The Ukrainian counteroffensive is making some progress in the south and east, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest assessment, published overnight Sunday.

Ukrainian troops are advancing in several directions in the western Kherson region and have conquered the territory beyond the Siverskyi Donetsk river in the Donetsk region.

The pace of the counteroffensive is likely to change dramatically from day to day as Ukrainian forces act to deprive the Russians of essential supplies, disrupt their command and control system, and weaken their morale as the ground forces of the counteroffensive continue.

The Russians are likely to counterattack from time to time and retake some of the lost territory, and of course they are likely to launch ferocious artillery and airstrikes against liberated settlements and advancing Ukrainian forces, ISW notes.

Ukrainian forces have made enough progress to start provoking more realistic comments from Russian military bloggers, who until today have been closely following the Kremlin’s upbeat rhetoric.

The President of Ukraine announced that on September 4, Ukrainian troops liberated two (unspecified) settlements in the south of Ukraine and one settlement in the Donetsk region.

Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian 54th mechanized brigade also advanced in the direction of Lysychansk-Siversk and took up positions at unspecified heights.

Ukrainian officials have released geolocation images showing Ukrainian military personnel raising the Ukrainian flag on a hospital building in Visokopyla, south of the administrative border of the Kherson-Dnipropetrovsk region.

It was confirmed on social networks that the Ukrainian troops forced Siverskyi Donets and liberated Ozerne, which is 20 km northwest of Siversk.

The main conclusions of the Institute for the Study of War:

• Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian troops liberated two unnamed settlements in the south of Ukraine and one settlement in the Donetsk region. ISV independently confirmed the liberation of a settlement in Donetsk region and one of the settlements in Kherson region.
• Geolocation images show Russian forces firing salvo fire systems from positions at the Zaporizhia NPP.
• Ukrainian forces continued to strike Russian land lines of communication, ammunition depots and key positions to wear down Russian forces and reduce their combat power.
• Ukraine’s release of Visokopil has sparked critical discussion among some Russian military bloggers, while the Russian Ministry of Defense has claimed that Ukrainian forces continue to make “failed attempts” to advance.
• Soldiers of the 127th Regiment of the 1st Army Corps of the Donetsk People’s Republic reportedly refused to fight due to lack of supplies.
• Ukrainian troops regained the territory on the left bank of the Siverskyi Donetsk river in the Donetsk region.
• Russian forces launched limited ground strikes northeast of Bakhmut and west of the city of Donetsk.
• It is reported that Russian troops are moving military assets to areas along the main land lines in the border areas of the Zaporizhzhia region.

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