Current War Situation in Ukraine
The counteroffensive movements have started since the beginning of September. More than 6,000 sq km of Ukrainian territory have been freed since September 1. 20.9% of the area was under the russian control (as of June 17) – 126,645 sq km.
This counteroffensive was cleverly planned. At first, the president of Ukraine announced and gave an order to start preparing for the counterattack operation in the south (in Kherson oblast), This information was official. It was in the media. Russians brought more forces to Kherson oblast (they regrouped the troops from the northeast to the south). Instead, the Ukrainian Armed Forces started the counteroffensive operation from the northeast part of the country (Kharkiv blast). The capital of Kharkiv oblast – Kharkiv city- was free, but it has been under constant shellings all the time.
During the counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops liberated almost the entire Kharkiv region. The occupiers retreated across the Oskol River towards Luhansk Oblast. The Armed Forces of Ukraine took control of the village of Udy, as well as the cities of Vovchansk and Izyum (all in Kharkiv Oblast). Meanwhile, fighting continues in other parts of the front.
The shelling of civil objects still continues. The settlements not far from the battle line are under constant shelling all the time (Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhya, Donetsk). On September 11, russian troops shelled the Zmiivska TPP (Kharkiv oblast) and three high-voltage substations. As a result, 40 substations of various voltages were cut off. 4 energy workers died, and 3 were injured. On September 12, due to shelling in Kharkiv, at least one person was killed and two were injured.
A lot of supply to russian troops is coming towards occupied Kherson and partially occupied Zaporizhay oblasts from Crimea. Unfortunately, Ukraine still cannot attack the bridge, which is connecting the Crimean peninsula to russian territory. However, our army can reach their warehouses and bases. With the equipment that Ukraine received, we are able to run a modern style of war. Instead of going into the attack and getting mass killings, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are destroying the supply chains of weapons, ammunitions, equipment, and fuel to russian forces.
In August, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 200 military facilities of the occupiers.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated 53 000 russian occupiers during the six months of the war. As of August 22, about 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers died (Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine Army Commander).
Since the beginning of the war 69,888 ha was inspected. 192 997 explosive objects were detected, removed and neutralized (2 107 aviation bombs).
Kherson oblast - why important?
The population of Kherson oblast is 1 million people. It is the most agricultural area, because with the total area of 28 th. sq. km, it has 2 mln. ha of farmland. A huge network of irrigation channels has been built here. 21% of Kherson’s farmland is irrigated. Thus, people can grow soybeans, sunflowers, and canola there. Due to the warm climate, this is the only area in Ukraine, that can grow rice and cotton. Kherson is famous for its open-air vegetables (tomato, bell pepper, onions, cabbage, eggplant, and melon crops). They supplied those crops throughout the whole of Ukraine. The Dnieper river was used for the transportation of watermelons from Kherson to Kyiv. Unfortunately, this year the occupiers did not allow farmers to transfer their products to Ukrainian territories. They were forced to throw away the products, or sell them for nothing.
Kherson also is a logistical center, because it has its own port. The main countries that get products exported from Port of Kherson are Turkey – 17,9%, Netherlands – 6,0%, Belarus – 6,0%, Poland – 5,9%.
Kherson is a very important territory from the point of view of connecting with the Crimean peninsula. That is why russians wanted first to capture this oblast in order to deliver all the necessary equipment from the peninsula to the continent.
Now, Ukraine is focusing on regaining this oblast. Ukrainian army destroys military positions of russians on the right bank of Kherson. The main aim according to the official sources from the Ukrainian army is to destroy step by step russian army’s logistics and ammunition in the region. It looks like the Ukrainian army uses a wise planned tactic aimed at weakening russians (that stuck in Kherson due to destroyed bridges) before attacking orcs in full force.
