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Russo-Ukraine War - 21 September 2022 - Day 210

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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]

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The UK Ministry of Defence reported that, on 20 September 2022, officials from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions announced they will conduct referendums on accession to the Russian Federation. These referendums follow the Russian Duma’s formal recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics on 21 February 2022. This urgency is likely driven by fears of imminent Ukrainian attack and an expectation of greater security after formally becoming part of Russia.

Russian forces in Ukraine continue to experience personnel shortages. The Russia Duma voted on 20 September 2022 to amend a law which extends punishments for defaulting troops. This is likely intended to limit the number of desertions and refusals and thereby to mitigate some of the immediate pressures.

The Russian civilian and military leadership has faced significant pressure over the last two weeks. These new measures have highly likely been brought forwards due to public criticism and mark a further development in Russia’s strategy. Putin is accepting greater political risk by undermining the fiction that Russia is neither in a war nor a national crisis in the hope of generating more combat power.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia continues to focus its efforts on attempts to fully occupy Donetsk region, organize defense and maintain the captured territories, and also tries to disrupt the active actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in certain directions. It fires at the positions of our troops along the contact line, regroups his troops, and constantly conducts aerial reconnaissance. Over the course of a day, Russian forces launched 5 missile and 11 air strikes, carried out 17 shellings from MLRS on military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine, violating the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the laws and customs of warfare.

As a result of the attacks of the Russian troops, the infrastructure of more than 30 settlements was damaged. Among them are Kharkiv, Sloviyansk, Pechenihy, Pokrovsk, Poltavka, Bilohorivka, Nevelske, Maryinka, Myrolyubivka and Vysokopilya. There is still a threat of enemy air and missile strikes on the entire territory of Ukraine.

The situation has not changed on the Volyn and Polissya directions. In other directions, the enemy fired from tanks, mortars, and artillery:
in the Siversky direction - in the areas of Zaliznyi Mist and Huta-Studenetska settlements of Chernihiv oblast and Manukhivka, Bachivsk, Boyaro-Lezhachi, Volfine, Golyshivske and Turya of Sumy oblast;
in the Slobozhansky direction - in the areas of Hrushivka, Kupyansk, Veterynarne, Hoptivka and Hlyboke settlements;
in the Kramatorsk direction - Yarova, Studenok, Tetyanivka, Bohorodychne, Raihorodok, Zakitne and Ozerne;
in the Bakhmut direction – Soledar, Bakhmutske, Rozdolivka, Klishchivka, Krasnopolivka, Zvanivka, Yuryivka and New York;
in the Avdiivka region - Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Opytne, Maryinka, Vodyane and Pervomaiske;
in the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhya areas, about 25 settlements were shelled by tanks, mortars and barrel artillery. In particular, Vuhledar, Zolota Nyva, Hulyaipole, Rivnopillyia and Zelene Pole.

More than 35 settlements along the contact line were damaged by fire in the South Buh direction. In order to conduct reconnaissance and adjust fire, Russian forces made more than 60 UAV sorties. At least six unmanned aerial vehicles were used to strike civilian infrastructure.

The military-political leadership of the Russian Federation announced a partial mobilization to replenish the personnel losses of units of the occupying forces in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. At the same time, the activities of the so-called "internal self-mobilization" continue. The selection of candidates for service in the Russian guard is carried out in the troops of the Cozak society "all-round army of the Don". The Kuban Cozak army is obliged to form additional units of volunteers and conduct their training on the basis of district cozak societies of the Krasnodar region. In the city of Chita and the region, recruitment of candidates is carried out under the guise of sending them to construction work in Ukraine.

During the day, Ukrainian units repelled enemy attacks in the areas of Kupyansk, Vesele, Zaitseve, Kurdyumivka and Bakhmutske settlements.

To support the actions of the ground groups, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Defense Forces made 32 strikes against enemy positions. It was confirmed that 17 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Russian forces, 4 strongholds, 10 positions of anti-aircraft missile systems and one warehouse with ammunition were damaged. In addition, air defense units destroyed one cruise missile and 3 Russian UAVs.

Missile troops and artillery inflicted fire damage on 22 Russian facilities - in particular, 7 control points of various levels and 13 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment. Ammunition depots, air defense facilities and pontoon crossings of the Russian occupiers fell into the affected area. Total enemy losses are currently being refined.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, more than 200 Ukrainian militants and 21 units of military equipment were destroyed in the Kherson region as a result of fire damage to the positions of the 28th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, because of the order to go on the offensive through the minefield, one company was almost completely destroyed.

Near Pavlovka, during an unsuccessful offensive attempt, more than 60 Ukrainian servicemen and 12 pieces of equipment from the 1st brigade of the President of Ukraine were put out of action. Meanwhile, over 75 militants and nine pieces of equipment from the 93rd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in Bakhmut.

Over the past 24 hours, eight enemy command posts, 12 artillery depots, 68 artillery positions and 147 areas of concentration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been hit.

Air defense systems shot down 11 drones and 28 rockets over the liberated areas, as well as three American HARM anti-radar missiles.

Also late in the evening it became known that the RF Armed Forces had attacked cargo trains in Kharkov and the dam of the Pechenezh reservoir, where the upper lock was disabled.

APU continues shelling of the ZNPP territory. Today, one of the pipes of the process water system of the First Safety System of the fifth power unit was damaged. The power line was also damaged.

LDNR

According to the army of the Donetsk People's Republic, today the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired more than 250 shells at ten settlements of the DPR. As a result, four civilians were injured, 20 houses and four civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.

The People's Militia also repulsed the enemy's attack on Peski. The Ukrainian company, supported by two tanks and three infantry fighting vehicles, suffered losses and retreated to their original positions.

In the Lugansk People's Republic, meanwhile, they talked about the death of one civilian as a result of an artillery strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Novoaidar.