Ukraine War, 17 September 2024 (UPDATED)
Hello everybody!
A telegraphic update for today…
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AIR/MISSILE WAR
Two days ago, some of the Russian media announced a major, combined, Iskander-Shahed strike on Uman, in the Cherkassy Oblast of Ukraine. According to reports in question, on 13 September they’ve targeted the Umanfermash Works with an Iskander, this caused a major secondary explosion, and then they’ve targeted the local airport, destroyed the control tower and two Su-27s… Have asked around in Ukraine, but nobody knows anything related. AFAIK, for 13 September, the PSU claimed to have shot down 24 out of 26 Shaheds it detected, and no missile strikes were reported at all.
On the contrary, it is Kharkiv that is heavily pounded, the last few days: there the Russians are meanwhile intentionally striking numerous higher apartment buildings, killing and wounding scores of civilians.
According to the PSU, the last night, the Russians streamed 51 Shaheds into the Ukrainian airspace. 34 were shot down, 12 jammed, and 3 flew back to Russia.
In turn, the Ukrainians targeted the Engels-2 AB with their UAVs, again.
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Kursk.. as mentioned yesterday, the ZSU’s ‘raid’ in direction of Khomutovka seems to be a serious affair. Otherwise the governor of the Kursk Oblast wouldn’t order evacuation of all civilians from the strip 15km along the border to Ukraine, and that all the way from Khomutovka in the north, down to Rylsk.
In south-western Kusk…on the western side, the ZSU has pushed the Russians out and away from Liubimovka, Obukhovka and Apanasovka, reached the south-western outskirts of Glushkovo, and widened its penetration in that area in direction of Kulbaki.
Pudding’s FSB-generals are as highly skilled as expected, and thus the VDV, the 155th NIB and the 200th Arctic continued assaulting from Snagost in direction of Liubimovka – all the while suffering loses to flanking Ukrainian counterattacks. There’s nothing like letting the enemy continue bolstering his failure. Gauging by reports and videos, it is that especially the 155th that is ambushed at every opportunity, and suffering heavy losses.
On the northern side, and as reported repeatedly, there are still several bigger groups of Russian troops encircled in the area east of Korenevo. Two days ago, one of these was finally overpowered by the 225th Assault Battalion, ZSU, in the Olgovka area. Another is still encircled in the Kremyanoe area: that was also the reason for 810th NIB trying to reach them, last weekend (see my map from yesterday). So far, the Russians were managing to bring them at least some supplies, but meanwhile the connection was completely cut off by the ZSU, which is controlling most of the area between that village and the railway berm east of Alexandrovka, and running raids in northern direction.
On the southern side: seems that two-weeks-long assaults by the 24th Spetsnaz (and other units) managed to gain the Russians the village of Borki. Or at least they’re claiming to have recovered it. That’s at least what the Russians claim - which is never guaranteed, because their officers tend to report about ‘liberating-losing-liberating-losing’ places, so they can cover-up their own incompetence.
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Northern Kharkiv… yesterday, the ZSU overran the Aggregate Works in southern Vovchansk. I.e. whoever of the Russians still could, fled in north-western direction.
However, later during the day, corresponding reports were denied by the spokesman of the ZSU’s Task Force Kharkiv (AFAIK, the Ukrainians call such level formations ‘operational groups’).
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BATTLE OF DONBASS
Svatove-Kupyansk… the Russians are trying to widen their penetration in the Pishchane area and also continued pushing in direction of Kuhilakivka on the Oskil River. I’m waiting for the GenStab-U to find this area on the map, so it could send reinforcements there… sometimes in January…
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Bakhmut… all the same story like for months already: the Russians trying to cross the Siversky Donets-Donbas Canal – and suffering yet additional losses.
BTW, no idea exactly why has the GenStab-U ordered the well-equipped 24th Mech into Chasiv Yar, but I doubt there’s that much use of its CV-90s in urban combat characterised by Russian UMPK glide bombs and relentless infantry assaults… but then: what do I know about such affairs…
Good news is that the 5th Assault managed to repel the Russian attack from Kurdyumivka towards north-west: apparently cut off some of Russians that crossed the Canal and pushed in direction of Zemlyanky – because the same found it more important to wave flags to their UAVs, than to conceal themselves in the local forest.
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Toretsk.. kind of ‘not really that many news’. That is: it’s like every day for weeks already. The Russians continued assaulting into central Toretsk, and – after the 12th NG Azov evacuated the ZSU troops encircled there – have recovered Niu York.
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Pokrovsk... Generally, the Russian Group Tsenter is in the process of re-organisation. There are even reports that it re-routed some of its troops to the Toretsk area. That’s the principal reason for a slow-down of its advance in direction of Pokrovsk. Of course, shouldn’t mean it ceased assaulting. On the northern side, the 35th and 74th MRBs are still assaulting central Hrodivka. On the western side, the Russians have managed to push north of Novohrodivka. South of that place, they’re back to assaulting Mykhailivka, east of Selydove. On the southern side of their bulge, they almost completed the conquest of Ukrainsk, and are pushing into northern Hirnyk. The ZSU bridgehead east of the Vovcha River was meanwhile largely evacuated: the Ukrainians do still hold two peaks dominating Zhelanne Pershe and Zhelanne Druhe, Kurakhivka, and Krasnohorivka to the south, though.
…at least it’s still so that, thanks to the 46th Airborne, ZSU, no matter what VSRF unit is deployed to Krasnohorivka, and then for assaults west from there, it’s only breaking another record in the Olympic discipline ‘Wasting Troops over 1000 metres for Men’…
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Vuhledar… sigh… The 58th has managed to repel the Russian assault on the Coal Mine No. 3, but the Russians are meanwhile seriously assaulting Vuhledar from the eastern side.
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BTW, I know I owe you an update on our continuous collection for the 151st Mech. Sorry for this, it’s all on me; Anastasiia was so kind to ready an ‘ultimo’ for the total collected and spent since early August, plus has sent new photos, and different other news: but, I didn’t manage to re-format this, yet. Promise I’ll correct this in 1-2 days.
Thanks for the update!
Regarding Khomutovka: I'm not really convinced yet. In case of the Kursk axis the delay between the initial raids and the actual, serious strike was quite long: so just the raid does not indicate the immediate commitment.
Also, just to have the Russians on edge on a border that long is already quite a result for a raid. There is no actual necessity for a following invasion.
We'll see. Would be ... nice.
Especially, since a new incursion would mean Ukraine still has adequate reserves left...
I don’t say it nearly enough, but thanks for these updates, most appreciated!