PING!!!!!
My thoughts on GLSDB. Some strikes in Mariupol brought up the possibility GLSDB had already been deployed in Ukraine. Seems to me, this is unlikely. Ukraine used other items in its inventory.
I still think GLSDB destruction on RuZZian forces is still to come. When the Northern 1/3 of Crimea is hit with a sustain attack, we will know GLSDB is in action.
Bakhmut is lost. It’s over.
PING!!!!!
Ukraine: military situation update with maps - Mar 18, 2023
(’Orc’ is associated with the various hoards of 13th century Mongol invaders, as well as LOTR evil villains)
War in Ukraine Explained/Reporting from Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU
Artillery (key to success in this war), Fuller explanation of Orc military structure, Other Bonus articles - see previous postings in “Attack on Europe” (FR title search).
(Numbered printed material below - Some of the items below may be out of date, and not updated yet)
••Denotes Transcribed Dialogue. The entirety of the analysis is from a Ukrainian guy named Reporting from Ukraine’s daily video - I only transcribe it. Extras are just that - from other sites, or my comments marked (Edit: .... ) or { } or [ ].
-—> Current to date and past MAPS: <——
https://militaryland.net/
-—> The True State of Russian Army <——
posted 2 months ago, 21.13 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KiII_2qabk
-—> Combined Arms Breach, what UA will have to master to smash Orc Lines <——
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ-sCT_maAQ
———————————————————————————————————————
Extra:
-—> Ukraine Situation Report: Armored Personnel Carriers Make A Charge In Bakhmut <——
Video shows dated donated Ukranian armored personnel carriers making an all out charge at Russian positions in the hellscape that is Bakhmut.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-situation-report-armored-personnel-carriers-make-a-charge-in-bakhmut
Excerpt: Action took place on March 15th this year.
Sander @SanderRegter
2/1
In the district of #Bakhmut, soldiers are storming the Wagner positions with the support of #M113/YPR-765 armored personnel carriers
https://twitter.com/SanderRegter/status/1637013227404918784
Sander@SanderRegter
Mar 18
Replying to @SanderRegter
2/2
In the district of #Bakhmut, soldiers are storming the Wagner positions with the support of M113/#YPR-765 armored personnel carriers
https://twitter.com/i/status/1637017167878148096
Close up
https://twitter.com/i/status/1637152338250022914
Albert @Albert_Zwoll
Replying to @SanderRegter
The going back and forth makes sense they stop at a certain point and then reverse... we call that “sawing in position”... you could also divide your unit in two or three a keep popping up at different locations. I wonder if this is live action or training...
Peter A. Nesbitt@Rubydoggie
6h
Replying to
@SanderRegter
As a M 113A2 track commander Infantry squad leader. That’s how you assault machine gun positions.
On the war’s first anniversary, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told CNN that the U.S. is “training and equipping several brigades of mechanized infantry” capable of breaching the Russian defenses along an increasingly static frontline.
While the combination of those new brigades and their advanced equipment have not reached the battlefield yet, the combat seen in the video above is just a taste of what Ukraine wants to bring to bear against the Russians.
However, it will take more than just advanced armored vehicles to break Russian lines. As shown in combat throughout the last year of the war, armored vehicles are noisy death traps without requisite support from infantry and other units.
==
Status-6@Archer83Able
6 p.m
Additional video of the aftermath of a failed Ukrainian attack near Novodanylivka in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast of Ukraine on March 15.
https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1637152531993296897
The Ukrainians lost at least four pieces of equipment (including a YPR-765 armoured personnel carrier) and several men. They were forced to withdraw.
https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1636728746681020417
Status-6@Archer83Able
Mar 17
Replying to @Archer83Able
Geolocation: 47.495412, 35.809549.
South of Novodanylivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast of Ukraine.
At least for now, we see just how much the aging M113s and their YPR-765 cousins, hardly ‘tip of the spear’ combat vehicles compared to their more modern successors, are in the fight. It’s remarkable and terrifying to see. Ukraine is clearly making do with the best armor it has on hand, even if it is far from ideal.
==
British Ministry of Defense assessed Russia will soon adjust its conscription requirements to account for continued losses. The report noted a proposed change through the Russian Duma (legislature) to change the conscription age bracket from men aged 18-27 to men aged 21-30. The update assessed the law as “likely to pass” and come into effect in January 2024.
Russian conscription is separate from the “partial mobilization” it undertook in September following Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. While technically barred from service in Ukraine, the update notes “several hundreds have probably served through administrative mixups or after being coerced to sign contracts.”
Most of the men aged 18-21 currently claim exemptions for higher education, but the changed bracket would bolster troop numbers and ensure they are forced to serve. More conscripts would consequently free up more professional soldiers for service in Ukraine with the draftees backfilling their posts away from the frontlines.
==
Alongside the Leopard 2 tanks sent earlier this year, Canada has started shipping the Bergepanzer 3 armored recovery vehicles to Ukraine. A video from the Canadian Department of National Defense shows one of the plow and crane-equipped behemoths based on the Leopard 2 driving up into an Antonov An-124.
———————————————————————————————————————
Reporting from Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/@RFU
Via Telegram: He was wounded in the leg and was evacuated from the front.
••Day 388.
Today there is a lot of news from the east.
Here, after Russian forces shifted their focus back to storming Bakhmut, they started conducting a lot of aggressive and risky missions.
Despite already trying to force the river and establish a foothold on the western bank of the river earlier this week and losing their best assault units in the process, Wagners continued to test their luck and launched a similar attack north of the city.
Unfortunately for Russians, they were quickly spotted and overwhelmed with mortar fire and grenades before they even reached the river.
Last time I told you that Wagner forces shifted their focus back to the encirclement of Bakhmut and increased the pressure on Ukrainian positions in the trenches in front of the Khromove highway.
I also told you Wagner forces recently tried to force the river and put a wedge between the northern and southern groups of Ukrainian forces but were destroyed by Ukrainian snipers during the night.
The freshest reports suggest that after Ukrainians had cleared this sector, they launched a series of counterattacks by crossing the river themselves.
A recent video shows how Ukrainians are crossing the destroyed bridge in the middle of the city and entering the premises that at the moment seem to be under their control, so Russian forces are still prevented from fully controlling the eastern part of Bakhmut.
Nonetheless, Wagners resumed their attempts to force the river. They tried to incorporate the lessons learned and decided not to assault the central part of Bakhmut, which has a lot of high-rise buildings and instead tried to cross the river in front of the AZOM industrial complex.
Geolocated footage shows that Wagners were advancing towards the small bridge, likely in an attempt to get a foothold in what looks like a parking space with a lot of garages.
The video shows that once Wagners got close to the bridge, they faced overwhelming mortar and grenade fire.
Half of the squad quickly got wounded, and they tried to take cover and request support.
Shortly, the second team ran up to them and helped to evacuate.
Simultaneously, the Ukrainian side also released a video of a soldier using a grenade launcher in the Bakhmut area with a lot of trees, and it looks like they were operating exactly in this region.
When it comes to the northern part of Bakhmut, the fights on the AZOM industrial complex continue, and so far, the Ukrainian defense here holds.
A Ukrainian reconnaissance group recently spotted here a place where Wagner troops went to collect equipment and released a video of how a Ukrainian mortar unit is targeting this warehouse in coordination with the drone operator.
As a result, Wagner forces lost one of the closes warehouses to the main action on the industrial plant.
In the southern part of Bakhmut, Wagner forces managed to secure new gains.
Here, Russians reportedly reached the end of the forest area and captured several streets.
The main goal of Wagner units here is to spit the southern and western groups of Ukrainian forces to create better conditions for establishing physical control over the southwestern part of the city and fire control over the country roads.
It’s been a while since they approached the intersection, but as usual, storming blocks with high-rise buildings is incredibly hard.
Their progress here has stagnated, which is why they decided to follow the path of least resistance in anticipation of new tactical opportunities.
The southern part of the region is where Ukrainians have the most active stance so far.
Russian sources frequently report localized Ukrainian assaults from Ivanivske in the direction of the forest, Russian trench networks south of the village, and also Klischiivka.
Overall, Ukrainian forces successfully continue holding Bakhmut and inflicting losses on the most capable assault units inside the Russian army.
In the meantime, there is a lot of evidence that Ukrainians also continue gathering forces to conduct a counteroffensive operation in this region.
A lot of videos filmed in Kostiantynivka and Chasiv Yar show an increased concentration of Ukrainian troops.
Some sources speculate that the weather conditions may allow Ukrainians to launch this attack by the end of next week.
Although Ukrainians may choose to wait a little bit longer because Ukrainian positions on the hills around Bakhmut proved to be a significant impediment to Wagner forces’ advancement.
==
Russians are unable to use air power because of all the anti-air batteries located close to Bakhmut. In fact, one of the SU-24s recently shot down was far inside the occupied territory.
==
AN/TWQ-1 Avengers are being used. Humvee mounted, short range, anti-air missile system.
==
Denys says he does not know if the UA counterattack will be big or small, but the Humvees and other types of personnel vehicles seen in a video around Chasiv Yar are the same sort of mix that were used in the counterattacks at Kharkiv and Kherson. Highly mobile vehicles with machine gun turrets are mostly useless in defense missions.
==
Pion 203mm self-propelled artillery moved into the area. French truck GBC-180s used to haul the shells and powder.
==
Russian forces concentrating in the north and the south pincers. UA may counterattack in the north towards Krasna Hora.
==
During the Kharkiv advance, the Russians lost 450 tanks, with most being captured. The Germans during the Battle of Kursk lost less than that.
==
MiG-29s: UA will get 33 total from Poland an Slovakia. These will replace most of the planes lost during the early weeks of the war - most were lost to friendly fire then. These planes have been upgraded to NATO standard avionics and radars plus they can carry NATO missiles and bombs. Almost as good as F-16s.
==
Russian media say the grain deal was for only 60 days, but the official document is for 120 days.
==
EU signed agreement to buy 1 million shells which may go to Ukraine.
==
Putin visits Denys’ home city of Sevastopol [and visited Mariupol, where adoring crowds of 4-6 people highly praised his rebuilding of the city he destroyed.] Originally the city was to be part of any negotiated settlement, but now is officially going to be returned through military action.
==
Wagners: Now recruiting in 42 Russian cities. PMC hopes to get another 30,000 troops by May. They are getting 500-800 troops a day signed up. People are signing up with PMC because they do not trust the RGF, and believe PMC speaks the truth. Also because PMC is backed up by some of the Elites.
Officials in the West and in Ukraine continue to insist that a counter-attack is coming. I have to assume this is a desperate psychological operation. I find it difficult to believe that responsible military leaders and planners would be publicly tipping their hand about what they intend to do and where they intend to strike. General Eisenhower and General Montgomery did not blather on in the press about their upcoming invasion in Normandy. They obfuscated their moves and made masterful use of deception. Ditto for Marshal Zhukov and General Konstantin Rokossovsky in their planning and execution of Operation Bagration.
I think the United States and its NATO partners are making a deadly mistake in underestimating Russian intelligence about the disposition and readiness of Ukrainian forces. What is clear is that the Russians are not saying anything about their plans for destroying the Ukrainian Army. But I am certain that such plans exist and are being executed according to a schedule dictated by Russia.
You love dining on and trafficking in disinfo. You’re in luck. Here’s another flavor of disinfo for your delight.
MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Russia’s armed forces struck 92 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions in 114 areas over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Sunday.
“Russian operational/tactical and army aviation aircraft, missile troops and artillery struck 92 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 114 areas over the past day,” he said.
Battles in Kupyansk direction
The western group of the Russian forces struck Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Kupyansk area, eliminating up to 50 troops over the past day, Konashenkov said.
“In the Kupyansk direction, aircraft and artillery of the western battlegroup struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Dvurechnaya, Timkovka, Olshana in the Kharkov Region and Novoselovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic,” the spokesman said.
The strikes eliminated the enemy manpower and military hardware, the general noted. “Up to 50 Ukrainian personnel, two armored vehicles and two cars were destroyed,” Konashenkov reported.
Russian combat aircraft shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 fighter jet near the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region, he added.
Battles in Krasny Liman direction
Russian forces eliminated over 90 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, Konashenkov said.
“In the Krasny Liman direction, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the battlegroup Center struck the enemy units,” eliminating “over 90 Ukrainian personnel, three infantry fighting vehicles, three vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers,” the general specified.
Battles in Donetsk direction
The units of the southern group Russian forces eliminated more than 80 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
“In the Donetsk direction, more than 80 Ukrainian personnel, three armored combat vehicles, four pickup trucks, three Grad multiple rocket launchers and one Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in the past 24 hours as a result of active operations by units of the southern battlegroup, air strikes and artillery fire,” the spokesman said.
Battles in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye directions
Russian forces destroyed over 50 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
“In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, operational/tactical aircraft and artillery of the battlegroup East employed combined firepower to inflict damage on the Ukrainian army units near the settlements of Novomikhailovka, Ugledar, Prechistovka, Privolnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Orekhov in the Zaporozhye Region,” the spokesman said, adding that the enemy’s losses in those directions in the past 24 hours exceeded 50 Ukrainian personnel, three pickup trucks and one D-30 howitzer.
Battles in Kherson direction
Russian forces destroyed two hangars with military equipment of the 122th territorial defense brigade of the Ukrainian forces near the Otradokamenka in the Kherson Region, Konashenkov reported.
Moreover, up to 20 Ukrainian troops, three vehicles and two Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers were eliminated over the past day in the Kherson direction.
Russian air defenses intercept nine HIMARS, Olkha rockets, seven drones
Russian air defense forces intercepted nine HIMARS and Olkha rockets and downed seven drones of the Ukrainian forces over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 402 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 222 helicopters, 3,464 unmanned aerial vehicles, 414 surface-to-air missile systems, 8,338 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,069 multiple launch rocket systems, 4,388 field artillery guns and mortars and 9,011 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov concluded.
