Ukraine-News: Heavy losses – Heavy counter-offensive in Russian-occupied region

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• Katja Thorwarth

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  Moritz Serif

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  Lucas Maier

The situation worsens for Russia in the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announces the latest figures. The news ticker.

• Editor’s note: The information in Ukraine conflict partly come from warring factions and cannot be checked directly and independently.

+++ 7 p.m.: According to information from Kyiv, following the start of a counter-offensive in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Cherson, there is now “heavy fighting” in the area. There were “strong explosions all day and all night,” said the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The armed forces had started “offensives in different directions”. Munitions depots and all major bridges across the Dnipro River, which Russian troops use for supplies, have been destroyed, reports the European Views website.

+++ 2 p.m.: Russia has BBC-According to reports, 151 members of the “GRU” special forces lost, including almost one in four officers, as well as 245 members of the Russian National Guard, including members of special forces. Some 67 Russian military pilots have died, 2 a significant loss considering that training a single sniper pilot can take 15 to 17 years and cost between 12 and 14 million dollars. According to the BBC the Russian units of the combined forces were not prepared for offensive operations. The reports are not independently verifiable.

News regarding the Ukraine war: Heavy losses for Russia – Ukrainian Air Force shoots down Russian helicopter

+++ 1.15 p.m.: Like the news portal Kyiv Independent reported that the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian helicopter in the skies over Donbass. According to the press service of the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles hit the helicopter, believed to be a Kamov Ka-50, and two drones. The information is not independently verifiable.

Ukraine launches counteroffensive in Kherson. (icon picture)

© Alexander Nemenov / AFP

News regarding the Ukraine war: The Ukrainian general staff reports new figures on Russian losses

+++ 10.00 a.m.: The Ukrainian General Staff has released new data on Russian losses in the Ukraine war. This is reported by the news portal Kyiv Independent. The numbers at a glance:

• Soldiers: 48.350
• planes: 234
• Helicopter: 205
• Panzer: 1997
• Armored Fighting Vehicles: 4345
• Artilleriesysteme: 1115
• Air defense systems: 153
• Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems: 287
• Cars and other vehicles: 3239
• Ships: 15
• Unmanned Combat Drones: 851
• As of Thursday 1 September 2022
• The information on Russia’s losses in the Ukraine war comes from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. They cannot be independently verified. The Kremlin itself gives very little information regarding its own losses.

Ukraine-News: Task Force “South” reports successes in counter-offensive

Update from Thursday, September 1st, 6.30 a.m.: Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south increases Russian losses in troops and equipment. The news portal reports Kyiv Independent. The Task Force “South” reports that the Ukrainian armed forces destroyed 201 Russian soldiers, 12 T-72 tanks, 18 armored vehicles, more than a dozen different artillery units and 6 ammunition depots.

The Ukrainian Air Force has also attacked several Russian command and control posts in the region, Ukrainian Defense officials said

Ukraine-News: Heavy casualties on both sides – Alleged 1700 Ukrainian soldiers died

+++ 8.55 p.m.: According to information from the Russian Foreign Ministry, 1,700 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the Ukrainian counter-offensive. In addition, 63 tanks, 48 ​​armored vehicles and 4 combat aircraft were destroyed. This was announced by army spokesman Igor Konashenkov. This information might not be independently verified.

Earlier this week, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the south of the country to recapture areas occupied by Russia. According to the Russian Konashenkov, however, this counter-offensive failed. There has been no information from the Ukrainian side since the beginning of the offensive.

+++ 8.25 p.m.: Nearby the Further explosions are said to have occurred in the city of Melitopol. Melitopol is occupied by Russian troops. According to Ivan Fedorov, the city’s mayor, there were around ten explosions south of Melitopol, as he said on Telegram. Russian military equipment was stored in this area, the mayor added.

Recently, acts of sabotage have repeatedly taken place in Melitopol. Russian soldiers had brought relatives from the city in the Zaporizhia region. A hospital there was also evacuated. Before the war, Melitopol had 150,000 inhabitants.

+++ 7.30 p.m.: As the According to the Southern Command of the Ukrainian Army, the city of Mykolaiv was “massively bombed” by Russia. The Russian missiles reportedly killed two civilians and injured 24 others. Mykolaiv is regarding 80 kilometers northwest of Cherson. The port city is occupied by Russia.

On Monday (August 29) Ukrainian troops launched a counter-offensive in the Kherson region to retake territories. There was heavy fighting in “almost the entire region,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said on Tuesday (August 30).

Ukraine War News: Fires in Crimea

+++ 6.30 p.m.: An oil depot has caught fire on Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. More detailed information as to why the camp in the city of Krasnohwardijske is burning and whether there are any victims is not yet known. Crimea has been occupied by Russia since 2014. Recently there have been repeated explosions and fires.

There have been a number of arrests in connection with this. While Russia blamed accidents or acts of sabotage by a small group, Ukraine did not comment on the incidents. Experts assume that there were some targeted attacks with new types of missiles.

+++ 3 p.m.: Russia is now apparently moving more troops from the Melitopol region to southern Ukraine. The news portal reports Nexta. Heavy fighting with the Ukrainian army has been going on in the Cherson region for days. The information cannot be independently verified.

News regarding the Ukraine war: Russia sees heavy losses on the Ukrainian side

+++ 1 p.m.: The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow has declared the Ukrainian counter-offensive a failure. Instead, the Ukrainian army had to accept heavy losses, for example three helicopters were shot down. Four fighter jets were also destroyed, the ministry said. This contradicts the information from Kyiv. The Ukrainian military has repeatedly announced in the past few days that the front line of the Russian armed forces has been breached. Territorial gains are being recorded above all in the Cherson region, it said. The above information is not independently verifiable.

+++ 11.00 a.m.: According to an assessment by British intelligence, Ukrainian troops have pushed back the Russian army in southern Ukraine. This is the result of the counter-offensive, which, according to the Ukrainian general staff, already had initial successes on Thursday. According to the report from London, it is predicted that Russia is now likely to try to close the gaps in the front line. Mobile reserve units might be used for this.

Update from Wednesday, August 31, 6:30 a.m.: Russia has once more suffered heavy losses in the Ukraine war. According to a report by the news portal Kyiv Independent 117 soldiers killed and over 30 military units destroyed. Including nine T-72 tanks, a helicopter and 18 other armored vehicles. The information cannot be independently verified.

+++ 8 p.m.: Ukrainian troops continue intense shelling. This emerges from a video shared on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian foreign minister. It shows a large column of smoke drifting across the river. According to Gerashchenko, Russian arms depots were hit. At the same time, he points out that there is no official confirmation.

The attack took place in the city of Beryslav. Beryslav is located opposite the town of Nowa Kakhovka. There is one of the few bridges that cross the Dnipro River. However, heavy war vehicles can no longer use this bridge.

+++ 6.10 p.m.: Fighting for the Kherson continued on Tuesday (August 30). Ammunition depots and large bridges over the Dnipro River were destroyed, according to the office of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. The Russian state news agency Tass reported five explosions in Kherson that might have been triggered by anti-aircraft systems.

Ukraine’s Southern Task Force reported destroying a pontoon bridge over the Dnipro that the Russians were building. In addition, artillery fire hit a dozen command posts in the Cherson region.

Heavy casualties: Russian troops ‘understaffed’

+++ 08.45 a.m.: British intelligence believes Russian forces in Ukraine are “understaffed” in numerous units. This is apparently a consequence of the heavy losses. “Fragile supply lines” probably make the situation even more difficult, both in terms of personnel and material. According to a report by the secret service in London, this is particularly noticeable in southern Ukraine. Where Ukrainian troops have now launched a counter-offensive, there is a lot missing. Although the Kremlin has ordered reinforcements for the soldiers in the Cherson region, little of this has been received. “Ukrainian precision strikes” are probably partly responsible for the poor supply situation. The secret service apparently means rocket attacks controlled from regions other than Kherson.

+++ 07.15 a.m.: A Russian patrol was attacked in the port city of Mariupol. On the night of Monday (August 29), a soldier was said to have been killed by a mine and another injured pravda.ua citing Petro Andriushchenko, Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol. The injured soldier is said to have lost a leg in the explosion. According to the information, a Russian mine was used in the attack. The information might not be independently verified.

Heavy losses for Russia: soldiers die

Update from Tuesday, August 30, 06:48: Heavy casualties are reported in the ranks of Russia in southern Ukraine. As reported by the Ukrainian task force “South”, the troops from Moscow lost material and fighters here. 82 Russian soldiers were killed on Monday (29 August). Three ammunition depots are said to have been destroyed in Ukrainian attacks. This information has not been independently verifiable to date. (lm/mse/ktho with dpa/AFP)

List of rubrics: © Alexander Nemenov / AFP