Russia has widened its strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and is likely to extend its target range further, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said. Five civilians were killed in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region last day, while in Nikopoli several dozen high-rise and private buildings, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged by Russian strikes, the governors of those regions said on Sunday. In an intelligence briefing, the State Department said Russia had fired several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since the invasion began. “However, over the past seven days Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it may not perceive an immediate effect,” the ministry said. “As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely expanded the locations it is prepared to strike in an effort to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.” It comes after Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that Ukraine risks provoking “more serious” actions from Moscow with its sweeping counter-offensive, claiming that “so far we have responded with restraint”. He vowed to continue his “special military operation” during a speech to reporters after attending a meeting of Asian world leaders, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in Uzbekistan.
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Russia is ‘escalating attacks on civilian targets’ after military setbacks, UK says
Russia has increased its attacks on civilian targets despite serving no “direct military effect” as Vladimir Putin’s forces face setbacks, according to British intelligence. A defense ministry statement on Sunday said Russia had stepped up its long-range missile attacks in the past week after reports the forces lacked sufficient resources or morale to continue against Ukrainian counterattacks. Strikes hit a power grid and a river dam in the Kryvyi Rih causing widespread flooding in the central city. Read the full story here. Furvah Shah September 18, 2022 12:15 p.m 1663497915
EU calls for war crimes tribunal over mass graves in Izyum, Ukraine
The European Union has called for a war crimes tribunal as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said evidence of torture was found on bodies exhumed in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. The town was retaken by Ukrainian forces, where a mass grave was found with around 450 graves, some showing evidence of torture. Jan Lipvasky, the Czech Republic’s foreign minister, said on Saturday that Russia’s attacks “against the civilian population are unthinkable and heinous”. “We must not overlook it. We support the punishment of all war criminals,” he tweeted. “I call for the speedy establishment of a special international court to prosecute the crime of aggression.” Furvah Shah September 18, 2022 11:45 am 1663496115
Two dead from a Russian tank attack on a car
Two people were killed when a Russian tank targeted a civilian car in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian media reported. City governor Oleh Synyehubov said two women were killed when the tank fired on the car in the village of Strylekha, which borders Russia. Furvah Shah September 18, 2022 11:15 am 1663494357
‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukrainians forced to wade through dead bodies in search of lost loved ones
All day long, Ukrainian women scour photos of dead bodies posted by Russian soldiers showing off their kills, in a desperate hunt for their missing loved ones. In the stark images of frozen gray faces, blood-stained trunks and remains, they search for a flicker of something recognizable: a scar or a ring. “Twenty hours a day I go through these Telegram channels looking for him,” said Maria, her face gripped with grief. “We are a community of women looking for our loved ones. We all have to scroll through the pictures of the dead. We have to see if it’s there.” Bel Trew of the Independent writes.
‘We may never find them’: Desperate Ukrainians hunt for loved ones
The Missing: Bel Trew follows families who may never learn the fate of their relatives Shweta Sharma September 18, 2022 10:45 am 1663493200
In an intelligence briefing, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said today that Russia has fired several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since the start of the invasion, but that these have increased in the past week. “Over the past seven days Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably does not perceive an immediate effect,” the ministry said in a tweet. The strikes hit targets including a power grid and a dam, he added. “Faced with setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely expanded the locations it is prepared to strike in an effort to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government,” the ministry said. Katy Clifton September 18, 2022 10:26 am 1663491657
Russia “may not have sufficient reserves” to withstand a further attack on Ukraine
It is unclear whether Russia’s front-line forces have “sufficient reserves or sufficient morale” to withstand another coordinated offensive in eastern parts of Ukraine, according to defense experts. British defense intelligence analysts believe Moscow has set up a defensive line between the Oskil River and the town of Svatove after a successful counter-offensive by the Ukrainians, forcing the Kremlin to concede ground. The zone is considered important in part because it lies along the border of the Luhansk region, part of the Donbass, which Russia has sought to “liberate” as one of its key war targets.
Russia “may not have sufficient reserves” to withstand a further attack on Ukraine
It comes as bodies have been discovered in a mass burial site near the city of Izium Shweta Sharma September 18, 2022 10:00 am 1663488057
Zelensky: Crimea will return to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters that Ukraine will be able to live in peace only when it regains all its territories, including the annexed Crimea. However, he said Ukraine is not ruling out diplomacy in its goal to regain Crimea. “There is no way out. We must seize the territory. It may happen that Crimea is returned through diplomatic means,” Zelensky said. (EPA) Shweta Sharma18 September 2022 09:00 1663485357
Russia has expanded the target location for strikes – British intelligence
Russia has likely expanded the location it is preparing to strike in an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainian forces as Moscow faces setbacks, Britain’s Foreign Office said on Sunday in its daily intelligence briefing. “Over the past seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably does not perceive an immediate military effect,” he added. This mission category includes strikes against the electricity grid and a dam on the Inhulets River in Kryvyi Rih, he added. Shweta Sharma September 18, 2022 8:15 am 1663481182
Russia wreaks havoc with Iranian Kamikaze drones – report
Iranian Shahed-136 drones imported by Russia have dealt a serious blow to Ukrainian forces, the Wall Street Journal reported citing Ukrainian commanders. The Iranian drones, which have been repainted in Russian colors and renamed Geranium 2, are striking Ukrainian armored and artillery positions in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, said Colonel Rodion Kulagin, artillery commander of Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanized Brigade. The drones hit and destroyed two 152mm self-propelled howitzers, two 122mm self-propelled howitzers and two BTR armored personnel carriers just inside his brigade’s operational area, he said. Military experts who reviewed photos of the wreckage in Kharkiv told the agency that it appeared to be the work of Shahed-136 drones. It is the latest version of Iran’s delta wing design. Shweta Sharma18 September 2022 07:06 1663479915
The bodies identified in the mass grave of Izyum – deputy prime minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said that some bodies exhumed from the mass graves found in Izyum have already been identified. Ms Vereshchuk said the process is being carried out with the help of the government commissioner for missing persons, Oleh Kotenko, who is currently in Izyum. “He says terrible things, it’s true. An exhumation is being done, after identification, some bodies have already been identified,” he said. “Relatives of those identified who took a DNA test are being informed. It is a very difficult process and I am very sorry that people are receiving such data. But, unfortunately, we see this terrible number of people, graves, mass graves, tortured citizens,” said Ms. Vereshchuk. Shweta Sharma September 18, 2022 6:45 am
