Key developments on Sept. 8:
Ukraine recaptures another village in Donetsk Oblast from Russian troops, military saysTwo explosions in Russia’s Far East target military unit accused of war crimes in Ukraine, HUR source saysRussia planned large-scale offensive in Zaporizhzhia direction, but Ukraine thwarted it, Syrskyi saysRussian forces are once again concentrating strikes on our energy facilities, Zelensky says
Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Zarichne in Donetsk Oblast and raised the national flag there, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Sept. 8.
Zarichne is located in eastern Ukraine near the administrative border with Luhansk Oblast. Its strategic importance comes from its position near key transport routes connecting Sloviansk and Lyman.
The estimated Russian advance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as of Sept. 7, 2025, according to DeepState map. A black symbol marks Zarichne. (DeepState / OpenStreetMaps)
According to Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState, most of the village is under Ukrainian control, with Russian troops pushed to the outskirts.
The General Staff said the operation was carried out by soldiers of the 425th Skala Assault Regiment. Earlier this month, the same unit reported clearing Novoekonomichne and Udachne, two villages west of embattled Pokrovsk.
Russia’s gains speed up in Ukraine ahead of high-stakes autumn
Amid a flurry of activity in the geopolitical arena without much real progress toward peace, the fourth summer of Russia’s full-scale war has come and gone on the battlefield. Not showing any real intent to stop its war in peace negotiations, Moscow has continued to pursue offensive operations at a high intensity across the front line. The partially occupied far eastern Donetsk Oblast — in the spotlight internationally as the subject of Russian demands for it to be handed over as part of a sup
Two explosions in Russia’s Far East target military unit accused of war crimes in Ukraine, HUR source says
Two explosions in the far-eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk have killed and wounded members of a military unit accused of carrying out war crimes during the Battle of Kyiv in 2022, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) has told the Kyiv Independent.
“Two explosive devices went off in a parking lot near the military unit,” the source said.
“The explosions occurred at about 9 a.m. — exactly at the moment when the Russian army arrived for duty. As a result of the explosions, there are dead and wounded among the personnel.”
According to the source, the attack was carried out against Military Unit 6912 of the 748th Separate Operational Battalion of the Russian Guard which is stationed in Khabarovsk, a city more than 6,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
The unit was involved in fighting near Kyiv in the early weeks of the full-scale invasion when numerous war crimes were recorded in the suburb towns of Bucha and Irpin.
Russia’s attempts to encircle Kyiv failed after more than a month of heavy fighting, with Moscow’s troops retreating from the capital’s outskirts.
Hundreds of residents of the towns were found to have been tortured, raped, and executed by the Russian army.
Behind Ukraine’s manpower crisis lies a bleak new battlefield reality for infantry
Editor’s Note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – Since he first volunteered to take up arms and defend his country in January this year, 54-year-old Ukrainian infantryman Ruslan “Kalyna” has only been on one combat mission. One 146-day combat mission. The trees were still bare and the air bitterly cold when Ruslan, an ex-convict soldier in Ukraine’s 93rd Mechan
Russia planned large-scale offensive in Zaporizhzhia direction, but Ukraine thwarted it, Syrskyi says
Russian forces intended to launch a major offensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction, but Ukrainian troops prevented the operation, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Sept. 8.
The statement follows Syrskyi’s August warning that Russia was amassing troops for a new push in the partially occupied southern region of Ukraine.
Moscow currently occupies about 70% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but the regional capital, Zaporizhzhia, remains under Ukrainian control.
Map of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
According to Syrskyi, alongside the planned large-scale offensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Russia was preparing operations in the Novopavlivka direction and aimed to break through and encircle Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration.
“However, our troops prevented these plans from being carried out. The Russians were forced to postpone their offensive in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and redeploy marine units to Donetsk Oblast,” Syrskyi said.
Syrskyi added that Russia’s main efforts are currently focused on the Lyman, Dobropillia, and Pokrovsk directions in Donetsk Oblast, as well as the Novopavlivka direction, located at the junction of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
“The enemy is using a tactic of ‘infiltration’ advancement with small infantry groups, attempting to infiltrate populated areas by exploiting gaps between positions and avoiding direct combat,” Syrskyi said.
No more excuses: It’s time to strike Russia’s war chest
Europe does have the power to cut off the oil and gas revenues fueling Russia’s war.
Russian forces are once again concentrating strikes on our energy facilities, Zelensky says
Russian troops are increasingly targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in their ongoing strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 8 after a meeting with the government representatives and military top command.
The statement follows a massive Russian attack overnight on Sept. 8 that damaged thermal power plants in Kyiv Oblast.
Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy system ahead of the autumn-winter season, when energy demand rises due to lower temperature and shorter daylight time.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s top priorities now include protecting critical infrastructure, particularly in the energy sector, as well as securing air defense systems and the missiles needed to operate them.
“The Russians are now concentrating their strikes against our energy sector again. Of course, our answers to this are and will be, but the main thing is the stability of the system,” Zelensky said.
While Ukraine made it through the 2024–2025 fall and winter without nationwide blackouts, in previous years, the government implemented scheduled power outages following large-scale Russian attacks.
In some regions, blackouts lasted eight hours or longer.
Serhiy Kovalenko, the CEO of energy supplier Yasno (DTEK), previously warned that Ukrainians should prepare for various electricity scenarios this fall, saying there is “no optimism” following recent Russian strikes.
Note from the author:
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