While most of the heavy fighting in Ukraine is concentrated in the Donetsk region, Russia continues to push toward the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. Located about 60 miles east of Kharkiv City, it is a regional administrative headquarters and sits astride a key railway. Russian forces are now less than five miles to the northeast and less than 10 miles to the southeast.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff reported 20 battles in the area on Friday and claimed its forces repelled Russian advance attempts on the nearby towns of Sinkivka, Glushkivka, Lozova, Stelmakhivka and Kolisnikivka.
The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) said units of its Zapad Group of Forces “took more advantageous lines and positions as well as inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 3rd Tank Brigade and the 14th, 44th, 53rd, 63rd, 66th Mechanized Brigades.”
A Ukrainian drone unit said it repelled a large mechanized attack in the Pischany district, about 12 miles southeast of Kupiansk. That town is in the middle of a Russian pincer movement approaching Kupiansk from the north and south.
“About 50 units of Russian armored vehicles with amphibious assault were moving in the direction of Kolesnikivka and Kruglyakivka,” Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the ACHILLES assault battalion of the 92nd Assault Brigade, claimed on Telegram.
A video released by the unit shows about two dozen Russian armored vehicles and trucks being destroyed by first-person view (FPV) drones.
Ukrainian drones also attacked ground troops.
The Russian push toward Kupiansk has gone on since May. In August we reported that city officials evacuated more than 11,000 people. On Friday, Kharkiv Regional State Administrator Oleg Synegubov stated on Telegram that schools, apartment buildings, and homes were destroyed or damaged by Russian glide bombs, artillery, and drones.
The Russian offensive in Kharkiv has created a cascading series of problems for Ukraine. It rushed troops from the Donbas to defend it, leaving that region more exposed.
Back in September 2022, Ukraine liberated Kupiansk as part of its stunning and successful offensive in that region. It was a high point for the nation a half-year after Russia launched its all-out invasion. While its fall does not appear imminent, the fact that Kupiansk is again under siege is another troubling sigh of Ukraine’s hard-fought gains being eroded.
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Elsewhere on the battlefield, Russian forces continue to push forward in eastern Ukraine, where towns like Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Vuhledar remain in peril.
According to the Institute for the Study of War’s (ISW) latest assessment, Russian forces “ recently advanced east and southeast of Pokrovsk amid continued offensive operations near Pokrovsk on September 26.”
Ukrainian forces “maintain positions in Vuhledar and Kostyantynivka amid continued Russian offensive operations southwest of Donetsk City on September 26. The Ukrainian brigade defending in Vuhledar reported that Ukrainian forces are maintaining positions in the settlement in response to recent Western reporting to the contrary.”
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces “recently reportedly made marginal advances north of Kharkiv City, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline” in the northern part of that region on September 26. There were no gains made in Luhansk Oblast either.
In Russia’s Kursk region, “Ukrainian forces continued ground assaults in Glushkovsky Raion, Kursk Oblast on September 26 but did not make any confirmed advances.”
With Vuhledar on the verge of being captured, Russia struck it with an incendiary attack. The video below shows what could possibly be streams of thermite cascading down like a burning blizzard. Thermite is a combination of oxidized iron and aluminum that burns at about 4,440 degrees Fahrenheit. It has recently been in the news thanks to Ukraine using it on Russian troops via so-called Dragon Drones.
The Economist painted a stark picture of Ukraine’s fate in this conflict.
“In theory, Ukraine remains determined to reclaim all its lost territory, restoring the borders it inherited when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991,” the publication explained. “That would entail the reconquest not only of the Russian-occupied bits of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia provinces, but also of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. But that is far out of reach militarily. In practice, the war has become one of attrition, with both sides hoping they can outlast the other, or at least fend the other off for long enough to avoid being forced into a disadvantageous peace agreement.”
Russian forces again attacked the Danube River city of Izmail and other areas in the region.
“The Russians launched attack drones in the south of our region, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. The work of the air defense forces was long and intense. Unfortunately, three people died as a result of the attack: and 11 people were injured, including one child.”
“Private and apartment buildings, outbuildings, buildings, cars were damaged,” he added.”As a result of the attack, several fires broke out, which were promptly extinguished by our firefighters. Law enforcement officials record the consequences of the terrorist act of the Russians. People are provided with all necessary assistance.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brought his victory plan pitch to former president and current GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Friday.
During a pre-meeting press conference, Trump once again said he could end the war in Ukraine and that he has good relations with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Standing next to Zelensky, Trump said he’s ready to work out a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, CNN noted, emphasizing his good relationship with Putin.
“So, we’re going to sit down (to) just discuss it, and if we have a win, I think long before I, before January 20, before I would take the presidency – it’s January 20 – but long before that, I think that we can work out something that’s good for both sides. It’s time,” Trump added. “By the way, the president (Zelensky) knows that too. He wants to get something done. He doesn’t want to do this.”
“I think we have common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped, and Putin can’t win, and Ukraine has to prevail, and I want to discuss with you the details about that,” Zelensky said.
The meeting took place even after Trump, openly skeptical about providing additional aid to Ukraine, mocked Zelensky.
While Zelensky has yet to release the plan, it is said to include requests for ongoing Ukrainian security guarantees as well for additional long-range weapons and the permission to use them deep in Russia.
After the meeting, Zelensky expressed gratitude toward Trump, calling their meeting “very productive.”
He added that the two men “thoroughly reviewed” the situation in Ukraine and the consequences of the war for Ukrainians.
On Thursday, Zelensky shared his victory plan with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
After the meeting, Harris bashed Republican calls for Ukraine to end the war even if it means giving up large amounts of its territory.
Putin once again broached his nation’s use of nuclear weapons.
During a meeting of the Russian Federation Security Council standing conference on nuclear deterrence, Putin announced a draft proposal for changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine. It includes the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the event of a massive launch of non-nuclear weapons against Russia. He did not mention Ukraine but inferred that actions taken by Kyiv and its allies could push Moscow over the nuclear threshold.
“The updated version of the document is supposed to regard an aggression against Russia from any non-nuclear state but involving or supported by any nuclear state as their joint attack against the Russian Federation,” Putin said.
The proposal also “states clearly the conditions for Russia’s transition to the use of nuclear weapons.”
Under the plan, Russia will consider using nuclear weapons “once we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack weapons and their crossing our state border. I mean strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs, hypersonic and other aircraft.”
Russia reserves “the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia and Belarus as a member of the Union State. All these issues have been agreed upon with the Belarusian side and the President of Belarus. Including the case when the enemy, using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat to our sovereignty.”
“In conclusion,” Putin said, “ I will note that all the updates have been deeply calibrated and are measured against contemporary military threats and risks to the Russian Federation.”
One analyst suggested that Putin’s announcement falls between “cheap talk” and “state-sponsored rhetoric.”
“Russian nuclear use is not imminent” posited Fabian Hoffmann, a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oslo. “Concern is warranted only when Russia signals actual preparations.”
Russia “has established a weapons program in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine,” Reuters reported. The news outlet cited two sources from a European intelligence agency and documents it reviewed.
“IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, has developed and flight-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) in China with the help of local specialists, according to one of the documents, a report that Kupol sent to the Russian defense ministry earlier this year outlining its work,” according to Reuters.
During his speech at the U.N., Zelensky said that Russia continues to target his nation’s power infrastructure.
“As of today, Russia has destroyed all our thermal power plants and a large part of our hydroelectric capacity,” he decried. “This is how Putin is preparing for winter, hoping to torment millions of Ukrainians.”
A Russian attack drone came dangerously close to Ukraine’s Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the country’s national nuclear power company said.
“On the night of September 25, another flight of an attack drone was recorded at a critically low altitude near the industrial site of the Rivne NPP,” Energoatom said on Telegram. “Once again, Russian troops pose a threat to the nuclear safety of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. Energoatom informs the relevant institutions about each such fact, because no one has the right to violate the principles of nuclear and radiation safety.”
“Energy terror is one of the enemy’s war tactics,” Energoatom continued. “However, it should be stopped as soon as possible.”
There have been concerns about dangers to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants since the onset of the full-scale invasion.
Russian troops occupied the defunct Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the beginning of the war, with a fire breaking out at the latter after shelling.
As the drone wars continue, Russia has tried to confuse Ukrainian counter-drone drone operators by painting them with Ukrainian symbols and German crosses, but the ruse is apparently not fooling anyone.
After more than 30 months of supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Western allies have almost nothing left in their stockpiles, U.K.’s armed forces minister said.
“Before crucial talks on the war at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Luke Pollard said the focus needed to be on ramping up weapons production between the West and Ukraine as part of a longer-term strategy that would keep a reliable supply of equipment heading to the country,” the Times of London reported.
“I think most western nations have gifted most of the deployable resources they have … so we are seeing a greater trading relationship being formed,” said Pollard.
The same article noted that the U.K.’s defense secretary suggested Ukraine was running out of troops to train.
The “biggest constraint” in training Ukrainians was “Ukraine providing the personnel in order to be trained,” John Healey said.
In March, we told you about a new drone supposedly in use by Russian forces is claimed to act as a mothership, delivering first-person view (FPV) drones well beyond their notoriously limited range. New video has emerged showing Ukraine has the same capability,
Ukraine says its Avengers AI platform can “automatically detect 12,000 units of enemy vehicles/equipment weekly. This result is achieved through automatic video analysis from drones and fixed cameras,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed.
Avengers, developed by the MoD’s Defense Innovation Center, “enables operators to make decisions faster and more efficiently, reducing the risk of fatigue-related errors. This integration is already in successful operation within the VEZHA streaming module of the DELTA combat system.”
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry released video of its troops training on Rheinmetall Skynex systems. They comprise 35mm anti-aircraft turrets firing AHEAD ammunition based on an HX 6×6 truck chassis and integrated with an X-TAR3D acquisition radar and Skymaster battle management system. Germany has already provided Ukraine with two of them.
Ukraine is in talks with partners about obtaining Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighters and Eurofighter Typhoon jets, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov the Rada TV channel on Sep. 21.
Umerov noted that Ukraine is currently discussing the necessary number of air brigades and fighter jets, according to a translation by The New Voice of Ukraine. Umerov also emphasized that while last year’s focus was on pilot training and building the required infrastructure, this year the priority is to “secure air superiority.”
“We already have commitments from partners for the F-16s. Consultations are ongoing regarding the Gripen and Eurofighter,” Umerov said.
As we previously reported, Sweden is keeping the door open for a possible transfer of Gripens, allocating $220 million in a recent aid package to Ukraine to purchase new “material kits” for its operational JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters. That’s so those jets won’t have to be cannibalized for parts to be used in the newer Gripen-JAS-39E variants, making them potentially available to Ukraine.
Last year, we examined the feasibility of the U.K. donating some of its older Typhoons to Ukraine.
Images emerged on social media of a downed U.S.-supplied Switchblad 600 loitering munition, a tube-launched suicide drone that can take out armored vehicles. You can read more about these capabilities in this previous War Zone feature. The images show the internals of the weapon, including its armor busting shaped charge.
The Army recently signed a nearly $1 billion contract with AeroVironment to procure an unspecified number of both the 600 and 300 series drones. You can read more about that here.
Ukrainian sappers displayed nerves of steel as they worked to disable a Russian FAB-500 glide bomb that fell into a building. In the following video, you can see one sapper pour water over the fuse as he carefully extracted it from the bomb.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry highlighted one of its Su-27 Flankers with an F-15C-like livery.
In an effort to protect the twice-attack-damaged Kerch Bridge, Russia is beginning to set up Pantsir-S1 air defense systems on metal towers on Tuzla Island. Putin’s prized $4 billion span, linking Russia with the Crimean peninsula it occupies, is an important logistics supply route for Russian forces. As such, it remains a prime Ukrainian target.
Asked during an exclusive interview last year about Ukraine’s intentions for the bridge, the head of its intelligence directorate (GUR) told us it is a matter of when, not if, Ukraine brings it down.
“It’s not a question of will we strike or won’t we strike,” said Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov. “We’re doing that regularly so we will finish it. It’s just an issue of time.”
Putin, he added, won’t be able to stop it.
“He’ll get upset once again,” Budnov told us. “What can he do?”
Upset that his troops were using the unit’s donated automobile to go AWOL and get drunk, a Russian commander ordered it destroyed by running a tank over it.
Not all trenches are created equally. This one, built for the 120th Independent Brigade of the Territorial Defense Force, has a full underground dining room.
Not to be outdone, this Russian unit showed off their brigade commander’s very nice underground digs complete with an office, bedroom and toilet.
A Russian soldier spent his last minutes in an outhouse which was blown up by a Ukrainian FPV drone.
This Russian soldier was lucky enough to have an FPV drone fail to detonate. However, his luck ran out when the second one struck him.
Ukraine’s donated Bradley Fighting Vehicles have proven to be lifesavers for its troops who have survived numerous attacks. However, an abandoned Bradley offered no such protection to the Russian soldier who tried to hide under it. An FPV drone found and killed him.
Not every encounter with a drone is deadly. The Russian soldier in the following video surrendered to Ukrainian forces via a drone.
Archival video shows two members of GUR flying over Snake Island in a gyrocopter to drop a flag on the island. After capturing the island on the first day of the war, Russia abandoned it four months later.
After responding to an anonymous offer of money via the Telegram messaging app, two Russian teenagers reportedly set an Mi-8 helicopter on fire in the Siberian city of Omsk.
And finally, there are about 1,500 Russian troops in its small enclave of Transnistria in Moldova. One local resident decided to torment a few of those troops by using his phone to video them and singing Chervona Kalyan, a Ukrainian resistance anthem.
That’s it for now.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com