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On August 9, Russian-led forces claimed a new victory on the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Soledar. After counter-attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled, allied units managed to establish a stronghold on the territory of the KNAUF plant. The commanders of the 6th Cossack Regiment of the LPR and the Akhmat unit of the Chechen special forces of the Russian Guards who took part in the offensive confirmed the gains. To the south of Soledar, units of Russian-led forces are advancing towards Kodema. Fighting is ongoing on the eastern outskirts of the village. In the Seversk region, positional battles continue in the villages of Serebryanka, Ivano-Dariivka and Verkhnekamensk. After allied forces entered Bakhmut, fighting is ongoing on the eastern outskirts of the city. Amid reports on the upcoming counter-offensive of Ukrainian forces in the southern regions, Ukrainian defenses in the Donbas cracked. DPR forces advanced in Peski. Ukrainian units were repelled in the north-western outskirts of the town. The Ukrainian military command is forced to prepare a new line of defense in Vodiane and Pervomaisky. Ukrainian forces sent to the southern regions for the declared offensive are reportedly coming back to the Donetsk region due to heavy losses in Peski, Maryinka and Avdiivka. In response to the gains of allied forces, Ukrainian forces continue shelling civilians in Donetsk and areas nearby. The People’s Militia of the DPR reported that over the past day 420 shells were fired at ten different settlements of the republic from multiple rocket launchers, including HIMARS, Hurricane and Grad systems. As a result of the shelling, four civilians were killed and 17 others were injured. The headquarters of the territorial defense of the DPR warned about the new attacks with PFM-1 mines on the civilian areas by the Ukrainian side. So far, at least 32 civilians were wounded by Ukrainian mines, one of which died of his wounds. In turn, the US Defense Department declared another military aid package to Ukraine. The 18th presidential drawdown is the largest one to date and it is worth $1 billion. The package includes ammunition for both the high mobility rocket artillery and howitzer systems which are used for attacks on civilians. Among the items included in the latest package are additional ammunition for the HIMARS; 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition; twenty 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition; munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS; and 1,000 Javelin and hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems.
