
And while CNN states that ‘time is running out’ for the Ukrainian ‘counter-offensive’, ‘time is running out'”. In Russia, the polls have opened in 4.5 thousand polling stations in 85 regions of the Federation. The elections will close on 10 September, with the Unified Voting Day. Governors who are directly elected in 21 regions will be chosen.
Moscow will elect a mayor. Five candidates will compete for this post: Sergei Sobyanin, Boris Chernyshov, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Zyuganov and Dmitry Gusev. In the Moscow region, a governor is chosen, four candidates: Andrey Vorobyov, Kirill Zhigarev, Alexander Naumov and Anatoly Nikitin.
In five regions, the chief executive will be elected not directly, but through a vote in parliament. This is the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and all new regions for which this is the first unified voting day. In four uninominal constituencies – Karačaj-Cherkessia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Lipetsk Region and Crimea – further elections of State Duma deputies will be held. In 25 regions it is possible to vote online. On the evening of 6 September, 1.2 million citizens decided to use this method.
The US State Department threatened those who support the elections in the new regions of the Russian Federation and Crimea with sanctions, including as international observers. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Kiev does not recognise the elections in the new regions of the Russian Federation and Crimea.
Observers, however, came anyway: ‘International experts visited the Kherson region in person during the one-day vote and personally confirmed the absence of violations. Among them Dario Abdul Kamal from Africa visited a polling station in Skadovsk. He was able to see for himself that the elections were held in accordance with all the rules and was pleasantly impressed by the high level of organisation’. One reads online posts showing a video of the interview with the African observer. Experts from Mozambique, India, the Netherlands and Brazil also arrived in Kherson.
Irish MEP Claire Daly said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that: “Half a million people have died in Ukraine in one year”. According to her, the Ukrainian state ‘is losing territory’ and mobilising the disabled into the army. However, Daly did not dare reveal the source of this information.
The US ambassador in Kiev, Bridget Brink, stated that the US will transfer 190 MRAP armoured vehicles to Ukraine and the Pentagon announced a new military assistance package to Ukraine worth USD 600 million.
The controversy in Cuba over Cuban mercenaries arriving in Ukraine has not abated. Currently, 17 people linked to a network recruiting citizens of the republic to participate in hostilities in Ukraine have been arrested, source Reuters. Earlier, the Cuban Foreign Ministry spoke of the identification of this network. It allegedly operated both on the island and on Russian territory. The Cuban authorities also added that they are against mercenaries for war on both sides, and that the Caribbean state is not involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
In Kiev, the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau formally charged Igor Kolomoisky with embezzling 9.2 billion hryvnias (24 billion roubles) from Privatbank. He is also accused of organising a criminal group of five people. Zelensky’s main sponsor remains in prison. Austria will not extradite the men of military age to Kiev. Source Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
And now a look at the contact line.
Orikhiv section updated at 18:00 on 7 September. On the Robotyne-Verbove line the Ukrainian infantry assault on the Russian positions continues. After the withdrawal of the Russian armed forces from Robotyne, the village is in the grey zone: the Ukrainian armed forces do not even attempt to enter it, the village is razed to the ground. At 09:00 on 8 September, updates reported that there were explosions in the Zaporozhzhie region during the night. Local residents report a series of explosions in the Ukrainian part of Zaporozhzie. The Russian army had previously hit military facilities, according to Ukrainian monitoring media, a column of smoke is rising over the city. There are also reports of lighting problems in parts of the city. It is not yet known which infrastructure was hit. After a long pause, the Ukrainian armed forces launched an attack against Russian positions in the Kamensky area. Russian soldiers repelled the Ukrainian assault near Robotyne at which point, according to unverifiable social sources, ‘the Ukrainian armed forces ran out of steam, stopped attacking in this area and left the village, which was completely destroyed and is now in the grey zone’.
But with Verbove, the situation is slightly different: the Ukrainian command is relentlessly sending assault troops to consolidate at strong points under artillery fire, including friendly fire. In the last 24 hours, paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Brigade, after clearing the area, attacked from the area of Chubenkov Balka and even managed to gain a foothold in a position, where they immediately started to equip a new one. According to military analysts from the social sphere: ‘The situation has not substantially changed: the Ukrainian Armed Forces are sending infantry groups to the slaughter, trying to advance from a couple of tens to hundreds of metres to somehow justify this tactic. Evacuation teams are working relentlessly, removing the wounded and dead from the battlefield’.
According to the Russian military at the front, Ukrainian losses reached significant proportions and the 82nd ‘elite’ airborne brigade was significantly reduced. Apparently, for this reason, the forces of the 71st Jaeger Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which have already appeared in the vicinity of Orekhov, will soon begin to participate in the battles.
Vremevsky section situation at 19.00 hours on 7 September. The fighting continues in the Vremevsky sector. Over the past 24 hours, marines of the 37th Ukrainian Marine Brigade have attempted several times to attack the Novo donets’ke -Novomaiors’ke line. According to a V.V DV social account, the Ukrainians managed to break through the defences, but later the fighters of the 40th Infantry Brigade of the Russian Army recaptured the position. Similarly, three assault detachments of the 37th Infantry Regiment, under the cover of massive artillery cluster munitions fire, attacked the landings to the north-west and west of Novodonets’ke, where the Ukrainians immediately attempted to set up strong points, which were destroyed by the Russians. Ukrainian artillerymen are currently shelling the front line heavily and detachments of the 35th Infantry Regiment have been moved to Zolota Nyva, indicating preparation for a new offensive wave.
To the west, units of the 37th Marine Brigade again stormed Russian army positions near the forest belts near Urozhaine but to no avail. In the direction of Priyutny the situation has not changed much: the Ukrainian armed forces have occupied the lines along the landing, but are not attacking, awaiting results on the eastern flank. Russian artillery is firing on Ukrainian infantry following several attacks by Russian forces in the 1st Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four wounded, two others escaped.
Battle for Marinka 21:00 on seven September. There have been successful Russian attacks and premature declarations of the imminent liberation of the city, but the front line has remained virtually unchanged since spring. But in recent weeks, soldiers of the 150th Division of the Russian Armed Forces have managed to advance deeper into the low-lying buildings of Marinka.
Judging from footage circulating on the net, including that of Tankers of the Southern Military District, the Russian troops advanced along Poligraficheskaya, Kashtanovaya, and Shakhterskaya roads, as well as Ivan Franko near the Osikova River, which penetrates much deeper into the Ukrainian defences: little more than 300 metres remain on the periphery. Slowly but surely, the OBMS group and attack aircraft of the 5th Brigade of the 1st AK of the Russian Armed Forces managed to advance in the direction of Krasnogorovka north of Maryinka. Some Ukrainian fortresses were taken by the Russians after nine years of Ukrainian presence.
Via social media during the morning of 8 September, the Russian military accounts stated: ‘Observing the activity of NATO intelligence in the Black Sea area, it is understood that in the next day or two (and perhaps tonight) Ukrainian formations will again try to carry out some kind of attack/sabotage/public incursion’. In the air detected: ‘Te R-8A aircraft, one AWACS E-3A and two and reconnaissance U-2S and CL-650, as well as several MQ-9A Reaper drones, one of which flew 250 km to Sochi, in the south-eastern part of the Black Sea’. New attack planned on Tarkhankut .
Britain has made it known that it intends to monitor Russia’s actions in the Black Sea, for which it is sending aircraft, but has not reported a word on the attacks in Ukraine. The UK will use its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, according to a statement posted on the British government’s website. Royal Air Force aircraft will fly to the region. Sunak also notes that London will allocate GBP 3 million in funding to the World Food Programme to continue the initiative to export grain from Ukrainian ports.
Direction Svatove- Kreminna 09:00 on 8 September . In the Kupyansky sector the Russians continue to expand the zone of control at Sinkovka and Petropavlovka. On the Karamzinovsky ledge, Russian soldiers attacked in Novoegorovka. In the Serebryansky Forest, Russian troops returned some positions in the Shipilovka area.
Direction Bachmut (Artemovsk) 09:00 on 8 September. North of Bachmut (Artemovsk), the Russians attacked in the Zaliznyansky area. At the same time, they successfully counter-attacked in Kleshcheevka and Kurdyumovka.
Numerous Russian night attacks on Ukraine: Russian UAVs operated at the facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Odessa region: local channels report arrivals and fires. The Russian army continues to target infrastructure in the Odessa region. Several arrivals and a fire were reported. Russian missiles are hitting Ukrainian infrastructure in the city of Chernomorsk. Explosions in the Ukrainian city of Sumy. The Russian army continues to work on the facilities of the Ukrainian armed forces. The air alert in the region was only declared after the attack. An explosion was heard in Krivoy Rog: a column of smoke rises into the sky.
Graziella Giangiulio