This Week in the Russia-Ukraine War (September 6)

A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Political Developments

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for “new energy” in Ukraine’s leadership as he ordered a significant government reshuffle. Six ministers, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, resigned, and parliament accepted the resignations of four, including a deputy prime minister and key ministers overseeing arms production and European integration. Amid the shuffle, Ukroboronprom CEO Herman Smetanin was appointed Minister of Strategic Industries, succeeding Oleksandr Kamyshin in the position.

Separately, Zelenskiy recently sacked the head of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, after the loss of the first F-16 combat aircraft last week. Oleshchuk was replaced by Lt. Gen. Anatolii Kryvonozhko.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed readiness for talks with Ukraine, citing a 2022 Istanbul deal that was never publicly disclosed. Previously, he had dismissed negotiations while Ukraine’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region was ongoing.

In comments on Friday, outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described China as ‘a decisive supporter‘ of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, pointing to the use of Chinese-supplied components in Russian military systems and production facilities. He called on Beijing to terminate its support for Moscow.

Iran is expected to begin providing ballistic missiles to Russia.  European officials anticipate these deliveries to start soon.  The exact type of ballistic missiles Iran will deliver to Russia is unknown.

The Ukrainian government says that Russia continues to receive foreign-made missile components despite Western sanctions.  Moscow needs foreign-made components to continue production of different missile systems.  The components are coming from different countries.

Military Assistance to Ukraine

President Zelenskiy traveled to Germany on Friday to urge Kyiv’s partners to continue providing aid to his embattled country. The Ukrainian president will also travel to Italy as part of his foreign trip.

The Biden administration is scrambling to prevent $6 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority funds from expiring at the end of September, when the U.S. fiscal year ends. The funding — used to backfill Ukraine — was approved in April.

Washington is preparing a new $250 million military aid package to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on September 6. He said of the assistance package, “It will surge in more capabilities to meet Ukraine’s evolving requirements.”

U.S. officials said this week that Washington is close to reaching an agreement on the supply of AGM-159 JASSMs to Ukraine, which could be included in an upcoming arms assistance package to be unveiled in autumn. Kyiv has been seeking long-range weapons — and authorization to use them against targets on Russian soil — from its Western partners as one of its top priorities. The news on the possible supply of the missile comes as Western officials warn that Iran is close to providing ballistic missiles to Moscow.

The British government announced on Friday that it plans to supply 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) to Ukraine under a £162 million contract. The missiles, used for air-defense, will be delivered starting at the end of 2024.

The Romanian government has approved a draft law that authorizes the delivery of a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, one of two currently operational in the eastern European country. Reuters reported that the draft law also includes language that Romania  will send an LOA to the U.S. for a replacement battery. The measure will now go before the country’s parliament.

To help support the Ukrainian F-16 fleet, the Netherlands will supply €80 million worth of support equipment. The Dutch MoD stated on Friday, “Besides large quantities of spare parts, these include generators, small vehicles, essential maintenance materials, specialised tools, and stairs.”

Battlefield Updates

Russia has struck more targets inside Ukraine.  Two ballistic missiles hit a military training facility and a hospital in the central-eastern city of Poltava on September 3.  Poltava is the capital of the region of the same name and about 350 kilometers southeast of Kyiv

The Russian Army is losing a growing number of vehicles in combat with Ukrainian forces.  Russia lost nearly 200 pieces of equipment in a single day during fighting in the Donetsk region.  A big problem for Russia is Ukraine’s use of small attack drones to destroy vehicles.

Three weeks into Ukraine’s plan to send troops into Russia, Ukraine’s momentum has slowed, but the country’s Armed Forces remain on the offensive in some areas, such as towards the city of Glushkovo. The hope was that the Kursk operation would divert Russian attention away from the front in Donetsk, but Russia continues advancing within Ukraine.  If the Kursk campaign fails, Ukraine risks losing soldiers, foreign equipment, and territory in the east, where Russian forces outnumber Ukrainian troops and push toward the key hub of Pokrovsk.

This week, footage emerged of Ukrainian drones using thermite to burn a forest in Zaporizhzhia where Russian troops had taken up positions.

Russian has fired another heavy barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine.  This attack occurred on September 3 and included dozens of attack drones and several missiles targeting Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Poltava, Chernihiv, and Sumy.

The wreckage of a new Russian unmanned air vehicle (UAV) has been recovered by Ukrainian troops.  Ukrainian forces shot down this previously unseen Russian UAV.  The jet engine is not typical of the propulsion systems found on in-service Russian UAVs.