The War in Ukraine has been a stalemate since April and did not have any major changes on the frontline, but September was different. In this article we are going to talk about the changes that happened in the Russo-Ukrainian war in September. It includes the Kharkiv Counter-Offensive, the Partial Mobilization in Russia, the Annexation of the 4 regions of Ukraine and the tension on the Nord Stream Pipeline.
1. The Kharkiv Counter-Offensive
The frontline in Ukraine has been a stalemate since April and did not have any major changes for a long time. The Ukrainian Forces wanted to change the stalemate as the "War of Attrition" has been going on for too long. They executed 2 Counter-Offensives, one in the Kherson Oblast and one in the Kharkiv Oblast.
The Kherson Counter-Offensive saw Ukrainian Forces gain land but the goal of retaking the city of Kherson failed, said the Ukrainian Military, as the Ukrainian losses were too high.
The Kharkiv Counter-Offensive on the other hand succeeded greatly with the Ukrainian Forces gaining more than planned and encircling the Russian Forcesin the strategic city of Lyman at the end of September. But as the land was retaken more evidence of war crimes were found. The discovery of a mass grave in Izyum in the nearby woods containing the remains of over 440 people, mostly thought to be civilians. According to Ukrainian officials, some of the bodies recovered so far show signs of torture. The Chief of the Prosecutor’s Office for the Kharkiv region told that one body had apparently been bound with ropes around the neck and hands, and that other bodies displayed signs of violence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has charged that Russia had “repeated in Izyum what it did in Bucha,” in a reference to the city in the Kyiv region where more than 450 Ukrainian civilians were found dead after several weeks of Russian occupation in spring. Zelenskyy also added“new evidence of the torture used against the people buried there has been found,” “More than ten torture chambers have already been found in the liberated areas of Kharkiv region, in various cities and towns,” Zelenskyy added.
2. Russia's Partial Military Mobilization
On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" of military reservists in Russia after facing setbacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine including the Kherson and the Kharkiv Counter-Offensives, and signed the corresponding decree No. 647 "On the Declaration of Partial Mobilisation in the Russian Federation". The Government is taking its 300,000 reservists to fight in the war. This caused at least 200,000 Russian citizen to leave the county in the time after the announcement. Flights to Serbia and Türkiye (Turkey) have been sold out, and countries like Finland, Georgia and Kazakhstan reported miles of car traffic on their borders.
3. Annexation of the 4 Regions
On 30 September 2022, Russia, amid an ongoing invasion, annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, an act in violation of international law. The four annexed regions make up 15% of Ukraine's territory; none of them are fully under Russian control.
4. The Nord Stream Pipeline Tension.
The Nord Stream Pipeline is a gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany that supplies Germany with Russian gas. As Germany only has its coal deposits to rely on for electricity which its slowly closing to become more green. (solar and wind power does not produce enough energy because of Germany's geography, more about this complicated topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi74gPrn24Y&t=108s). Because of that Germany heavily relies on Russian imported gas. Pressure drops were reported at both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines running underneath the Baltic Sea on September 26. Three separate leaks were recorded off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden, a few dozen kilometers apart. The leaks were made using explosives. This is important because Germany has to buy Russian gas to support itself and the change to being independent in energy is going to take a long time. But, because Germany is buying it from Russia, they are paying the Russian Government for the gas which they use to fund the war in Ukraine. Germany's situation is complex because they want to help Ukraine fight against Russian Aggression (as they are a NATO Member) but if they dont buy the gas, their economy will take a very big hit. As Russia is raising prices on the gas, the tension on the pipeline and who is responsible for the sabotage is high. These were some importnat things that happened in September that relate to the conflict in Ukraine. Made By:
Savelii Krupin (Sava)
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