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Russo-Ukraine War - 13 September 2022 - Day 202

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that elements of the Russian forces withdrawn from Kharkiv Oblast over the last week were from the 1st Guards Tank Army (1 GTA), which are subordinate to the Western Military District (WEMD). 1 GTA suffered heavy casualties in the initial phase of the invasion and had not been fully reconstituted prior to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv. 1 GTA had been one of the most prestigious of Russia's armies, allocated for the defence of Moscow, and intended to lead counter-attacks in the case of a war with NATO. With 1 GTA and other WEMD formations severely degraded, Russia's conventional force designed to counter NATO is severely weakened. It will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia continues to focus its efforts on attempts to fully occupy the Donetsk oblast, hold the temporarily captured territories and disrupt the active actions of our troops in certain areas. Russian occupiers continue shelling Ukrainian positions along the contact line, try to take measures to regroup their troops in separate directions, conduct aerial reconnaissance. There remains a threat of enemy air and missile strikes throughout the territory of Ukraine.

Russian forces continue to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure objects, violating the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the laws and customs of war. Infrastructure in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Mykolaivka, Verkhnyokamyanske, Vesela Dolyna, Zaitseve, Yuryivka, New York, Pervomaiske, Kamianka, Vremivka, Stepove, Mali Shcherbaky was damaged by russian air strikes and missile strikes, fire from enemy anti-aircraft missiles , Suhyi Stavok, Kostromka, Bila Krynytsia and Myrne.

During the day, Russian forces carried out 2 missile strikes, 8 air strikes and conducted 13 strikes from rocket artillery systems on objects on the territory of Ukraine. The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. As part of the command and staff exercise at the "Brestsky" training ground, the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus rehearsed the action with live fire to repulse the attack of a conditional enemy, with its subsequent displacement outside the country.

In other directions, Russian forces fired at our infrastructure from tanks, mortars and artillery, namely:

in the Severskyi direction - in the areas of Myhalchyna Sloboda, Hai, Chernihiv oblast, and Kharkivka, Tovstodubove, Hudove, Atynske, and Stukalivka, Sumy oblast;
in the Kharkiv direction – Kozacha Lopan, Baranivka, Kupyansk;
in the Kramatorsk direction - Yaremivka, Mayaki, Pryshyb, Bilohorivka, Sloviyansk, Kramatorsk, Stary Karavan, Starodubivka, Spirne, Verkhnyokamianske, Rozdolivka, Hryhorivka and Zakitne;
in the Bakhmut direction – Sukha Balka, Mykolaivka Druha, Zaitseve, Soledar, Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Vesela Dolyna, Yakovlivka and Vyiyimka;
in the Avdiyivka direction - Avdiyivka, Orlivka, Lastochkine, Krasnohorivka, Opytne, Vodyane, Pervomaiske, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka;
in the Novopavlivsk direction – Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Novoukrainka and Vremivka;
in the Zaporizhzhya region – Kamiyanske, Mala Tokmachka, Shcherbaki, Mali Shcherbaki, Charivne, Nesteryanka, Orihiv, Bilohirya, Hulyaipilske, Zaliznychne, Temyrivka and Novopil.

More than 25 settlements were hit by artillery fire in the South Buh region. In addition, Russian forces intensively carried out aerial reconnaissance by UAVs, making about 70 sorties.

Russian occupation troops continue looting. Thus, on the section of the Starobilsk - Luhansk highway, in the direction of Luhansk, about three hundred civilian cars, mostly with state license plates of the Kharkiv oblast were spotted. Most of the vehicles with trailers loaded with looted property are driven by Russian military personnel. A similar trend is observed in settlements of temporarily occupied territories in the south of Ukraine. In the city of Pology, Zaporizhzhya oblast, Russian occupiers break down the gates of private garages and take private cars from local residents. In Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, Russian forces began to massively remove furniture and household appliances from temporarily abandoned settlements.

Russian military leadership is taking measures to replenish the occupying army with junior officers. According to available information, the early graduation of the cadets of the 5th year of the "Black Sea Higher Naval School named after Nakhimov" was announced in December of this year. Also, early graduations will take place in other educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The shortage of tactical-level commanders is due to the refusal of reserve officers to sign contracts amid recent events. The level of morale and psychological state of Russian personnel continues to decrease. Among Russian forces, the the practice of self-mutilation is becoming more and more widespread in order to get treatment at a medical institution and to avoid participating in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. A significant part of servicemen do not return to military units after the end of their vacations.

Ukrainian defense forces successfully repelled enemy attacks in the areas of Zaytseve, Odradivka, Bakhmut, Bakhmutske, Vesela Dolyna, Avdiivka, Bezimenne and Novohrihorivka settlements.

During the day, in order to support the actions of the ground groups, the aviation of Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out two strikes on the positions and places of concentration of the Russian manpower and equipment.
Units of the Ukrainian Missile Forces and artillery inflicted damage on command and control points, areas of concentration of manpower and combat equipment of the enemy. It was also confirmed that on September 11 of this year, the Russian ammunition depots in the Kherson area were destroyed.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that as a result of air strikes on the positions of Ukrainian troops, up to 800 militants were killed and wounded. In particular, we are talking about the 35th, 57th, 128th and 14th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU), whose units are located near Bereznegovaty, Murakhivka, Balabino and in Kharkov.

In Uspenovka, Gulyaipole, Shirokoye, Kiselevka and Novogrigorovka, enemy command posts were hit, and ammunition depots were hit in Pavlovka, Temirovka, Veliky Artakovo and Olenovka. At the same time, strikes were inflicted on 47 artillery positions and 152 areas where enemy troops were concentrated.

In the Ochakov area, fighter aircraft shot down a Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force, and air defense systems intercepted six enemy drones and seven rockets.

LDNR

The armed forces of the Donetsk People's Republic announced the death of one defender of the DPR and the injury of four. At the same time, the enemy fired more than 140 shells at ten settlements, as a result of which a civilian was injured. One house building was destroyed, two more were damaged, as well as four civil infrastructure facilities.

The offensive continues west of Peski, the 11th regiment of the DPR provides artillery support to the attacking allied forces and conducts counter-battery combat.