Standoff Persists On Ukrainian Frontlines

The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not stop attempting to attack but to no avail. On the night of September 17, Russian air defenses destroyed 16 Ukrainian drones in the border Bryansk and Kursk regions. On the other hand, Russian drones reached their targets in Ukrainian rear regions.

The Ukrainian military again declared that the almighty Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed almost all Russian drones that targeted Ukrainian territory. The multiple explosions and damage, Kiev tried to explain away by the alleged fallen wreckage of destroyed UAVs.

Local sources reported a series of explosions throughout the country, in particular in the areas of Mykolaiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, Kiev, Chernigiv, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions. A large fire broke out at a railway station near Mirgorod in the Poltava region. Numerous targets were destroyed by Russian precision strikes in the border Sumy region. As a result of the attacks, energy infrastructure facilities, ammunition warehouses and military equipment were destroyed.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are losing a lot of expensive NATO systems accumulated near the Russian border to support the ongoing operations in the Kursk region. According to reports from the frontlines, Russian kamikaze drones struck another US-made multiple rocket launch system, as well as its ammunition and military personnel. In total, the Ukrainian military lost at least seven US-made HIMARS and the same number of M270 MLRS as a result of Russian strikes in the border Sumy region over the past month.

Despite heavy losses, the Ukrainian military command continues attacks on Russian territory. Ground down in the areas around Sudzha, Ukrainian forces attempt new assaults in the rear of the advancing Russian grouping. Over the past day alone, at least four Ukrainian attacks were repelled in the area of Veseloe, where Ukrainian forces suffered more losses in manpower and military equipment.

Russian forces advanced in the Seversk direction, where they are slowly approaching the city from the south and east. On September 17, Russian troops launched attacks from Zolotarevka and expanded their zone of control west of the village. An important Ukrainian stronghold was destroyed in the area, paving the way for a further Russian offensive.

Having approached the cities of Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, the Russian army is straightening the flanks in this direction. In the south, Russian forces are surrounding the town of Ukrainsk and advancing on its streets. At the same time, Russian troops are approaching the village of Tsukurino, where they will cut a strategically important railway and complicate Ukrainian logistics between two large Ukrainian strongholds in Pokrovsk and Kurahovo. The Russian assault continues in Selidovo and Gornyak.

The Ukrainian military is forced to transfer reserve units from one direction to another in an attempt to reinforce the weak spots in defense.