses of up to 70 troops killed and wounded, two tanks, including a Leopard tank, two Swedish-made CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles, eight armoured fighting vehicles, an artillery gun, and a motor vehicle.
Air strikes, artillery fire, and actions of the troops inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware clusters of the 22nd, 41st, and 115th Mechanised brigades, 17th Tank Brigade, 80th, 82nd, 95th Air Assault brigades, 1004th Security Brigade, 112th and 129th Territorial Defence brigades near Guyevo, Daryino, Kurilovka, Kruglenkoye, Lyubimovka, Mirny, Martynovka, Malaya Loknya, Nikolo-Daryino, Novy Put, Novoya Sorochina, Novoivanovka, Orlovka, Plekhovo, Russkoye Porechnoye, Serdlikovo, Tolsty Lug, and Yuzhny.
Operational-Tactical Aviation and Missile Troops launched strikes against concentration areas and reserves in Sumy region of the 21st, 22nd, 41st, and 115th Mechanised brigades, 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 1st National Guard Brigade, 103rd,106th, 107th, and 129th Territorial Defence brigades near Belovody, Glukhov, Kondratovka, Katerinovka, Malushino, Mogritsa, Mazevka, Novoivanovka, Obody, Pavlovka, Rechki, Rudnevo, Sumy, Stepnoye, Shalygino, Khoten, and Yunakovka.
The AFU losses amounted to more than 400 troops and 23 units of armoured vehicles, including two tanks, including a Leopard tank, five infantry fighting vehicles, with two CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles of them, an APC, and four artillery guns, two mortars, and 12 motor vehicles.
??Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more than 14,600 troops, 121 tanks, 50 infantry fighting vehicles, 92 armoured personnel carriers, 758 armoured fighting vehicles, 457 motor vehicles, 107 artillery guns, 28 MLRS launchers, including seven of HIMARS and six of MLRS made by the USA, eight SAM launchers, four transport-loading vehicles, 26 electronic warfare stations, seven counter-battery radars, two air defence radars, 14 engineering vehicles, including eight counterobstacle vehicles, and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:58 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 09/18/2024 to 00:00 09/19/2024.
Eight cases of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC over the past 24 hours.
There were reports of two civilians being injured.
DAMAGED:
One residential building.
Four artillery attacks in the Donetsk direction,
Fou artillery attacks in the Gorlovka direction.
A total of 20 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:35 The Russian Armed Forces have expanded the control zone north of Vodyanoye –map.
20:56 Kupyansk – Peschanoye.
Positional military operations in the Kupyansk area. The forward position of the Russian Armed Forces north of Peschanoye is under fire from a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone. The advance of the Russian Armed Forces is more than 1.5 km in the direction of Kupyansk.
20:02 Kherson direction. Right bank.
Russian Aerospace Forces struck with several FAB-500 aerial bombs from the UMPK on a concentration of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and equipment. Su-34Ms were used. Operational control confirms the target has been hit and enemy forces have been eliminated.
19:54 Svatovo – Makeyevka.
Positional military operations in the Svatovo area. A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces came under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces during a rotation in agricultural buildings in Makeyevka. The expansion of the Russian Armed Forces control zone is about 500 meters to the south on the eastern bank of the Zherebets River.
19:27 Infographics on tanks transferred to Ukraine. Since 2022, Kyiv was promised 864 MBTs, 589 were delivered by partners.
18:42 Powerful airstrikes on temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using FAB in the area of ??Urozhayne, Stepne and Novorayske on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region –video.
18:12 Novomikhaylovka – Ugledar – Vodyanoye.
Active military operations in the Novomikhaylovka area. Attack of the Russian Armed Forces by a motorized rifle unit north of Vodyanoye under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Landing of troops, assault group takes up position. Withdrawal of the landing vehicle. Advancement of the Russian Armed Forces up to 1 km on the Katerinovka – Vodyanoye line.
17:35 In the Kurakhovsky direction, the Russian Armed Forces entered Gornyak from the north –map.
17:11 Special military operation. Situation as of September 18 –map.
16:49 The Su-34 crew destroyed a concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of ??the Kursk region –video.
The strike was carried out on reconnoitered targets using modernized aviation bombs with a universal planning and correction module.
16:05 Gulyaipole – Marfopol.
Positional military operations in the Gulyaipole area. Forward positions of the Russian Armed Forces in a gardening area near Marfopol are under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian Armed Forces have expanded their control zone north of Marfopol, advancing about 700 meters along the front.
15:49 An enemy infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by an FPV drone in the border area of the Kursk region –video.
During reconnaissance activities in the border area of ??the Kursk region, servicemen of the "North" group of troops identified an infantry fighting vehicle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of a forest belt. As a result of a direct hit from an FPV drone, the IFV of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed.
15:21 Advance of the Russian Armed Forces to the south of Durovka, as well as towards Nikolayevo-Daryino –map.
14:38 Dzerzhinsk - Microdistrict No. 1.
Positional military operations in the Gorlovka area. Russian Armed Forces servicemen came under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Microdistrict No. 1 near the Central City Hospital of Dzerzhinsk. Expansion of the Russian Armed Forces control zone to 500 meters in Dzerzhinsk.
14:09 122mm BM-21 Grad MLRS crews of the South group of forces destroyed camouflaged positions, strongholds and concentrations of personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Donetsk direction –video.
13:44 Today, September 18, 2024, at about 05:20 by Russian troops struck the industrial area in Druzhkovka (DPR), where, according to information, the enemy’s deployment point was located.
According to preliminary data, four hits were recorded. Three of them were on the territory of PAO Druzhkovka Porcelain Factory (coordinates: 48.6167377, 37.4862649), and one hit occurred at ChP Orkhideya on Nakhimov Street (coordinates: 48.6152400, 37.4813105).
As a result of the attack, four units of heavy armored vehicles were recorded to have caught fire. According to preliminary data, the destroyed vehicles included a Marder infantry fighting vehicle, two German-made Rheinmetall HX military trucks, and about three units of Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers were damaged.
13:17 Russian Aerospace Forces struck a temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Zvanovka in the territory of the DPR temporarily occupied by Ukrainian nationalists.
Objective monitoring means recorded critical destruction of the building used by the enemy. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 20 personnel and four vehicles.
12:23 A Tor-M2 air defense missile system crew shot down a Storm Shadow missile in one of the areas of the special operation zone –video.
The servicemen of the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system crew of the Center group of forces covered the location of troops and liberated settlements from enemy air attacks.
"We had to work on different targets: drones, cruise missiles. The last target was "Storm Shadow". Before the strike, it rises, and at that moment we captured it, launched it and hit it," said the commander of the Tor-M2 air defense missile system crew with the call sign "Sayan".
11:41 Operation of the 752nd Motorized Rifle Regiment with FPV drones "VT-40" against enemy UAVs of the "Baba Yaga" type –video.
11:09 Video of destruction of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' BEK in the Black Sea.
10:52 Our troops continue to destroy enemy armored vehicles in the Kursk region.
On video the destruction of an all-terrain vehicle, an infantry fighting vehicle and an armored car is shown.
10:17 During the past night stopped an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Air defense systems on duty destroyed 54 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. Twenty-seven were destroyed over the territory of the Kursk region, sixteen were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk region, seven were destroyed over the territory of the Smolensk region, three were destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region, and one was destroyed over the territory of the Oryol region.
09:47 Kursk direction, the equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was “tested” by Russian fighters —video.
09:24 The enemy fell silent –are working calculations of the ACS 152mm 2S3 "Acacia"
The crews of the Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer of the Zapad group of forces destroyed camouflaged platoon strongholds and the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ manpower.
Self-propelled artillery units hit targets at various ranges. Shooting can be done both from closed firing positions and direct fire.
08:56 Telegram channel «WarGonzo»:
Frontline report for the morning of 18.09.2024
- Zaporizhzhya Front. Positional battles with the use of long-range weapons continue. No significant changes in LBS.
- Donetsk Front. The Russian Armed Forces continue to fight in the area of Ugledar. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively defending and attempting to counterattack in several areas. Battles for the mines are underway.
In Maksimilianovka - no significant changes, heavy fighting continues. There are tactical successes of the Russian Armed Forces in Grodovka. Information is coming in about the liberation of the settlement of Ukrainsk.
- Chasov Yar direction. No significant changes. Fighting is underway in the eastern part of Chasov Yar. Pressure on the positions of Ukrainian troops on the flanks continues.
- Khar'kov Front. Counter battles continue in Volchansk and in the area of Glubokoe. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have made several attempts to counterattack, but without success.
- Kursk region. In the Glushkovsky district, Ukrainian troops continue to pull together reserves and do not abandon attempts to advance deep into our territory. Over the past 24 hours, several repelled attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been reported.
The forces and resources accumulated by the Ukrainians are sufficient for active combat operations on the border, but so far not enough for a full-fledged advance; however, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to accumulate personnel and equipment in this area
. 08:05 Telegram channel «Fisherman»:
Chronicle of the special military operation for September 17, 2024
– Russian troops used drones to strike multiple enemy energy facilities in Konotop, Sumy and the Akhtyrsky district and carried out a bombing attack on an aircraft plant in Khar'kov.– In Kursk Oblast, Russian troops are repelling enemy attacks in Glushkovsky District. They have also liberated the village of Borki in Sudzhansky District.
– In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian Armed Forces took control of most of Grodovka and also liberated the city of Ukrainsk, which had been under battle for the past week and a half.
– In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, active clashes continue northwest of Vodyanoye, as well as in the area of ??the Yuzhnodonbasskaya mines No. 1 and No. 3.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] On the morning of September 18, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill to increase the state budget for 2024. The new version adds 500 billion hryvnias to finance the army, which was lacking because a year ago the authors of the state budget expected the end of hostilities in the summer of 2024.
Now the main financial document of Ukraine contains record expenditures on the army - 3.73 trillion hryvnia. At the same time, in order to increase the state budget, the Rada deputies first had to vote for an increase in taxes, which they really did not want to do. But the IMF, which has long and firmly hooked Ukraine on the credit needle, really wanted to.
The necessary votes were collected only on the second attempt: on September 17, 241 deputies voted “for” with the minimum required being 226.
On September 3, the bill was three votes short. Then, Danylo Getmantsev, a deputy from the Servant of the People faction, accused his colleagues who did not vote of saying that "the probability of underfunding the army has increased exponentially" and that they "are ready to finance someone else's army instead of their own."
The increase in military spending was placed on the Ukrainian people. In particular, the bill stipulates an increase in military tax from 1.5% to 5% and an increase in taxes for individual entrepreneurs. In addition, advance payments at gas stations, monthly income tax reporting (for "economic armor" from the army), as well as the most controversial point - 50% tax on bank profits in 2024 are introduced. The head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshny, has already spoken out on the latter topic.
"The National Bank of Ukraine considers another increase in the bank profit tax to 50% to be too risky and intends to announce a package of decisions by the end of the week that will ensure that banks can cover the budget deficit by purchasing domestic government bonds, avoiding emission," he said.
In turn, Ukrainian economist Oleksiy Kushch writes that thanks to the tax on "excess profits of banks," Ukraine's defense sector will receive an additional almost 25 billion hryvnia by the end of the year. Roughly the same amount will be brought in by increasing taxes for individual entrepreneurs and the military tax.
Kushch also proposes to introduce a progressive income tax for individuals with high incomes. The economist reminds: according to the analysis of the National Bank of Ukraine, the number of rich people in Ukraine has increased from 5% to 8% since 2022.
"It's much easier to rip off taxes from ordinary citizens when paying salaries, especially from public sector employees. No one will even peep about some 5%. A little from each person gives the rich a Brioni shirt, " Kushch noted.
The current tax increase will hit the hired workers the hardest, who are already in tough "fight or work" conditions, says Yuriy Gaidai, senior economist at the Ukrainian Center for Economic Strategy. He also warns that taxes will continue to rise. This was indirectly confirmed by Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who reported that the IMF program for 2025 includes a provision: if the state budget of Ukraine is significantly changed again, taxes may be raised, including the VAT rate.
Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko does not hide the fact that the “supplemented” draft state budget was developed by relevant departments in close cooperation with the International Monetary Fund. Back in July, Marchenko stated that Ukraine needed “additional financial guarantees” from the IMF, because the war will continue in 2025, and we need to have a buffer.
The words of the head of the Ministry of Finance were later confirmed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. In addition, according to him, the draft budget for 2025 will include military expenditures no less than in 2024. Accordingly, the Kiev regime plans to fight for the entire next year.
At the same time, in addition to the lack of money for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, energy and "social issues", Ukraine has another serious problem, which the Ministry of Finance reported in detail in a report published on September 17. Ukraine's total debt to the IMF at the moment is $13.85 billion. In addition, from 2024 to 2028, Kyiv must pay the Fund $1.6 billion - and this is not interest on previously taken loans, but "established surcharges". Simply put, fines for the most indebted countries.
Ukraine does not want to pay, which the IMF openly hinted at by inserting extensive quotes from a speech by Hung K. Tran, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Center for Geoeconomics (an organization recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation), into the Finance Ministry's report. He claims that "fines" for poor countries have become the IMF's main source of income. Dozens of debtor countries must pay not only interest on loans, but also established surcharges.
"This unfavorable state of affairs is the result of the IMF's policy of collecting additional fees from countries that exceed limits on the amount or duration of their borrowing from the Fund.
Imposing fines on war-torn Ukraine or, for example, Pakistan, a lower-middle-income country where floods two years ago inundated a third of its territory, seems at odds with the IMF's mission: maintaining stability in the global financial system.
(…) Asking the poorest countries to finance the global public goods provided by the Fund is wrong, especially at a time when countries must step up investment to achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Climate Agreement,” the Treasury said in a statement.
The document also states that debtors will be placed in “perpetual dependence,” and the IMF will automatically become a privileged creditor.
The main problem is the additional fees that the poorest countries cannot pay off and are therefore forced to borrow again and again from the IMF due to rising prices, unstable currencies, extreme weather conditions and war.
As an obvious victim of the IMF, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry recalls the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, who called on the IMF to reform the additional charges.
If the Fund cannot simply waive the surcharges, it could treat the surcharges as basic loan payments, which would significantly help poor countries, the report's authors advise the IMF.
"The IMF's finances are sound, but the finances of countries like Pakistan and Ukraine are not. Forcing countries to pay onerous premiums only increases their debt burden. Not the best way to protect the global economy or finance an institution that is responsible for global financial stability," the author of the report cries out from the heart.
Will the IMF hear him? Even if we assume that they will, no one will cancel the “established surcharges”: why would the Fund lose a credit slave? After all, the remaining Ukrainian resources can be taken away for the debts – for example, lands with minerals located in them.
It turns out that the IMF is the winner. In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage, who hold on to power only due to the war, are obviously happy: it has already been reported that the 2025 budget draft does not provide for election expenses.
And all this is against the backdrop of the silent approval of the West, which is using Ukraine as an anti-Russian battering ram. Only the Ukrainian people will pay for all this.
After the fall of the debris of a Ukrainian drone in the Tver region, 13 people were hospitalized in moderate condition. This was stated to journalists on September 18 by the assistant to the Minister of Health of Russia Alexey Kuznetsov.
“According to operational data, as a result of the incident in the Tver region, 13 people were hospitalized in moderate condition, their lives are not in danger, and assistance is being provided in full,” he said.
According to Kuznetsov, doctors are examining another 15 victims of the Ukrainian militants' drone attack. Doctors are on duty at temporary accommodation points, he added.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on the night of September 18, a fire started in the city of Toropets in the Tver region from falling UAV debris during the repulse of an attack by air defense forces. The regional governor, Igor Rudenya, decided to partially evacuate the population from the territory where work was being done to localize the fire, in order to ensure safety.
Later that day, Rudenya said that no one was killed or seriously injured as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack on Toropets. He specified that repair work would be carried out in the buildings damaged by the drone debris, both in social institutions and in the private sector.
On the afternoon of September 18, the head of the Tver region said that all of Toropets' infrastructure was working and residents could return to the city. According to him, buses would be taking everyone who wanted to return to their homes.
In the city of Toropets in the Tver region of Russia, an explosion and a strong fire occurred on the night of September 18.
SBU and GUR drones attacked a large warehouse of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry in Toropets, Tver Oblast, on the night of September 18. The warehouse contained missiles intended for Iskander operational-tactical missile systems, Tochka-U tactical missile systems, KABs, and artillery ammunition. After the UAVs arrived, an extremely powerful detonation began - an earthquake was even recorded in the region. Local authorities announced the evacuation of the population.
DRONE STRIKE
The Tver Region Governor Igor Rudenya reported a fire in Toropets at night. According to him, the fire broke out “as a result of the fall of UAV debris during the repulse of an attack by air defense forces.” He did not specify what object was attacked.
In recent months, when Ukrainian drones strike certain objects, Russian governors always state that the drone was shot down and that debris fell on the object—an oil depot, for example.
Russian Telegram channels, citing local residents, reported that the characteristic sound of a drone was heard in Toropets, followed by an explosion. Later, the Tver regional government reported that the authorities had decided to partially evacuate the population “from the territory where air defense is operating and the fire is being localized.”
LARGE WAREHOUSE
In Toropets there is an arsenal for the complex storage of ammunition, missiles and explosives. This is official information, Russian state media have written about the missile arsenal more than once.
Russian authorities have not reported an explosion at the arsenal. Construction of the complex storage arsenal in Toropets was completed several years ago, according to official reports.
The arsenal includes cold and heated rooms, electrical substations, treatment facilities, water and fuel storage tanks, and more than 100 fire ponds.
The Telegram channel Astra claimed that in May and July drones had already attacked a military unit in the city of Toropets, resulting in explosions and fires.
The distance from the Ukrainian border to the 107th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate in Toropets is less than 500 km. The Ukrainian strike drone Lyuty, for example, is capable of flying this distance in three hours, and it has already overcome Russian air defense systems more than once.
A VERY STRONG EXPLOSION
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not directly confirm the strike on Toropets, but thanked the Ukrainian military for their accuracy and range.
"First of all, I want to thank our soldiers who ensure our Ukrainian long-range capabilities. There was a very important result last night on Russian territory, it is precisely such things that weaken the enemy," Zelensky said. "I thank everyone involved. Such precision that it is inspiring. Our special services: the Security Service, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Special Operations Forces - thank you!"
The blast was so powerful that the Norwegian earthquake and explosion monitoring group NORSAR reported that its experts recorded at least 17 “seismic events,” or tremors, in the area of the city of Toropets in the Tver region.
The most powerful signal had a magnitude of 2.5, write Norwegian experts.
The report does not mention the causes of these seismic events; NORSAR experts continue to study them.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
