In the second half of September, the Russian offensive in Donbas resulted in the capture of the town of Ukrainsk, a significant step toward severing the logistical lines supplying Selydove and Pokrovsk. Russian forces systematically destroyed critical infrastructure, including the overpass connecting Pokrovsk with Myrnohrad, which impeded Ukraine’s ability to redeploy reserves. Simultaneously, according to reports by the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Russian forces managed to recapture approximately 20% of territory in Kursk Oblast, reopening the connection with the Glushkovo area.

Ukraine responded by inviting the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to monitor the humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied territories, underscoring its commitment to international law.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formalised the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces—the world’s first branch of the armed forces dedicated exclusively to drones. This decision reflected the changing nature of the battlefield, where FPV drones had begun to assume some of the functions traditionally performed by artillery, whose ammunition deliveries continued to arrive with delays. At the same time, Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the size of the Russian armed forces by an additional 180,000 troops, a clear signal of preparations for a prolonged war of attrition.

A key event of September was a massive Ukrainian drone strike—employing more than 100 unmanned aerial vehicles—against the 107th arsenal in Toropets, Tver Oblast. The explosions were so powerful that seismographs recorded tremors of up to 2.8 on the Richter scale, and NASA satellites detected fires engulfing nearly the entire complex. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 tonnes of ammunition were destroyed, including Iskander and KN-23 missiles as well as rockets for S-300 air defence systems. Military analysts, including Marcus Keupp, assessed this as the single largest logistical loss suffered by Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, with the potential to materially affect the intensity of Russian bombardments in the coming months. In the shadow of this operation, brutal urban fighting continued. In Novohrodivka, the body of a Ukrainian prisoner of war killed with a sword bearing the inscription “For Kursk” was discovered, prompting renewed accusations of Russian war crimes. Ukraine also carried out a successful missile strike on ammunition depots near Mariupol, destroying stockpiles amassed for an offensive in the south of the country.

The end of the second week of September brought breakthrough financial announcements. During a visit to Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen announced a €35 billion EU loan secured by profits generated from frozen Russian assets. These funds are to be transferred directly to Ukraine’s state budget, enabling, inter alia, the financing of domestic production of long-range missiles. In parallel, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the removal of all restrictions on the use of Western-supplied weapons against military targets on Russian territory.

The third ten-day period of September saw Ukraine achieve notable successes in degrading Russia’s logistical rear. Following the destruction of the depot in Toropets, Ukrainian drones struck another major facility—the 23rd arsenal in Oktyabrskoye (Tver Oblast)—as well as a base in Tikhoretsk in southern Russia. According to Ukrainian intelligence, these depots stored, among other items, munitions supplied by North Korea.

At the same time, satellite imagery from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome circulated globally, documenting the complete failure of a test of Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat (Satan II) intercontinental ballistic missile. Instead of a successful launch, an explosion occurred in the silo, leaving a massive crater and destroying the launch infrastructure. Coinciding with Ukrainian battlefield successes, the incident undermined Russia’s narrative of the strength and reliability of its nuclear deterrent.

In addition, on the ground front, one of the most striking successes of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) was recorded. After a weeks-long siege, special forces recaptured the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant, clearing 30 buildings of Russian forces. The fighting was exceptionally difficult, frequently involving close-quarters combat amid dense industrial structures.

The situation in Donbas, however, remained critical. Russian pincers around Vuhledar began to tighten. The city—defended almost since the beginning of the war—came under attack from three directions, with Russian troops entering its eastern outskirts. Simultaneously, Russian aviation intensified terror against civilians, dropping FAB aerial bombs on Kharkiv and Kramatorsk, resulting in numerous deaths and the destruction of residential high-rise buildings.

Illustrative photo generated by AI