Victory Chronicles-DAY 580

Ukrainian forces continue offensive operations in the Bakhmut direction in the east and the Melitopol direction in the south, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Sept. 27.

“Ukrainian defense forces continue carrying out offensive operations in the Melitopol direction and… in the Bakhmut direction, inflicting losses on occupying troops in manpower and equipment, and wearing out the enemy along the entire front line,” the report said. Russian troops reportedly launched unsuccessful attacks near Sieverne and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast and south of Novodarivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Over the past day, there were 26 engagements with Russian forces, and Russia launched 10 missile strikes, 77 air strikes, and 44 strikes from multiple-launch rocket systems against military targets and civilian areas, the General Staff said. General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s forces fighting in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, said last week that the military has breached through Russian lines near the southern village of Verbove.

Tarnavskyi lauded the success at Verbove but also noted that the true breakthrough on the southern front would be the liberation of Tokmak, which he stated was “the minimum goal” of the counteroffensive.

Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 9,701 civilians have been killed, and 17,748 civilians have been injured.

“From 24 February 2022, which marked the start of the large-scale armed attack by the Russian Federation, to 24 September 2023, OHCHR recorded 27,449 civilian casualties in the country: 9,701 killed and 17,748 injured,” reads the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as receiving information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed, and many reports are still pending corroboration.

Sappers clear Kherson Oblast of mines using Bozena-5 system. Mine action continues in the liberated areas of Kherson Oblast. By working tirelessly 24/7, the sappers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Support Forces are trying to reduce the level of mine danger and the threat of explosive hazards to civilians.

“It is known that when the Russians fled from here, they left behind a lot of ‘dirt’: engineering, artillery, cluster munitions, mines, and traps, so we are currently helping with humanitarian demining in this area,” said Dmytro ‘Payne,’ commander of the demining group. 

To safely clear the fields, the defenders use Bozena-5 demining systems. This is a tracked remote-controlled vehicle made in Slovakia, which, thanks to a rotating chain demining device, carries out forced detonation or elimination of anti-personnel mines of pressure or tension action, as well as anti-tank mines with a charge equivalent to 9 kg of TNT.

“It is used more for clearing anti-personnel mines and tripwires, and it goes up to 15 centimetres into the ground,” said Ivan, a machine operator with the pseudonym Pasika, during the work. “Because there is a lot of dust here, we have to do maintenance more often, but we in the unit have mastered all the nuances and have no problems with Bozhena. It is very efficient, and it helps us, the sappers, a lot.

How pilots in Ukraine adapt to the F-16s. Ukrainian Air Force Command publishes video of Ukrainian pilots’ training. 

“Of course, our goal is to have complete F-16 flight simulators, trainer aircrafts, and flight crew training centers in Ukraine. But everything starts small. While our brothers master the F-16s abroad, the Ukrainian Air Force fighter pilots continue to protect the Ukrainian sky and destroy the occupiers on the ground. In their free time, the pilots get to know the cockpit of the F-16 in virtual reality and perform joint missions over the territory of Ukraine in sections, flights, and squadrons while being in different regions of Ukraine”, The Air Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote.

Interethnic tensions appear to be sowing division between elements of the Russian 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment defending against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in western Zaporizhia Oblast. 

Arsen Temiraev, a mobilized serviceman from the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania serving with the 70th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, posted a video on September 25 alleging that Russian military police of the 70th Regiment beat Temiraev and two other soldiers of the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment’s 3rd Battalion in Tokmak on September 24.

Temiraev claimed that the military police asked about his ethnicity before telling Temiraev that “Russia is for Russians.” Temiraev claimed that the military police beat him and the other servicemen because a Tokmak local alleged that the soldiers had sexually assaulted children, a crime that Temiraev denied having committed. Temiraev complained that he thought the “Nazis were on the other [Ukrainian] side, [but] it turns out they [the Nazis] are among us.”

North Ossetian-Alanian Republic Head Sergey Menyailo responded on September 26, claiming that the elements of the “Storm Ossetia” and “Alania” volunteer battalions in the area verified the incident. Menyailo reported the incident to the Southern Military District command, which informed the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, and called the incident unacceptable towards any Russian soldier. Interethnic tensions between Russian units operating in the frontline and near the rear of western Zaporizhia Oblast may threaten the integrity of Russian defenses and unit cohesion amidst recent Ukrainian gains in the area.

Reconnaissance professional Anton Sivash, with the call sign Chivas, died on August 7, 2023. Crossing the Dnipro River after performing a combat mission in the Kherson sector behind enemy lines, he and his sworn brothers hit a mine and received fatal injuries. On September 27, the defender would have turned 25 years old.

Anton is a native of Vinnytsia. He graduated with a gold medal from the local secondary school-gymnasium №6. Then he received his higher education at Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University, Vinnytsia National Agrarian University and the Institute of Innovative Education of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. He was an entrepreneur. He was fond of sports, in particular, martial arts. He was interested in military topics. 

When a full-scale war broke out, Anton found a way to join the Armed Forces. In April 2022, he joined the “Revansh” (Revenge) tactical group. As part of a mortar unit, he and his comrades took part in the defense of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk Oblast. After that, he was transferred to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, where he performed complex operations in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts as part of a mortar unit. In 2023, he was transferred to an assault unit. He took part in the defense of the Kharkiv Oblast and the creation of a strategic foothold on the left bank of the Dnipro River. 

“My soul was torn apart. My best, my favorite, my best son, my best brother, the best of people. There is no one like you in the world. A man of his word, a man with a capital letter… Loyal, honest, very courageous, spiritual. You always came to the rescue and were never afraid of anything, never… people like you should be looked up to. You are a true Hero, a true patriot, a great value for the whole country,” wrote the deceased’s beloved Maya Tsykun.

“Kind, honest, well-mannered, restrained, sensible, an excellent student, an example for many. Strong in spirit and body. A worthy citizen and defender of his country, the best son, brother, boyfriend, friend, classmate! Eternal glory, eternal gratitude, eternal peace,” the page of Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 6 said. The soldier was buried at the Sabariv Cemetery in Vinnytsia. Anton is survived by his parents, brother, girlfriend, family and friends. 

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