Ukraine Counteroffensive Update for Sept 28 (Europe Edition): ‘The Most Severe Possible Punishment’

Overview:

• Lithuanian naval radar gear is on the way to Ukraine
• Bulgarian parliament approves aid package of unwanted weaponry
• AFU wipes out Russian S-300 missile system, General Staff reports
• Footage shows Ukrainian troops overtake Russian trench
• Some Wagner troops seem to move over to Russian units
• Maximum security not enough for “incorrigible” critic of Russian invasion

Naval radar gear arriving from Lithuania

The Lithuanian Navy has sent a truckload of radar equipment to Ukraine, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said in a press release on Wednesday. The equipment “will enhance Ukraine’s maritime surveillance capabilities and improve maritime situational awareness,” the Baltic nation’s defense minister, Arvydas Anušauskas, was quoted as saying in the release.

“For war-torn Ukraine, this radar equipment will be important both for the protection of its territorial waters and for the security of its citizens,” the minister said.

A new Lithuanian military aid package to Ukraine worth €200 million ($210 million) is planned to be distributed over the next two years.

Bulgaria votes to send Kyiv second-rate artillery, despite Russian sympathizers

The AP reported that Bulgaria’s parliament gave the green light on Wednesday to send Ukraine weaponry for its counteroffensive efforts, although the supplies are not exactly top-notch.

The package includes defective surface-to-air missiles for the Russian-made S-300 system and unwanted bullets for automatic weapons, the AP quoted Bulgarian state-run media as saying.

The parliament’s move is significant, however, because previous proposals to send aid to Ukraine were rejected by interim governments appointed by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who is sympathetic to Russia and recently stated that the war in Ukraine was Kyiv’s fault. The current parliament voted 141-40 to approve the aid in a closed-door session.

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Also, the AP quoted military experts as saying the missiles for the S-300 can be repaired in Ukraine, but not in Bulgaria.

Russian missile system destroyed

On a day of relatively heavy fighting but no real reported gains by either side, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) could at least announce that their forces knocked out a Russian S-300 missile system, as well as two reconnaissance drones.

In all, the AFU spokespersons said that there were 14 ground-force engagements with Russian troops, primarily in the areas of Melitopol and Bakhmut, while heavy Russian shelling – 44 airstrikes in all – was reported in the regions of Zaporizhzhia and especially Donetsk.

Both Ukrainian and Russian sources noted that AFU units were successful in defending recently recaptured positions in Klishchiivka and Andriivka.

Wagner troops reportedly filtering into Kremlin-controlled units

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted on Wednesday that changes of command in the Wagner mercenary group, about a month after its leader was killed in a plane near Moscow, have resulted in some troops re-appearing in units controlled by Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

A Russian blogger claimed that the appointment of a new overall Wagner commander “triggered an exodus of Wagner personnel to Russian Ministry of Defense structures,” the ISW reported, a claim substantiated by Ukrainian Eastern Group of Forces Spokesperson Captain Ilya Yevlash who confirmed on Wednesday that some 500 former Wagner personnel showed up in Russian formations near Bakhmut. A Ukrainian drone operator reported the same.

Analysts from the ISW said that these developments, however, are unlikely to have a significant impact on the balance of power in those battlefields.

Footage confirms modest AFU gains near Verbove

The ISW noted that Ukrainian troops had gained a new foothold in the battle near Verbove, Zaporizhzhia, citing geolocated footage. It appears to show that Russian forces no longer control a one-kilometer-long trench just west of the town.

Navalny sent to an even harsher prison cell

Jailed Russian opposition leader and vocal critic of the invasion of Ukraine, Alexei Navalny, will be transferred to a “special regime” prison for his “incorrigibility,” AFP reported on Wednesday, citing a social media post from Navalny.

The 47-year-old lawyer and anti-corruption whistle blower said he would be transferred to the special prison for a year, from his current maximum-security cell, after losing an appeal against his 19-year sentence.

"Yesterday, right after my appeal, I was taken to a commission and told that – due to my incorrigibility – I will be transferred to an ‘EPKT’ for a period of 12 months,” he wrote.

“This is the most severe possible punishment in penal colonies of all types.”