During a speech at the UN Security Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more action against Russia while the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) risk being defeated in the Dobnas.
The president said the war could only be ended through his victory plan and peace formula, as they were based on the UN Charter. He also called on Brazil, India, African and Latin American countries to step up pressure on Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, claimed that Zelensky was “trying to persuade the West to raise the stakes in the conflict against Russia” and was bringing the world closer to World War III. Russian top officials also called peace talks based on Zelensky’s formula unacceptable.
Frontline reports
Ukrainian media are reporting a grave situation for the AFU in the Donbas (common name for Donetsk and Luhansk regions). Troops are reportedly losing positions south of Selydove, Pokrovsk area. Ukrainians are also slowly getting encircled in Vuhledar, a strategically important town. Meanwhile, Russian media shared footage of a Russian flag at the Pivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine near Vuhledar.
Military experts noted the advance of Russian troops along the road from the village of Prechystivka. Footage of Russia’s massive artillery preparation ahead of the Vuhledar assault also surfaced on social media.
Importance of Vuhledar
Russian forces intensified their offensive in southeastern Ukraine in early September. Vuhledar is the main stronghold of the AFU, located on a higher ground. Previous attempts by the Russians to storm the town’s positions have failed, but now the South and East groupings are trying to encircle it.
Since early autumn, Russia has taken control of the village of Vodiane and Kostiantynivka northeast of Vuhledar. West of the town, the Vostok group seized the village of Prechystivka. If Russian forces cut off access to the local road, the AFU will be left without ammunition, medical supplies and the possibility to rotate. Military experts believe that Ukrainian soldiers will soon be forced to abandon their positions or make a risky breakthrough.
However, the AFU can fight at Vuhledar to the last man, as it is the only logistical town controlled by Kyiv there. Its loss would allow Russian forces to push the Ukrainian army back from the capital of Donetsk region.
The Dutch NRC reported that the loss of Vuhledar would mean a strong strategic and moral blow to the Ukrainians. The outlet also said that the incursion into Russia’s Kursk region had not weakened the Russian offensive in Donbas.
Despite the threat, Ukrainian media launched a campaign to downplay the importance of Vuhledar. Media outlets report that the capture of the town would not provide any particular operational advantage for a further offensive in the western part of the region. The US Institute for the Study of War also claimed that Vuhledar was not a major strategic hub, while the Russians had already taken control of most of the main roads leading to the town.
Fragile support
Ahead of the US presidential election in November, Republican candidate Donald Trump signalled that his country would withdraw from the Russia-Ukraine conflict if he was elected.
Biden and Kamala got us into this war in Ukraine and now they can’t get us out. (…) But we are stuck in that war unless I am President. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated. (…) We gotta get out.
Meanwhile, Germany started preparing a meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz, incumbent US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The leaders are due to discuss the Ukrainian issue without the presence of their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
