Ukraine offensive: Four villages captured - military source gives details and the main goal

Created: 2022-08-29Updated: 2022-08-29 10:24 p.m

By: Florian Naumann, Astrid Theil, Bettina Menzel, Franziska Schwarz

Russian troops are said to have been pushed back in southern Ukraine.

According to intelligence information, Russia is facing massive problems.

The news ticker.

• Ukraine liberates several villages: named main target of offensive

• Explosions

  in

  Melitopol

  : There are said to have been large detonations in the Russian-occupied city to the south.

• Counter-offensive

  in the Ukraine war: "The beginning of the end of the occupation"

• This

  news ticker on military developments

  in the Ukraine war is constantly updated.

Update from August 29, 9:56 p.m .:

There is still only limited information about the Ukraine offensive in the south of the country.

Russia has confirmed the offensive but said it "failed miserably" with heavy losses on the Ukrainian side.

On the other hand, Ukraine reported that the Russian front line in the Kherson region had been breached.

The civilian population had previously been called on to leave the areas or to seek protection.

According to a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian army, separatist units and Russian marine infantry units were forced to retreat.

In the evening Kyiv reported that the village of Sukhyi Stavok had been taken.

Attacks on the important pontoon bridge next to the Antoniv Bridge were also reported.

Ukraine liberates several villages: named main target of offensive

CNN

is now reporting that Ukraine has currently recaptured four villages during its offensive.

The US media cites information from a Ukrainian military source.

"The operation began at night with massive shelling of Russian positions," the source is quoted as saying.

The primary target is the city of Cherson in southern Ukraine.

“The main direction of attack was on Pravdyne.

We met their infantry from DNR (Donetsk People's Republic) and LNR (Luhansk People's Republic) and they fled.

The Russian landing force fled after them,"

said .

The defense line has been breached in three places and four villages are currently liberated.

These are Nova Dmytrivka, Arkhanhel's'ke, Tomyna Balka and Pravdyne.

The source reports many Russian dead and prisoners, as well as many damaged military vehicles.

How exactly the offensive will continue was not revealed.

But the source noted, "Our goal is Kherson."

The information cannot currently be checked independently.

Anti-aircraft gunners of a special air defense unit of the National Guard of Ukraine on a combat mission in Ukraine.

(Photo of August 24) © IMAGO/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyi

Update from August 29, 9:07 p.m .:

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed a Ukrainian offensive in the occupied areas of Cherson and Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.

However, the attacks in three places were repelled, with the Ukrainian army suffering heavy casualties, a statement from Moscow said on Monday.

The military information could not be independently verified.

Since June, the Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly announced a major counter-offensive in the south.

On Monday, the southern group of the Ukrainian army announced that its own troops had broken through a Russian front line in the Cherson region.

Accordingly, units of the Donetsk separatists and Russian marines were forced to withdraw.

More precise locations were not given.

The Ukrainian general staff made no mention of any offensive in the region in its report for Monday evening.

However, Ukrainian authorities asked the population to leave the Russian-occupied areas if possible.

Those who cannot do this should stock up on food and water and go to safe buildings.

Explosions in Melitopol: There are said to have been large detonations in the Russian-occupied city in the south

Update from August 29, 8:11 p.m .:

Apparently there were four “powerful explosions” in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in southern Ukraine.

This is reported by the Ukrinform news agency, citing Melitopol's mayor Ivan Fyodorov.

He therefore writes via Telegram: "We are collecting detailed information about enemy losses," he is further quoted as saying.

Explosions in Melitopol: Mayor comments

Update from August 29, 7:47 p.m .:

Apparently, the already announced Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south of the country is still going on.

Following earlier reports of a frontline breakthrough, the Ukrainian military also reported the recapture of the village of Sukhyi Stavok to the north of the Kherson front line.

Now Russian social media accounts are said to have confirmed this.

This is reported

.

In addition, there are said to be unconfirmed reports that Russian soldiers are said to be withdrawing from their positions.

There will also be fights in a number of places.

Meanwhile, Russia appears to have launched rocket attacks on the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.

The

reported twelve hits and two dead, citing regional governor Vitaliy Kim.

In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry's press service, a Russian soldier fires from a Kornet, a Russian man-portable anti-tank guided missile, during a sortie in an unnamed location in Ukraine.

© dpa

Update from August 29, 7:37 p.m .:

24 people were injured in the Russian rocket attack on Mykolaiv Oblast on Monday, the governor of the region, Vitaliy Kim, updated his information on Monday.

Eleven people were injured and two dead.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war: 5663 civilians killed in Ukraine

A total of 5,663 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, including 365 children.

8055 civilians were injured.

The Human Rights Office of the United Nations (UN) reported on Monday.

However, the actual number is probably much higher, for example because reports from contested areas are delayed.

According to the UN report, between August 1 and August 28 alone, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine was 1,063.

Twelve Russian rockets fell in Mykolayiv Oblast: Eleven injured, two dead

Update from August 29, 5:43 p.m .:

On Monday, according to the governor of Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitaliy Kim, twelve Russian rockets hit residential buildings in the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.

Russia fired more missiles, but not all of them reached their target, the governor said in a statement.

Eleven people were injured and two people were killed.

The information could not be independently verified.

Ukraine had previously launched a counter-offensive in the south of the country.

Counter-offensive in southern Ukraine: "Situation under control of Ukrainian soldiers"

Update from August 29, 4:51 p.m

.: There are new quotes from troop spokesman Natalija Humenyuk on the counter-offensive in southern Ukraine.

, the situation is "quite tense, but under control of the Ukrainian soldiers"

.

After several "very well-aimed strikes", the Russian troops shied away from the attack and stayed on their fortified lines.

The information could not be independently verified.

Zaporizhia nuclear plant: Russian occupiers accuse Kyiv of shelling again

Update from August 29, 4:26 p.m

.: For weeks, Kiev and Moscow have been blaming each other for the escalation around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

Now, according to the Russian occupiers, it has been shot at again.

The roof of the uranium warehouse is said to have been damaged, they told the Interfax agency.

The information cannot be verified independently.

The Russian military governor Vladimir Rogov showed the corresponding photos on Telegram.

The shots were fired from a US-held M777 howitzer, he said.

An increased emission of radioactivity was not known according to the dpa.

Counter-offensive in the Ukraine war: "The beginning of the end of the occupation"

Update from August 29, 3:55 p.m

.: Will Cherson be recaptured?

"Strong artillery attacks on enemy positions were being carried out throughout the region," Regional Council Deputy Serhiy Chlan now told Pryamy TV.

"This is the announcement of what we have been waiting for since spring - the beginning of the end of the occupation in the Kherson region," Chlan said.

The aim is therefore to push the Russian troops back to the other bank of the Dnipro.

The information could not initially be independently verified.

Putin's troops took Cherson as the first major Ukrainian city in the Ukraine war.

It is close to the annexed Crimea.

Ukraine reports breakthrough in the south on "many sections" - Russians are probably fleeing

Update from August 29, 1:23 p.m

.: In the Cherson region, Ukrainian troops are said to have broken through the Russian front lines in “many sections”.

The Internet portal Hromadske quoted the press secretary of the southern group of the Ukrainian army, Nataliya Humenyuk, with this information.

Accordingly, units of the Donetsk separatists and supporting Russian marine infantry are said to have been forced to retreat.

More precise locations were not given.

The information could not be independently verified.

Volunteer soldiers take part in a military exercise outside of Kyiv.

(Photo from August 27, 2022) © Andrew Kravchenko/dpa

Secret service on Shoigu: style of leadership causes trouble for Putin minister

Update August 29, 10:58 a.m

.: Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is increasingly in a position of weakness, British intelligence believes.

It is likely that officers and soldiers do not take him seriously because of an ineffective and unrealistic leadership style.

Before being appointed minister, Shoigu spent most of his career in construction and other areas.

According to the intelligence report, which has now been published in London, he lacks military experience.

Fear of nuclear catastrophe: IAEA team on the way to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia

Update from August 29, 6:36 a.m .:

After the repeated shelling of the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made their way there.

The mission under his leadership will arrive "later this week" at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday on Twitter.

Because of the repeated shelling of the nuclear power plant, for which Ukraine and Russia blame each other, fear of a nuclear catastrophe like that in Chernobyl in 1986 is growing.

Update from August 29, 6:12 a.m .:

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reports, with reference to an unnamed source, that the Russian military has virtually eliminated the Ukrainian air force.

As a result, fighter pilots who are not fully trained are already being deployed, and they would be shot down at the latest on the second mission.

The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope

View photo gallery

There are also attempts by Western countries to recruit pilots familiar with Russian jets in Eastern European countries, albeit without much success.

The US Department of Defense is even said to be recruiting suitable flight personnel in Afghanistan to be trained in California.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 273 Ukrainian military aircraft, 148 helicopters and 1,808 drones have been destroyed since the start of the Ukraine war.

This information cannot be independently verified.

Ukraine reports defensive successes: several Russian assaults repelled

Update from August 28, 10:12 p.m .:

According to Russian information, Ukraine used an armed drone to attack the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

The drone was shot down and fell on the safety shell over a reactor, the occupation administration of the city of Enerhodar reported on Sunday, according to Russian agencies.

The explosive charge detonated without causing any damage.

The information could not be independently verified.

The Russian side implied that the drone was intended to attack a spent fuel storage facility.

Ukraine also published unverifiable reports of attacks on Sunday: According to its own statements, the Ukrainian army repelled Russian assaults in several places in the east of the country, including the village of Pervomaiske northwest of Donetsk and the village of Vessela Dolyna near the town of Bakhmut.

Dozens of places along the more than 2,000-kilometer-long front line were fired on by Russian tanks, tube and rocket artillery on Sunday.

Two rockets fell in the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov on Sunday evening, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

Explosive accounts came from Belarus: activists from neighboring Ukraine linked an attack on the Rivne region in northern Ukraine to several Russian fighter planes taking off from airfields in Belarus.

The ruler there, Alexander Lukashenko, made his country available to the Russian troops as a deployment area against Ukraine.

Update from August 28, 7:27 p.m .:

Ukraine reports another military success: three checkpoints in the Russian-controlled area of ​​Cherson were hit by artillery fire, the Ukrainian “Operations Command South” said, according to the Nexta portal.

Eleven rocket launchers, three armored vehicles and a self-propelled howitzer were destroyed.

The information could not be independently verified.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, again threatened the West – this time on the gas issue.

Russia in the Ukraine war before troop increases?

Britain doubts benefit

Update from August 28, 1:50 p.m .:

The British Ministry of Defense doubts that the increase in the army announced by Russia by around 140,000 soldiers will increase the combat capability of the troops.

"In any case, under the current legislation, the order is unlikely to bring any significant progress in strengthening Russia's combat capability in Ukraine," the ministry said on Twitter.

The Ukraine war has so far been very costly for Russia.

In addition, very few new contract soldiers would be hired at this time.

Conscripts are also not required to serve abroad.

President Vladimir Putin recently ordered an increase by decree.

"It remains unclear whether Russia will attempt to cover this increase by recruiting more volunteer contract soldiers or by increasing annual targets for conscripts," the ministry said.

All-clear NPP Zaporizhia: no indication of leakage of radioactive radiation

Update from August 28, 1:21 p.m .:

After the bombardment of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant occupied by Moscow’s troops, according to Russia and Ukraine, no increased radioactive radiation was found.

The radiation situation remains normal, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday in Moscow.

The Ukrainian state operator Enerhoatom made a similar statement.

Update from August 28, 12:24 p.m .:

The situation around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country remains tense.

According to Russian and Ukrainian information, there is already damage to the infrastructure of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

The warring parties once again warned of the danger that radioactive material could escape and lead to a nuclear catastrophe.

According to

, it cannot currently be ruled out that radioactivity is already escaping in Kiev.

Concern about the Zaporizhia nuclear plant: is there already radioactivity?

According to the warring parties, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon travel to the plant to see the situation for themselves.

Moscow is rejecting the handover of the nuclear power plant back to Kyiv, which has been demanded by dozens of states, because from the Russian point of view Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of the plant.

Ukraine destroys "major military base" in Melitopol

Update from August 28, 12:06 p.m .:

Ukraine has apparently destroyed a “large Russian military base” in occupied Melitopol.

The

reports , citing Ivan Fedorov, the city's mayor.

Accordingly, the base in a former car factory was attacked at night.

Territorial gains in Donetsk: Ukraine records military successes

First report from August 28

: Kiev - In the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian army is said to have succeeded in pushing back Russian troops around the towns of Soledar, Zaitseve and Mayorsk.

This was recently reported by the British

, citing the military command of Ukraine.

The British Ministry of Defense reported, based on information from its secret services, that Russia was trying to put more pressure on Ukrainian troops in the east.

In this way, Ukraine's offensives in the south of the country should be slowed down.

According to Kyiv, Ukrainian troops have succeeded in destroying an air defense system in the Cherson region in southern Ukraine.

In addition, two important bridges in the Kherson region remained unusable for Russian troops due to constant shelling.

Russian army under pressure: the arsenal of weapons is decreasing

According to information from Ukrainian secret services, the Russian army is also facing massive problems after weeks of heavy shelling: Compared to the start of the war, Russia only has 45 percent of its missile inventory.

This is reported by the

.

Russia has a "difficult situation" with its Kalibr missiles, Vadym Skibitskyi is quoted by the Ukrainian secret service as saying.

In addition, Russia only has "about 20 percent or less" of its Iskander missiles.

This information cannot be independently verified.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also expects a military standstill: For the first time since August 18, the Russian armed forces reported no territorial gains.