Author: David Batashvili, Research Fellow at the Rondeli Foundation

This is a special issue of the Rondeli Russian Military Digest dedicated to the Russo-Ukrainian War, composed on the basis of numerous open sources.

 

Izyum Area and Donbas Area – North

Russian defenses in eastern Kharkiv Oblast collapsed completely during the reported period.

The larger western part of Kupyansk on the western side of the Oskil River was liberated on 9 September. Ukrainians then followed up with a rapid advance through the area to the north of this city.

To the south, the Russian forces within and around Izyum faced an imminent possibility of being surrounded due to the rapid Ukrainian advance threatening their remaining lines of communication. As a result, these forces quickly fled through their only remaining corridor southeast of Izyum. Ukrainians liberated this city on 10 September. The nearby town of Oskil was liberated as well.

Ukrainians also attacked across the Siverskyi Donets River in the area of Lyman. They entered the town of Svyatohirsk, and crossed the river east of Lyman. They also entered Lyman itself engaging in intense combat with the Russians inside this city.

 

Kharkiv Area

Another direction of the rapid Ukrainian advance was in the northeast of Kharkiv Oblast. Here Ukrainians liberated the towns of Velykyi Burluk and Vovchansk as well as the villages around them.

Facing collapse of their position in the whole northern part of the frontline, the Russian command decided to withdraw completely from the north and northeast of Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River. This included withdrawal from the zone of Russian control north of Kharkiv city which Russians had occupied since 24 February 2022.

As of the time of writing, the Russian-Ukrainian border in Kharkiv Oblast (except the small portion east of the Oskil River that likely remained under the Russian occupation) had become similar to the border in Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts after the Russians’ withdrawal in early April 2022 following their defeat in the Battle of Kyiv, turning into a passive frontline without maneuver combat.

Active combat in the vicinity of Kharkiv city thus came to an end.

Static shot from the Russo-Ukrainian War interactive map. Kharkiv Area, Izyum Area and Donbas Area – North by 16:00, Kyiv Time, 12 September 2022. All information on the maps is approximate.

 

Black Sea Area

Northwest of Kherson city, Ukrainians liberated villages Barvinok and Myrolyubivka. It appeared likely that Ukrainian advance there was in fact somewhat greater, but details in that regard were unknown at the time of writing.

Intense fighting occurred in the area of the Ukrainian breakthrough across the Inhulets River, and near the town of Snihurivka.

 

Donbas Area – Northeast

Reports appeared of a Ukrainian advance in the direction of Lysychansk but their veracity or the extent of a possible advance were unclear at the time of writing.

Russians conducted unsuccessful attacks on the line of Bakhmut-Zaitseve-Mykolaivka Druha-Kurdyumivka-Maiorsk.

 

Donbas Area – Southeast

Ukrainians attacked unsuccessfully near Pisky.

They also appeared to advance a little southwest of Horlivka, and to attack in the Donetsk Airport, but reports in that regard were unclear as of the time of writing.

Inconclusive fighting continued near Avdiivka and Novomykhailivka.

 

Donbas Area – South and Zaporizhzhia Area

Fighting without major changes occurred between Pavlivka and Yehorivka.

 

The Battle of Ukraine as of 16:00, Kyiv Time, 12 September 2022