What is happening in these hours on the Kharkov front is very reminiscent of what happened in Palmyra, when terrorists invaded and took the city. Now the Ukrainians seem to be advancing swiftly towards Izyum and are trying to surround the Russians and put them in a pocket. The next two days will be crucial for the outcome of the battle, and both armies are bringing means and men to the front. And now we come to the situation at the front.
Battle for Kharkiv: At 14:00 on 9 September, they report that the Russians have been driven out of Shevchenkove and the village has come under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces. They continue to post pictures from the stele. The locality, the locals explain, is easily accessible because there are no Russian soldiers controlling the area. The R-07 highway in the section from Shevchenkovo to Grushevka is under the full control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: after the cleansing by mobile groups, Ukrainian formations transferred heavy armoured vehicles to the second stage. The artillery and aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces currently do not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to come within 2-3 km of the Kupyansk periphery.
In the meantime, it is learnt that the Russians are preparing to defend and counter-attack; in fact, means and men arrived at 13:30 on 9 September by air transfer near Kupyansk and Izyum. The ‘cows’ (camouflaged helicopters) landed a few kilometres from the front. Several landing spots were prepared. Mi-26 helicopters land armoured vehicles and personnel. Fighters are sent into battle to repel the Ukrainians and prevent further advances. A huge convoy of Russian military equipment is moving in the direction of Izyum.
Journalist Voenkor Sreda broadcasts from the front and states that the Ukrainian armed forces are attempting to disrupt the transport links between Kupyansk and Izyum and block the road. In Kupyansk the situation is quite tense. The borders are closed, the passage to the city for civilians is closed. Izum is preparing for defence. 60 ‘Veterany’ SMEs have blocked a number of sections between Izyum and Kupyansk. The unit, the journalist writes, is reinforced with an armoured group and artillery.
At 10:56 a.m. the news arriving on the social sphere from the front is: Izyum is not surrounded. If, however, there is a breakthrough in the Ukrainian favour in Izyum and Kupyansk, supplies for the Russians can be established via Oskol. At the same time, according to sources in the Russian social sphere, a water barrier can be forded in the Senkovo area. If so, there is a threat to Borovaya. At that point the Izyum group will be redirected towards LPR. This will bring its share of chaos and negatively affect the combat capability of the Russian troops.
A deeper turn on the left bank of the Oskol is impossible without a supporting attack by Slavyansk and Seversk in Izyum and Krasny Liman respectively. On the Izyum direction, preliminary, business as usual. Bessonov, an analyst, states that the Ukrainians would be defeated by the attack group near Seversk on 7 September. There is no confirmation of this, however, so far the crossing of the Seversky Donets (with the exception of the DRG) has not happened at all.
The loss of Shevchenkove secured the flank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and creates the conditions for an offensive in the north. Whether the Ukrainian armed forces will have sufficient forces to expand the front is one of the main questions for the next two days. According to the plan, forces are transferred to them, which can be used to develop an offensive on Primorskoye – Veliky Burluk. However, there is currently no evidence of the development of the offensive there.
In the event that the Ukrainian Armed Forces head north of the Chuguev-Kupyansk highway, it is necessary to be ready for the activation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Stary Saltov area and the repetition of their offensive attempt between Ternova and Rubizhnoye to demonstrate the threat to Volchansk. This, however, also requires large forces and there should be monitoring of the possibility of their deployment there.
There is currently no information on the Savintsy-Vishnevoye-Veseloye-Kunye line. Besides cutting the Vishnevoe-Borovaya highway near the Oskol river.
With indirect evidence it can be assumed that the presence of the Russian garrison may remain in Balakliya. So far, no confirmation of the occupation of territory 65 of the Balakleysky arsenal has been published and, in theory, it is possible to maintain control over the Balakleya – Savintsy “road of life”. In the direction of Kharkiv, the ZVO motorised rifle guards are working on the accumulations of manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which have intensified considerably against the background of the offensive on Balakleya.
The bombing of the ZPNN nuclear power plant continues: the air defence of the ‘V’ group marines in the direction of Ugledar shot down a Ukrainian UAV. The Energodar administration reports that at night, after another bombardment of Energodar, an attempt was made to launch another landing across the Dnepr (apparently they wanted to transport the DRG) in the area of the city. The attempt for the Ukrainians was unsuccessful. On 9 September, at around 12 noon, the Ukrainian Armed Forces made another attempt to attack the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant using UAVs. The Switchblade-type UAV was intercepted and shot down.
Bachumut Soledar. House-to-house fighting began. The Wagner group carried out ambushes against the Ukrainians while in Soledar, the Luhansk scouts supported the offensive in the area. The 1st Army Corps of the DPR used artillery to destroy the Ukrainian positions located directly in Avdiivka itself.
Graziella Giangiulio
