Russia's war on Ukraine. 03.09.24
Operational situation
In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) "Kharkiv" on the Kharkiv direction, there were 5 clashes near Vovchansk.
In the "Khortytsia" Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) operational zone on the Kupyansk direction, 23 battles took place. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault actions near Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Hlushkivka, Kolisnykivka, Stelmakhivka, and Berestove. On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 18 times near Hrekivka, Druzhelyubivka, Makiivka, Nevske, Cherneshchyna, and Novosadove. On the Siversk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped 7 enemy attempts to breach their defenses near Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Ivano-Dariivka, and Spirne. On the Kramatorsk direction, 8 clashes occurred. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled Russian invaders' assaults near Klishchiivka, Kalynivka, Chasiv Yar, Stupochky, and Bila Hora. On the Toretsk direction, 18 battles took place, particularly near Toretsk, Shcherbynivka, Romanivka, and Nelipivka.
In the "Tavriya" OSG operational zone, on the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 56 enemy assaults near the settlements of Vozdvyzhenka, Zelene Pole, Myrolyubivka, Novohrodivka, Krutyi Yar, Hrodivka, Mykhailivka, and Selydove. The highest concentration of attacks was near Novohrodivka and Mykhailivka. On the Kurakhove direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped 39 enemy attacks near Ukrainsk, Heorhiivka, Kostyantynivka, Halytsynivka, and Krasnohorivka. On the Vremivka direction, Russian invaders carried out 21 attacks near Vodyane, Vuhledar, Kostyantynivka, and Prechystivka.
In the operational zone of "Odesa" OSG on the Prydniprovskiy direction, 2 attempts by the occupiers to capture Defense Forces' positions were unsuccessful.
General conclusion:
Russian forces have intensified the use of armored vehicles on the Kharkiv direction.
Russian forces are increasing tactical airstrikes in the Kharkiv area after a roughly two-week pause.
Russian troops are attempting to encircle Vuhledar from the western and northeastern flanks.
Holding the Ukrainsk - Halytsynivka defense line by the “Tavriya” OSG is becoming critically important, as failure could allow the enemy to achieve an operational breakthrough.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 197 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kursk Direction: "Siversk" OTG advanced near Pogrebki and Malaya Loknya, forcing the enemy to retreat to avoid encirclement. They assaulted enemy positions near Komarovka, Korenevo, Olgovka, Kremyanoe, Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoe Porechie, Russkoe Porechie, Bolshoe Soldatskoye, Martynovka, and Borki, and struck Russian pontoon crossings over the Seym River in the Glushkovo district.
Russian forces regained lost positions near Olgovka, east of Korenevo.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces continued attacks near Hlyboke, Lyptsi, and Vovchansk.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces conducted offensive actions around Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Hlushkivka, Kolisnykivka, Stelmakhivka, Berestove, and Druzhelyubivka. They advanced southwest of Pishchane and cleared the southern outskirts of Synkivka.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked near Hrekivka, Makiivka, Nevske, Novosadove, and Torske.
On the Siversk Direction, Russian forces advanced in the fields north of Bilohorivka, along the railway tracks near Vyimka, on the southern outskirts of Pereyizne, and continued attacks near Verkhnyokamianske and Rozdolivka.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces made minor advances within the "Zhovtnevyi" neighborhood and on the eastern and northeastern outskirts of Kalynivka. They attacked near Mayske, Markove, Klishchiivka, and Andriivka.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces reached the southeastern outskirts of Toretsk, with ongoing battles near Nelipivka, Romanivka, and Shcherbynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces regained lost positions southeast of Pokrovsk in the southwestern part of Novohrodivka and are holding their positions in Marynivka, blocking the enemy's advance towards Selydove.
Russian forces are concentrating their efforts near Novohrodivka, advancing in the northwestern part of Mykhailivka and in the fields west of the settlement, capturing Lisivka, and beginning an offensive towards Ukrainsk.
On the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces continued their offensive near Krasnohorivka and Heorhiivka. The 5th and 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 51st Army are attempting to break through Ukrainian positions on the northwestern outskirts of Krasnohorivka.
On the Vremivka direction, Russian forces advanced towards the "Pivdennodonbaska" mine, moved towards the T0509 highway section between Pavlivka and Prechystivka, entered Prechystivka, and conducted offensives near Kostyantynivka, Vodyane, Vuhledar, and in the area of Makarivka.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Black Sea: 1 ship, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 4 cruise missiles.
Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 8 cruise missiles.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 44th Army Corps, the 11th Separate Air Assault Brigade, and the 56th Air Assault Regiment of the 7th Air Assault Division are engaged in combat operations in Kursk Oblast. Units of the "Wild Division of Donbas" operate near Sudzha.
The deployment of a blocking detachment from Chechen units is expected on the Kharkiv direction.
The 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment and the 11th Tank Regiment of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division from the 11th Army Corps are active near Hlyboke, while the 7th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 11th Army Corps is positioned on the forward positions near Lukyantsi.
The 5th Terek Reconnaissance and Assault Brigade continues to operate near Chasiv Yar.
The 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army and the 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army are advancing along the Memryk–Lisivka line. The 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Combined Arms Army, the 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army, and the "Vega" UAV unit of the 24th Separate SOF Brigade are active near Novohrodivka.
Escalation indicators:
The Russian Armed Forces could potentially receive Ababil tactical missiles from Iran. Combined with Fateh-360 missiles, these could be used to strike targets in the tactical rear, allowing operational-tactical missiles to focus on deeper strategic targets.
Possible operation situation developments:
The enemy's command on the theater of operations must conduct strategic regrouping between operational zones and reinforce the "Tsentr (Center)"Operational Grouping on the Toretsk direction with at least a corps. For this purpose, the 3rd Army Corps may be redeployed to this direction from the Kramatorsk direction, or the main forces of the 51st Army may be concentrated.
Without the involvement of additional forces and resources, the enemy's 41st Army Command will soon have to either concentrate on narrower directions and sectors or abandon simultaneous offensive actions across the entire operational zone and focus on high-cost battles in Toretsk itself or conclude combat operations in the area of New York and Nelipivka.
The enemy’s shift of their main offensive focus to the southern sector of the "Tsentr (Center)" Operational Grouping’s operational zone on the Pokrovsk direction will soon intensify combat operations around Selidove, Ukrainsk, Halytsynivka, Kurakhivka, and Hirnyk. Without securing the Selidove area, the enemy cannot sustain their offensive towards Pokrovsk, but they will continue attacking in an attempt to breach the defensive line along the Zhuravka and Kazennyi Torets rivers.
The enemy's "Tsentr (Center)" Operational Grouping may attempt to advance through "Tavriya" OSG positions along the Novohrodivka-Hrodivka line, despite higher levels of casualties, in order to maintain the speed of their advance and try to capture Myrnohrad more quickly.
On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy will likely attempt to cut off the Pokrovsk–Kostyantynivka highway and prepare for an assault on the Pokrovsk–Myrnohrad agglomeration. It can be assumed that the enemy will reach the city by mid-September, but they will not be able to capture it. The open terrain, which is unfavorable for an offensive, and potential counterattacks from the Selydove and Kostyantynivka areas will slow their advance.
By the end of this year, the enemy will not only fail to occupy Donetsk Oblast within its administrative borders but also will be unable to seize the "fortress belt" of Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka-Kramatorsk-Slovyansk. The upcoming battle for Pokrovsk will be the climax of the enemy's offensive operation in the Southwestern Theater of Operations in 2024.
Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 03.09.24
Personnel - almost 618,960 (+1360);
Tanks 8,611 (+10);
Armored combat vehicles – 16,821 (+35);
Artillery systems – 17,664 (+18);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,177 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 940 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 23,972 (+47);
Aircraft - 368 (0);
Helicopters – 328 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 14,573 (+36);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,578 (+21);
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian+general:
In the night of September 3, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using three Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, a guided Kh-59/69 missile, and 35 Shahed-131/136 strike drones. Ukrainian forces shot down 27 of the enemy drones, 6 were lost from radar, and 2 flew back toward Russia and occupied Donetsk.
Around 9:10 AM on September 3, Russian forces struck Poltava with two ballistic missiles. The missiles hit a Communications Institute and a nearby hospital. The time between the air raid alert and the impact was so short that it caught people in the process of evacuating to bomb shelters. As of 6:20 PM, 51 people were reported dead, 219 were injured, and 15 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.
On the morning of September 3, Russian occupiers shelled residential buildings in Kherson, severely injuring a 14-year-old girl. Doctors are fighting for her life.
Throughout the night of September 2 to 3, the enemy carried out a targeted, massive bombardment of railway infrastructure, particularly attacking infrastructure and rolling stock in Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
On the morning of September 3, Russian invaders shelled the village of Sadove in Kherson Oblast, resulting in one person being killed in their home and another wounded.
Around 11:00 PM on September 2, the Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia, killing two people, including an 8-year-old boy, and wounding two others.
One person was killed, and six others were wounded as a result of Russian strikes on Dnipro late on the evening of September 2. Windows in a kindergarten and seven private houses were shattered, and a local business was damaged.
Over the previous day, Russians carried out 81 attacks on 12 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring three people. A total of 219 explosions were recorded.
On September 3, 2024, information was published on a Telegram channel regarding the possible execution of Ukrainian servicemen by Russian armed forces. The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office reported that three Ukrainian soldiers came out of a basement with their hands raised when the enemy approached them closely. The occupiers forced them to lie face down and then almost immediately shot them in the back.
Energy workers have once again increased power restrictions across Ukraine due to the difficult situation in the energy system. Emergency power outages have been implemented in Kyiv and 14 regions. During emergency outages, schedules do not apply.