Don's Weekly, 29 September 2025: Part 1
by Donald Hill (intro by Tom Cooper)
Hello everybody!
So… I’ve finally managed to drag myself upstairs to my study and ‘working station’, this morning. Even brought some cappuccino with me. Powered up, checked the news and messages. And… oh man! Things simply couldn’t get any better! Better than Obama!
Umm… why am I so tired, I’m dragging myself anywhere already in the morning, you want to know?
By side a week of flu with fever: because I’ve had to spend my weekend with trying to console several acquaintances in Germany. They’re in panic (yes: in panic) - about the ‘coming Russian invasion’…
Please, lean back, take a deep breath, think (and ‘yes, you can’, believe me!): can you imagine how ‘well’ are the local politics and the media working, when not only the ‘normallos’, like you or me (or, more likely: you) but even ‘people in positions’, start calling such like me to ask for advice on when is Pudding going to invade…?
Meanwhile, I’m bracing for different Austrians to follow in fashion… and kind of feeling relieved for deciding not to attend something like ‘the show of the season’ in my branch this year, where I would certainly be asked the same question by lots of other people.
But hey: why wonder? We’re living in such a perfectly-well-informed world, that the self-declared ‘leaders of the free world’, the US-Americans - as far as not busy standing at attention for the appearance of the top Zionist terrorist and genocide-instigator sought by the UN for crimes against humanity - are still crying more crocodile tears for a rich talk-show host, than they’ve all shed about a genocide of Palestinians in 80 years.
…the rest of the world walked out - literally, three days ago from the UN General Assembly….
Which, don’t worry, needs not impressing anybody: ‘we’, ‘the West’, are neither racists nor xenophobes, or coming to the idea to gauge people by their religion or nationality, you know. We’re civilised, noble people, sizzling with tolerance, understanding and sympathies, who happen to know so very well that this ‘the rest of the world’ consists is ‘Third World banana republics’ and different kleptocrats, dictators and terrorists: nobody and nothing interesting nor important… Of course, whenever one wants to discuss our own oligarchs, kleptocrats, dictators and terrorists: ‘oh sorry: let’s not talk about news and politics, that’s too depressing…’ - and, please, kindly ignore the fact that at least a third of our compatriots - no matter if in the USA, UK, France, Germany or Austria - is keen to accept pathological dictatorship and lies, treason, and corruption, but no healthcare, just for example: particularly the latter is an indication of overwhelming and incapacitating bureaucracy, disabling and endangering our freedoms and the very survival of our economies…
Well, people, who can say: perhaps some should start paying attention instead of sticking their heads into the sand at every opportunity…?
Oh well…
The last week, there were so many great news, so many fantastic news, so many news better than Obama, I have no idea where to start. Perhaps with the pro-European party winning the Moldovan elections? Or the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully cutting off the third pocket of Russian troops on the eastern flank of the Pokrovsk sector? Or the Ukrainian UAVs blowing up the Belgorod power plant, causing a blackout and cutting off the water supply?
You know I’m a weirdo, so don’t be surprised now: for me, the ‘news of the week’ was the Ukrainians hitting a hangar storing much of equipment - including at least one ‘TEL’ - of the 448th Rocket Brigade, VSRF, on 26 September.
Why?
Because that means that the Ukrainians are starting to develop the capability to actually track down the ‘launchers’ of strikes on Ukraine. Because targeting - and actually destroying such launchers - if far more effective than building up super-turbo air defences against the stuff they’re firing. Because this is a war, and at war it’s ‘military affairs’ that matter. And because that’s ‘the step in the right direction’. Considering there appears to be a similar ‘Ukrainian hunt for the Russian “Shahed” launchers on the Crimea’ going on, for me, that’s something like ‘the real good news of the week’.
That much from me for this morning. If you’re still in need of more of my rambling, feel free to check this interview with the Ukrainian TV:
Meanwhile, over to Don.
***
If a sector report isn’t accompanied by a map then there was little to no territorial change.
***
Sumy
Ukraine isn’t physically surrounding Oleksiivka, but the drones of the 71st Brigade and other units have practically cut the village off from Russian support.
Four minutes of Russian drones attacking mostly logistical vehicles.
A drone hits a Russian gas station 20 km inside Russia.
***
Vovchansk
The 57th Brigade attacked Russians moving towards the western side of Vovchansk. Some of the attacks were in the city itself. Since crossing the river in the middle of July, Russia has advanced 1500 meters. A Ukrainian-held building was hit by a missile a couple of weeks ago.
Ukraine is sending sabotage groups over the border with Russia.
The 13th Khartia Brigade is the first National Guard unit to operate the Bradley IFV.
***
Kupiansk
Ukrainian soldiers are attacked in the middle of Kupiansk, and Russians are attacked in northern Kupiansk and north of the town. Russia is bombing the city and Ukrainian troops are searching buildings for infiltrators. There were no reported changes of territory and no estimates of how many infiltrators are in northern Kupiansk or west of the Oskil river.
***
Terny
The Zherebets river (running through Nevske and Makiivka) is preventing Russian attacks with AFVs. Russian pontoon bridges are regularly being destroyed, but Kreigsforscher warns that the situation is deteriorating. Russia is consolidating their positions around Shandryholove and Yampil. Zarichne remained static enough for Russian airstrikes in the middle of the village.
Three kilometers east of Yampolivka, multiple drone strikes destroy a Russian tank hiding in the woods.
Russian belief in their thermal insulating ponchos continues to let them down.
***
Siversk
Russian forces cleared buildings and planted flags in Pereizne. Ukraine dropped an anti-tank mine down a smokestack that had sensors hanging on it.
A gas station in occupied Sievierodonetsk was hit by a drone.
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Kostiantynivka
Small Russian teams reached Pleshchiivka, Kostiantyniva and other locations. This doesn’t mean they control these locations, but past patterns suggest that deep penetrations are indications of future Russian advances.
An ammo depot that contained tens of thousands of mines, grenades, tank and artillery shells was destroyed 65 km east of Chasiv Yar.
Because Russians bomb civilians, two of them were trapped in their apartment in Kostiantynivka because debris blocked the door. The police worked to get them out.
***
(…to be continued…)
Panic is good! I mean, OK, it is not actually good, but it is better than the paralyzing apathy... At least panic of the people (even though unreasonable) might spur the politicians to do something about Russia, however inept they are.
Thank you for the update. I understand that you are not an expert on modern warfare, but you seem to get some notoriety. This leads to questions from all kinds of people, including relatives. I am afraid you will have to live with it. But thank you for the update and the positive spin. You wrote: …»the Ukrainians are starting to develop the capability to actually track down the ‘launchers’ of strikes on Ukraine. Because targeting - and actually destroying such launchers - if far more effective than building up super-turbo air defences against the stuff they’re firing.» I agree, but only if you have the means to take them out. Both targeting and destroying as you wrote.it does seem however that the most difficult of these has been the targeting. Great news indeed.