Update for September 21st and 22nd

Here is an update for September 21st and 22nd. 

Putin announcing mobilization overwhelmed the news on September 21st. You can read about the mobilization here. So this update will primarily focus on September 22nd.

Ukraine is expanding its bridgehead over the Oskil river. Ukraine crossed the Oskil near Dvorichna (1), and they are pushing east toward Tavilzhanka. Perhaps they liberated this town already. Ukraine is also moving south and east toward Petropavlivka (2). Russia is trying to attack Kupyansk (3), but they have done little more than slow the inevitable Ukrainian advance. 

In The Lyman area, over the past few days, Ukraine pushed up the Oskil river to Lozove, and today they attacked east toward Karpivka (4). Ukraine aims to push Russia out of Karpivka (A) and Ridkodub (B). Russians claim they stopped the Ukrainian advance before reaching Karpivka, but maybe they didn’t.

I do not know if Ukraine has captured Drobysheve (5). If they have, they are pushing towards Stavky (C). That is their ultimate objective. If Ukraine has not liberated Drobysheve yet, they likely will very soon.

Ukraine is assaulting Lyman from Shchurove (6) and Dibrova (7), but civilians in Lyman say the fighting has not reached the town yet.

The Bakhmut area is status quo compared to prior updates with one exception: Russians claimed to capture a tiny town next to Zaitseve today (8). Unfortunately, this town is not on Google maps, and I didn’t know it existed. In fact, I thought Russia already controlled that area. But the Russians were very proud of their capture today, so I thought I would mark it for them.

I have no other significant combat news. There are rumors of a possible Ukrainian offensive toward Davydiv Brid, but that will be news for another day, assuming anything happens.

I have marked the Ukrainian missile and significant artillery strikes over the past 48 hours.

Note that Novoaidar was hit multiple times between the 21st and 22nd.

On September 22nd, there was a large explosion in the train station in Yasynuvata, where Russia reportedly had a trainload of t-62 tanks. What exploded or how is unknown.

A train full of t-62 tanks rolled up to the train station in Yasinovataya, next to Donetsk city, and then moments later the station exploded.

On September 21st, Ukraine hit Komysh-Zorya with what I assume was a missile strike. Komysh-Zorya is a significant Russian position in Zaporizhzhia, and from what I understand, this position sustained a lot of damage.

On the 21st, Ukraine fired missiles, presumably HIMARS, near the Antonovskiy Bridge, and on the 22nd, they sank a barge carrying military supplies near Sadove (highlighted).

I marked the significant Russian missile strikes between September 21st and 22nd. 

Russia shot more missiles into the Pechenhy dam, partially damaging the locks but not to the extent of threatening its structural integrity.

Russia fired large numbers of missiles into Zaporizhzhia city and Mykolaiv, mainly targeting electrical, gas, and oil infrastructure. But also civilians. One of the missiles hit a hotel in the middle of a park. They have also been targeting the oil infrastructure near Ochakiv. 

In Luhansk, Russia is performing forced evictions in Honcharivka and Kuzmenivka.

Russia is preparing for the “referendums” in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. They are going door to door, threatening people, trying to intimidate them. They are spreading rumors that artillery and missiles will target voters. Russians threaten Ukrainians with consequences for failing to vote and failing to choose the “correct” option. Meanwhile, Ukrainians are trying to avoid voting, knowing it is predecided and their presence will fuel Russian propaganda. Russia is setting up television cameras for their propaganda networks so they can spread lies about the support for the referendum while simultaneously forcing people to vote at gunpoint.