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You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 941: Russia Hits Civilian Targets in Kharkiv, Kryvih Rih, & Nikopol While Ukraine Hits Another Military Target in Russia

War for Ukraine Day 941: Russia Hits Civilian Targets in Kharkiv, Kryvih Rih, & Nikopol While Ukraine Hits Another Military Target in Russia

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A painting by Ukrainian artist NEIVANMADE. The words "NEVER AGAIN" are repeated over and over, from left to right and top to bottom, in a faded, washed out black against a white background. Red, the color of blood, runs and drips down across 2/3rds of the painting. "WHILE YOU TOLERATE TYRANTS" is written/painted in the bottom white corner below the three rows of "NEVER AGAIN".

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Two quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is still doing great. Thank you for all the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, I’ve gotten some sleep. Today’s acupuncture treatment – so far – seems to be making a major difference.

Russian continues to target civilians and civilian infrastructure all over Ukraine:

Russian airstrikes on Kharkiv injured 13 civilians, including three children, who experienced acute stress reactions. Among the victims is a 49-year-old patient at a hospital near the site of the bombing. He had been hospitalized earlier in the day for injuries sustained from a russian strike in another part of the city. Tragically, the man was wounded again during the night attack.

📹place_kharkiv

Kharkiv is currently under attack again. More on that after the jump.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

We Will Continue to Talk with Partners about the Need for Full Long-Range Capabilities for Ukraine – Address by the President

21 September 2024 – 20:28

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today, once again, it is worth praising our warriors for their precision – precision on the enemy’s territory. This is a fundamental turning point – our ability to bring the war back home – to Russia.

Another arsenal in Russia has been damaged, and it was a significant arsenal for the occupier. All our warriors of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine who were involved – thank you! The Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and everyone who was involved – great job!

There is also a good job done by the SSU on another arsenal of Russian troops. These were depots of Russian tactical missiles and guided aerial bombs – all the things that Russia uses to terrorize our cities, our positions. And I want to emphasize that we are doing this thanks to our capabilities, our weapons – without the means that can be provided by our partners and that can significantly accelerate the end of this war by destroying Russia’s offensive potential.

If we could direct all our precision to the defense of our state, if we had enough missiles and the permissions that our partners can provide, the overall situation in the war would be much better for our security – for the security of Ukraine and everyone in the world who does not want to exist in conditions of such aggressions as this Russian one.

We are convincing our partners – and we will continue to talk about this next week – that Ukraine needs full long-range capabilities. And not only our own drones, not only our own missiles, which still do not have enough range, but also everything that can protect the world from terror, from Russia.

Today, I will separately acknowledge our Special Operations Center “A” of the Security Service of Ukraine. Well done, warriors! I also thank every unit, every soldier, sergeant and officer serving on the enemy’s territory in the Kursk region of Russia. Our active actions there have exactly the effect on the frontline situation that we need now in Ukraine.

And of course, our front, our combat brigades. The Pokrovsk direction, Kurakhove and all directions in the Donetsk region. Our Kharkiv region, our Zaporizhzhia and our entire south. I want to thank everyone for their resilience!

This week, it is especially worth mentioning the 46th separate airmobile brigade, the 68th jaeger brigade named after Dovbush, and the 425th separate assault battalion. Thank you for your bravery in the direction of Pokrovsk. The Orikhiv direction – the 65th separate mechanized brigade, and the Prydniprovske direction – the 35th separate marine brigade. Thank you! I thank everyone who fights for Ukraine and all those who help us defend lives!

The next week can be decisive in many ways for stopping the Russian terror, this aggression, and restoring normal security. For this to happen, the determination of our partners must match the courage of Ukrainians. The answer to the question of when this war will end lies in the question of when our partners’ determination will keep pace with what we can do for our defense, for our independence, for our victory. Ukraine must prevail in this war! It can prevail. But only together with the whole world.

Our clear strategy will be on the table for our partners. For the President of the United States.

Glory to Ukraine!

The Financial Times has the details:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will press Joe Biden for binding security guarantees before the US president leaves office to bolster Ukraine’s position and compel Russia to join peace talks.

The Ukrainian leader has in recent months stepped up preparations for possible negotiations with Moscow in anticipation of a shift in US policy following November’s presidential election.

Zelenskyy ordered an invasion of the Kursk region of Russia in August to gain territory as leverage in future talks and has said he is ready for a peace conference with Moscow’s involvement.

Speaking to journalists ahead of a US trip next week where he will attend the UN General Assembly and hold talks with Biden, Zelenskyy said he would present a “victory plan” to the US president that he hoped would end the war.

Zelenskyy said the plan, which he wants to be implemented by the end of December, would strengthen Ukraine and force Russia to the negotiating table.

“The victory plan, this bridge to strengthening Ukraine, can contribute to more productive future diplomatic meetings with Russia,” said Zelenskyy on Friday afternoon in Kyiv.

He described the initiative as Biden’s opportunity to go down in history as the president who secured Ukrainian independence. He emphasised that the plan needed to be implemented before Biden left office in January.

“I think this is a historical mission,” said Zelenskyy. “Let’s do all this today, while all the officials who want the victory of Ukraine are in official positions.”

Ukraine has lost territory daily to Russia this year and Moscow has shown no sign that it was willing to negotiate.

The Ukrainian leader outlined the four points of the “victory plan” but declined to go into detail.

The first point, he said, were further security guarantees. Ukraine has recently signed long-term commitments with the US and other western allies but wants harder assurances akin to the mutual defence guarantee that comes with Nato membership.

The second was Ukraine’s Kursk operation, which he said was “fulfilling” its task of diverting Russian offensive power.

Zelenskyy’s third request was for “specific” advanced weapons. He did not elaborate on the type of weapons system he wanted. The fourth was the joint development of Ukraine’s economy together with its partners.

“Today you help us in the implementation of this plan and in the future Ukraine will save you a lot of your resources,” said Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy does not view the “victory plan” as a replacement for his “peace formula”, a 10-point initiative based on the UN Charter that lays out a framework for a lasting settlement.

Rather, it will give Ukraine what it needs to get Russia to the negotiating table where the peace formula would be discussed, he said.

Zelenskyy again ruled out a Minsk-style peace agreement where the conflict would be frozen, stating that Russia would only invade again. “We need a just and stable peace,” said Zelenskyy.

More at the link.

The cost:

Serhiy Pavlichenko, a master craftsman of traditional Ukrainian musical instruments, fell defending Ukraine on the Pokrovsk front.

Serhiy dedicated his life to preserving Ukrainian musical heritage through his craft, creating banduras, kobzas, lyres, and gusli with exceptional skill and passion. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Serhiy volunteered to join the front lines, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s freedom and independence.

His instruments not only graced the hands of musicians but also found their way into Ukrainian cinema. A lyre crafted by Serhiy was featured in Oles Sanin’s film “Dovbush.” Serhiy’s work also contributed to the performances of Taras Kompanichenko, one of Ukraine’s most renowned contemporary performers of ancient music.

To honor Serhiy’s legacy, we invite you to listen to the ancient music he helped bring to life: https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/07/29/he-fought-russian-imperialism-with-a-bandura-now-he-also-holds-a-gun-saving-ukrainian-culture/

This is Maksym Shaulskyi, he is forever 12 years old.

Today, Maksym and his grandmother Valentyna were killed by a Russian missile.

The boy’s mother used to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Maksym’s older brother, Mykyta, defended Mariupol and remains in Russian captivity.

The reason for the cost:

United24 Media has the details:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Western long-range weapons and the permission to strike Russian territory with them will not be a new ‘red line’ for Vladimir Putin: the situation won’t change, and no greater escalation is expected.

The permission to strike deep into Russian territory with American and European long-range missiles has been discussed for months. For Ukraine, this is a critical moment: at Russian airfields near the border, there are dozens or even hundreds of aircraft, and Russian aviation bombs Ukrainian cities and military positions daily. Western missiles would allow Ukraine to destroy both the aircraft and the airfields where they are stationed. Planes, munitions, infrastructure—moving them farther from Ukraine would complicate the planning of new operations.

How many of these airfields are there? Dozens. Each of them is within the reach of various missiles from different partners. We’ve plotted these airfields on a map, as well as the range of attacks for Western long-range missiles. We should note that the missile range is not marked from the extreme point of the Ukrainian border, as this is dangerous, but with a buffer of approximately 15-20 km.

The map also includes the range of Ukrainian drones, previously documented to reach up to 1,850 km.

Another important factor is that if Ukraine is granted the permission to strike deep into Russia with long-range missiles, this would be for combined attacks. Today, Ukraine manages to attack Russia with hundreds of drones at once, overwhelming air defense systems and achieving the element of surprise. With missiles, Ukraine will be able to plan even more complex operations, delivering maximum damage to Russian airfields and military targets. Ukraine has already provided a list of such targets to its allies. Russia frequently uses combined attacks, attempting to overload Ukrainian air defense systems.

If Ukraine already has long-range drones, why does it need missiles? Missiles are faster, better at bypassing electronic warfare systems, and typically carry larger warheads capable of striking and destroying huge targets. Drones have significantly lower destructive capabilities and are slower. This is why combined attacks, involving both missiles and drones, are so important.

If the West allows the use of Storm Shadow/SCALP, ATACMS, and provides JASSM missiles, it will significantly boost Ukraine’s defensive capabilities and reduce Russia’s offensive potential.

The reason to keep fighting:

Australia appears to have come to some of its senses:

Ukrainska Pravda has the details:

Ukraine will soon be able to use decommissioned Australian Abrams battle tanks in the war against Russia.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Details: The newspaper reports that the Australian government, together with the administration of US President Joe Biden, is working on a plan to send American-made Abrams M1A1 tanks to Ukraine.

At the same time, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles says that there are a number of opportunities that they are considering with the Ukrainian government.

Sources in the Australian government said that Marles is studying how to ship the tanks in line with US defence export regulations.

At the same time, Australia had previously ruled out the possibility of providing this equipment to Kyiv.

In July, Australia reportedly retired 59 Abrams M1A1 tanks that had never been used in combat and are now being replaced with newer models. Purchased for AU$550 million (about US$340 million) in 2004, these combat vehicles are equipped with cannons and machine guns.

Michael Shoebridge, a former senior Australian defence official, commented on the situation: “These tanks are still in good shape. The Ukrainians are fighting a war for national survival so we should get them there as soon as we can.”

Earlier, Ukraine made an official request to Australia to join the US, the UK, Poland and Germany in providing tanks to defend against Russian aggression.

While Russia was continuing its genocidal warfare against civilians in Ukraine, the Ukrainians were busy striking legitimate military targets – ammo dumps – in Russia.

Official Ukrainian statement regarding tonight’s strikes on Russian ammunition storage facilities in Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar region, and Toropets, Tver region.

“Defense forces of Ukraine hit two military arsenals of the armed forces of the Russian Federation

Tonight, the Tikhoretsk arsenal in the Krasnodar Territory was hit. This object is one of the three largest ammunition storage bases and is one of the key ones in the logistics system of the Russian troops. According to available information, at the time of the attack, another echelon was on the territory of the arsenal, which delivered at least 2,000 tons of ammunition, including from the North Korea. The Podlyot radar station, which detected air targets in the direction of the arsenal, was also targeted.

In addition, the Security Service of Ukraine struck the 23rd arsenal of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation near the settlement of Oktyabrskiy, Tver Region. Fire and detonation are recorded in the areas of both military arsenals.

The tasks were successfully completed in cooperation with the units of the Defense Forces: the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and others.
Combat work on important military targets of the Russian occupiers continues.”

https://t.me/GeneralStaffZSU/17385

Russian munitions depots in the Krasnodar region.

This is the way Russia will be forced to stop its war on Ukraine.

Not with begging, or thinking about “saving Putin’s face,” or “giving him another chance,” or twisting Ukraine’s arms for “compromises for peace,” or protecting the Russian airbases from Ukrainian attacks, or surrendering to Putin’s endless nuclear extortion, or with absurd exercises in “escalation management” or “not wanting to spoil future relations with the Kremlin”.

This is the only way, and Ukraine is doing it right now.

Here’s the full text of the first tweet:

“The Tikhoretsk Munitions Storage Facility was confirmed as a storage site for North Korean munitions by the White House on October 13, 2023…. All observed activity suggests that Tikhoretsk remains a strategically important munitions storage facility for southern Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine.”

Sorry, Comrade Kim, we’re not sorry.

Here’s Tatarigami’s assessment:

An alleged drone strike has targeted the Tikhoretsk ammo depot, according to early reports. The depot, closely monitored by Frontelligence Insight for its role in artillery ammo logistics, gained international attention in 2023 following the arrival of North Korean ammo.
🧵ThreadImage

2/ Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported that two UAVs targeting Tikhoretsk were “suppressed”, with debris causing a fire and detonation of flammable materials. Videos on social media suggest a large denotation

Screenshot from the video posted by @war_monitor_uaImage

3/ The Tikhoretsk ammo depot was expanded in 2023 to store North Korean munitions. Most ammo arrived by train in containers, unloaded and stored in revetments – essentially pits in the ground under open sky. Civilian trucks then transported the munitions to frontlinesImage
4/ The ammunition didn’t remain at the depot for long, as it was quickly moved to the frontlines. This makes it more of a temporary storage site than a long-term facility in 2024. The success of this strike largely depends on the timing of the most recent ammo delivery. 
5/ Given the near-total destruction of the 107th GRAU arsenal in Toropets, Tver Oblast, and the successful strike on the 23rd GRAU Arsenal, the hit on Tikhoretsk can be a serious blow not only to ammunition supplies but also to the logistics supporting the entire force groupings 
6/ While the extent of the damage is unclear, as of late 2023, the Tikhoretsk depot lacked any proper cover for ammo in revetments. Given that ammo at the Toropets depot detonated despite being stored in “bunkers,” the chances of ammo surviving in open-air pits are even lower. 
7/ While the full impact may be hard for the general public to assess, these attacks extend beyond the loss of ammo, which Russia cannot quickly replace. The strikes also severely disrupt logistics: delivery, transportation, and distribution, which heavily rely on the railroad 

8/ Assessing the damage done by Ukraine to the ammunition storages will take time, but the impact of these strikes could be felt by troops on the frontlines much sooner than these evaluations are finished

Our investigation on North Korean ammo deliveries:

Unroll available on Thread Reader

9/ Geolocation confirmation:

And a follow on:

Here’s the full text of the first tweet:

🔥/1. The Tikhoretsk ammunition depot was not the only Russian ammunition storage facility which got destroyed tonight.

The second, a bit smaller, arsenal in Toropets, Tver region, got targeted tonight as well.

FIRMS data: Toropets mmunition depot which was targeted several days ago is on top, the one which was targeted tonight is at the bottom.

Full text of tweet 3:

/3. The Staraya Toropa railway station has been evacuated in the Tver region.

The evacuation of the station began at about three o’clock in the morning after the Toropetsky district of the region was attacked by drones.

As a standard response by Russian officials all the damaged was caused by debris of downed drones, as the governor of a Tver region reported that UAVs were shot down in the southwest of the Tver region by the forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

I don’t want to be a downer, but it has to be said. The overall damage to Russian ammo depots is clearly significant based on satellite imagery. However, getting an accurate estimate of the actual volume of destroyed munitions is extremely difficult. My team has been trying to calculate it, but it’s nearly impossible to get precise figures. So, be careful when using numbers like 30, 50, or 70 thousand tons- it’s tough to verify those estimates.

Kyiv:

Kharkiv:

The Donetsk front:

33rd Brigade of Ukraine repels Russian attacks on the Donetsk front. Russian assaults on this direction have been ongoing for 2 days in a row:

«After a long silence without armored offensives, Russians gathered their strength and went forward. 27 units of equipment and about a company of infantry.

In total, Russians lost 16 pieces of equipment and more than 60 personnel. We have held our positions and are holding the defense lines»

https://t.me/mechanized33/374

Russian occupied Simferapol, Crimea:

Chasiv Yar:

If you’re wondering how the sanctions are effecting the Russian economy:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Open thread!

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  • Adam L Silverman
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    11Comments

    8. 8.

      way2blue

      Seems most Western countries are pushing the U.S. to stop blocking Ukraine’s prerogative in repelling Russian aggression.  Which countries besides Germany, Hungary, Austria (?) are not?  Will the hints that the U.N. meeting might.  Might finally be the occasion to see a relaxing of U.S. intransigence?  So much teasing over the months that collapses again & again.   Like Charlie Brown with Lucy holding his football…

      Reply
    9. 9.

      wjca

      @Jay:

      And fascinating that the “debris” always seems to hit only the military target, never the nearby civilian locations.  (Because you just know that, if civilian locations were being hit, Putin would be trying hard to make propaganda hay of it somehow.)

      Reply
    10. 10.

      Jay

      @wjca:

      There was an apartment building hit near Moscow a week ago, BUT, the damage, (5 floors, 8 apartments), was not consistent with a small drone strike, as was sent against the refinery, but instead an Osa air defense missile.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom

      There are 7 of these arsenals in the European region of Russia. I look forward to the resulting Bavovna.

      Zelensky is losing patience with some of Ukraine’s “partners”. Can’t say I blame him.

      Thank you as always, Adam.

      Reply

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