Exclusives
 |
G20 opts for obfuscation on Ukraine, a symptom of Western fatigue. Ukraine suffered a major diplomatic defeat as Western weakness allowed the G20 to adopt a declaration failing to assign clear blame for Russia’s devastating war |
Military
General Staff: Ukrainian forces make gains near Donetsk’s Klishchiivka, Zaporizhzhia’s Robotyne. On 12 September, Ukrainian forces made “partial gains” near Klishchiivka, Donetsk Oblast, and Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.
Frontline report: Russian defenses collapse near Opytne next to Donetsk Airport. As Russian defenses falter at Opytne next to Donetsk Airport, Ukrainians gain ground in three axes, seizing opportunities from Russian missteps.
ISW: Ukrainians continue counteroffensive, advance in east, south. Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts on 11 September and have reportedly advanced near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the US-based Institute for the Study of War says .
Ukrainian forces destroy six Russian boats in Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian forces have destroyed six Russian combat boats in Kherson Oblast, preventing Russian troops from gaining a foothold in previously lost positions.
Intelligence and Technology
CNN: Russian forces destroyed hundreds of units of decoy Ukrainian equipment. Russian troops have destroyed several hundred decoys of American and European military equipment produced by Ukraine’s Metinvest group
Reuters: US likely to approve transfer of long-range missiles with cluster munitions to Ukraine. Ukraine has repeatedly asked the US to supply ATACMS. Apparently, the US government is finally close to approving this decision.
Reuters: Ukraine’s Antonov turns to drones in response to Russian invasion. Antonov, Ukraine’s aircraft firm, is branching into drones following Russia’s invasion, aiming to both diversify from cargo planes and position Ukraine as a top drone tech hub, Reuters says.
British intel: Russia outfits towers near Moscow with anti-air systems against drones. Russia places S1 Pantsir anti-air systems on towers and elevated ramps near Moscow to fend off drone attacks and showcase public safety, according to British intelligence.
International
Denmark to provide Ukraine with military aid worth over USD 800 million. The Danish Defense Ministry has announced the transfer of the 12th and largest military aid package to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Media: Sweden to consider sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. As the Swedish Government explores the feasibility of aiding Ukraine with its fighter jets, Ukraine anticipates receiving 16-18 Gripen aircraft, according to Swedish media reports.
Humanitarian and Social Impact
Ukraine returns 13 children from Russian-occupied territories. 13 more Ukrainian children have returned to their families from the Russian-occupied territories
Russian shelling kills two, injures three in Donetsk Oblast. Two civilians were killed, and three were wounded in the Russian shelling of Donetsk Oblast.
Political Developments
Zelenskyy vetoes law leaving asset e-declarations closed for a year, says they must be public now. Zelenskyy vetoes a recently adopted bill to maintain transparency in electronic asset declarations, saying that e-declarations should be public now, not in a year as the bill suggested.
New UK ambassador begins work in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has announced the appointment of a new UK ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris.
New Developments
The Times: UK reduces training of Ukrainian troops due to noise complaints. The British army has cut the number of military training for Ukrainian soldiers at the Lydd military camp by a third in response to residents’ complaints about noise.
Polish PM: Poland to extend Ukrainian grain ban “regardless” of EU decision. Poland will unilaterally block the import of Ukrainian grain if the EU Commission does not extend the current ban, which expires later this week, said Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki on 12 September.
Bloomberg: US Senator demands probes of Elon Musk for blocking Ukrainian attack on Russian Navy. US Senator Elizabeth Warren seeks an investigation into SpaceX’s actions, as Elon Musk admits to blocking Ukraine’s Starlink satellite access, which thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Read the daily review for Tue Sep 12 2023 here
Photo of the day
📷UNIAN
Fundraising
Euromaidan Press is supporting soldiers from the 125th brigade at the Luhansk frontline. They urgently need a pickup truck to transfer soldiers and supplies swiftly. Your donations are the fastest way for them to receive it. Donate and see our other fundraisers here. See their video address here.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1701608518879707513
In the other news
Timothy Snyder: Why the West Hasn’t Recognized Russian Aggression as Genocide against Ukrainians, European Pravda reports.
Timothy Snyder insists Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine. However, proving this crime is a key international challenge for Ukraine, says editor of European Pravda, Sergiy Sydorenko, who discussed this with Snyder in Kyiv.
Snyder says Ukraine is in a unique situation – the Russian authorities openly talk about genocide. Russian state TV, Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin regularly say genocidal things.
Furthermore, Snyder says Russia has done all five actions that can lead to genocide qualification, from killing individuals to deporting children. He believes the West avoids recognizing this because it would demand action from them.
Snyder explains the war is based on the principle that Ukrainians don’t exist. He reminds that Russians spoke of a colonial mission, killing the elite, putting people in camps. This is already genocidal, but escalated.
Snyder notes the Russian blockade exhibits genocide signs. Destroying Mariupol port, attacking Odesa, mining Ukrainian fields, flooding south of Nova Kakhovka – this causes hunger.
Putin becomes the master of who gets food, a bit like Stalin. But Snyder emphasizes collective responsibility – genocide involves so many Russians now that it’s hard to claim non-involvement. He is confident the time will come for Russians to be held accountable when they lose and acknowledge it.
Almost 80% of Ukrainians consider Zelenskyy responsible for corruption in government and military administrations, Ukrainska Pravda reports, citing Research based on the results of a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Charitable Foundation jointly with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in July 2023.
“Most Ukrainians believe that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is directly responsible for corruption in the government and military administrations.
Sociologists state that as of the beginning of July 2023, 78% of respondents believed that the president of Ukraine bears direct responsibility for corruption in the government and military administrations. Only 18% of respondents disagreed with this statement.
It is noted that older Ukrainians are more demanding of the head of state than young people. Among the respondents aged 18-29, 70% agree with the thesis that the head of state is responsible for corruption. This number is bigger among people aged 60+ – 81%. There are no other significant differences by personal financial situation or region of residence.”
Outcome of Russia’s war against Ukraine will be decisive for whole world, Ukrinform reports, citing the YES website quoting Francis Fukuyama, Stanford University Senior Fellow.
The results of Russia’s war on Ukraine will be decisive not just for the region, but the whole world, says Francis Fukuyama.
If Russia wins, Georgia, Moldova and Kazakhstan will be immediately affected as Russia encroaches their territories. Fukuyama hopes they can develop as independent democracies.
The war’s outcome will also affect Southeast Asia. Until now, few would accept China using force against Taiwan, but that could change, he adds.
In the US, right-wing forces gravitate toward authoritarianism, preferring a leader like Putin.
According to Comfort Ero of the International Crisis Group, the war’s outcome will also be key for Africa. How it ends will mean a lot not just for Europe, but the world, because when Europe sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold.
Atlantic: What were the Russians doing in Chornobyl?
When Russian forces marched into the Chornobyl nuclear disaster site in February 2022, they stepped into a landscape still radioactive from the 1986 meltdown. The Ukrainian staff tried warning them, but to no avail.
The occupiers dug trenches in the contaminated Red Forest. They looted radioactive “souvenirs” to take home. Some even got radiation sickness. All because their commanders arrogantly assumed Chornobyl was like any other power plant.
It wasn’t. The unique dangers of this place revealed how little Russia grasped Ukraine itself. Chornobyl had become a node of resistance, its workers passing intel to Ukrainian forces.
By late March, the invaders retreated, having failed to understand that this wasn’t merely a nuclear plant but a complex community intertwined with Ukraine’s colonial past. In imperial hubris, Russia thought Chornobyl would be an easy stopover. Instead, it became a strategic nightmare foreshadowing their broader defeat.
Read the daily review for Tue Sep 11 2023 here
- “
