September 5 2024

The United Kingdom announced a $213 million military aid package consisting of 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM). These are short-range missiles that can hit both air and ground targets with a range of over 6 km and can be launched from land, air, or sea. The first missiles will arrive in Ukraine by the end of the year. The missiles are produced by Thales, in Belfast.


The U.S. has charged six Russian citizens, including members of GRU unit 29155, for large-scale cyberattacks targeting Ukrainian government organizations such as the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs, Finance, Education and Science, and Energy, as well as the electronic court system, the state portal of electronic services, Ukraine's Accounts Chamber, the State Emergency Service, and others. They also targeted NATO states before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The defendants used WhisperGate malware to disrupt Ukrainian systems, steal personal data, and engage in psychological warfare. They also targeted transport infrastructure in a Central European country and attempted to breach secure networks in 26 NATO countries, including the U.S.

Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia have been charged in the U.S. for violating sanctions and laundering money for Channel One Russia. Since June 2022, they allegedly provided services to the sanctioned TV station and received over $1 million in return. Anastasia also faces charges for purchasing art and antiques from the U.S. and Europe on behalf of sanctioned Russian oligarch Aleksandr Udodov. Anastasia stored the artworks at her Virginia home before transporting them back to Russia. Both could face up to 20 years in prison per count. Dmitri Simes is a Russian-American commentator and propagandist and is a co-host on state-owned TV network Channel One Russia. He has been a somewhat prominent figure in international relations and Russian affairs, having served as the president and CEO of a think tank founded by Richard Nixon. Simes has been noted for his pro-Russian stance and has connections with Donald Trump's campaign officials and Russian government figures.


Sweden has allocated an additional €44 million to improve/repair Ukraine's energy system by funding two gas turbines and the protection of the facility from Russian attacks. The turbines are set to be operational by 2025 and are expected to provide electricity for about 185,000 people.


The UK has signed a £300 million contract to supply Ukraine with 120,000 152-mm artillery shells over 18 months, with some rounds expected by the end of 2024. This deal is part of the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), which has raised over £1 billion from eight countries since its launch in 2022.


On September 5, Russia launched an airstrike on the residential area of Tsyrkuny in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring two people. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that the strike destroyed private homes and outbuildings, damaged cars, and ignited a fire. This fire destroyed two residential buildings, and an outbuilding, and burned 300 square meters of dry grass.


On September 5, Ukrainian engineers successfully repaired a damaged power transmission line to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The plant’s power supply from the Ukrainian grid through both lines has been restored. The Russians damaged one of the power lines on September 2. Repairs were delayed because Ukrainian repair crews could not access the site due to the ongoing risk of repeat attacks. Russia has targeted these Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lines and their repair crews numerous times in the past.


The NASAMS air defense system that Canada purchased for Ukraine will arrive in early 2025. This donation faced numerous delays and complications. The plan to purchase the NASAMS was originally discussed with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in November 2022 and announced to the public in January 2023. Canada did not transfer the money to purchase the system until March, however.  Congress needed to approve the sale, but the US government could not enter into negotiations with Raytheon and Kongsberg about the price of a bulk purchase of 10 systems until they had received the funds from Canada. Congress approved the purchase in May 2023.  Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said 10 systems purchased by the United States will be delivered by the end of the year, and that “Ours will be among that tranche of deliveries and we'll immediately get it to Ukraine" by early 2025. It is typical for a NASAMS system to take 2 years to build. Blair blamed the delays in the delivery of the system on the US Congress which blocked an aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan for months.


The Ukrainian Kara Dag brigade managed to successfully capture a Russian tank on the Pokrovsk front. For days, the Russians have been trying to create a blockade by parking armored vehicles under a railroad bridge that crosses the road between Selidove and Mykhailivla. The Russians parked a tank under the bridge and were eliminated while fleeing. The Kara Dag unit managed to approach this abandoned tank with a tank of their own and tow it away.


Another Russian pontoon bridge across the Seim river was destroyed in Kursk. The Russians have published a video showing a vehicle crossing the bridge at Karizh, Krusk. This bridge was previously heavily bombed but a thin strip of road surface remained down the middle.


Reuters reported that Russian companies obtained spare parts for old ASML chipmaking machines through secondary markets in 2022-2023, despite EU sanctions. ASML is one of the leading companies that produces advanced lithography systems. The parts are for PAS-5500 machines that are 25 years old, meaning they can only make heavily outdated chips. However, they are still useful for producing the simple chips used in Russian military drones, tanks, and missiles. Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that Russian firms acquired parts via Chinese middlemen, with around 170 import cases being known about.


The Come Back Alive Foundation, in collaboration with Lviv and the Lviv City Council, launched the Zbroienosci project to raise $4.8 million to equip four Ukrainian brigades defending the Donetsk region with essential military supplies. The brigades are:

    • - 24th “Daniel of Galicia” Mechanized Brigade
    • - 80th Separate Galician Air Assault Brigade
    • - 68th “Oleksa Dovbush” Jaeger Brigade
    • - 128th Mountain Assault Brigade

    
The following equipment will be purchased:
    

    • - 36 120mm mortars
    • - 36 82mm mortars
    • - 40 Mk 19 grenade launchers
    • - 40 all-wheel drive pickup trucks
    • - 40 electronic warfare systems
    • - 100 DJI Mavic 3 drones
    • - 140 DJI Mavic 3T thermal imaging quadcopters.

The Metinvest group of mining and steel companies has provided ten pickup trucks to the Security Service of Ukraine through the Steel Front initiative. The trucks cost about $117,000. These vehicles were purchased in Europe and have undergone thorough maintenance. In total, around 30 pickup trucks have been provided to the SSU’s special forces through the initiative.


Romanian President Klaus Johannis enacted a law to send a Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine, including transport, spare parts, and training.


An anonymous Polish diplomat reported that Poland has a favorable view of Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's newly appointed Foreign Minister. Sybiha is seen as reliable and will improve Polish-Ukrainian cooperation and relations. Sybiha is fluent in Polish and has previously worked in Poland from 1998-2002.


Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said recruits receive about 1.5 to 2 months of training before deployment. He said they are being sent to battle with less training than ideal due to frontline demands.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told CNN on September 5 that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast has disrupted Russia’s plans for a new offensive from that region. Syrskyi stated, “The operation has diminished the threat of an enemy offensive.” He added that Ukrainian actions have shifted combat to Russian territory, making Russian society face the hardships of war. He also said that the objectives of the operation are to:

    • Prevent Russia from using Kursk as a base for a new offensive;
    • Divert Russian forces from other frontlines;
    • Establish a buffer zone to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border shelling;
    • Capture prisoners of war and boost the morale of Ukrainian troops and the nation.

On September 5, the Security Service of Ukraine and National Police arrested three residents of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast for setting fire to military vehicles SUVs, trucks, and minibuses. Two of the suspects, aged 17 and 18, worked together, while a third, who was previously arrested for theft, committed arson on his own. The SBU said that they set the fires in an attempt to get money from Russian special services.


On September 5, the Security Service of Ukraine announced that the head of the Finance Department at the Ministry of Defense was arrested. The official, in collusion with a military unit’s financial service head and a former serviceman, reportedly demanded bribes from severely wounded servicemen to ensure they would receive the benefits due to them.


Ukrainian soldier officeralex_33:

    “In the Vuhledar sector, about 5 units of [Russian] equipment have been deployed in different areas since the morning. Our artillery is just goddamn good, they fucked up a few units, the rest have retreated for now.”
...
“Things have improved in the Toretsk sector, we have retaken a large part of New York and established fire control over the rest of the city, which is under the control of the [Russians]. In Toretsk itself, things are not so great, there are positive moments, but not without problems, but much better than in early August.”

Ukrainian milblogger KUP:

    “The Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a number of measures and knocked out the [Russians] from the northern part of New York.”

Ukrainian milblogger zsuwar:

    " The Defense Forces restored positions in New York and Nelypivka in Donetsk region, as well as near Liptsi in Kharkiv region.

Just tigers."

Ukrainian soldier muchnoyairborne:

    “Pokrovsk Direction: Our Cossacks are holding Ukrains’k; it's very loud in the city! We went out to work and helped the troops prevent an enemy attack on the outskirts. Once everything started to function smoothly, the bastards immediately scattered. Currently, attacks are ongoing at Lisivka and Zhelanne 1, but the scum can't seem to get through! Everything is relatively normal so far; the pigs keep crawling and getting roasted fiercely!"
…
"We also have thermite FPVs working in the Pokrovsk sector, our Cossacks have already started to process the landing, I think the consequences will be f#cking bad! As the enemy was advancing, near the Novohrodivska mine they noticed pigs walking gracefully on the landing, so the paratroopers immediately gave them a light, as a result they received 5-200x. [200 means dead soldiers in this context].
Now the battle is on, we will repel it."

Quote of the Day:

    “I call that man awake who, with conscious knowledge and understanding, can perceive the deep unreasoning powers in his soul, his whole innermost strength, desire and weakness, and knows how to reckon with a hedgehog”

― Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund