Now from the South Towards Lyman

The Ukrainians have now crossed the Seversky Donets river in force and are attacking from Slavyansk in the direction of Lyman. Reports are that they have already reached the outskirts of Lyman as of 5pm local time. If Lyman should fall quickly, it will threaten Russians entire position in the LPR.

After the units left Izyum and the surrounding area, units of the Russian forces took up defensive positions on the left bank of the Oskol River. The units of the RF Armed Forces continue to hold the settlements of Studenok and Oskol.

The most difficult situation is developing in the vicinity of Liman, near which for three days in a row the battles of a small garrison of the RF Armed Forces and the NM of the LPR with superior enemy forces have continued.

The units of the allied forces have already repulsed several attacks, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not reduce the onslaught. Artillery strikes are carried out on advancing enemy units.

In the area of ​​the village of Zakotnoe , Ukrainian formations were able to establish a crossing over the shallow Seversky Donets and transfer equipment to reach Yampol, envelop and storm the Liman from the east.

The goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to gain a foothold on the right bank of the Seversky Donets in order to develop an offensive towards Kremennaya in the LPR.

The Rout is Complete

But the Russians are now attacking infrastructure targets and the Ukrainian power grid.

Around 20:00, the RF Armed Forces launched rocket attacks on the largest thermal power plants in eastern and central Ukraine:

Kharkiv CHP-5 and Zmiev CHP in Kharkiv region,➖Pavlograd CHPP-3 in the Dnipropetrovsk region,

Kremenchug thermal power plant in the Poltava region.

Launches were carried out from the waters of the Black and Caspian Seas.

As of 13.00 Local Time - September 11, 2022

At the moment, Russian units continue to reconfigure the front in the Kharkov direction . The withdrawal of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began from the line of Udy - Cossack Lopan - Bolshie Passages 

On the fifth day of the offensive in the Kharkiv region, the AFU opened another front. After forcing the Siversky Donets near Raihorodok , the AFU attempted to take Krasnyi Lyman and Yampil' by storm.

Russian units repulsed an attack on the outskirts of Krasniy Lyman and stopped the enemy at the line of Staryi Karavan - Brusivka - Dibrova .

The Russian Armed Forces command decided to spare the lives of the personnel of the Izyum grouping of Russian troops. By mid-day, the bulk of the Russian troops left the Izyum staging point and withdrew behind the Oskil River .

North of Kupyansk , the Russian Armed Forces failed to stabilize the front. The AFU continued to advance from both Kupyansk and the Pechenizs'ke Reservoir . By mid-day, Velykyi Burluk was taken.

The Russian Armed Forces command made a similar decision to withdraw the troops holding the defenses in Kupyansk itself and to the north of it. Russian units gradually withdrew to Vovchansk , ensuring the evacuation of refugees.

The intent of the Russian Armed Forces command is to attempt to organize a stable line of defense along the Oskil-Siversky Donets River . At the same time, units withdrawn from Balakliya, Kupyansk and Izyum are regrouped and reserves are brought in.

The pro-Russian population is fleeing to Russian territory, both from Kharkiv Region and the LPR northern regions. Filtration detachments enter settlements occupied by the AFU. Their goal is to eliminate pro-Russian activists and accustom people of being afraid to support Russia under pain of death. Dark times have come to the lost territories of the Kharkiv region.

The RF Armed Forces maintain a limited presence, covering columns with refugees who are leaving for the territory of the Russian Federation. To the east of the Seversky Donets, separate mobile groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have so far reached the Khotomlya-Bolshoi Burluk line . To the north, Russian units continue to evacuate civilians.

Due to the lack of coordination between the Ukrainian units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out shelling in Bolshoi Burluk, although only civilians remained in the settlement itself.

The RF Armed Forces continue to level the front along the Oskol River , pulling reinforcements to the left bank. In the area of ​​the village of Oskol , detachments of 60 OMSB "Veterans" hold the road, ensuring the exit of individual groups of refugees.

In the area of ​​the village of Senkovo , army aviation of the RF Armed Forces destroyed a pontoon crossing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Forces of Ukraine are starting to remove their minefields near Vuhledar: this is a signal for the preparation of a Ukrainian offensive in the direction. Indeed, a trainload of nearly 150 pieces of military equipment recently arrived at the station in Pokrovsk in the west of the Donetsk region. They plan to use them to strike both near Ugledar and from Seversk to Kremennaya.

Theater Summaries ----->

Kharkov

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were withdrawn from a significant part of the liberated territories of the Kharkov region to save the lives of personnel and avoid losses.

At the moment, units of the RF Armed Forces are on the defensive along the eastern bank of the Oskol River. Separate maneuver groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly reach the Russian border, but in fact the confirmed zone of conditional control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains until the Khotomlya -Bolshoi Burluk line .

Russian troops are trying to stabilize the front line, ensuring the exit of refugees.

Limansky

Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed the Seversky Donets from Raygorodok and tried to take Liman with a swoop . Despite the withdrawal of units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Russian units continue to maintain control over Liman and inflict fire damage on the enemy, holding him back at the Stary Karavan-Dibrova-Ozernoye line .

Luhansk

Information warfare bodies spread fakes about the occupation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the settlements of Svatovo, Kremennaya, Lisichansk and Severodonetsk. All settlements are under the control of allied forces.

Soledar

the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to push through the defense of the RF Armed Forces and units of the NM of the LPR in the area of ​​the settlement. Controversial . The front line remains the same, there are no changes, all attacks are repulsed.

There are so far unconfirmed reports of the advance of the Wagner PMC and the occupation of Mayorskaya station by allied forces.

Donetsk

The units of the NM of the DPR completed a complete sweep of the so-called "anthill" in the area of ​​the runway of the Donetsk airport .

Vuhledar

Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrating forces in Ugledar and preparing for an attempt to break through the Russian defensive orders. In general, this may be an attempt to anticipate the pulling together of Russian reserves and the shock fist of 3 AK in this direction. In any case, a powerful grouping has been created by the RF Armed Forces.

Zaporizhia

Armed Forces of Ukraine are concentrating reserves in the Orekhov region and are preparing for an attack on Rabotino and Nesteryanka . On the part of the RF Armed Forces, the concentration of Russian troops in the area has been increased by about three times.

The Collapse of Russian Defenses in the Izyum Theater Continues

At the moment, the situation in the north-east of the Kharkiv region continues to deteriorate.

  

▪️Against the background of the withdrawal of units of the RF Armed Forces, the mobile tactical groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reached Bolshoy Burluk almost unhindered .

▪️From the Pechenezh reservoir , the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to move north to Khotomli . DRGs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine calmly wandered along the other side at the beginning of summer, until the RF Armed Forces cleared the surrounding forests. Against the background of the withdrawal of troops, sending a detachment on duty to raise the flag is not so difficult.

▪️In Izyum , separate units of the 60th OMSB "Veterans" hold the defense . The situation to the south of it also remains in question. But at the northern entrance to the city there are already enemy units.

▪️Local sources report a local probing of the defense of the RF Armed Forces in Liptsy north of Kharkov .

From Bad to Worse for the Russians...

 What a difference 18 hours makes...

Ukrainian Counter Offensive in Kharkov - Izyum Theater Situation - Sept 8th

The weakly held Russian lines in the Izyum bridgehead seem to be collapsing under the weight of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Russia has failed to destroy the bridges in the Ukrainian rear. The Ukrainians are bringing up reserves from the Kherson region to exploit the breaches.  Russian supply lines are being cut, and this threatens the entire Izyum bridgehead. The Russian retreats are shifting from tactical to general. Reported Russian equipment losses, either destroyed or abandoned, is very high. Russian reserves are being brought up as quickly as possible.

IMO the situation is becoming dire for the Russian position in this region. Regardless of the propaganda mantras that have been telling us for months that the Ukrainian forces are destroyed, that they no longer have means, motivation, armor, command, ammunition, etc. de facto they have demonstrated that on the one hand they have been underestimated and that on the other hand the forces committed by Russia which were not sufficient to break them quickly are today vulnerable to the point of motivating limited attacks against them. 

We can clearly see here that the prolongation of the conflict has reached a tipping point where the time taken in the conduct of Russian operations, which has allowed them to save their forces and to carry out a certain strategy of attrition, has also become profitable for the Ukrainians who were able to reconstitute enough trained forces to resume an operative initiative here and there.

▪️By the evening of the third day of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kharkov region, Russian units left Balakleya. Russian Armed Forces and Rosgvardia fighters left the town in an orderly manner through a corridor on the eastern outskirts [ GB: Reserves, it turns out, according to various reports, were earlier brought to Balakleya to punch through the corridor and to facilitate the withdrawal of the operationally encircled Russian units, not to support a battle for the control of the city. ]

▪️After capturing Volkhov Yar, Ukrainian forces advanced towards Shevchenkovo, where a part of the Ukrainian forces' grouping blockaded the settlement, while other units continued towards Kupyansk.

▪️Late in the day, Ukrainian forces split up: some units reached the Kupyansk-Shevchenkovo ​​highway near the village of Grushevka, occupying the settlement and starting preparations for a further assault on Kupyansk.

▪️Another part of the enemy grouping made a dash to the east, engaging in fighting near the village of Senkovo ​​on the bank of the Oskol River. There is a bridge in the village, the seizure of which will make it possible to cut off Izyum's supply from the Kupyansk side.

▪️Southeast of Balakleya, the Ukrainian army is attempting to advance towards Veseloye and Kunya, but enemy units were repulsed near Zaliman. Veseloye is a key transport interchange providing a link to Izyum.

▪️To the north of Slavyansk, the Ukrainian command plans to launch an offensive against Russian forces in Izyum in order to constrain their actions and prevent them from maneuvering. Russian artillery and aviation are working intensively through the surrounding forests.

Russia/Ukraine War Update - September 4th, 2022 (Never interrupt an enemy making a mistake...)

Report on the Ukrainian Counter-Offensive around Kherson

On August 24 the British prime minister Boris Johnson visited Kiev:

In comments made next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mariyinsky Palace, Johnson said Ukraine “can and will win this war." Johnson's visit was the start signal for the long announced Ukrainian 'counteroffensive' towards Kherson.

In early April Johnson had called on and visited Kiev to stop well developed peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine:

“Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement,” wrote Fiona Hill and Angela Stent. “Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries.”

The news highlights the impact of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to stop negotiations, as journalist Branko Marcetic noted on Twitter. The decision to scuttle the deal coincided with Johnson’s April visit to Kyiv, during which he reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to break off talks with Russia for two key reasons: Putin cannot be negotiated with, and the West isn’t ready for the war to end.

Over the last months Britain has trained several thousands of Ukrainian troops and their officers. Together with Ukrainian special forces Britain's MI-6 secret service planned a special operation for Ukraine to regain control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on the south side of the Kakhovka Dnieper reservoir. This was designed to coincide with a visit of IAEA inspectors, long held up by Ukraine, to visit the ZNPP.

The Kherson offensive started on August 30 on five axes. It was destined to fail. Three of these attempts to gain ground held by Russian troops failed. One axis was stopped after taking a few small villages of no strategic value. The only 'successful' attack was across the Inhulet river near Andriivka in the direction of the dam and river crossing that closes off the Kakhovka Dnieper reservoir.

The plan was crazy to begin with. The whole area is flat open steppe. The troops would have had to created a 50 kilometer (30 miles) long corridor through open hostile land. The towns on the way are mostly one or two street agricultural mini-villages with one story homes that offer little protection. The Ukrainian forces have no air defense or air attack capability to cover advancing troops. Its artillery capabilities are a tenth of what the Russian military can provide in the area.

Video's posted to telegram show how flat the open step is and how the Ukrainian troops have nowhere to hide from Russian artillery and heavy fire:

Video

Reportedly the Ukrainian military command was against this mission. But the Ukrainian political leadership, the Zelenski regime, ordered it to proceed. It was under political pressure from its foreign supporters to show at least some success.

The attack was launched on August 30. The Ukrainian military created three river crossings over the Inhulet near Andriivka. But something was wrong? Why didn't the Russian airforce or artillery immediately destroy those crossings?

It was obvious that this was a trap.

In a CNN piece, co-written by the notorious 'intelligence' stenographer Natasha Bertrand, the U.S. military distanced itself from the upcoming catastrophe:

In the buildup to the current Ukrainian counteroffensive, the US urged Kyiv to keep the operation limited in both its objectives and its geography to avoid getting overextended and bogged down on multiple fronts, multiple US and western officials and Ukrainian sources tell CNN.

Those discussions involved engaging in "war-gaming" with Kyiv, the sources said -- analytical exercises that were intended to help the Ukrainian forces understand what force levels they would need to muster to be successful in different scenarios. The Ukrainians were initially considering a broader counteroffensive, but narrowed their mission to the south, in the Kherson region, in recent weeks, US and Ukrainian officials said.

Officials say they believe there is now increased parity between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries. But western officials have been hesitant to label the nascent Ukrainian operation - which appeared to begin on Monday in the southern province of Kherson - a true "counteroffensive." How successful Ukraine is likely to be in regaining lost territory remains an open question, sources familiar with the latest intelligence tell CNN.

For three days the Ukrainian military sent battalion after battalion into the salient. These were good professional troops trained by Britain. They were equipped with modernized Polish T-72 tanks and up-armored Dutch Infantry Fighting Vehicles (YPR-765 IFV). But while these forces were able to create a deeper salient it would soon go very much against them.

As 'B' wrote on September 1:

The Ukrainian Kherson offensive continues despite extremely heavy losses. The Rybar map shows one of the axes where the Ukrainian army still tries to press forward after having been rooted from Bruskyns'ke. The area is flat open steppe with no coverage for troops to hide. The Russian side is by far superior in artillery and has air supremacy. Whoever ordered the Ukrainians to press this suicidal campaign under these circumstance is guilty of murder and should go to prison for the rest of his life.

On September 1, the very day the IAEA delegation was to arrive, the Ukrainian side made a daring attack to seize the ZNPP. But the Russian side had been warned. The two waves of Ukrainian special forces, also trained by Britain, were killed while crossing the reservoir or were running into ambushes as soon as they had landed. Must ended up dead. The IAEA inspection proceeded as planned.

UN Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday:

"We are glad that the Russian Federation did all to keep our inspectors safe"!

On the third day of the offensive the bridges across the Inhulet river where still intact. The Russian tactic was obvious. A scheme that it had used previously on the Karkiv front:

Will Schryver @imetatronink - 22:28 UTC · Sep 2, 2022

The truth of the Kherson "offensive" is written on the maps for all to see: AFU attacks; Ru hits 'em hard, then pulls back; AFU advances; Ru hits 'em again, but pulls back more; AFU adds forces to salient; Ru flanks them in force & cuts off their rear; trap closed; turkey shoot.

On Sept 2nd the Ukraine recalled all war correspondents from the front, and gave directives that Journalists were forbidden to evaluate the action of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They were told that only the military leadership could give reports on the course of hostilities, and that they were not to rely or repeat information obtained from Ukrainian military personnel or Ukrainian field commanders on the ground or at the front.

Late yesterday the Russian air force made its first real showing in this 'counteroffensive' affair. It attacked Ukrainian forces at the front of the salient in the tiny village of Bezimene with some 24 'dumb' 500 kilogram bombs. This ended the existence of the village and of all Ukrainian forces in it.

The Russian airforce then proceeded to destroy all river crossings over the Inhulet.

The Ukrainian forces are now trapped:

Apparently, the Ukrainian's entire elite company of Italian Leopard 2A4 Tanks has now been transferred to the Andreevsky sector of the front. Now they are in the bare steppe without the support of air defense systems in Sukhoi Headquarters in the zone of destruction of Russian artillery and aviation.

Leopard tanks (even a company) are a serious image move for the Kherson Offensive Operation. Apparently, such a move with a demonstration of the entire range of weapons received from the West. It may be intended to further convince that this is where the main attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine falls and is a diversionary maneuver, and now the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is quietly creating a strike force in another direction, most likely near Kharkov in the northern sector where there are reports of large build up of armored forced being sheltered in the the old soviet era metro system that doubles are fallout shelters in case of nuclear war.

In the Kherson area to the south the number of Ukrainian casualties are huge. Reports from Odessa, Nikolaev and Kryvy Rih speak of thousands of wounded. Many more have died. Hundreds of Ukrainian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles have been destroyed or captured by Russian troops. The 128th mountain assault brigade from the Ukrainian Transcarpatia region was involved in the general attack and got destroyed. The governor of the region reportedly ordered a day of mourning.

The Russians have now begun to launch some attacks of their own to gain areas and towns the Ukrainians had held for some time. The Ukrainians are scrambling to mobilize local reserves in Nikolaev to counter these moves.

In 'western' media neither the defeat of the 'counteroffensive' in Kherson nor the attempted raid on the ZNPP seem to have ever happened. The only mention of it found in the New York Times is this:

In a statement, the [Russian defense] ministry claimed that Russian forces had intercepted two groups of Ukrainian commandos, up to 60 troops combined, who crossed the Dnipro River in boats to sabotage or seize the plant.

In total the 'counterattack' on Kherson has so far failed and ended up destroying many of Ukraine's main military reserves and a major part of the stock of heavy vehicles it had received from the 'west'.

The ZNPP, which was the main 'public relation' target of the whole affair, is still in Russian hands and now secured by the presence of a permanent IAEA delegation.

bruno bertez @BrunoBertez - 7:27 UTC · 3 Sep 2022

"The IAEA is there to stay for as long as it is needed. We are not leaving.” [IAEA director] Grossi said. “For those who may have intentions on the plant, knowing that international inspectors are there, witnessing and informing immediately what is happening, has an important stabilizing effect.”

Meanwhile U.S. President Joe Biden has asked for $13.7 billion in additional money for Ukraine. He wants to fight Russia down to the very last Ukrainian. A fight Russia is almost assured to win.

Russia/Ukraine War Update - August 30th, 2022 (The Counter-Offensive Begins...)

*** MILITARY SITUATION ***

On Monday Ukraine's forces launched a much anticipated 'counteroffensive' focused on taking back territory in the south of the country, which is among the first portions of Ukraine which Russia seized soon after starting its invasion six months ago. The operation is said to reflect a growing "confidence" in Kiev that American military aid will continue to flow and even grow. "Today we started offensive actions in various directions, including in the Kherson region," a Ukrainian public broadcaster announced based on state officials.

Ukrainian journalist Natalia Humeniuk admitted that Russian forces in the south are still "quite powerful" but that Ukraine's forces have "unquestionably weakened the enemy" - which Russia's Crimea governor Sergei Aksyonov dismissed as "another fake of Ukrainian propaganda." And the White House said that Russia has already had to "pull resources" from fighting in Donbas in order to defend the south. Like with many prior major battlefield events, two competing narratives are quickly emerging. US officials including a number of Congressmen expressed their immediate optimism upon that start of the southern counteroffensive.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday said the following: 

"Regardless of the size, scale and scope of this counter-offensive that they’ve talked about today, they have already had an impact on Russia’s military capabilities," Kirby said. "The Russians have had to pull resources from the east simply because of reports that the Ukrainians might be going more on the offence in the south — they’ve had to deplete certain units from certain areas in the east and the Donbas."

"The idea of going on the offence is not new to Ukrainians, and they have been taking the fight to the Russians inside their country," Kirby added. "In fact, with some of the assistance that they’ve gotten from US weapons as well as others, such as Himars, they’ve been able to actually strike behind Russian lines and put the Russians more on defense."

The statement appeared to be confirmation that Washington is positively encouraging this fresh offensive aimed at penetrating Russian lines in the south. Kirby also weighed in on the continued standoff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine at a moment an IAEA team has been dispatched to inspect the site. He urged a "controlled shutdown" in order to protect it, something the Russian occupying forces are unlikely to heed. Kirby called it "the safest and least-risky option in the near term" - but then there would be the question of Ukrainians keeping the lights on headed into winter.

But by Monday's close, Russia's defense ministry proclaimed the Ukrainian counter-offensive has "failed miserably", per state media:

Ukrainian forces attempted to attack in three directions on orders of President Vladimir Zelensky but made no gains, Moscow said.

Russian troops caused "great losses" to the Ukrainian attackers during the day’s battles, including 26 tanks, 23 armored fighting vehicles, nine more armored vehicles, two SU-25 ground-attack jets and more than 560 troops, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday evening.

Likely the truth will emerge amid the conflicting narratives within the next days or even weeks. Russia still aims for full 'liberation' of the Donbas as a prime battlefield objective at this point.

-On August 29, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched a counteroffensive in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv. So far, no significant gains have been achieved. The Russian military continues to deter the enemy advance on the front lines.

Prior to the attacks on the front lines, the AFU launched a massive shelling of Novaya Kakhovka and Berislav in the Kherson region on the night of August 28-29. At least 1 ammunition depot was reportedly destroyed and a barge used for crossing the Dnieper was damaged. In the evening, the AFU began to strike at the Antonovsky Bridge near the city of Kherson, trying to deprive the Russian Armed Forces of the opportunity to transfer reinforcements. The Russian Air Defence Forces are active in the area.

Then the ground forces went on the offensive from several directions. The front line was divided in three maint parts.

In the southern area, the AFU developed the counteroffensive from their positions in Luparevo towards the village of Alexandrovka located on the Black Sea coast. According to Russian military sources, the AFU failed to develop any offensive in the area and were pushed back to their positions. As a result of the operation, they reportedly lost three tanks.

Another offensive was carried out along the Mykolaiv- Kherson road. The AFU attacked from their military positions in the village of Posad-Pokrovsky located on the highway. The offensive was carried out in teo directions. The assault groups headed towards Pravdino and the city of Kherson. So far, the AFU reportedly managed to advance about 10 kilometers and reach the village of Kiselevka. However, the attack was repelled and they were forced to step back towards the village of Soldatskoe. Fierce clashes continue in Pravdino and Kiselevka.

In the area of the town of Snigerevka, the AFU attempted to advance towards Blagodatnoe located on the road to Mykolaiv, 20 kilometers to the west of Snigerevka. The assault was carried out from the Ukrainian positions in Pervomaiskoe. After the reported loss of two infantry fighting vehicles and a dozen of servicemen, the AFU retreated.

The military operations of the AFU in the southern area were carried out by small assault groups which suffered significant losses in manpower due to heavy response fire by Russian artillery. The counteroffensive along the Black Sea coast was likely aimed at destruction of the Russian military from the main blow inflicted in the areas to the north.

Another direction of the Ukrainian counteroffensive is the region of Davidov Brod.

The AFU are in control of the village of Andreevka on the left bank of the Ingulets river to the south of Davidov Brod. Heavy clashes have been ongoing in this region as Russian forces attempted to repel the AFU to the right bank of the river and destroy the pontoon bridge in area.

Today, one tank and two infantry battalions of the 36th separate Brigade of the AFU Marines managed to cross the river and attack Russian forces from their positions in Andreevka. The Ukrainian military divided their strike forces. The first assault group cut the road to Blagodatovka and tried to break into the village, but failed. Another assault group managed to advance 5 kilometers to the east and temporarily take control of the small village of Sukhoi Stavok.  Later in the evening, Russian forces partially destroyed the armored vehicles of the AFU in Sukhoi Stavok and Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw to a wooded area on the outskirts.

Another assault group of more than 10 armored vehicles attacked Russian forces in the village of Lozove located 2 kilometers to the north of Andreevka on the left bank of the Ingulets river. So far, they have reportedly succeeded to expand their stronghold on the left bank. The village of Lozove reportedly came under Ukrainian control.

At the same time, the AFU failed to cross the Ingulets River and create a bridgehead near the village of Malaya Alexandrovka located to the north of the town of Davidov Brod. The AFU suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment.

The AFU are currently reinforcing their positions near Davydov Brod, Blagodatnoye and Vysokopolye. Another breakthrough attempt is expected in the coming hours.

On the northern front lines, the AFU blockaded the Russian grouping deployed on the southern outskirts of Olgino and Vysokopilya. Russian units are holding the defense in the are, but Ukrainian forces cut the roads to the settlements with heavy artillery fire.

To the east of Visokopilya, the AFU attacked the Russian positions in the area of the villages of Lybimovka and Mirolybovka. They failed to advance. The counter attack was repelled.

So far, the Ukrainian military has managed to achieve only limited success in the Andreevka region, however it is yet to develop the advance to the east. At the same time, the offensive in the steppes will result heavy losses and it may lead to no significant results without any gains on the other front lines.

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the AFU launched a large counter offensive, claiming that it had already resulted in heavy losses.

In turn, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is yet to comment on the military operations on the southern front lines. On August 29, the Ukrainian military only reported some offensive actions of Russian troops near the village of Potemkino.

*** ECONOMIC & POLITICAL ***

-The American embassy in Baghdad has reportedly engaged inbound rocket attacks with its air defense system, the C-RAM which protects aerial threats against the Green Zone. Some reports suggest the streets have finally grown calmer in the early morning hours (local time), but this is after an evening and overnight death toll of at least 15, including unconfirmed reports of police casualties. AFP citing local medical sources also says some 350 protesters were injured. 

-An Israeli official said that the US hinted it was preparing a military option against Iran during a meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday, The Times of Israel reported. The Israeli official said that Gantz told Sullivan that Israel "needs" the US to have a credible military option against Iran. The meeting came as Washington and Tehran are engaged in negotiations to revive the nuclear deal.

-By all accounts the situation into the overnight hours (local time) Baghdad has continued to spiral, with one well-known regional Mideast correspondent describing a "full implosion" - despite security forces attempting to enforce a strict curfew meant to clear the streets. The Republican Palace, which is where Iraq's gridlocked parliament meets (though which has now been suspended by acting prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi), was occupied by armed protesters earlier in the evening. CNN reports of the latest, "At least five people have been killed and more than 40 have been injured in violent clashes that erupted in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Monday, following an announcement by powerful Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that he was withdrawing from political life, medical sources told CNN." Earlier, though unconfirmed reports, said at least eight had died amid clashes with police. These numbers were quickly updated and the death toll is expected to go higher into the night: At least 12 protestors killed (AFP), 2 security members killed (Arabiya). State trying to impose a curfew but situation is out of hand. Protestors aggravated by status quo, militias roaming Baghdad, Gov MIA... Long night for Iraq," Joyce Karam summarizes.

-Russia’s FSB security service has accused another Ukrainian of being part of a team that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin. The FSB said it had now identified what it called another member of a Ukrainian “sabotage and terrorist group” which it said had plotted and carried out the killing. Ukraine has denied involvement in the murder of Dugina.

-Ukraine’s foreign ministry confirmed the IAEA trip to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The mission left Vienna and is due to arrive in Kyiv on Monday, ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook, adding that the team are expected to start work at the plant “in the coming days”.

Moscow welcomes a visit by the UN nuclear watchdog to the Zaporizhzhia plant, a top Russian diplomat said. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia was not considering the possibility of creating a demilitarised zone at the plant.

-More than 3,600 ships from Russia have arrived at US ports since February 24, according to statistics cited by the Associated Press. While that is nearly half of the shipments over the same period compared to last year, it still amounts to over $6 billion in imports. The number of Russian products entering US ports suggests Biden is falling short of his pledge to isolate Moscow’s economy. Due to so-called "wind down" periods that allow companies to complete previous deals, some of the goods continue to enter the country long after the White House announced sanctions on those products, including oil and gas. Paradoxically, other Russian imports, such as fertilizer, came at the request of the Biden administration, which has urged American companies to make up for shortages.

-It was just days ago we wrote about how Ford was hiking the price of its F-150 EV by almost exactly the same amount offered as an EV subsidy in the Biden administration's new "Inflation Reduction Act". While some argued that the price hikes came days before the Act was signed by President Biden, and therefore weren't definitive proof that Ford was just price gouging the government's latest handouts, we think that argument has now officially been put to rest, with Ford now also increasing Mustang Mach-E EV prices between $3,000 and $8,100, depending on Model. The company is "also increasing shipping costs by $200 on all models," according to Automotive News' Michael Martinez. 

-With even Zoltan Pozsar warning that Europe faces an apocalypse of sorts now that the Eurussia divorce is complete and energy prices in Europe are hitting fresh daily record highs every single day - just today, German 1Year  forward baseload electricity rose above €1000, or 10x where they were a year ago, before easing after European nat gas prices plunged the most since March after Germany said its gas stores are filling up faster than planned ahead of winter.... moments ago the European Union appears to have finally realized that it faces an armed revolt this winter, or worse, when millions face freezing cold without power and heat, and announced that it was planning "urgent steps" to push down soaring power prices, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday. "The skyrocketing electricity prices are now exposing, for different reasons, the limitations of our current electricity market design,” von der Leyen said in a speech at the Bled Strategic Summit in Slovenia, pointing out what has been obvious for years to those who warned repeatedly that Europe should probably not take make its energy policy based on the idiotic ravings of a self-absorbed, petulant, Scandinavian teenager. “It was developed under completely different circumstances and completely different purposes.” Ah yes, it's the "circumstances and purposes" that are at fault, not Europe's catastrophic "green" push over the past decade that left the continent at the mercy of Putin, very much as one Donald J Trump warned would happen... and speaking of Putin, maybe Europe can impose a few more self-destructive sanctions on Russian energy exports

-Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called on Sunday for the EU to impose a cap on power prices and decouple electricity charges from the price of gas. The Austrian leader said failure to do so would let Russian President Vladimir Putin “determine the European electricity price.” "We must finally stop the madness that is taking place in energy markets. And that can only happen through a European solution,” read a statement from Nehammer’s office. “Something has to happen at last. This market will not regulate itself in its current form. I call on all the EU 27 to stand together to stop this price explosion immediately.”

-President Vladimir Zelensky said in his daily evening address on Sunday that Ukraine will recapture Donbass, which is now almost fully seized by Russian forces. “We have not forgotten and will not forget any of our cities and any of our people,” he said. “Now Donbass is almost destroyed by Russian strikes, devastated. The proud and glorious Ukrainian Donetsk was humiliated by the Russian occupation and robbed. But Ukraine will return. For sure. Life will return. The dignity of the people of Donbass will return. The ability to live will return. The opportunity to live safely and happily,” Zelensky added. According to him, this is what the Ukrainian flag will symbolize “when we set it up in Donetsk, Gorlovka, Mariupol, in all cities of Donbass, Azov area, in all areas under Russian occupation – in Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Kherson regions. And definitely in Crimea.” “Ukraine remembers everything,” he concluded.

-The US Navy has sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, in a significant first sail through since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to Taiwan early this month. The guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville traversed "through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law," according to the US 7th Fleet in Japan. Calling the transit "ongoing," the statement emphasized "no interference from foreign military forces so far" - which is a concern given the heavy PLA naval presence in waters off Taiwan this month, also given repeat Chinese breaches of the median line by air and sea. "These ships (are transiting) through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state. The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows," the 7th Fleet statement continued. The Pentagon previewed the sail through pf the strait, announcing over a week ago that the Navy is preparing to do such amid Chinese warnings, but didn't specify a date.

-Beijing has issued its response to anti-China hawk Sen. Marsha Blackburn visiting Taiwan on Thursday and Friday. It began with at least 35 PLA jets buzzing the island's airspace on Friday, including 8 Chinese Navy vessels patrolling off the island. And on Saturday Fox News correspondent Lucas Thomlinson reported "China sends four nuclear-capable bombers near Taiwan Saturday one day after Sen. Marsha Blackburn met Taiwan’s president in Taipei."

-According to Reuters, with Poland still basking in the late summer heat, hundreds of cars and trucks have already lined up at the Lubelski Wegiel Bogdanka coal mine, as householders fearful of winter shortages wait for days and nights to stock up on heating fuel ahead of the coming cold winter in queues reminiscent of communist times. Artur, 57, a pensioner, drove up from Swidnik, some 30 km (18 miles) from the mine in eastern Poland on Tuesday, hoping to buy several tonnes of coal for himself and his family. "Toilets were put up today, but there's no running water," he said, after three nights of sleeping in his small red hatchback in a crawling queue of trucks, tractors towing trailers and private cars. "This is beyond imagination, people are sleeping in their cars. I remember the communist times but it didn't cross my mind that we could return to something even worse." rtur's household is one of the nearly 4 million in Poland that rely on coal for heating (granted, these households are probably in better shape than the ones relying on nat gas whose price is rising by 10-20% every day and is now almost literally in the stratosphere) and now face shortages and price hikes, after Poland and the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian coal following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February. Poland banned purchases with an immediate effect in April, while the bloc mandated fading them out by August. While Poland produces over 50 million tonnes from its own mines every year, imported coal, much of it from Russia, is a household staple because of competitive prices and the fact that Russian coal is sold in lumps more suitable for home use.

-German benchmark power prices for next year soared above €800 per megawatt hour on Friday, nearly 10 times higher than the same period last year, Bloomberg reports. Prices gained as much as 7.6% on Friday to reach €805.15 per megawatt hour on the European Energy Exchange, up 39% this week. Costs have been smashing records on an almost daily basis as the winter heating period approaches. The rally is being driven by growing concerns over Russian natural gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Berlin previously required gas operators to fill underground storage facilities while adhering to a strict schedule, to ensure the country has enough fuel to last the winter. The plan states that storage must be 85% full by October 1, and 95% full by November 1. Experts doubt the goal is achievable.

-Russia is flaring natural gas at the Portovaya plant near the Finnish border while drastically cutting gas flows via the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany, a Rystad Energy analysis shared with BBC News showed on Friday.  The plant northwest of St. Petersburg is flaring an estimated around $10 million worth of natural gas per day—gas that would have gone to Germany otherwise. 

-Washington is still considering supplying modern combat jets to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia, US Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl has said. No “final decision,” however, has been made on this matter and actual delivery could take “years” to materialize – while Kiev must in turn be able to “sustain” and “afford” advanced weaponry systems, the official told a press briefing on Wednesday. “As it relates to future aircrafts, fourth generation aircraft, for example, even if we were to provide those now, they wouldn’t arrive for years, so we’ve been focused on, as it relates to their fighter aircraft, on what they need … to support the current efforts to hold in the east and perhaps going on a counter offensive,” Kahl explained, pointing to the recently approved delivery of air-to-surface missiles that can be used by warplanes remaining in the Ukrainian inventory.

-Another US lawmaker arrived in Taiwan on Thursday evening, continuing the series of visits by American officials to the island that started with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month. Beijing says the trips are designed to antagonize the Chinese government and lend support to separatists. The Taiwanese foreign ministry said on Thursday that “important guests” would be arriving in Taipei on board a US military transport, according to the Central News Agency. A Fox News producer identified the visitor as Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), who was most recently in nearby Papua New Guinea.  After touching down at Songshan airport, the American visitors would meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, the CNA said. There was no comment from the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy. 

Contractors

Russia/Ukraine War Update - August 26th, 2022

*** MILITARY SITUATION ***

Two B52 bomber planes take off from RAF Fairford in England towards South-East Europe to conduct high visibility flyovers, as part of NATO deterrent missions in the region. 

-Russia has pulled more than 700 combat aircraft and helicopters to the Ukrainian borders — the Command of the AFU. Russia has concentrated more than 400 aircraft and about 360 combat helicopters around the Ukrainian borders. This was worriedly stated by the speaker of the AFU command Yu . Ignat. "There is a group of Russian aircraft around our borders - more than 400 combat aircraft. There are also 360 helicopters, of which more than 150 are attack helicopters, such as the Ka-52," he said. Ignat also added that the Russian army is constantly actively using aviation to strike at AFU facilities, as well as for reconnaissance and detection.

*** ECONOMIC & POLITICAL ***

-The US government intends to officially name its military mission to aid Kiev and appoint a general to command it, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Biden administration officials. This would formalize the operation that predates the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine and allow the Pentagon to award ribbons, medals, and special pay to its participants. Giving the operation a name is “significant bureaucratically,” the Journal explained, as it “typically entails long-term, dedicated funding and the possibility of special pay, ribbons and awards for service members participating in the effort.” The US has previously named its operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The original intervention in Afghanistan was dubbed “Enduring Freedom,” replaced by the nation-building “Freedom’s Sentinel” in 2015. The 2003 invasion of Iraq was called “Iraqi Freedom,” while the 2014 redeployment to Iraq and Syria to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists was designated “Inherent Resolve.” A two-star or three-star general will be appointed to command the effort, in what the Journal described as “a shift from the largely ad hoc effort to to provide training and assistance to the Ukrainians for years.” 

-Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the size of Russia’s armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, as the war in Ukraine enters its seventh month with no signs of abating.

-The mayor of the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, has said a building allegedly used by Russian-backed officials in the region has been “blown up”. Fedorov, who is not in the city, posted a video reportedly showing damage to the building, which he said was being used to plan a “pseudo-referendum” by Russia-backed authorities on whether the region should join Russia.

-AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch city of The Hague on Thursday said it would ask for a temporary exemption of EU sanctions against Russia, as it struggles to find a replacement for its contract with Russian gas supplier Gazprom in time. Sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine order governments and other public bodies to end existing contracts with Russian companies by October 10.

-Last regular power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant restored, says UN watchdog. The last regular power line supplying electricity to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been restored, according to the UN nuclear watchdog, citing Ukraine. It comes after Ukraine’s nuclear power operator, Energoatom, said the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was disconnected from Ukraine’s national grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation. The final power line connecting the plant to the grid was cut twice by fires at the ash pits of a nearby coal-fired power plant, the operator said earlier today. Disconnecting the plant raises the risk of catastrophic failure of cooling systems for its reactors and spent fuel rods, which run on electricity.

-The White House called on Russia to agree to a demilitarised zone around the plant, after the US president, Joe Biden, spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

-President Joe Biden announced the largest weapons and aid package yet for Ukraine on Wednesday, a $2.98billion package that would push total U.S. aid well past the annual budgets of at least eight federal programs, including the entire judicial branch. The weapons and aid will be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and “will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term,” Biden said in a statement. 

The latest package includes: 

• Up to 245,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition.
• Six additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems with additional munitions for NASAMS.
• Up to 65,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition.
• Up to 24 counter-artillery radars.
• Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems and support equipment for ScanEagle UAS.
• VAMPIRE Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems.
• Laser-guided rocket systems.
• Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment. 

Timed for the 31st anniversary of Ukrainian independence, the announcement arrived just five days after the previous one unveiled a $775 million package of advanced missiles, armored vehicles, and artillery. But while the weapons for Friday’s package will be drawn from U.S. stockpiles, items for the upcoming set will be purchased or ordered from industry, a senior defense official told Defense One on the condition they not be named.

-India will seek broader consensus before it supports US-led efforts to cap the price of Russian oil, which American officials are expected to push for this week when they travel to Mumbai and New Delhi. The South Asian nation, which has emerged as one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine, is hesitant to join the plan unless a consensus is reached with all buyers, according to people familiar with the matter, asking not to be identified because the deliberations aren’t public. 

-France is headed toward the “end of abundance” and “sacrifices” have to be made during what is a time of great upheaval, President Emmanuel Macron told his cabinet on Wednesday upon returning from summer break. The country has faced multiple challenges lately, ranging from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine to the unprecedented drought that has battered the whole European continent this summer. Yet, Macron believes that the crisis is actually of a much bigger scale and that structural changes are imminent. “Some could see our destiny as being to constantly manage crises or emergencies. I believe that we are living through a tipping point or great upheaval. Firstly, because we are living through... what could seem like the end of abundance,” he said. The country and its citizens must be ready to make “sacrifices” to meet and overcome the challenges they are facing, he continued. “Our system based on freedom in which we have become used to living, when we need to defend it sometimes that can entail making sacrifices,” Macron added. 

-Germany cannot deliver more weapons to Ukraine without depleting its own stocks, its defense ministry has said. Despite the military reaching the “acceptable limit” of what it can send, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under intense pressure to keep the arms flowing to Kiev. “We went to the acceptable limit when selling Bundeswehr stocks,” a spokesman for Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told Der Spiegel on Monday, a day after the German news outlet published a guest article from lawmakers Kristian Klinck, Sara Nanni, and Alexander Mueller calling for Germany to up its weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

-Quoting M K Bhadrakumar from Indian Punchline On August 23 2022:

"Once again, while Russia is steadily winning the ground war in Ukraine, the U.S. is determined not to lose the information war. In Washington’s reckoning, in this Internet Age, the war is to be ultimately won in the Russian people’s minds." Bhadrakumar concludes that 'the US plans to go further up on the escalation ladder. Escalation is the Biden Administration’s last chance to stall a Russian victory'. This escalatory perspective is underlined by US approval of the drone attacks on Crimea, the Ukranian threats to attack the Kerch Bridge and most worryingly the shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. In this context we can surmise that the SBU assassination of Darva Dugina was planned and conducted with the approval and likely assistance of the US/UK.

-Here’s some more detail on the US military aid package for Ukraine of about $3bn, which would be the single largest assistance package that the US has provided for Ukraine since the start of the war. The package will use funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, appropriated by the US congress, to allow the Biden administration to procure weapons from industry rather than taking weapons from existing US weapons stocks, Reuters reports. The new weapons do not appear to include types of arms that had not been provided previously to the Ukrainian military, according to a US official. The amount and mix of weapons could change before the formal announcement, expected to take place tomorrow, the official added.

-Sichuan's worst drought in over half a century forced the Chinese province to extend power cuts for industrial plants. Power rationings are essential to ease electricity demand due to a menacing heatwave and limited rainfall that is driving down hydropower generation while cooling demand skyrockets -- the combination is dangerous in terms of grid stability and is primarily why power cuts were prolonged. Morgan Stanley analyst Simon Lee told clients Sunday that the provinces with 84 million people and a key manufacturing hub for semiconductor and solar panels faced "the hottest temperatures and the worst drought of the past 60 years."  Sichuan heavily relies on hydropower generation for 82% of its power needs. About half of the renewable energy source has been slashed because rainfall along the Yangtze River since July has been 45% below average, the lowest since 1961. Falling hydropower generation comes as electricity demand in the province jumped 65 gigawatts, nearly a quarter higher than last year. Goldman Sachs' Trina Chen wrote power curtailments pose the most significant risk to rice supplies, followed by aluminum and battery materials. 

-Defense Department Inspector General has released its long-awaited report on what the Biden Administration left behind in Afghanistan. It is an unbelievable list of equipment left to one of the most violent groups in the world with a history of supporting terrorist organizations. I opposed the long war in Afghanistan, so I was not among those critical of Trump or Biden in pushing to leave the conflict. However, no one has ever explained why the Biden Administration left this equipment in Afghanistan as opposed to removing it or destroying it. While the collapse of the Afghan government was rapid in the final days, the government had many months to prepare for the scheduled withdrawal. Yet, it took no steps to remove or destroy this equipment. Instead, it elected to leave this arsenal intact to the Taliban. The ground vehicle inventory alone was worth about $4.12 billion. In addition, the U.S. military lost $923.3 million worth of military aircraft and $294.6 million in aircraft munitions. The Taliban was instantly made one of the best equipped militaries in the world due to this windfall gift by the Biden Administration. While the report says that “some” of the aircraft were “demilitarized and rendered inoperable during the evacuation,” most of this equipment was left ready-to-use, including 316,260 small arms, including sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers, were left behind, amounting to $511.8 million.

-The US is planning to supply Ukraine with GPS-guided high-precision M982 Excalibur artillery shells, Politico reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The shell is equipped with an armor-penetrating warhead and has a laser-guided version. The munitions can be fired using US-made M777 howitzers, which are already being used by Ukrainian troops. The shells can hit targets at a range of up to 70km, depending on the artillery caliber, according to the manufacturer, Raytheon Technologies. The Excalibur munitions would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russian-controlled territories.

-The head of Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, in Kirovograd Region was found dead in his home on Saturday evening, with sources telling local media that it was likely a suicide. The body of Aleksandr Nakonechny was discovered by his wife at their apartment in Krapivnitsky, the website Obozrevatel explained. The SBU has confirmed the security chief's death, saying that the incident is being investigated. Obozrevatel added that Nakonechny died of a “penetrating gunshot wound to the body.” 

-Ukraine has denied involvement in the death of Darya Dugina amid fears the car bombing raises the stakes in the Russia-Ukraine war. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, told Ukrainian TV: “I confirm that Ukraine, of course, had nothing to do with this because we are not a criminal state, like the Russian Federation, and moreover we are not a terrorist state.”

-Ex-Russian MP claims Russian partisans responsible for Moscow car bomb. Speaking in Kyiv, Ilya Ponomarev alleges that the bomb that killed the daughter of Vladimir Putin ally earlier on Sunday was the work of underground group the National Republican Army.

-The US and Seoul have kicked off their largest joint military exercises in years on Monday. The Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are set to continue through September 1, and will include numerous aircraft, warships and pieces of artillery, with thousands of troops training for different “defensive” and “counterattack” scenarios. The first stage of the drills will be focused on repelling a hypothetical North Korean attack, as well as civil defense response to various simulated threats, such as “fire at a semiconductor factory,” “airport terrorism,” or “discovery of improvised explosive devices at nuclear power plants,” according to Yonhap. In the second stage, the allied forces will sharpen their “counterattack” capabilities, by conducting live fire drills during more than a dozen of different combined field training programs.

-By ignoring calls to supply Kiev with more heavy weaponry Germany has abandoned Ukraine to its fate, former ambassador Andrey Melnik said on Sunday. The outspoken envoy was removed from his position in July following several controversies. Taking to Twitter, the diplomat, who was fired after a string of contentious remarks – which included jabs at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – accused the German government of putting Kiev on a military “diet.”

-The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) has increased its patrols of the northern part of the province amid ongoing tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, Serbian media reported on Saturday. Troops were deployed in significant numbers to two checkpoints at the border between Serbia and Kosovo, the reports said, adding that KFOR had vowed to “intervene” if necessary. The move follows the collapse of talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Thursday.