The talks between Putin and Erdogan in a large format ended in Sochi, they lasted an hour and a half with nothing done. Putin said, “The momentum of developing relations between Russia and Turkey is being maintained, Russia was one of the first to lend a shoulder to the Turkish people after the devastating earthquakes. Putin expects negotiations on establishing a gas hub in Turkey to be completed in the near future. We will not ignore issues related to the Ukrainian crisis.” Putin said he was open to reopening the corn corridor. Erdogan replied to Putin: “The eyes of the whole world are focused on the wheat deal”. He thanked Putin for helping put out Turkish fires with two Be-200 amphibious planes. And he added: “I am sure that Turkey and Russia can reach an agreement on the construction of a second nuclear power plant in the republic.”
Romania has denied Ukrainian attacks that Russian drones fell on Romanian territory during the attack on the port of Reni. The Romanian Defense Ministry confirmed that all drones exploded exclusively on Ukrainian territory and none of them flew on Romanian territory. This statement puts an end to reports that Russia had attacked Romania.
Meanwhile, it is learned that Poland has begun extraditing Ukrainians of military age who have left Ukraine illegally, according to Rzeczpospolita. According to the Polish source all previously issued medical certificates need to be re-checked. In the near future, other states of the European Union will do the same. According to the Main Directorate of the Border Guard Service of Poland, from February 24 last year to August 31, 2023, about 2.87 million citizens of Ukraine entered the country, of which 80 thousand were men of military age. “This is an important fact for Ukraine, because these people could be mobilized and increase the ranks of our armed forces, thus strengthening our defense and security,” said Fyodor Venislavsky, representative of the President of Ukraine to the Court constitutional.
In Ukraine, the legislator has also predicted that the military tax for individuals will triple starting next year: from 1.5% of salary to 4.5%. The corresponding bill was proposed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance. The measure is understandable in light of the statement by Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov, now ex Minister: “One day of armed conflict costs Ukraine 100 million dollars”. According to some sources, the Minister has requested his resignation online, a post shows a letter from him.
On the night of September 3, the Russian armed forces again struck the Odessa region. The drones hit several targets. In addition, 4 manned Ukrainian speedboats were sunk west of Cape Tarkhankut in the Black Sea. After the observation of the area between Tarkhankut and Zmeiny Island intensified, losses in the ranks of the Ukrainian army are recorded le boats racing around the platforms of Chernomorneftegaz and used for demonstration activities off the coast of Crimea increase significantly.
A second social source describes in detail what happened on the night of September 3 around the morning of 4 in Tarkhankut in Crimea: “Units of the Ukrainian GUR and SOF again attempted to land at Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea. Only unlike the previous attacks, the DRG slightly changed the course – five manned boats left the Zatoka region and not Vilkovo.
Ukrainian reconnaissance groups by midnight passed the Golitsyn gas plant and moved towards the peninsula. At that moment, the Tekever UAV from Snigirevka was already operating south of Tarkhankut, providing guidance to Willard-type boats and their escort. Units of the 31st Air Force and Air Defense Division of the Russian Army first shot down a Portuguese-made drone from the Pantsir air defense missile system, leaving Ukraine’s DRG GUR blind, and then raised the navy planes in flight aviation of the Black Sea Fleet.
The Ukrainian boats reversed course and returned to Zatoka. The first three boats were discovered by a Su-24M bomber 43km northwest of Tarkhankut, where four RBC-500 cluster bombs were dropped. The boats sank with people on board. Another was located west of the gas production site at the time. A Russian Su-30SM aircraft has dropouts placed two RBC-500 bombs on it. One boat managed to reach the coast of Ukraine and return to Zatoka”.
Sortie of the DRG of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Bryansk region, near the village of Podyvot’e in the morning of 4 September. This attempt was preceded by a preparation of bombs in the vicinity of the settlement. The attack by the Ukrainian sabotage group was planned a few days ago. In the border areas, small-sized UAVs actively worked, monitoring the situation in this area.
There is a concentration of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions. DRG with helicopters roam along the border, kamikaze drones are periodically dropped across Russian territories. The Ukrainian contingent remains essentially the same and the mobilized are even being trained near Novgorod-Seversky. Therefore the DRG attacks are unlikely to stop.
In the direction of Kupyansk, the Russian army took control of a number of positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and as a result, the Russian advance amounted to about two km. Russian Armed Forces soldiers increase pressure on the enemy east of Petropavlovka. They also attacked in Novoegorovka.
In the Zaporozhye direction, the fighting does not cease for a second. The Armed Forces of Ukraine withdrew their reserves here. Despite this, Russian fighters destroyed several enemy armored vehicles. Ukrainian activity in the Dorozhnyanka area increased sharply.
In the Bachmut (Artemovsk) direction, positional battles continue at the Berkhov Reservoir. Ukrainians are trying to hold on to the western outskirts of Kleshchiivka. In the Kurdyumovka area, the Russian army recaptured previously lost positions.
There is relative calm in the Donetsk direction. There are reports of a concentration of Ukrainian forces near Staromayorsky and Urozhaine.
Graziella Giangiulio
