UKRaine Advances On Melitopol and Bakhmut Fronts and Holds Marinka Front; UKR Advances Point to ‘severe degradation’ of RUssian Units; UKR’s Air Force 9 Times Strikes RU Military Positions; RUs Make ATTEMPTS to Storm De-occupied Andriivka, Robotyne, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukrainian defenders advance on Melitopol and Bakhmut fronts and hold Marinka front – General Staff report:

Over the past day, Ukrainian Armed Forces continued their offensive on the Melitopol and Bakhmut fronts, and defenders repelled 10 Russian attacks near Marinka in Donetsk Oblast.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: “The Ukrainian Defence Forces continue offensive operations on the Melitopol front and offensive (assault) operations on the Bakhmut front, inflicting losses in manpower and equipment on the occupying forces and wearing out the enemy.”

Details: The operational situation in Ukraine’s east and south is reportedly still difficult.

The operational situation on the Volyn and Polissia fronts has not changed significantly. There are no signs of formation of offensive groups. Select units of the Belarusian Armed Forces are performing tasks in the areas bordering Ukraine.

On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, the Russians maintain a military presence along the border and continue to attack settlements from within the territory of the Russian Federation. More than 25 settlements came under artillery and mortar fire, including Karpovychi, Arkhypivka, Leonivka and Vylchyky in Chernihiv Oblast; Stara Huta, Seredyna-Buda, Bilovody, Taratutyne and Hrabovske in Sumy Oblast; and Ivashky, Udy, Pletenivka, Vilkhuvatka and Bolohivka in Kharkiv Oblast. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian advances point to ‘severe degradation’ of Russian units, says ISW:

Recent Ukrainian advances in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and south of Bakhmut correspond with evidence that Russian units in those areas have suffered heavy losses, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Sept. 18 report.

The ISW identified a number of Russian front-line units, including the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, that regularly fought Ukrainian troops during the earlier stages of the counteroffensive.

Following recent Ukrainian advances, these units appear to have withdrawn.

“The absence of recent reports and footage of these elements participating in combat engagements in western Zaporizhia Oblast suggests that casualties sustained during the first phases of the Ukrainian counteroffensive rendered them combat ineffective,” the ISW said.

The ISW also said that elements of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet appear to have retreated behind deeper defensive lines following Ukraine’s liberation of Robotyne.

Further, the ISW said that elite Russian units dedicated to counterattacking advancing Ukrainian troops have “likely suffered heavy losses in these operations.”

Russian units south of Bakhmut have also racked up heavy losses. The ISW said that Russia’s 72nd Motorized Brigade “has likely been rendered combat ineffective.”

The ISW’s report cautioned that it is too soon to tell exactly what level of degradation Russian units in western Zaporizhzhia and the Bakhmut sector have suffered, and that losses may vary across units.

However, the ISW said that “evidence currently available” points to heavy losses, including loss of combat effectiveness among elite Russian units. —->READ MORE HERE

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

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

+++++War update: Ukraine’s Air Force nine times strikes Russian military positions+++++

++++++War update: Russians make attempts to storm de-occupied Andriivka, Robotyne++++

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