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Russo-Ukraine War - 20 September 2022 - Day 209

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 the command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia. This is highly likely due to the recent change in the local security threat level in the face of increased Ukrainian long-range strike capability. In the last two months, the fleet headquarters and its main naval aviation airfield have been attacked. Guaranteeing the Black Sea Fleet’s Crimea basing was likely one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivations for annexing the peninsula in 2014. Base security has now been directly undermined by Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine.

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, organize defense and hold the captured territories, as well as disrupt the active actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in certain directions. It fires at the positions of Ukrainian troops along the contact line, takes measures to regroup its troops, and constantly conducts aerial reconnaissance.

During the current day, the russian occupiers launched 7 missile and 20 air strikes, carried out more than 15 MLRS shillings on military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine, violating the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of warfare. As a result of the actions of the Russian troops, the infrastructure of more than 20 settlements was damaged during the current day. Among them are Slovyansk, Siversk, Soledar, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Stepne, Nikopol and Ochakiv. In the settlement of Pechenihy, Russian forces tried to destroy the dam of the Pechenihy War Reservoir, but were unsuccessful.

The threat of air and missile strikes by the enemy on the entire territory of Ukraine remains. The situation has not changed on the Volyn and Polissya directions.

In other directions, the enemy fired from tanks, mortars, and artillery of various calibers:
in the Siversky direction - in the areas of settlements Mykhayilove and Huta Studenetska of Chernihiv oblast and Novovasylivka and Ryasne of Sumy oblast;
in the Slobozhanskyi direction - in the areas of Kozacha Lopan, Strelecha, Hlyboke, Derhachi, Fiholivka, Dvorichna, Shevchenkive, Kupyansk and Kamianka settlements;
in the Kramatorsk direction - Yarova, Pryshyb, Donetske, Serebryanka, Shchurove, Raihorodok, Ozerne, Kryva Luka, Mykolaivka, Siversk, Ivano-Daryivka, Rozdolivka, Oleksandrivka and Hryhorivka;
in the Bakhmut region – Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Spirne, Vesele, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Vesela Dolyna, Odradivka, Mykolaivka Druha, Zaitseve, Mayorsk and New York;
in the Avdiyivka direction – Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Novomykhailivka, Pervomaiske;
in the Zaporizhzhya oblast – Novosilka, Novopil, Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Vuhledar, Novomayorske, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipole, Malynivka, Chervone, Dorozhnianka, Mali Shcherbaki, Mala Tokmachka and Kamianske.

More than 25 settlements were shelled by the enemy in the South Buh direction. In particular, Vysokopillya, Myrolyubivka, Novohryhorivka, Bilohirka, Blahodativka, Shyroke, Zorya, Shevchenkove, Ternovi Pody, Pravdyne, Myrne and Oleksandrivka.

As a result of the successful actions of units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka directions, Russian forces continue to suffer significant losses. Medical facilities in the city of Horlivka are full of seriously wounded servicemen of the occupation forces. In addition, two large trucks with the bodies of dead persons from the 1st Army Corps of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were moved from the territory of the Kherson oblast to the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk oblast. The quantity is being specified.

Due to the unsuccessful implementation of covert mobilization measures, the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation made a decision to withdraw the units of the 217th Parachute Regiment from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and their further preparation for transfer to the territory of Ukraine.

Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Vesele, Kurdyumivka, Mykolayivka Druha, Zaitseve, Mayorsk, Pervomayiske, Maryinka, and Novomykhayilivka.

During the current day, in order to support the actions of ground groups, the aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit 12 areas of concentration of enemy manpower and military equipment and one position of an anti-aircraft missile system. In addition, Ukrainian air defense units destroyed one enemy UAV.

Missile troops and artillery during the current day inflicted fire damage on 30 enemy objects. In particular, in 17 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, 10 areas of concentration of artillery, as well as 3 warehouses of ammunition. The total losses of the Russian forces are being clarified.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the elimination of more than 120 militants, three tanks and 12 vehicles during the shelling of the 81st, 93rd, 66th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). More than 70 nationalists and over 15 pieces of equipment from the 114th and 35th brigades were also destroyed.

In addition, up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen and seven armored vehicles were destroyed during attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region. Meanwhile, in Nikolaev, the workshops of the armored plant, where military equipment was being repaired, were liquidated.

Over the past 24 hours, six enemy command posts, 49 artillery positions, five ammunition depots, 142 areas of accumulation of manpower and equipment were hit.

Air defense intercepted 12 drones, two HARM anti-radar missiles, 27 rockets.

Also, during this period, five artillery attacks on the thermal power substation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP occurred from the Ukrainian side. In total, the enemy fired 24 shells here, the technical building was damaged. Radiation background is normal.

LDNR

The Armed Forces of the Donetsk People's Republic reported that during the day the Armed Forces of Ukraine used more than 110 rounds of ammunition in the shelling of nine settlements. At the same time, two civilians were injured, 19 housing constructions and two civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged. One dwelling has been destroyed.

It is also separately reported that Russian volunteers have achieved new success on the outskirts of Bakhmut: an important stronghold located on the territory of the local substation has been occupied.