Victory Chronicles-DAY 576

Ukraine’s Armed Forces have repelled the attacks of the Russians in the area of Hryhorivka and Andriivka on the Bakhmut front, as well as in the areas of Mala Tokmachka and Robotyne on the Zaporizhzhia front.

“During the past day 26 combat clashes were recorded. The enemy inflicted 59 missile strikes and 62 air strikes, carried out 55 attacks from multiple-launch missile systems both on the positions of our troops and on civilian targets,” reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Over 120 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblast came under artillery fire. 

Russian forces struck the settlement of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast twice on the evening of 21 September, causing casualties. This was reported by Roman Padun, Head of the Kurakhove City Military Administration. Padun said that as of 01:00 on 22 September, 13 people were known to have been injured in the attack, with no deaths reported. Padun added that Russian troops had hit residential buildings, and a fire broke out. A man was pulled out of the rubble, and no more people were there.

A meeting between a father and his sons… Serhiy was hit by a Russians’ mine and lost his leg during an assault near Vuhledar.

Fighters of the 2nd detachment of the Omega Special Forces Center of the National Guard of Ukraine destroyed an enemy tank using an FPV drone.

Russian forces currently defending in western Zaporizhia Oblast have been unable to prevent Ukrainian forces from making gradual but steady advances since mid-August. ISW has consistently observed Ukrainian forces making slow but regular advances in western Zaporizhia Oblast despite the Russian military’s lateral redeployment of elements of relatively elite units to reinforce Russian defensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

The Russian military laterally redeployed elements of the 7th Guards Mountain Airborne (VDV) Division and the 76th Guards VDV Division to the Robotyne area in mid-August to repel Ukrainian attacks and possibly to relieve elements of the 22nd and 45th Separate Spetsnaz Brigades that had been counterattacking against Ukrainian advances during the earlier phases of Ukrainian counteroffensive operations. 

Geolocated footage published on September 20 and 21 shows elements of the 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade operating west of Verbove (18km southeast of Orikhiv), suggesting that the Russian command has tactically transferred elements of the 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade to support VDV elements already observed defending in the area.

A Ukrainian fighter defending in southern Ukraine told the WSJ in an article published on September 21 that Russian troops defending front-line trenches are “poor-quality,” but that counterattacking assault troops are “stronger.” The Ukrainian defender`s statements are consistent with ISW’s observations that relatively elite Russian Spetsnaz and VDV elements appear to be the primary counterattack elements in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

Senior Sergeant Pavlo Bidinyi, with the call sign Ibrahim, died on May 7, 2023, near the village of Synkivka, Kharkiv Oblast. While performing a combat mission, he was fatally wounded by enemy artillery fire. The defender would have turned 28 in June.

Pavlo was born in Storozhynets, Chernivtsi Oblast. He studied at a local school. In 2017, he served in the Border Guard Troops. He entered the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management, where he studied to become a lawyer but did not have time to graduate.

In 2020, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 14th separate mechanized brigade. He was the commander of the unit. He performed combat missions in the Joint Forces Operation. During the full-scale invasion, he continued to participate in the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty. In the summer of 2022, he sustained a head injury during a combat mission, but after treatment, he immediately returned to his comrades-in-arms.

“Pavlo was the best husband, father, son and brother. He was joyful, brave and desperate,” said the deceased’s wife, Valentyna. “He was a good and bright man. Eternal positivity and sincerity. No matter what happened, he could always cheer you up and find something to laugh about. There are not many people like him in our lifetime. Glory and honor to the Heroes who give their lives for our peace,” added his childhood friend Mykola Konechnyi.

The fighter was buried on the Alley of Glory at the cemetery in his hometown. At home, Pavlo’s wife, son born in 2022, relatives, friends and brothers in arms were waiting for him.

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