Victory Chronicles
-DAY 210

ISW KEY TAKEAWAYS: RUSSIAN PLANNED REFERENDUMS AND ANNEXATIONS PLOY TO GROW DOMESTIC SUPPORT, ENLISTMENTS

Above: Photo via Korrespondent

• Russian-appointed occupation officials in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia oblasts announced on September 20 that they will hold a “referendum” on acceding to Russia, with a vote taking place from September 23-27.
• The Kremlin’s annexation plans are primarily targeting a domestic audience; Putin likely intends to improve Russian force generation capabilities by calling on the Russian people to volunteer for a war ostensibly to defend newly-claimed Russian territory.

GENERAL STAFF OF THE ARMED FORCES DAILY ENEMY LOSSES

• 55110 (+300) Liquidated personnel
• 2227 (+11) Tanks
• 4748 (+24) Armored personnel vehicles
• 1340/318 (+17/) Artillery systems/MLRS
• 168 Anti-aircraft warfare systems
• 253/217 (+1/0) Aircraft/helicopters
• 932 (+7) UAV operational-tactical level
• 239 (+1) Cruise missiles
• 15 Warships/boats
• 3610 (+23) Vehicles and fuel tanks
• 125 Special equipment

Briefly. War. Day 209. Video digest by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

CIVILIAN MISSILE STRIKES

Above: Photo via Ukrainian National Police

• During the current day, the russian occupiers launched 7 missile and 20 air strikes, carried out more than 15 MLRS shillings on military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine, violating the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of warfare.
• As a result of the terrorist actions of the russian troops, the infrastructure of more than 20 settlements was damaged during the current day. Among them are Slovyansk, Siversk, Soledar, Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Stepne, Nikopol and Ochakiv. In the settlement of Pechenihy, the occupiers tried to destroy the dam of the Pechenihy War Reservoir, but were unsuccessful.
• In other directions, the enemy fired from tanks, mortars, and artillery of various calibers:
  • in the Siversky direction – in the areas of settlements Mykhayilove and Huta Studenetska of Chernihiv oblast and Novovasylivka and Ryasne of Sumy oblast;
  • in the Slobozhanskyi direction – in the areas of Kozacha Lopan, Strelecha, Hlyboke, Derhachi, Fiholivka, Dvorichna, Shevchenkive, Kupyansk and Kamianka settlements;
  • in the Kramatorsk direction – Yarova, Pryshyb, Donetske, Serebryanka, Shchurove, Raihorodok, Ozerne, Kryva Luka, Mykolaivka, Siversk, Ivano-Daryivka, Rozdolivka, Oleksandrivka and Hryhorivka;
  • in the Bakhmut region – Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Spirne, Vesele, Bilohorivka, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Vesela Dolyna, Odradivka, Mykolaivka Druha, Zaitseve, Mayorsk and New York;
  • in the Avdiyivka direction – Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Novomykhailivka, Pervomaiske;
  • in the Zaporizhzhya oblast – Novosilka, Novopil, Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, Vuhledar, Novomayorske, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipole, Malynivka, Chervone, Dorozhnianka, Mali Shcherbaki, Mala Tokmachka and Kamianske.
  • More than 25 settlements were shelled by the enemy in the South Buh direction. In particular, Vysokopillya, Myrolyubivka, Novohryhorivka, Bilohirka, Blahodativka, Shyroke, Zorya, Shevchenkove, Ternovi Pody, Pravdyne, Myrne and Oleksandrivka.

LUHANSK AND DONETSK OBLASTS

• As a result of the successful actions of units of the Defense Forces in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka directions, the enemy continues to suffer significant losses. Medical facilities in the city of Horlivka are full of seriously wounded servicemen of the occupation forces.
• In addition, two large trucks with the bodies of dead persons from the 1st Army Corps of the Armed Forces of the russian federation were moved from the territory of the Kherson oblast to the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk oblast. The quantity is being specified.
• Due to the unsuccessful implementation of covert mobilization measures, the military-political leadership of the russian federation made a decision to withdraw the units of the 217th Parachute Regiment from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and their further preparation for transfer to the territory of Ukraine.
• Units of the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Vesele, Kurdyumivka, Mykolayivka Druha, Zaitseve, Mayorsk, Pervomayiske, Maryinka, and Novomykhayilivka.

SOUTHERN

• Russian sources continued to accuse Ukrainian forces of shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and surrounding infrastructure in Enerhodar.
• Russian forces continued missile and artillery strikes throughout Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts and targeted infrastructure in the port city of Ochakiv.
• Ukrainian official sources maintained operational silence regarding Ukrainian ground attacks in Kherson Oblast, and Russian sources offered unusually limited coverage of activities in this area on September 20. Pro-Russian sources reported that Ukrainian forces went over to the defensive around Posad-Pokrovske (30km northwest of Kherson City) and on the Oleksandrivka front (35km west of Kherson City) after unsuccessful attempts to advance.