September 8, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Follow the latest news on Russia’s war in Ukraine here and read more about today’s developments in the posts below. 

The United States has sanctioned an Iranian entity for its role in exporting unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia to be used in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury Department said in a statement Thursday.  

The Treasury also designated three companies and an individual for their role in the provision of drones to Iranian military entities. 

“Russia is making increasingly desperate choices to continue its unprovoked war against Ukraine, particularly in the face of our unprecedented sanctions and export controls,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in the statement.

Last month, CNN reported that the US believed Russian officials had begun training on drones in Iran.

CNN first reported in July that a Russian delegation had visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice since June to examine weapons-capable drones, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and satellite imagery obtained exclusively by CNN.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed his country’s soldiers have retaken the key Kharkiv city of Balakliia.

Zelensky posted a video on his social media accounts with Ukrainian soldiers standing above a building in Balakliia, alongside the Ukrainian flag.

In front of the soldier, a Russian flag can been seen on the ground.

Zelensky captioned the video saying “everything was in its place.”

“The Ukrainian flag is in the free Ukrainian city, under the free Ukrainian sky,” the Ukrainian president said.

US President Joe Biden spoke with counterparts from Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania, Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and representatives from France and the European Union on Thursday to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine.

Biden “(underscored) continued international support for Ukraine, including through the ongoing provision of security and economic assistance and the sustained imposition of costs on Russia to hold the Kremlin accountable for its aggression,” according to a White House readout of the call.

That comes as the White House is “closely” monitoring an escalating energy crisis in Europe after Russian energy giant Gazprom halted flows through the vital Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely, claiming it had found an oil leak in a turbine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on September 8.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has departed Kyiv after his unannounced visit on Thursday, where he said the ongoing counteroffensive was “proving effective.”

The top US diplomat also said “it would be hard to imagine” that Russia’s so-called filtration operations, which have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, would be possible without the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Blinken credited the success of the counteroffensive to the “incredible bravery, resilience of Ukrainians,” and said the US was “so pleased to have been able to support your efforts.”

Speaking to the press before departing the city by train, Blinken said he got “a comprehensive update on the on the counter offensive.

“Again, it’s very early, but we’re seeing clear and real progress on the ground, particularly in the area around Kherson, but also some interesting developments in the Donbass, in the east, but again, early days,” he said.

Blinken said he spent about two hours with Zelensky and his team, and called it “a very productive and in many ways meaningful day.” 

In addition to meeting with Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, he visited US Embassy, toured a children’s hospital and went Irpin, where he saw first-hand the devastation wrought from the Russian occupation of the suburb of Kyiv.

The top US diplomat told the press he “was able to bear witness to horrific attacks on houses, on buildings, clearly belonging to civilians, where the shelling, the missiles, the bullets, it’s all there. And at best, it’s indiscriminate. At worst, it’s intentional. And I was able to talk to people doing remarkable work in compiling evidence of war crimes and atrocities and also those responsible for the city who are working to rebuild it,” he said.

Ukrainian forces regained control of Irpin in late March, but the city was left in ruins. Damage was still visible as the top US diplomat toured a part of the city, guided by Deputy Mayor Dmytro Nehresha, according to press accompanying Blinken.

Blinken was told that 95% of the city was evacuated at one point, but a vast majority – about 78% — have returned, and it is receiving internally displaced people from Kherson.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, the top US general, addresses a press conference at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, on September 8.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, the top US general, said that “so far, Russian strategic objectives have been defeated” in Ukraine.

Milley said that Russia has been “defeated” in its offensive that began in April after its failures early in the invasion.

“Their operational objectives in that offensive have not been successful. They have not achieved all of the Donbas, and they have only crossed the Dnipro River in the south in the vicinity of Kherson,” said Milley.

Milley also said while it’s too early to fully assess Ukraine’s newly launched offensive near Kherson, “Ukraine is effectively using their fires to shape the ground maneuver as they continue their offensive.”

Milley also said the progress of Ukrainian forces near Kherson has been “steady” and “deliberate.”

“I would characterize it as a very deliberate offensive operation that is calibrated to set conditions and then seize their objectives,” the general said.

Milley also denied that Ukraine’s military is overstretched fighting Russia from Kharkiv in the north to Kherson in the south.

“They’re continuing the fight. They’ve got the forces to do it, and we’ll see how this plays out,” said Milley.

William Burns, nominee for Central Intelligence Agency director, testifies during his Senate Select Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing, on February 24, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Russia “is going to pay a very heavy price” for a long time because of its war in Ukraine, CIA Director Bill Burns said on Thursday.

“I think if you take a step back now, it’s hard to see the record of the war — Putin’s record — as anything other than a failure so far,” Burns said at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, DC. “Not only has the weakness of the Russian military have been exposed, but there’s going to be long term damage done to the Russian economy and to generations of Russians as a result of this.”

Burns’ remarks come as Ukraine has begun to mount what the CIA director described as a counteroffensive in the south and in Kharkiv — although some US officials have been reluctant to name the Ukrainian operation as a true “counteroffensive” just yet and its chances of reclaiming territory remain unclear. 

“In the northeastern part of Ukraine, I would not underestimate the capacity or the courage of the Ukrainians right now, as well,” Burns added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, in Kyiv on September 8.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in Kyiv. 

Blinken also announced that the administration had informed the US Congress of its “intent to make a further $2.2 billion available in long-term investments under Foreign Military Financing to bolster the security of Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors; including many of our NATO Allies, as well as other regional security partners potentially at risk of future Russian aggression.”

“The United States is providing security assistance alongside our allies and partners from more than 50 countries to support Ukraine’s defense. The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield,” Blinken said.

The Ukrainian military says its forces have been able to advance 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) in the Kharkiv region, liberating 20 settlements in their counteroffensive.

“Filtration operations are ongoing in a number of settlements. In the course of active actions in the Kharkiv direction, more than 20 settlements were liberated,” Hromov also said.

CNN had previously reported Ukrainian advances in the area based on social media footage geolocated to settlements in the Kharkiv region previously controlled by Russian forces. The Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had advanced 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) into through Russian lines.

According to Hromov the counteroffensive “with the aim of restoring the lost territories” started at the beginning of the week and involved “the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with the units of the National Guard and other security forces.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, holds a landmine sniffer dog, Jack Russell Terrier Patron during his visits to a children hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, on September 8.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the National Children’s Specialized Hospital Ohmatdyt in Kyiv on Thursday.

He met with children who were being treated there – including some injured in the war – as well as Patron, the mine-sniffing dog who has gained international renown.

The top US diplomat, accompanied by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, made the visit to the hospital during an unannounced trip to Ukraine.

He was welcomed in the lobby by a large group of staff and Patron. Blinken gifted the Jack Russell terrier dog treats, quipping that “since he’s already received a number of medals and awards, I thought he’d actually prefer something a more usable,” and posed for photos in the lobby with the vest-clad pup.

“We have a long history of working on de-mining,” Blinken said. “We’re honored to be working with you on that.”

More on his visit: Blinken toured the hospital and visited with some of its patients, including a six-year-old Maryna, who lost part of her leg and has been in the hospital since May after being injured in Kherson. Blinken gave her a stuffed dog, and she also received a visit from Patron.

“I can tell that Patron likes Maryna very much,” Blinken said to the girl and her mother as he knelt by her bedside. Her mother told the top US diplomat that Maryna met actress Jessica Chastain, noting that they “loved her.”

Blinken then went to another room to meet more children who are at the hospital. He carried a basket full of toys.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets children during his visit to a children hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, on September 8.

Blinken took a photo and gifted a stuffed rabbit to 13-year-old Kateryna who was injured in the Kramatorsk rail station attack in early April; her mother was killed, the top US diplomat was told.

He was again accompanied by Patron and remarked, “I think he’s the most famous dog in the world.”

“We so admire the courage, the spirit of your children. It sends a very strong message all around the world,” Blinken told the room.

“And it’s an honor for me to meet you, to meet them, and to see the wonderful work that the doctors, the Minister, the Ronald McDonald House, everyone is doing. We’re just happy to be able to help and to be a friend and a partner.”

Ukraine’s apparent surprise counteroffensive in the northeast of the country has led to calls to evacuate Russian-held Kupiansk, while the United States has promised billions more in aid as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Kyiv.

Here are the latest headlines in the war:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed “good news” from the northeastern Kharkiv region, after an apparent surprise counter-offensive forced Russian troops onto the back foot and prompted a pro-Kremlin official to call for evacuations.

The Russian-installed head of the Kupiansk city administration, Vitaly Ganchev, urged women and children to evacuate the city as Ukrainian forces approached.

Ganchev said the city, which lies west of the Donbas region and about 70 miles east of the city of Kharkiv, “is constantly under terror” and experiencing “constant rocket attacks from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

Ukrainian officials have declined to comment on the offensive in the northeast of Ukraine, but footage geolocated by CNN showed Ukrainian forces in the town of Volokhiv-Yar on Wednesday, around 50 km away from Kupiansk, and also on the outskirts of Balakliya to the south. Russian officials have also remained silent on developments in the Kharkiv region.

The operation appeared designed to catch Russian forces off guard, following intensifying conflict in the south of Ukraine near the city of Kherson.

Read the full story here.

The United States intends to provide $2 billion to bolster the security of Ukraine and 18 other regional countries, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected announce Thursday.

Blinken made an unannounced trip to Ukraine today – his third visit to the country since Russia invaded more than six months ago.

According to a senior State Department official, the top US diplomat “will announce that we are notifying Congress today of our intent to make a further $2 billion available in long-term investments under Foreign Military Financing to bolster the security of Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors; including both many of our NATO allies as well as other regional security partners who are most potentially at risk for future Russian aggression.”

This new funding is in addition to the latest $675 million tranche of security assistance to Ukraine, which was announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in remarks in Germany.

“These announcements will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to approximately $15.2 billion since the beginning of this Administration,” the senior State Department official said.

Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine Khrystyna Hayovyshyn attends the UN Security Council's emergency meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., on September 7.

Torture and the forcible deportation of 2.5 million people were among the shocking details of human rights violations against Ukrainian civilians recounted at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

Deputy Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Khrystyna Hayovyshyn told the council that 2.5 million people, including 38,000 children, have been forcibly deported from the country under a Russian “filtration” program.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has also documented “filtration” cases, it said. During these cases, “Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups have subjected persons to body searches, sometimes involving forced nudity, and detailed interrogations about the personal background, family ties, political views and allegiances of the individual concerned,” according to Ilze Brands Kehris, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights.

Brands Kehris said there have been credible allegations of forced transfers of Ukrainian children to “Russian occupied territory, or to the Russian Federation itself.”

“We are concerned that the Russian authorities have adopted a simplified procedure to grant Russian citizenship to children without parental care, and that these children would be eligible for adoption by Russian families,” she added.

Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, speaks virtually during a U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, US, on September 7.

In addition, Brands Kehris said that men and women “perceived as having ties with Ukrainian armed forces or state institutions, or as having pro-Ukrainian or anti-Russian views” being subjected to torture, arbitrary detention, and “enforced disappearance.”

Russian officials said the allegations of forced “filtration” are unfounded, adding that newcomers to the country go through “registration,” not filtration.

Refugees and displaced persons in Russia are given health and financial assistance, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said in his remarks to the UN Security Council Wednesday.

It’s very unfortunate that human rights groups are making unfounded allegations against Russia, Nebenzia said. “We have wasted time” discussing this issue rather than real issues, the ambassador added.

Meanwhile, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs said that over 6.9 million people remain internally displaced in Ukraine, with most of the newly-displaced coming from eastern and southern Ukraine.

There have been 5,718 civilians killed, including 372 children, and 8,199 injured, including 635 children, during the war so far, she said.

DiCarlo added that “these are only verified figures and the actual numbers are likely significantly higher.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced trip to Ukraine Thursday – his third visit to the country since Russia invaded more than six months ago.

The top US diplomat met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. 

His trip comes as Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive aimed at reclaiming Russian occupied areas in the south of the country. It is also coincides with a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, hosted by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Both Austin and Blinken visited Ukraine in late April. They still remain the highest level US officials to have traveled to the country since the war began in late February. Multiple heads of state have gone to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. US President Joe Biden has yet to travel there, though the two leaders spoke by phone in recent weeks. 

Also on Thursday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov met his US counterpart Austin and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley at the Ramstein base. 

“Started the day with a meeting with great friends of Ukraine Lloyd Austin III @SecDef and Gen. Mark Milley @thejointstaff,” Reznikov tweeted. “We appreciate the US staunch support of Ukraine.”

“Look forward to launching #Ramstein 5 Meeting with 50+ participants,” he added.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi waits before a meeting with US Defense Secretary and other officials in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 19.

Ukraine’s top general has predicted that the war against Russia will last beyond this year, and acknowledged the effect of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in discouraging greater involvement from Ukraine’s allies.

In a wide-ranging and revealing analysis published by Ukrinform, Ukrainian state media, on Wednesday, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said there is “no certain final outcome in view.”

“There is every reason to believe,” writes Zaluzhnyi,in a piece co-authored with Lieutenant General Mykhailo Zabrodskyi, First Deputy Chairman of the National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Committee of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), that the conflict “is not going to end anywhere within 2022.”

The pair also raised a series of interesting tactical points:

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting on September 8, at the US airbase in Ramstein, western Germany.

US President Joe Biden has approved an aid package to Ukraine worth up to $675 million, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Thursday.

“Yesterday, President Biden approved the latest tranche of US assistance to Ukraine, valued at up to $675 million,” Austin said in remarks delivered Thursday morning at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Austin said this assistance includes more “GMLRS, 105 millimeter howitzers, artillery ammunition and HARMs, Humvees, armored ambulances, anti-tank systems and small arms.”

This is the Biden administration’s 20th drawdown of equipment from US stocks for Ukraine since last August, according to Austin.

Austin is hosting the fifth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, with representatives from 50 countries in attendance. The first meeting was held in April.

“Now, we’re seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield,” said Austin. “And every day, we see the resolve of the allies and partners worldwide who are helping Ukraine resist Russia’s illegal, imperial, and indefensible war of conquest. And we must evolve as the fight evolves.”

The Russian-installed head of the Kupiansk city administration, Vitaly Ganchev, has called on women and children to evacuate the city as Ukrainian forces approach. 

“It’s not only about Kupiansk, it’s about almost the entire Kupiansk district, the Izium district. They caused very serious material and moral damage to our population,” he added. 

Ukrainian officials have declined to comment on the offensive in the northeast of Ukraine, but footage geo-located by CNN showed Ukrainian forces in the town of Volokhiv-Yar on Wednesday, around 50 kilometers (36 miles) away from Kupiansk, and also on the outskirts of Balakliya to the south. Russian officials have also remained silent on developments in the Kharkiv region.

Russian military bloggers and analysts believe the Ukrainian push towards Kupiansk aims to cut off supply lines to the strategic city of Izium to the south. 

The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine’s push in the east is the result of Kyiv taking advantage of Russian redeployments to the south, to stop a Ukrainian counter offensive in the Kherson region. 

“Ukrainian forces likely used tactical surprise to advance at least 20 kilometers (12 miles) into Russian-held territory in eastern Kharkiv Oblast on September 7, recapturing approximately 400 square kilometers of ground,” the institute said in its daily report on the war on Wednesday.

“Ukrainian forces likely took prudent advantage of a reallocation of Russian troops, equipment, and overall operational focus to launch localized counteroffensives toward critical points in Kharkiv Oblast.”

The Ukrainian military says it has repelled several Russian offensives across the battlefield, but has remained silent about its own counter-offensives in the northeast around Kharkiv and in the south near Kherson.

The General Staff also reported intense Russian shelling across the battlefield. 

The update goes on to claim Ukrainian forces struck a Russian base in the village of Solodkovodne, in the Zaporizhzhya region, using artillery, but did not include information on ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensives in the north-eastern and southern frontlines.

The General Staff says only that “missile troops and artillery of our land groupings of troops continue to perform tasks of counter-battery combat, disruption of the command and control system and logistical support, damage to the enemy’s manpower and combat equipment,” without any specifics.

The recovered body of British aid worker Paul Urey, who was captured in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and died in the custody of Russian-backed separatists, has signs of “possible unspeakable torture,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Thursday. 

CNN cannot independently confirm Kuleba’s claims and has not reviewed autopsy reports relating to his death. 

Urey – who was from Warrington, Cheshire – was captured in April and accused of being a mercenary.

Russian-backed officials reported him dead due to “chronic diseases” and “stress” in July; he was 45 years old.  

Urey suffered from a number of health conditions, including diabetes, his friend Lex Roberts told CNN. 

The DPR’s ombudsperson Daria Morozova claimed Urey was “provided with appropriate medical assistance” while held in the separatist-held region. 

The foreign office summoned Russia’s Ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin after learning of Urey’s death. 

In a statement, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss – who was foreign minister at the time of Urey’s capture – said Urey had been carrying out “humanitarian work” to “try and help the Ukrainian people.”

“The Russian government and its proxies are continuing to commit atrocities. Those responsible will be held to account. My thoughts are with Mr Urey’s family and friends at this horrendous time,” Truss said. 

Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, speaks during a Security Council meeting on September 7.

Ukraine told a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday that 2.5 million people have been forcefully deported from the country as part of a Russian “filtration” scheme in which many are being tortured and killed.

Deputy Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN Khrystyna Hayovyshyn told the Security Council that thousands of Ukrainian citizens are being forcefully deported to “isolated and depressed regions of Siberia and the far east.” 

Among the 2.5 million people deported so far, said the ambassador, were 38,000 children – many of whom had been ripped from the arms of their parents.

The Russian authorities are terrorizing those it deports under the pretense of searching for “dangerous” people, the ambassador said, disappearing people affiliated with the Ukrainian government or media and those with political views deemed objectionable.

The comments came as the US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield described Russian “filtration operations” as “horrifying.”  

But Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that newcomers go through “registration,” not filtration, procedures.

Nebenzia said it was unfortunate that human rights groups were making what he described as unfounded allegations against Russia.

“We have wasted time” discussing this issue, he said.

“People are fleeing Ukraine, more for fear of Ukraine,” Nebenzia added.

A satellite image shows damage to the roof of a building adjacent to several of the nuclear reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on August, 29.

Shelling on Tuesday damaged a backup power line that would supply Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in case of emergency, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been held by Russian forces since early March, but is still operated by Ukrainian staff. The IAEA director general visited the power plant last week, and two IAEA experts stayed to maintain a permanent presence at the plant. 

The IAEA said the shelling damage did not “have an immediate impact” on the plant, because the electricity line was not connected to the grid at the time.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant situated in the Russian-controlled area of Enerhodar is seen on April 27.

Ukraine is considering shutting down the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant due to the deteriorating security situation, said Oleh Korikov, the chief state inspector for nuclear and radiation safety of Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power station in Europe.

“The continued deterioration of the situation, the prolonged lack of power supply from an external source of electricity will force us to deploy standby diesel generators, and it is extremely difficult to top up the diesel fuel supply during the war,” Korikov added. 

Korikov said maintaining the diesel generators running would not be sustainable. 

For context: In an interview last month, Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin explained why diesel generators are not a sustainable alternative.

Diesel generators are backups to cool fuel and keep things operational, but there are caveats to using them for an indefinite time and it’s a “dangerous” situation to be in, he explained.

Korikov’s concerns are along the same lines as tensions continue at the plant.

“Four huge diesel fuel tanks are needed per day,” Korikov explained. “Potentially, we can find ourselves in a situation with no diesel fuel; it can give rise to an accident, damaging the active zone of reactors and releasing radioactive products into the environment. It will not only affect the territory of Ukraine but also produce cross-border effects.”

Currently, the plant “generates electricity and supplies it for its own needs” through an exceptional process called islanding where the plant — although disconnected from a power grid — uses its own energy to power cooling systems, according to Korikov.

One week into a new counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces are making gains in the south, with the ambitious goal of taking back most of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson by the end of the year, senior US officials and Ukrainian officials tell CNN.

The last week has seen the most ambitious ground assaults by the Ukrainians since the beginning of the invasion, following sustained attacks on command posts, ammunition stores, and fuel reserves far behind the front lines, according to geolocation of video and satellite imagery.

The US has observed Ukrainian forces achieve some success in attacking Russian supply lines, with the intention of cutting off and isolating Russian troops currently deployed west of the Dnipro River, according to a senior US official.

Ryder also said that the US has seen “some offensive Russian activity … near Bakhmut.”

According to Ukrainian officials, the goal is to take at least all territory north or west of the Dnipro River, including not only the city of Kherson but also Nova Kakhovka, site of an important hydroelectric plant as well as the canal that supplies Crimea with much of its water.

The current offensive in the south is broad-based – extending more than 100 miles wide – to prevent Russian units from concentrating on one point. Additionally, there has been an uptick in sabotage operations and attacks on pro-Russian officials in occupied areas.

US officials acknowledge the Ukrainian goal of recapturing Kherson by the end of 2022 is ambitious but remains possible if Ukraine continues to make progress in its current operations.

Read more:

Ukrainian troops hoist flag above building in Vysokopillya, in southern Kherson region

Related article Ukrainian forces aim to retake Kherson by year's end as gains made in South, US and Ukrainian officials say | CNN Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on September 7.

Russia has “lost nothing” in its “special military operation” in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday in a speech to open the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

Putin’s claim comes despite two US officials telling CNN last week that the United States believes Russia is facing “severe” shortages of military personnel in Ukraine and is seeking new ways to beef up its troop levels. 

It also comes despite a statement by UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday that claimed “over 25,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives” since the start of the war. 

In late August, Putin ordered Russia’s military to increase its overall number of troops by 137,000. It remains unclear how it intends to reach that target.