(DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE) – Russian sources have reported the death of Lieutenant General Sergei Milchakov, commander of the 51st Army of the Southern Military District, in a missile strike on his headquarters. The attack, reported in late August on the occupied city of Donetsk, represents a significant loss for Russian forces, according to Russian military analyst Yan Matveyev, who described Milchakov as far more valuable to the Russian armed forces than Alexei Melchakov, the leader of the far-right DShRG Rusich unit, who was initially reported killed in the same strike before bloggers corrected the error. Sergei Milchakov, awarded the title Hero of Russia in 2022, commanded occupation operations in Avdiivka, New York, and other settlements in Donetsk Oblast.
The Russian occupation army has suffered its first major defeat in the Donbas in a considerable period, according to the Astra publication. Russian forces were forced to abandon more than 200 square kilometres on the main axis of advance in Donetsk Oblast, thereby losing a key foothold north of Liman, which they had planned to use to attack the northern fortress cities of the Donbas from the north. OSINT analyst Liman Mulen reported the development, later confirmed by Rochan Consulting and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Following a four-month counteroffensive and several mechanised assaults, Ukrainian forces sequentially liberated Nove in June, reached Kolodiaz by mid-August, and then conducted another assault between Katerynivka and Novoliubivka, effectively cutting off the advancing Russian grouping. The key breakthrough occurred near Novoselivka, from where Ukrainian troops entered Shandryholove and Derylove, threatening Russian positions near Yarova from the flank. Rochan Consulting head Konrad Muzyka estimates Russian losses at 240 square kilometres and believes the attempt to encircle the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration by Russian forces has failed. The ISW notes that the outcome of the Ukrainian operation has completely nullified Russia’s territorial gains since the beginning of March.
Even pro-Kremlin Z-channels acknowledge the so-called deterioration of the tactical situation near Liman. Rybar, a channel close to the Russian Ministry of Defence, links the developments to systematic lies in reports to higher command and, consequently, incorrect assessments of the situation. A familiar episode occurred on 1st September involving Sviatohirsk. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed the city was under control, and the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed this.
Six days later, Commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps Andriy Biletskyi posted video from the city centre, proving it remained under Ukrainian control, after which Russian military bloggers themselves acknowledged the fact. Based on experience from the Kupiansk direction, where similar problems were resolved with unprepared assaults, this will lead to further losses. “The removal of reserves from other sectors of responsibility of the Zapad grouping to cover the failure near Liman will create gaps in the defence that the enemy will certainly exploit,” Rybar writes.
OSINT specialist CLud has compiled an illustrative map of the areas of responsibility of the new Tsentr and Azov force groupings and the corps within them. In addition to corps, they have also been separately assigned units such as assault regiments and other formations. The area of responsibility is the protection of the so-called belt of fortresses, at the centre of which are Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The fall of these cities would free the occupiers’ hands to continue further offensives, using them as a springboard for developing success. Ukraine has therefore placed its best officers and most select units in these key cities. CLud notes that both Biletskyi and Prokopenko, both generals, have proven themselves as competent strategists who care for their troops. They enjoy respect among both military personnel and civilians. They have repeatedly managed to hold the front on critical axes following breakthroughs by Russian troops.
On 13th September, Biletskyi, speaking at the Yalta European Strategy conference, described the military situation. According to him, the front is currently experiencing not the hardest period of the war, and the fortress cities can be held. Biletskyi announced a tangible improvement in the situation on certain sectors. “We will soon show the first results, which will be indisputable,” the general said.
Ukraine’s Defence Forces have destroyed a Russian radar station of the S-400 Triumf complex in Sochi. This radar is a key element of the air defence system, responsible for target tracking and missile guidance. Footage from the scene captured residents reacting to the attack, with one person stating: “I saw it. There it is. Oh. I’m shaking, a drone just flew over me. I’m just shaking. They’re shooting. What are you doing? What’s happening?” Another resident said: “I got dressed. I’m shaking very badly.”
Meanwhile, reservoirs at a military airfield in Taganrog are still burning following Saturday’s attack.
The head of Leningrad Oblast has asked residents of the region to endure petrol shortages until October. Motorists will be forced to refuel on alternate days depending on whether their vehicle has an even or odd number plate. “Dear Leningraders, I will say what concerns many of us now. Queues at petrol stations or the absence of fuel at petrol stations. I see this from your photographs, read social media, receive messages myself, and understand our common concern,” he said.
Leningrad Oblast is not the only region hit by a new wave of fuel crisis. Residents of Perm Krai and Krasnodar Krai, as well as Nizhny Novgorod, Vologda, Samara, and other Russian regions, report that petrol has run out at filling stations. In Ingushetia, where authorities claimed they would not allow shortages, AI-95 petrol runs out early in the morning, and people are forced to mix AI-92 and AI-100. The quality of available petrol in Russia is terrible. “Honestly, this is the first time I’ve found myself in such a situation. We just filled up at a petrol station. Let’s try to start the car, it just won’t start. We’re in another city, somewhere on a bypass near Rybinsk. We have a dog in the car. The city is empty. There’s no petrol in the city, friends. And there will be no more traffic jams. A great superpower. A power. Dostoevsky. Stalin, Lenin, Peter I,” one driver said.
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