First Ukrainian soldier killed in Donbas in over a month

Ukrainian military positions in Donbas were fired upon
four times, with casualties, on Sept. 6, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reports.
One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and one wounded. This marks the first death
on the front since July. Recall, President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed to the
approach of the 30-day mark of zero deaths on the front
during his Independence Day speech on Aug. 24.

James Hydzik: The death
brings an unfortunate end to a record on the front, but we do not take this as
a signal of a sustained uptick in military activity in Donbas. Rather, it
points to a weakness in President Zelensky’s strategy and one of the
cornerstones of his presidency, namely to eliminate by any means possible
further deaths due to military action on the front in Donbas. Unfortunately,
even minimal military activity can bring about deaths and undermine his efforts
(and his ratings), while leaving him open to threats of continued or escalating
violence.