Ukrainian forces preparing Luhansk offensive

International

-DW News

Kyiv,
Sep
20:
Ukraine
said
its
troops
are
continuing
to
make
gains
moving
eastward
toward
the
Russian-occupied
Donbas
region,
setting
the
stage
for
a
push
to
potentially
recapture
parts
of
Luhansk
province.

Ukraine’s
Luhansk
provincial
Governor
Serhiy
Gaidai
said
Ukrainan
troops
had
retaken
the
village
of
Bilohorivka,
a
suburb
10
kilometers
(6
miles)
west
of
the
city
of
Lysychansk,
which
fell
to
Russian
forces
after
fierce
fighting
in
July.

Although
the
reports
could
not
be
independently
verified,
the
capture
of
Bilohorivka
would
mean
Russia
no
longer
has
full
control
of
Luhansk
province.
Lysychansk
was
the
last
Ukrainian
city
in
Luhansk
to
fall
after
the
Russian
summer
offensive
in
the
region,
which
had
been
touted
as
a
major
victory
by
Moscow.

Gaidai
said
Ukrainian
forces
are
preparing
to
take
the
remainder
of
Luhansk
province
from
Russian
occupiers.

Ukraine:
Russia
strikes
land
near
nuclear
power
plant

“There
will
be
fighting
for
every
centimeter,”
Gaidai
wrote
on
Telegram.
“The
enemy
is
preparing
their
defense.
So
we
will
not
simply
march
in,”
he
added.

Meanwhile,
Ukrainian
President
Volodymyr
Zelenskyy
said
Ukrainian
troops
were
gaining
ground
as
Russian
soldiers
abandoned
territory.

“The
occupiers
are
clearly
in
a
panic,”
Zelenskyy
said
in
a
televised
address
late
on
Monday,
adding
that
he
was
now
focused
on
“speed”
in
liberated
areas.

On
Tuesday,
Russian-installed
officials
in
Luhansk
claimed
that
a
Ukrainian
strike
on
Krasnorichenske,
a
village
some
30
kilometers
(19
miles)
north
of
Lysychansk,
killed
seven
civilians.

Here’s
a
roundup
on
September
20
of
some
of
the
other
key
developments
regarding
Russia’s
invasion
of
Ukraine

Russia
reportedly
relocating
Black
Sea
subs

Russia
has
moved
a
sizable
chunk
of
its
Black
Sea
Fleet
submarines
away
from
Crimea
in
the
wake
of
attacks
on
Russian
naval
bases
and
other
military
installations
in
the
region,
according
to
the
British
Ministry
of
Defense.

The
ministry
said
Russia’s
Black
Sea
Fleet
command
had
“almost
certainly”
relocated
KILO-class
submarines
from
Sevastopol,
the
Crimean
port
city
under
Russian
control,
to
the
Black
Sea
port
city
of
Novorossiysk.

Ukraine
war
has
hit
the
world
hard

“This
is
highly
likely
due
to
the
recent
change
in
the
local
security
threat
level
in
the
face
of
increased
Ukrainian
long-range
strike
capability,”
it
said
in
an
intelligence
update
on
Tuesday.

Medvedev
calls
for
referendums
in
Donesk,
Luhansk

Former
Russian
President
Dmitry
Medvedev
—
who
is
currently
deputy
chairman
of
Russia’s
Security
Council
—
said
on
Tuesday
it
is
“essential”
that
the
separatist
Donetsk
and
Luhansk
People’s
Republics
hold
referendums
in
order
to
join
the
Russian
Federation.

Medvedev
said
on
social
media
that
joining
Russia
would
be
vital
to
protecting
their
interests
because
it
could
further
justify
Russia’s
use
of
military
force
against
Ukrainian
troops
in
the
Donbas.

Only
three
countries
recognize
the
two
self-declared
republics
as
independent:
Russia,
Syria
and
North
Korea.

UK
pledges
more
military
aid
for
Ukraine

British
Prime
Minister
Liz
Truss
announced
on
Tuesday
morning
that
the
UK
next
year
would
meet
or
exceed
the
€2.62
billion
pound
($2.63
billion)
military
aid
spent
on
Ukraine
in
2022.

In
a
statement,
Truss’ office
said
this
future
military
support
would
likely
include
Multiple
Launch
Rocket
Systems
to
be
used
on
the
battlefield.

“My
message
to
the
people
of
Ukraine
is
this:
the
UK
will
continue
to
be
right
behind
you
every
step
of
the
way,”
she
said.
“Your
security
is
our
security.”

Ukraine:
Zelenskyy
says
mass
grave
found
in
Izium

German
foreign
minister
accuses
Russia
of
attacking
core
UN
values

German
Foreign
Minister
Annalena
Baerbock
said
that
this
week’s
United
Nations
General
Assembly,
which
is
due
to
begin
on
Tuesday,
would
not
be
“like
the
previous
ones.”

Ahead
of
the
meeting
in
New
York
City,
Baerbock
said
Russia’s
invasion
of
Ukraine
attacked
the
principles
upon
which
the
UN
was
founded.

Baerbock
said
her
focus
at
the
meeting
would
be
on
“how
to
deal
with
and
prosecute
the
horrific
crimes
committed
in
Ukraine
in
Russia’s
name.”

“It
takes
the
United
Nations
for
us
to
find
common
solutions
to
global
problems,”
she
added.
“No
country
should
have
to
live
in
fear
of
a
stronger
neighbor
attacking
it.”

Catch
up
on
DW’s
latest
reporting
on
the
war
in
Ukraine

Ukraine’s
state
energy
company
Energoatom
said
a
Russian
missile
landed
near
the
Pivdennoukrainsk
nuclear
power
plant
in
Mykolaiv
region
early
on
Sunday,
causing
minor
damage
to
some
buildings.

DW
reports
on
the
threat
of
a
nuclear
disaster
and
other
developments
from
the
weekend.

Amid
comprehensive
sanctions
from
the
West,
Russia
has
attemped
a
second
economic
pivot
towards
Asia.

DW
looks
at
why
this
new
strategy
hasn’t
paid
off
at
recent
leaders’
conferences.

Source: DW