Ukraine has recaptured a village close to the eastern city of Lysychansk. It was a small but symbolic victory that means Russia no longer has full control of the Luhansk region, one of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s key war aims, as reported by British news media The Guardian.
Luhansk’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Ukraine’s armed forces were in «complete control» of Bilohorivka. «Soon we will drive these scumbags out of there with a broom,» he said. «Step by step, centimetre by centimetre, we will liberate our entire land from the invaders.»
U.S. military official says that US may provide Ukraine with tanks. News channel CNN reported that the official told reporters on a background call that tanks are «absolutely on the table,» but are currently not an option due to the issues of training, maintenance, and sustainment.
Turkey’s largest private lender Işbank has suspended transactions through the Russian payment system Mir.
The decision came after the U.S. Treasury warned against financial institutions cooperating with the Russian operator, as reported by news agency Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Denis Pushilin, head of the Moscow–based separatist administration in Donetsk, called on his fellow separatist leader in Luhansk to combine efforts toward preparing a referendum on joining Russia. «Our actions should be synchronised,» Pushilin said in a video posted to social media on Monday, 19 September, informs The Guardian.
According to the Kharkiv Oblast Police, in the liberated city Izium, a torture chamber was found. Russian forces used the police station where people were detained and kept in a basement for several weeks. Instruments of torture were also found in the police station.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Monday,19 September, that 146 bodies have been exhumed from the mass burial site in liberated Izium, most of which were civilians, including two children.
All bodies have reportedly been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of death.
According to Ukrainian media The Kiyv Indepndent, Ukraine’s armed forces said troops had crossed the Oskil River, marking another important milestone for the counteroffensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region. The river flows south into the Siversky Donets, which snakes through the Donbas, the main focus of Russia’s invasion.
At the same time, Prosecutor General’s Office has recorded 34 000 Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on Monday, 19 September, that investigators were focusing on crimes committed during the Russian occupation of a part of Kharkiv Oblast, especially in Izium. The figure also includes ongoing investigations of cases in Bucha and Irpin in Kyiv Oblast.
Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz where they agreed that the Netherlands and Germany would continue supporting Ukraine via Dutch-German military cooperation. Scholz has been repeatedly accused of blocking arms supplies to Ukraine.