Victory Chronicles-DAY 947

Russian troops launched a missile attack on the National Police headquarters in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.  Six people have been reported injured so far, with the possibility of more casualties. The attack resulted in the destruction of the administrative building and damage to nearby private houses. Police and rescue teams are on the scene, working to search for and rescue any individuals who may be trapped under the rubble. 

The head of the Dnipropetrovs’k Regional Military Administration has stated that a 45-year-old man has been hospitalized in moderate condition. Four other men have also been injured, with two of them in moderate condition. The fate of four individuals remains unknown. 

The number of injured has increased to five, according to the Dnipropetrovs’k Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and the State Emergency Service has reported that the number has now reached six. The search and rescue operation is ongoing. This attack is seen as another war crime by the Russian Federation.

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On September 26, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully repelled a large-scale assault by Russian forces on the Kupyansk front near Pishchane. The attack involved around 50 units of Russian armored vehicles and troops moving towards Kolesnykivka and Kruglyakivka. The Achilles battalion of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade played a crucial role in defending against the assault, destroying and damaging a total of 40 units of Russian military equipment. According to Commander Yuriy Fedorenko, 14 pieces of equipment were destroyed, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and trucks, while 26 pieces of equipment were damaged, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and support vehicles. DeepState analytical project reported that at least 9 units of Russian military equipment were moving towards Kruglyakivka and 40 units towards Kolesnikivka, some of them with paratroopers on board. Most enemy vehicles were destroyed, forcing the remaining forces to retreat.

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Russian troops launched a massive attack on Izmail, a city in the Odesa region of Ukraine. The attack, which involved the use of drones, resulted in three deaths and 11 injuries, including a child. The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, reported the incident and stated that the attack caused damage to private and apartment buildings, outbuildings, structures, and cars. In addition, several fires broke out as a result of the shelling, but were swiftly extinguished by rescuers. 

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Aerial reconnaissance of the 11th Brigade named after Mykhailo Hrushevskyi of the Southern Airborne Division of the National Guard of Ukraine are skillfully destroying enemy reconnaissance drones in the air. Five Zala-421s, two Orlan-10s, a Supercam S350 and a Lancet were shot down over the contact line. 

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The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) is reportedly struggling to coordinate combat tasks with the Russian military despite having control over the counterterrorism operation against the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast. 

Russian exiled opposition outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported on September 25 that it identified an FSB Spetsnaz servicemember who died fighting in Kursk Oblast in August 2024 — confirming that elements of FSB Spetsnaz are fighting in Kursk Oblast. Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that an FSB officer stated that the FSB has tasked FSB Spetsnaz, including elements of the Alpha and Vympel groups, with identifying and destroying Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in Kursk Oblast. The FSB officer reportedly stated that the Alpha and Vympel groups are ill-suited for combined arms battles involving heavy equipment against regular military forces, however. 

FSB Spetsnaz has typically conducted counterterrorism operations against small terrorist groups and likely lacks the training and equipment needed to respond to Ukrainian units conducting combined arms assaults. Another source close to Russian special services reportedly told Novaya Gazeta Europe that the FSB’s Special Operations Center does not have a “common connection” with Russian military units and that there is still no common headquarters for coordinating combat tasks between the FSB and the Russian military. 

Putin tasked the FSB with conducting a counterterrorism operation in Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk oblasts on August 9 following the start of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast on August 6, but then proceeded to assign overlapping tasks to the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), FSB, and Rosgvardia.

The Kremlin and the Russian military command have struggled to establish a cohesive and effective command and control (C2) structure during the response to the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast, and it remains unclear what responsibilities fall under the purview of the FSB’s counterterrorism operation or the MoD’s Coordination Council. ISW has previously assessed that overlapping tasks and poor C2 structures will likely continue to generate friction between the FSB and the Russian MoD.

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On January 5, 2024, 36-year-old fighter Roman Liadskyi was killed in the battle for the town of Krasnohorivka inthe  Donetsk region. During a combat mission, he sustained a fatal mine blast injury.

Roman was born and lived in Vuhledar, Donetsk region. He graduated from the Donetsk National Technical University with an engineering degree. He worked as a mining foreman at the Yuzhnodonbaska-3 mine named after M.S. Surgay. In his spare time, he manufactured concrete products, including street vases and flowerpots.  

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the man took up arms and defended his native land from the invaders. He served in the 109th separate territorial defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was a rifleman, a mechanic-driver, and a squad commander.

In September 2023, he was awarded the honorary Golden Cross badge.

“From the first days, Roman stood up to defend his homeland. He performed his duties with dignity, boldly took on the most difficult tasks, and was an example for his comrades. He was always smiling and positive, a friendly life-lover. He said he was fighting for our tears. He never complained and did not talk much about the war, he did not want to upset me. He always said: “Everything will be Ukraine,” said his wife Oksana.

The fighter was buried in the village of Poharysko in Lviv region. He is survived by his mother and wife. 

*Roman ’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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