September 4-11 live war map: Ukrainian army breaks out of encirclement, hunts for Iranian missiles, launches local counterattacks

Vuhledar trap for Ukraine's Armed Forces

The encirclement around Vuhledar has tightened further. Russian forces have captured two key positions north of the city: the spoil heap of Mine No. 1 and the village of Vodiane, where Ukrainian forces had well-fortified positions. Thanks to the spoil heap, located just 2.5 km from the city's northern outskirts, Russian forces gained a height advantage, allowing them to control the movement of Ukrainian troops in Vuhledar. To completely cut off logistics, the enemy needs to break through another 5.5 km of defenses and reach the road from Kurakhove via Bohoiavlenka. The Russians are speeding up operations in this area, using a significant amount of their already scarce armored vehicles, knowing this might be their only chance to give Putin something significant for his birthday. The number of attacks has risen from 100 to 300 in two weeks. However, the Ukrainian Defense Forces' artillery is currently successfully halting all mechanized assaults.

From the south, after the capture of Prechystivka during another unsuccessful rotation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupiers were unable to advance further toward Zolota Nyva or cross the Kashlahach River to outflank the Vuhledar defenders.

Pokrovsk front not stabilized, but Russians slowed down

The invading Russian army concentrated its efforts not so much on breaking through the defense in front of Pokrovsk as on bypassing it from the south. During the week, the Russians continued to move along the right bank of the Vovcha River to Hirnyk, occupied Lisivka, and reached the southern and northern outskirts of Ukrainsk, whose defenders were in a difficult position.

Currently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have managed to hold the southern outskirts of Halytsynivka, but the Russians may soon break through Ukrainian defenses and advance along the left bank of the Vovcha River, storming the villages of Zhelanne Pershe and Druhe, which cannot be held for long.

At the same time, Russian units are gradually completing the occupation of Krasnohorivka and moving towards their formations heading for Hirnyk. Another unit has crossed the Lozova River and is trying to break into Ukrainian defenses, but their advance is just over a kilometer. Thus, the several-thousand-strong contingent of the Ukrainian Armed Forces holding the defense on the Krasnohorivka - Nevelske - Halytsynivka front line is at great risk of being trapped, the only way out being the bridge over the Vovcha River in the village of Kurakhivka. It is likely that in the near future, Ukrainian troops will make a controlled withdrawal from this trap to avoid being blocked.

In the battle for Selydove, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to retain all their positions and prevent the occupiers from entering the city. At the same time, the Russians managed to break through to the rear on the left flank of the semi-surrounded village of Marynivka, where Ukrainian Defense Forces held the enemy back for two weeks. Therefore, it is likely that Ukrainian soldiers will be forced to retreat from their positions.

A Ukrainian counterattack on Novohrodivka did not yield any tangible results, while the Russians advanced to the west of the city. Attempts to enter Krasnyi and Krutyi Yar were unsuccessful. In Hrodivka, the Russians occupied only two streets in a week. However, they managed to enter Novotoretske, which will eventually increase the pressure on Hrodivka from the north. The slowdown in the overall pace of the Russian offensive demonstrates that they do not have enough reserves to quickly throw into battle and speed up the fulfillment of their tasks.

Counteroffensive in New York, stability in Toretsk

While in Toretsk the Ukrainian Defense Forces managed to deter all Russian attacks, Azov fighters, together with the fighters of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 53rd Brigade, recaptured the central part of New York and unblocked Ukrainian soldiers who had been surrounded for several weeks. The blue and yellow flag flew again in the center of New York.

                                                                                                             Photo: Espreso map of hostilities for September 4-11

"Kursk People's Republic"

Military operations in the Kursk region have largely stabilized: the Russians are trying to dig in to form a front line, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces are clearing previously surrounded positions and expanding their control zone towards the Rylsk-Kursk highway. It is now known that Ukrainian troops have cleared the area near the villages of Pohrebky, Kyriivka, and Nechaiv, and have thwarted most of the Russian attacks on their positions. Consequently, the Russian armed forces have been unable to break through to the other surrounded conscripts, who will soon be captured or destroyed. The Russians failed to deploy a significant number of units in the Kursk region, resulting in a disorganized defense. They have not been able to establish effective artillery, so they are already leveling their own villages with guided bombs.

                                                                                                              Photo: Espreso map of hostilities for September 4-11

On the western flank of the Russian front, the enemy managed to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces completely back from Korenevo and Komarivka and developed an offensive towards Snahost. The Ukrainian military are regrouping to repel this counterattack.

Largest drone attack on Moscow region

The Russians reported an attack involving at least 144 Ukrainian drones on the Moscow region and eight other regions of the Russian Federation. The strikes targeted Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, as well as Podolsk, Ramenskoye, Lyubertsy, and Kolomna. One of the key targets was a warehouse at a military unit where Iranian missiles were allegedly stored. Additionally, a warehouse containing North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles was destroyed by Ukrainian drones in the village of Soldatskoye, Voronezh region. The scale of the destruction was highlighted by several days of detonations and the evacuation of local populations from nearby villages.

Naval drones also attacked the port of Novorossiysk, though the results of the operation are not yet confirmed.

The maps were created based on information received from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff and other open and verified sources. At the same time, the maps are not as accurate as possible and only conditionally reflect trends in the combat zone.