Russo-Ukrainian war, day 561: New Russian mine tactics aim to slow Ukraine counteroffensive 

Military

General Staff: Ukrainian offensive makes Russians retreat south of Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops out of their positions south of Bakhmut (eastern Ukraine), the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported in its daily frontline update on 7 September 2023. Ukrainian flag is flying once again over two villages in ‘gray zone’ (VIDEO). Ukrainian border guards raised the blue and yellow flag in two villages in the Kharkiv Oblast near the Russian border. The video was posted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Russia attacks Odesa port infrastructure, injuring two. On the night of 7 September, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 33 Shahed drones. Ukrainian air defense shot down 25 drones. Frontline report: Russian forces adapt mining tactics following Ukrainians’ minefield bypass discovery. The Russian army is employing a new mine-laying tactic to slow down the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Amid Ukrainian troops detecting sun-heated mines with thermal imaging drones, Russian forces plant remotely detonated mines underground. Frontline report: Russian counterattacks fail near Robotyne, southern front, as Ukrainians keep pushing south. Ukrainian troops successfully repel multiple Russian counterattacks near Robotyne, an area of paramount importance in the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern Zaporizhzhia oblast. ISW: Ukrainians continue offensive ops on two front sectors as Russians face supply shortages. On 6 September, Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in two front sectors, making limited gains, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Russian losses:  As of 7 Sep 2023, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:

• • • Personnel: 266900 (+610)
    • Tanks: 4506 (+9)
    • APV: 8703 (+21)
    • Artillery systems: 5722 (+37)
    • MLRS: 753 (+5)
    • Anti-aircraft systems: 506 (+1)
    • Aircraft: 315
    • Helicopters: 316
    • Warships/boats: 19
    • UAV: 4541 (+22)
    • Cruise missiles: 1455 (+8)
    • Vehicles and fuel tanks: 8217 (+27)
    • Special equipment: 859 (+7)

Intelligence and technology

Elon Musk shut down Starlink in Crimea to stop Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian Navy. Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX, secretly ordered his engineers to shut down his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the seashore of the Russian-occupied Crimea in southern Ukraine in 2022 to stop a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, according to an excerpt from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, CNN reported. Ukraine’s Defence Tech cluster invests $225,000 in 15 projects for Ukraine’s army. The BRAVE1 cluster has received 412 project submissions, with 200 passing military review, highlighting its growing role in fortifying Ukraine's tech-driven defense strategy.

International

NYT: US to provide Ukraine with more cluster munitions. The US plans to provide Ukraine with a new batch of cluster munitions that help Ukraine’s Armed Forces conduct counteroffensive operations in the south and repel Russian attacks in the east, according to the New York Times. CNN: Blinken announces $1 bln in new aid for Ukraine to boost counteroffensive. The US State Secretary announced a $1 billion aid package for Ukraine, including military, humanitarian, and budgetary support. For the first time, the US will supply depleted uranium munitions, CNN says. US new $175 million security package for Ukraine includes depleted uranium tank ammunition. The US Department of Defense unveiled today a significant $175 million security assistance package for Ukraine, marking the Biden Administration’s forty-sixth tranche of military support since August 2021. The package aims to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities as it continues to resist Russia’s ongoing aggression. Blinken visits an underground bunker in Ukraine. On September 7, the second day of his visit to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited a State Border Guard facility on the outskirts of Kyiv, CNN reports. There, he descended into an underground bomb shelter and later inspected American armored vehicles and spy drones.

Stoltenberg: NATO sees no indication of deliberate Russian drone attack on Romania. NATO has no evidence to suggest that Russia deliberately attacked alliance member Romania, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, commenting on the drone fragments found on Romanian territory after the Russian attack on Odesa Oblast on 4 September. Danish PM visits Kyiv, honors victims of Bucha massacre. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen joined Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin in Bucha to pay tribute to the victims of Russian war crimes, highlighting Denmark's support for Ukraine's ongoing fight for sovereignty.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russian missile hits Ukrainian city, killing 17 and injuring 32 . A Russian missile has struck the central market in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast. At least 17 people were killed and 32 were wounded, according to the the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko. The type of weapon is still being determined, but preliminary information suggests it was the S-300 missile system. Ukrainian entrepreneurs hire 10,300 displaced persons, receive 3.4 million USD in govt compensation. Ukraine's government initiative has already helped nearly 6,000 entrepreneurs and paved the way for the employment of 28,300 displaced Ukrainians, reflecting the government's multifaceted approach to social and economic resilience. Zelenska warns of ‘Ukraine fatigue’ & Russian indoctrination of Ukrainian children. Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska warns of fading global interest in her country's ongoing conflict with Russia, urgently calling for continued support.

Political developments

Rustem Umerov becomes Ukraine’s new defense minister. The former State Property Fund chief, Rustem Umerov, replaces Oleksii Reznikov as Ukraine's defense minister after the latter resigned following a string of army procurement scandals in the media. Ukraine security service detains four corrupt customs officials in three regions. Ukraine's security service says it has detained five high-profile regional officials suspected of corruption. Four of those are regional customs officers, the fifth is a local taxation official.

New developments

NYT: Report finds Russia’s use of cluster munitions in Ukraine drove global surge in their toll. In 2022, Russia's extensive use of cluster munitions in Ukraine caused the highest cluster munition-related casualties in over a decade, as reported by the Cluster Munition Coalition. Estonian PM: cyberspace is Ukraine war frontline. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas declares cyberspace a critical "frontline" in the Ukraine-Russia war, calling for global collaboration to counter cyber threats and affirming that democratic values, aided by technology, must be upheld. Iohannis on drone fragments: if Russian origin confirmed, it represents a grave violation of Romania’s territorial integrity. As Romania bolsters its airspace defense following recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and the discovery of drone debris on its territory, questions loom over the origin of these fragments.