Victory Chronicles-DAY 1292

The United States is prepared to coordinate the imposition of tougher sanctions on Russia together with the European Union that would push Russia’s economy into “total collapse,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News on Sept.7.

“We are in a race now between how long the Ukrainian military can hold up versus how long the Russian economy can hold up,” Bessent said. 

He added that if Washington and Brussels impose more sanctions — including secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil — Moscow’s economy could be brought to the breaking point, and force Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

The remarks came just hours after Russia unleashed its largest missile and drone barrage since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The overnight attack killed at least four people and damaged Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers building in Kyiv after more than 800 drones and missiles rained down on the country. It was the first attack on a Ukrainian government building since the war started. 

Ukraine says troops retake 58 square kilometers (22 square miles) in Donetsk, foil Russian breakthrough. Ukraine’s top general said his forces regained about 22 square miles of territory in August, liberating several settlements in Donetsk region and blocking Russia’s plans for a major advance. This is five times more territory than what Russia conquered in the same month.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, said on Sept. 8 that August “was a month of great trials for our military, but in the end we achieved many positive results.”. He said Ukraine’s strategy had focused on holding defensive lines, inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops and striking deep into Russian territory with drones and missiles.

Russia’s objective for a breakthrough around the industrial cities of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, as well as a push in the Zaporizhzhia region was thwarted. But Syrskyi said those plans had “collapsed.” By his account, Russia captured about 5 square miles near Dobropillia but lost nearly 10 square miles there in return. Around Pokrovsk, Russia gained just under 2 square miles, while Ukraine retook about 10 square miles. Smaller gains were also made on the northern front near the Russian border.

The report suggests Ukraine is still able to claw back ground despite intense Russian pressure across the east.

Russia scatters anti-personnel mines on Kherson streets. Russian forces have stepped up remote mining of residential neighborhoods in the southern city of Kherson, Ukrainian police said on Sept. 8, warning that civilians face a growing risk from hidden explosives.

Overnight, so-called Petal mines — small, green anti-personnel devices officially designated PFM-1S — were found scattered across several streets in the city’s Dniprovskyi district. Police said they were detected at busy intersections and near apartment blocks, including on Nezalezhnosti Avenue, Universytetska Street and Ukrainska Street.

The PFM-1S mine is particularly dangerous because it is hard to see and contains a self-destruct mechanism, meaning it can detonate unpredictably even without direct contact. Officials cautioned that fallen leaves on the streets make the devices nearly invisible.

Kherson police reported similar cases on Sept. 5 and 6, saying Russia is increasingly using remote mining to target civilian areas. 

Ukrainian forces liberate village of Zarichne near Donetsk regional town of Lyman. Ukraine’s military said on Sept. 8 that its troops have fully retaken the village of Zarichne in the easternmost Donetsk region in the town of Lyman.

The operation was carried out by the Skela (Cliff) 425th Assault Regiment. In a brief statement, the General Staff announced the liberation and shared a short video showing a Ukrainian flag flying over the ruins of a heavily damaged building.

Zarichne sits close to Lyman, a strategic rail hub that Russian forces captured in spring 2022 and Ukraine later liberated in the fall. Fighting in the area has remained intense ever since, with both armies seeking control of the roads and supply routes that cross through the region.

Key Takeaways

1. Russian Security Council Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev directly threatened Finland and used language that directly mirrors the Kremlin’s false justifications for its invasions of Ukraine.
2. Medvedev’s threat against Finland is not unique but rather part of an ongoing Kremlin effort to threaten NATO states and justify future Russian aggression.
3. Russia continues to expand its defense industrial base (DIB) and take measures to safeguard defense industrial enterprises against long-range Ukrainian strikes.
4. Russia is also reportedly increasing its production of FPVs with fiber optic cables, which Russian forces have successfully leveraged in recent months to achieve some effects of battlefield air interdiction (BAI) in Ukraine.
5. The Kremlin appears set to institutionalize its long-held practice of torturing and abusing Ukrainian civilian prisoners and prisoners of war (POWs).
6. Ukrainian forces advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Lyman. Russian forces advanced in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.

• Reuters: Russia’s shadow fleet expands despite sanctions
• Trump ready for ‘phase two’ of Russia sanctions over war in Ukraine 
• CNN: Trump says he will speak to Putin ‘very soon’ and meet European leaders
• Canadian Prime Minister: Russian strikes highlight urgency of security guarantees for Ukraine
• Austrian Foreign Ministry: Russia’s terror against Ukraine has reached a new level
• Zelenskyy on Russia’s “brazen” strikes: We expect strong reaction from US
• Trump’s Ukraine envoy: attack on Kyiv was not a signal Russia wants to end war diplomatically
• Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces: key crude oil distillation unit destroyed at Ilsky oil refinery
• British Prime Minister on Russia’s attack on the Cabinet: Putin believes he can act with impunity
• Italian Prime Minister: Russia is more interested in intensifying attacks than in negotiations