Unilever.edu.vn reports that on September 9th, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the successful destruction of a Ukrainian troop concentration point in the Kharkiv region. A short video released by the ministry showed buildings, alleged by Moscow to be used as Ukrainian hideouts, being leveled in a high-precision airstrike.
Russian forces had pinpointed a Ukrainian-controlled location on the outskirts of a settlement in northeastern Ukraine. A FAB glide bomb was subsequently deployed, striking the site. The video footage depicted the FAB bomb hitting a building nestled within a wooded area near the settlement. The resulting powerful explosion shook the vicinity, sending thick plumes of gray smoke billowing into the air. The buildings, purportedly used by the Ukrainian military, were obliterated, leaving behind only scattered debris in the aftermath of the airstrike. However, other structures within the settlement appeared to remain unscathed.
Ukrainian Losses Mount as Russia Advances
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, their forces suffered the loss of 80 soldiers and eight pieces of military equipment during the airstrike. This attack came after Russia’s May offensive on Kharkiv, which saw them seize control of numerous settlements in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that this offensive was a response to frequent shelling of Russian civilian infrastructure in border areas, necessitating the creation of a buffer zone.
Russian FAB glide bomb hitting a building
In August, Ukraine initiated an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the incursion aimed to prevent Russian forces from controlling Kharkiv and Sumy, another major Ukrainian city. However, Russian officials denied harboring any such plans. On September 9th, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine had lost up to 11,400 soldiers and approximately 1,000 pieces of military equipment in this month-long campaign. The offensive was swiftly countered by the Russian military, and fighting continues in the Kursk region.
The 116th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade released a video showcasing their missile attack on a crucial Russian bridge near the village of Kazachy in the Kursk region. Initial reports indicated significant damage to the bridge, although Ukraine did not disclose the type of weapon employed in the attack. Military observers suggested that Ukrainian forces likely launched missiles from either the HIMARS or M270 MLRS systems. Kazachy, situated on the banks of the Seim River, lies approximately 7 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Since Ukraine’s offensive on the Kursk region began in early August 2024, most residents of Kazachy have been evacuated to the center of the Kursk region. Ukrainian armed forces have subsequently attempted to destroy concrete bridges and pontoon bridges across the Seim River, aiming to sever Russian military communication and logistics lines in this strategically significant area. However, Russia asserts that Ukrainian advancements in the region have been halted.
Russian Offensive Intensifies, Ukrainian Frontline Crumbles
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that, as of September 7th, Ukraine had lost 84 tanks and over 10,700 soldiers in the fighting on the Kupyansk axis. The Military Summary channel noted the absence of information regarding subsequent offensive or counteroffensive actions on the Kupyansk axis, suggesting that Moscow’s forces are engaging in heavy bombardment of Ukrainian military positions, referred to as AFU, along the frontline in this direction.
Ukrainian offensive on the Kursk region
Geolocated videos indicated the substantial westward progress of Russian troops, with their vanguard units now situated only a few kilometers from the Oskil River in Kupyansk. Further imagery revealed Moscow’s forces gaining additional territory, capturing multiple high-rise buildings in Kupyansk’s city center. Fierce battles persist, with Russian forces maintaining their offensive momentum, particularly towards the south. Numerous sources suggest that Ukrainian forces have officially lost control of Krasny Lyman.
Fighting in Avdiivka has also intensified in recent days. Moscow’s forces have fully captured Opytne, and according to Ukrainian sources, they control numerous other positions south of Avdiivka along the industrial zone. This development effectively places the city under siege by two Russian flanks, significantly increasing the risk of its collapse. To the north of Avdiivka, geolocated videos confirm the advance of Moscow’s forces towards Severnoye, reaching Donetsk International Airport and capturing positions there.
The Rybar channel reported that Moscow’s forces are simultaneously advancing into multiple areas near Avdiivka, approaching Zolotaya Niva from Pervomaiske. However, their primary success in the past 24 hours has been the seizure of Opytne. This victory came as their assault units broke through from the highway connecting Avdiivka and Konstantinovka, as well as from the Yuzhno-Donbasskaya mine and the Mayorsk station, which have witnessed intense battles in recent days.
Moscow’s forces initiated their attack from Konstantinovka towards Karlovka, aiming to thwart AFU flank attacks and target the force grouping advancing towards the Mayorsk direction. Furthermore, Moscow’s forces are crossing the Kazenny Torets River in Marinka, advancing towards the north, and preparing for a breakthrough from Pervomaiske through Novomikhailovka to Bogoyavlenka.
Russia Deploys Advanced Weapons, Ukraine Develops Countermeasures
According to the Readovka channel, on the Kursk front, Moscow’s forces continue to repel relentless enemy offensives in several areas. In the Korenevsky district, a Russian Forpost reconnaissance strike UAV targeted a Ukrainian forward command post with a KAB-20 guided bomb, focusing on the Soby settlement. This marked the first recorded use of the Forpost in the Kursk region. In the Sudzhansky district, the AFU deployed UAVs to spray incendiary mixtures on forest plantations and Russian positions west of Ulanok. This data suggests that Moscow’s forces retain control of the Ulanok settlement, concentrated in one of the forest belts on the approach to Tetkino. At least 10 instances of the AFU employing this type of UAV along the entire front line have been documented to date.
Russian forces conducted missile strikes on the industrial zone of Pavlograd in the Dnipropetrovsk region and on Kramatorsk. Fighting persists in the areas of Ugledar and Krasnogorovka, as well as in the eastern outskirts of Soledar. In Donetsk, Moscow’s forces have gained complete control of Krasny Lyman, solidifying their positions in the city’s northwestern outskirts. In southern Donetsk, Russian troops have repelled enemy forces from the territory of Mayorsk and fully captured Vodyanoye, while clashes continue in the adjacent industrial zone of Avdiivka.
Russian forces repelling Ukrainian offensives
The Ukrainian General Staff reported on September 9th that 147 combat clashes were recorded, with the most intense firefights occurring in the Kurakhovka and Avdiivka directions. The report stated that Russian forces launched two missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, conducted 71 airstrikes, including dropping 91 KAB bombs, and employed 593 UAVs, while simultaneously facing 3,751 artillery attacks. The Ukrainian General Staff asserted that their defense forces successfully repelled most enemy assaults in Bakhmut, Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiivka, Maryinka, and Toretsk, allowing Russia to carry out only three attacks in the Orekhov direction and nine attempted breakthroughs in the Donetsk direction, all of which proved unsuccessful.
Russian media outlets reported that, on the morning of September 10th, UAV attacks were detected in seven Russian regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol, Voronezh, Tula, Kaluga, and Krasnodar. Bryansk region Governor Alexander Bogomaz announced on Telegram that Russian forces were repelling a large-scale attack attempt on the region’s territory. He revealed that within an hour, Russian air defense units destroyed 21 UAVs. Subsequently, Governor Bogomaz declared that a total of 59 UAVs had been shot down within the region’s airspace. Explosions were also heard in the Crimean peninsula.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported a UAV attack on Moscow, resulting in the closure of three airports. Sobyanin stated that, in the early hours of September 10th, 14 UAVs flying towards Moscow were neutralized in the Podolsk, Ramenskoye, Domodedovo, and Kolomna districts. Sobyanin added that, according to preliminary data, no casualties or damage were reported, and emergency services personnel were operating at the scene. Russian media sources reported the temporary closure of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo airports. Mayor Sobyanin later wrote that in the Domodedovo district, air defense systems had shot down two more UAVs approaching Moscow.
A series of explosions also occurred in Zhukovsky near Moscow, with witnesses reporting at least 10 loud blasts in the sky. Debris from one of the downed UAVs fell on a road, although no casualties were reported. Residents of the Ramenskoye district in the Moscow region also reported debris from a UAV striking a high-rise residential building, igniting a visible fire. No casualty information was available at the time, but floors 10 and 11 of the building were engulfed in flames. Reports later emerged indicating that debris from UAVs had hit two additional houses. Moreover, Zhukovsky airport near Moscow sustained damage, with Mayor Sobyanin stating that the fire at the airport would be extinguished.
Ukrainian Air Force Reports Multiple UAV Groups in Ukrainian Airspace
The Ukrainian Air Force announced on Telegram that, on the evening of September 9th, Russia launched multiple groups of attack UAVs towards Ukraine. At 10:21 PM, a group of enemy attack UAVs was reported in the Kharkiv region. Subsequently, from 10:37 PM to 11:40 PM, updates indicated the presence of UAVs in the Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions. At 12:27 AM on September 10th, the Ukrainian military reported another group of UAVs from the south, moving across the Kherson region towards the northwest. From 1:12 AM to 3:08 AM, UAVs were continuously detected in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Sumy, and Vinnytsia. At 3:48 AM, an updated report indicated up to 10 UAV groups in Ukrainian airspace, with most operating in the Poltava and Cherkasy regions. Around 6:00 AM (10:00 AM Vietnam time), Ukrainian air defense operations against Russian UAVs were ongoing in the Kyiv outskirts. Authorities issued a warning, urging citizens to remain calm and seek shelter until the all-clear was given, while the results and consequences of the attack were being assessed.
Russian Military Strengthens as Ukraine Faces Challenges
Ukrayinska Pravda, citing data from the federal budget, reported a more than sixfold increase in the number of contract signatories in the Russian army within a year. According to the data, while 26,700 individuals received a one-time payment upon signing contracts in the first half of 2023, 166,000 received payments during the same period in 2024. Earlier, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, announced that approximately 190,000 individuals had signed up for contract service by July. It is noteworthy that this surge in contract soldier numbers is linked to increased payments upon signing contracts, incentivizing Russians to participate in the special military operation. Authorities are progressively raising these payments, with the federal payment increasing from 195,000 rubles to 400,000 rubles (equivalent to $4,410) in August.
Bloomberg reported that the Hungarian energy company MOL has signed an agreement ensuring an uninterrupted supply of Russian oil through a pipeline traversing Ukraine. This news follows Ukraine’s effective ban on Lukoil, prohibiting the use of the company as a transit nation in response to Russia’s military campaign. Under the new agreement, MOL, which controls oil refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, will assume responsibility for oil supplies at the Belarus-Ukraine border from September 9th. Previously, Russia was responsible for delivering oil to the borders of Hungary and Slovakia with Ukraine.
Contract signatories in the Russian army
Gabor Szabo, MOL’s Executive Vice President of Downstream, stated that the agreement provides a sustainable solution for oil transport via the Druzhba pipeline, referring to the pipeline connecting Russia and Hungary through Ukraine. However, MOL did not specify which entity would handle the shipments. Hungary and Slovakia, being landlocked nations, received temporary exemptions from the European Union’s energy sanctions against Russia. Following Ukraine’s tightening of sanctions against Lukoil in July, Hungary and Slovakia have been receiving oil from producers like Tatneft.
Russia Claims Strategic Advantage in Kursk Region
The Avia.pro military news website reported that, based on the latest data from the front in Russia’s Kursk region as of September 9th, the situation indicates a shift in initiative towards the Russian military. Military analyst Yuri Podolyaka stated that the active operations of Russian armed forces are being observed in the Korenevsky district, where air force units may have pushed Ukrainian forces back 1 kilometer from the settlement along the highway leading to Sudzha.
According to Podolyaka, the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian armed forces was suppressed in its preparatory phase, with the Ukrainian assault group repelled with the assistance of UAV operator crews. This event proved pivotal in maintaining Russian positions in this sector of the front. In other areas, Moscow’s forces are also increasing their activity after successfully defending against recent attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on the Nay-Berdinka line. Russian troops are beginning to advance into the areas of Rtyshchevo and Chervono-Konstantinovka, as well as Marinovo. The Russian command is striving to streamline the front in a favorable direction, improving their position for subsequent operations.
Analysts suggest that the Russian military’s offensive efforts in these areas are gradually diminishing the Ukrainian armed forces’ capacity for effective counteroffensives. Russia’s active utilization of UAVs continues to play a crucial role in thwarting Ukrainian attacks and neutralizing Ukrainian equipment on the frontline.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on September 9th that Ukrainian casualties have reached approximately 11,400 since their offensive in Russia’s Kursk region commenced last month. They also reported destroying over 1,000 Ukrainian military equipment units, including 89 tanks, 42 infantry fighting vehicles, 74 armored personnel carriers, 635 armored fighting vehicles, 371 automobiles, 85 artillery pieces, and 24 multiple rocket launchers. In the past 24 hours alone, Ukraine has reportedly lost up to 240 soldiers and 13 pieces of equipment, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Russia’s Kursk Offensive a Strategic Success?
During the past day, Russian infantry, supported by artillery and air power, repelled three Ukrainian attacks near the settlements of Mikhailovka, Chervonaya, Konopka, and Deyatovo. Ukrainian forces attempted to advance towards the villages of Malaya Logy, Kireevka, Kremnoy, and Martinka but were repelled.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on September 5th that the sacred duty of the Russian Armed Forces is to make every effort to repel the enemy from Kursk, where Ukraine launched the largest foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War II. Putin asserted that Russian forces are pushing Ukrainian soldiers away from this front. According to Putin, by deploying a significant number of well-trained units to the Russian-Ukrainian border, Ukraine has weakened its own defenses, allowing Moscow to accelerate its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the offensive into the Kursk region was an attempt to bring the war to Russian territory, compelling Russia to negotiate peace and create a buffer zone to prevent attacks on the neighboring Sumy region. However, analysts suggest that Ukraine’s initial goals in the Kursk offensive have largely gone unmet and that the conflict has extended beyond the expected one-month timeframe.
Initially, Ukraine aimed to secure bargaining leverage by striking Russian territory, disrupting the battlefield stalemate, and bringing the fighting into Russia itself to alleviate pressure. However, currently, thousands of elite Ukrainian soldiers who were deployed to attack Russian territory have been removed from the combat cycle, rendering Zelensky’s initial objective unattainable.
Further compounding Ukraine’s challenges, the British newspaper Financial Times reported that the deployment of a large number of soldiers to attack Russian territory has resulted in a shortage of troops for the AFU in the Donetsk region. Seizing this opportunity, Russian forces intensified their offensive, tearing through the eastern part of the Ukrainian defense line. It seems that Zelensky’s preemptive tactical move, which initially aimed to shock the world with a direct strike on Kursk, has backfired, turning into a costly waste of resources, manpower, and weaponry, leaving them in a significantly more vulnerable position.
Analysts suggest that the Ukrainian forces currently positioned within Russian territory are facing a dilemma: they desire to retreat but find themselves unable to do so. They have little choice but to grit their teeth and continue confronting the formidable forces of Moscow. If Zelensky decides to relinquish the Russian territory they have occupied, it would mean directly acknowledging the failure of the operation, raising questions about who bears responsibility for the heavy price paid by the Ukrainian military.
The AFU is unable to achieve further substantial results as Russia has responded and reorganized its defense lines. In essence, Ukraine has once again placed itself in a precarious situation, exacerbating their already challenging circumstances.
Overall, the situation in the Kursk region remains fluid, with both sides claiming victories and strategic advantages. However, the long-term implications of the Ukrainian incursion remain uncertain, raising questions about the sustainability of their efforts and the potential for a decisive shift in the conflict’s trajectory.
