Victory Chronicles-DAY 552

The Ukrainian military has succeeded near Novodanylivka-Verbove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and is consolidating its positions. “They have had success around Novodanylivka-Verbove, consolidating their positions, inflicting fire damage with artillery on identified enemy targets, and carrying out counter-battery countermeasures. On the Bakhmut front, the Defence Forces continue to conduct offensive actions south of Bakhmut, consolidating their positions,” reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russians attempted unsuccessful offensive actions near Avdiivka and Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast. The General Staff reports that the Russians are suffering significant losses in personnel, weapons, and equipment; they are moving units and troops and are actively using reserves. The Ukrainian Defence Forces are also continuing to hold back the advance of Russian troops on the Kupiansk, Lyman, and Bakhmut fronts. The Russians carried out unsuccessful offensive actions near Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast. Heavy fighting continues.

On 29 August, Ukraine returned the bodies of 84 more deceased defenders. “The bodies of servicemen who gave their lives for Ukraine have been handed over. Today, the bodies of 84 defenders were brought back to their families. The process of bringing back the bodies of fallen Ukrainian servicemen continues. It is taking place in accordance with the norms of the Geneva Convention,” said Oleh Kotenko, Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances.

Mines detonated on Ukraine’s border with Belarus due to lightning strike. The Belaruski Gayun monitoring project noted that pro-government channels in Belarus reported that several TM-62M anti-tank mines had detonated on a railway bridge 800 meters from the Slovechno station. As evidence, a photo was published showing the destroyed railroad track on the bridge right on the border of Belarus and Ukraine. According to UP’s sources in military circles, due to weather conditions, several mines of the minefield covering a certain section of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border were detonated by lightning. No one was injured in the explosion.

In August, the Defense Forces of the southern part of Ukraine destroyed a Russian mobile coastal radar station for over-the-horizon detection Predel-E, worth $200 million. “Mobile coastal radar station of over-the-horizon detection with increased secrecy Predel-E – this is how ambitiously and pompously the Russians presented the novelty of their military-industrial complex to a narrow circle of specialists in June this year. Then they sent it to the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast in secret to monitor our actions both at sea and on land,” reported Defence Forces of the South. The military added that although the exclusive Predel-E was also covered by a quite modern Leyer-2 electronic warfare system, but “nothing can be hidden from us on our land.”

The Russian military command continues to expend relatively elite Russian airborne forces by deploying these troops to defend vulnerable positions against Ukrainian counteroffensives. Geolocated footage published on August 27 indicates that the Russian military command deployed elements of the Russian 76th Guards Air Assault (VDV) Division to reinforce Russian positions near Robotyne likely from the Kreminna area in Luhansk Oblast.

ISW had previously observed that elements of almost all Russian VDV formations are operating in areas where Ukrainian forces are conducting counteroffensive operations, and this lateral redeployment further suggests that Russian forces may be using relatively elite units to reinforce critical sectors of the frontline. Russian forces previously redeployed the 7th Guards Mountain VDV Division from Kherson Oblast to support Russian defenses in eastern and western Zaporizhia Oblast and have transferred other VDV forces from Luhansk Oblast to defend against Ukrainian counteroffensives on Bakhmut’s flanks.

The Russian military command has consistently relied on VDV formations as both an offensive and a defensive force and they are likely degraded from their high operational tempo. The degradation of these forces will likely weaken Russia’s ability to sustain complex defensive operations and almost certainly disrupt any Russian intent to resume offensive operations at scale, which have predominantly relied on relatively elite infantry that Russia now lacks.

Savelii Fedan, a famous talent show “X-Factor” participant and a Ukrainian defender, was killed in the war. The young man has been defending Ukraine since the first days of the Russian invasion. The death of the 21-year-old was reported by the mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov. 

“We will remember Savelii as such: a talented and bright young man with an unbreakable code of honor, a sincere patriot of Ukraine who always believed in the future of his country and did not hesitate to defend it,” Dmytro Orlov emphasized. Savelii Fedan had an active civic position since childhood. He participated in patriotic events in his native Enerhodar, volunteered, and helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The young man first visited the front line at the age of 13, where he went with other volunteers.

After high school, Fedan entered the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Lyceum with enhanced military and physical training “Zakhystnyk” [“Defendant”]. After that, he studied at the faculty of training specialists of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Odesa Military Academy. At the age of 16, Savelii Fedan participated in the talent show “X-Factor”. In 2018, he performed on the competition stage with his author’s song “Ukraine” and received a “yes” from all the judges.

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