UKRaine Liberates Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast After Months of Heavy Fighting; UKR Advances in Zaporizhzhia Oblast; RUssia says UKR Drones Strike Crimea, Moscow, Oil Depot; RUs Conduct Offensive Near Andriivka, Avdiivka and Marinka to No Avail, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine liberates Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast after months of heavy fighting:

Ukraine’s military reported late on Sept. 17 that it had liberated the village of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast, marking the latest success in a more than three-months-long counteroffensive on the Bakhmut axis.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who commands Ukraine’s Ground Forces, said on Telegram that Ukraine’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade, the 80th Air Assault Brigade, and the Liut (“Anger”) National Police Assault Brigade took part in the operation to liberate Klishchiivka.

In a video shared by Liut on Facebook, a Ukrainian soldier said, “We stand strong, firm and confident, because this is our land. The enemy does not stop attempts to capture it again.”

For months, there has been heavy fighting around Klishchiivka – which fell to Russia in late January – as Ukraine attempted to retake the village.

Ukrainian soldiers with the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, also deployed in the area, told the Kyiv Independent over July and August that advancing toward Klishchiivka is extremely difficult due to heavily mined fields and Russia’s incessant artillery fire.

Before the liberation was publicly announced on Sept. 17, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak published a photo of Ukrainian soldiers in front of the town’s church with the caption “Ukraine always takes back its own.” —>READ MORE HERE

ISW: Ukrainian advances in Zaporizhzhia Oblast prompt Russian defensive focus:

Russian volunteer battalions “Storm Ossetia” and “Alania” which are operating in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, shared a photo on Sept. 16, allegedly depicting a small unit from the Russian 83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade stationed in Nesteryanka, some 57 kilometers southeast from Zaporizhzhia and near the current Ukrainian breach.

Elements of the 83rd Brigade had previously been deployed to counter Ukrainian offensives around Klishchiivka in late June and were observed in combat in late August, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update. Some elements of the 83rd Brigade were reportedly still active in the Bakhmut area as of Sept. 11, suggesting Russia’s concern regarding Ukrainian advances in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The ISW has previously assessed that Ukrainian counteroffensive operations would compel the Russian command to prioritize specific front sectors and conduct lateral redeployments. These operations have engaged elite Russian units, including the 98th Air Assault Division, the 83rd Air Assault Brigade, the 11th Air Assault Brigade, the 31st Air Assault Brigade, the 106th Air Assault Division, and the 364th Special Force Brigade.

These formations, however, have not yet been redirected to bolster the defense in Zaporizhzhia, partly due to ongoing Ukrainian actions around Bakhmut.

Ukrainian counteroffensive efforts have effectively immobilized these elite Russian units within the Bakhmut area, preventing their large-scale relocation to the western Zaporizhzhia Oblast defensive front. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Ukraine drones strike Crimea, Moscow, oil depot, Russia says+++++

+++++Russians conduct offensive near Andriivka, Avdiivka and Marinka to no avail – General Staff+++++

Air Force: Ukraine downs 12 out of 16 missiles, drones launched by Russia overnight



Air defenses destroyed four Russian missiles, six combat drones in south



Ukrainian forces kill over 200 enemy troops, 23 units of military equipment in southern Ukraine in one day



Ukraine’s Next Battlefield Foe: Bad Weather



US Republican senators pressure Biden to speed up shipment of ATACMS missiles to bolster Ukraine’s counter-offensive



Explosions reported in occupied Sevastopol as a result of work of Ukraine’s intelligence and Navy



Military: Liberation of Klishchiivka creates foundation for further offensives



Governor: Drone damages oil depot in southwestern Russia



Ukraine recaptures village near Bakhmut, Zelenskiy says



Russia tries to confuse and exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses with course-changing cruise missiles



Ukraine media say Sevastopol explosions due to special operation



A Ukrainian Soldier’s Story of Captivity and Torture



World Court to hear Russian objections to Ukraine genocide case



Russian attack hits medical facility in Kherson Oblast

Source