Chris Lange, FISM News
Ukraine’s military said its forces have recaptured more settlements in Kherson, one of four regions Russian President Vladimir Putin formally annexed this week.
The trajectory of the six-plus month war underwent a significant shift in early September when Kyiv launched a surprise counteroffensive that has seen Ukraine recapture thousands of square miles of territory, including dozens of settlements in just the past few days.
Changes on the map of Ukraine counter-offensive from September 1#UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineWar pic.twitter.com/A7rVJ6sp8o
— Ukrainian News24 (@UkrainianNews24) October 2, 2022
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said in his evening video address late Wednesday that Novovoskresenske, Novohryhorivka, and Petropavlivka to the northeast of Kherson city had been “liberated” as Russian forces continue retreating from the frontlines in portions of the south and east.
The Ukrainian leader said he met with senior military officials to discuss recapturing all Russian-occupied territories, despite Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons.
As he has done in previous video addresses, Zelenskyy switched from Ukrainian to Russian to directly address pro-Moscow forces.
“Ukrainians know what they are fighting for. And more and more citizens of Russia are realizing that they must die simply because one person does not want to end the war,” he said referring to Putin.
Ukraine’s new gains were reflected in a map published by Russia’s state news agency, RIA, which labeled portions of the newly-annexed territories as being under Ukrainian control.
In the south, Ukraine’s military said its forces killed at least 58 Russian soldiers and destroyed 17 armored vehicles, nine tanks, and four howitzers in the past 24 hours
‘Pulling people out from under the rubble’
Elsewhere, Russian forces targeted the city of Zaporizhzhia with seven missile strikes on residential areas overnight, killing one civilian and trapping at least five others.
“Rescuers are already pulling people out from under the rubble,” regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said.
Fighting has been ongoing for several weeks near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Near-constant shelling and missile strikes have resulted in significant damage to its operational equipment, exacerbating fears of a nuclear disaster.
Putin this week announced that the Russian state had seized control of the power station that, until Friday, had been operated by Ukrainian engineers. Russian soldiers kidnapped the plant’s Ukrainian manager on Friday. He was released unharmed on Monday but will not return to the plant.
IAEA, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog group, said it had learned of Russia’s plans to restart one of six reactors at the plant that have been shut down for weeks as a precaution.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi, who plans to visit Kyiv and Moscow this week, said negotiations on a safe zone around the plant were more important than ever.
US officials: Ukrainian government behind death of Russian nationalist’s daughter
Washington officials told The New York Times on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence believes Ukraine’s government is responsible for the August death of Daria Dugina who was killed when a bomb detonated beneath her car. The officials did not indicate whether they believe President Zelenskyy was involved or had any knowledge of the attack.
Dugina is the daughter of Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin, frequently referred to as “Putin’s brain.” Dugin is widely believed to have been the intended target of the attack.
Reports show that Alexander and Daria were together at a festival and were supposed to travel home together in Alexander’s car, before Alexander decided to change plans last minute prior to the blast.
The officials said Washington had no foreknowledge of the bombing and added that they admonished Ukrainian officials over the killing.
Russia’s Federal Security Service blamed Ukraine’s secret service for the attack in August, an accusation Ukraine denied.
“We are not a criminal state, unlike Russia, and definitely not a terrorist state,” Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said at the time.
Dugin is the chief editor of Russian nationalist outlet United World International. He has been under U.S. sanctions since 2015.