Infographic
Ukraine Crisis: 23-30 September 2022
Advances and referendums in Ukrainian regions, impacts of continued Russian operations.
Ukrainian forces made advances in the area of Lyman in the Donetsk region throughout the week1 and recaptured several settlements in the Kupiansk and Izium districts of the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian forces also continued counteroffensive operations in the Kherson region, shelling Russian positions and re-supply routes.
Following widely discredited “referendums” the week prior, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson as part of Russia on 30 September (Wall Street Journal, 30 September 2022). Despite the claim, Russia did not clearly define the borders of the annexed territory, as Russian forces do not have full control over these areas (ISW, 30 September 2022). Some analysts suggest that one of the goals of the annexation is to allow the Kremlin to conscript Ukrainian civilians in the occupied territories (ISW, 26 September 2022). Much of the international community condemned the annexation and refused to recognize any potential changes to Ukrainian borders (Al Jazeera, 1 October 2022; Reuters, 30 September 2022).
Meanwhile, Russian forces also continued to target civilian infrastructure with shelling, missiles, and airstrikes, killing over 60 civilians last week.1 In Zaporizhia, Russian forces carried out a missile strike that hit a civilian evacuation column on 30 September, killing 30 people and wounding almost 100 (Ukrayinska Pravda, 30 September 2022).
For more information, including previous infographics and an interactive dashboard, visit our Ukraine Crisis research hub.
