Replies

Ukraine: military situation update with maps, Jan 6, 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(Numbered printed material below - Some of the items below may be out of date, and not updated yet)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/

———————————————————————————————————————
Extras:
-—> Boosting Ukraine’s Maneuver Capabilities Focus Of $3B US Aid Package <——
The package, which includes M109 Paladins and hundreds more vehicles, is designed to “change the equation on the battlefield.”
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/boosting-ukraines-maneuver-capabilities-focus-of-3b-us-aid-package

Includes:
50: M2A2 ODS, spare parts, 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition;
18: M109A6 Paladin 155-mm self-propelled howitzers and 18 ammunition support vehicles;
36: 105mm towed howitzers (M777s) and 95,000 105mm artillery rounds - added to the previous 178;
100: M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
55: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
138: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);

70,000 155mm artillery rounds;
500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
1,200 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
10,000 120mm mortar rounds;

Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
RIM-7 missiles for air defense;
4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets;
Approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets;

Sniper rifles, machine guns, and ammunition for grenade launchers and small arms;
Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
Night vision devices and optics;
Spare parts and other field equipment.

It brings the total security assistance to Ukraine under the Biden administration to nearly $25 billion and builds on previous packages that have included about 2,500 vehicles os all kinds.

It will take a couple of months to get the Bradleys fielded, including time to train Ukrainians how to use them.

—
Meet All The Heavily Armored Western Combat Vehicles Ukraine Is Getting <——
We break down the types of potent armor Ukraine is suddenly getting from it’s western allies.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/meet-all-the-heavily-armored-western-combat-vehicles-ukraine-is-getting

Covers:
France’s AMX-10RC
German Marder 1
American M2 Bradley

Tanks:
Abrams weighs in excess of 60 tons which the Ukraine infrastructure limited to 44 tons cannot support, plus the Abrams tank, in addition to being a gas guzzler, is quite challenging to maintain.

Increasing possibility Germany may send Leopards - Leopard I is 40 plus tons, and Leopard II is over 60 of which there are only 500 in Germany. And the Germany government views Leopards as “offensive” as opposed to Marders being “defensive”.

—
This Is What Bradley Fighting Vehicles Will Bring To The Fight In Ukraine (Updated) <——
With an initial batch of M2 Bradleys now slated for Ukraine, we dive into what impact these iconic vehicles could have on the battlefield.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/this-is-what-bradley-fighting-vehicles-will-bring-to-the-fight-in-ukraine

This article bears reading in its entirety for the actual capabilities of these vehicles which proved more deadly than Abrams tanks during the Battle of 73 Easting in Iraq (ODS).

Excerpts:
There are currently three operational Bradley variants
The Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Cavalry Fighting Vehicle, “which has fewer seats in the back and more missiles storage”
The Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) vehicle, a scout, reconnaissance, and targeting variant, “which is [a] fire support vehicle with an FS laser designator and fires computer instead of a TOW

While the 25-mm automatic gun is not the weapon of choice for engaging tanks, vehicle commanders, crews, and CALL and Army Infantry Center personnel reported isolated instances in which the 25-mm automatic gun had killed tanks.

Upgrades after ODS included an eye-safe laser range finder, GPS-navigation system, an infrared imaging system for the vehicle’s driver, a computerized battle management system, and other upgrades.

variants of the TOW missile
The bunker buster TOWs are very good obstacle and emplacement reduction munitions
The TOW 2B Aero missile can hit enemy tanks and other targets out to around 4,500 meters, or just under 2.8 miles ... They fly above the target and the warhead explodes down into the most vulnerable part of the tank - the top.
The TOW 2As, which hit the target directly on aimpoint, are still very capable direct-strike anti-tank guided missiles.

Mud:
“Mud sucks, no way around that And maintenance depends on training and which variant, really. Outside of being actually mired - like driving into mud or swamp over the tracks - I’ve usually been able to get out of the mud. The larger track profile/width helps a lot.

—
Sea Sparrow RIM-7 Surface-To-Air Missiles Are Headed To Ukraine <——
The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow will be paired with Soviet-era Buk launchers and radar systems in a bizarre, but potentially much needed mash-up.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/sea-sparrow-rim-7-surface-to-air-missiles-are-headed-to-ukraine

———————————————————————————————————————
••Day 317.

Today the Ukrainians managed to make a huge surprise to the Russians in the Soledar area.

After stepping a little bit back from their initial positions in Soledar, they drew in a lot of Russian forces that wanted to maintain the momentum and push the Ukrainians as far as possible.

However, it turned out that the Ukrainians had a lot of underground passages, and so because the front line shifted westward, the Ukrainians were able to suddenly appear right behind Russian backs and cause a lot of trouble.

Yesterday I told you that Ukrainian control over the eastern part of Soledar was compromised because the Russians established total control over Yakovlivka and started attacking them from the flank.

I told you that the Ukrainians retreated from the local school in Bakhmutske towards the warehouses and from the factory Knauf in Soledar around 3 streets back.

Today it turned out that the retreat process was incomplete and that the Ukrainians decided to leave warehouses in Bakhmutske as well.

Despite the fact that the Russians seemingly received an order to cease fire, the Russians tried to take advantage of that and pushed in the direction of Soledar.

Interestingly, the Soledar area is mostly the responsibility of the Wagner forces, so it looks like they have some latitude as to how tightly the orders from the Russian Ministry of Defense should be followed.

In any case, the latest updates indicate that the fights are taking place in the area of the train station Dekonske.

The latest updates also suggest that even though the area of Ukrainian control shrank by several kilometers, it does not mean that the Russians have total control over the emptied territory.

Today Russian sources confirmed that Russian forces experience huge problems with moving forward in Soledar.

The reason why the Russians can’t even start storming the central part of Soledar is that the Ukrainians are using various secret tunnels to get into the Russian rear and sabotage it.

As you remember, yesterday I told you that the Ukrainians are fully controlling a Salt Mine that has an incredibly developed network of underground communication. A lot of caves and tunnels lead to the eastern part of Soledar.

Since the eastern part of Soledar is behind the contact line, the Russians do not monitor every block that they assume is under their control, so the Ukrainians can deploy in small groups, leave some mines, destroy small ammunition depots and some equipment and sneak back.

The Russians struggle to reveal the entrances to the tunnels, and therefore they cannot move in their equipment closer to the front to maintain their positions there permanently.

So, even though the Ukrainians stepped back by several kilometers, most of the area that they left is going to remain in the grey zone, creating a valuable buffer in front of the main stronghold in the central part of the city.

More news is coming from the southern region.

Several days ago, the Ukrainians deployed a small group to the island Velykyi Potiomkin and placed a Ukrainian flag. Later, the head of the Southern Group of Forces elaborated that this was basically a signal to the Russians to leave this island as fast as possible.

Today the Russians made a response and started shelling the bridge that connects that Ukrainian-controlled land to the island. Some sources are saying that the Russians are likely using this island to shell Kherson. The Russians reportedly move in their artillery systems, make a full salvo and quickly pull back.

In order to ensure the safety of the city, the Ukrainians are trying to at least put this island in the grey zone. And while nothing suggests that the Ukrainians are conducting active on-the-ground operations, today, there were a lot of reports of big explosions along the front line.

The explosions were inflicted by the Ukrainian Air Force, which has conducted a series of fire missions with a specific focus on Oleshky and Radensk. These are quite big settlements located right on the main Russian highway, so there have always been a lot of soldiers stationed in the region.

While the Ukrainian General Staff is still gathering information about the results of these strikes, they have published a report about yesterday’s strikes. They stated that over the last several days, the Ukrainians had identified the areas of concentrations of Russian forces near Tokmak and Havrylivka Druha.

As a result of targeting military objects, the Ukrainians have inflicted irretrievable losses of 80 mobilized soldiers in Tokmak and 100 soldiers in Havrylivka. Local news reported that the Russians are seizing the property of the farmers and turning their hangars for equipment into barracks.

The Russians suspect that a lot of locals are helping the Ukrainians and leaking the targets, and given their attitude toward the locals, it is hardly surprising. The Russians reportedly made the curfew even more strict in separate areas in order to conduct filtration operations by checking everyone’s phones. So, the war conditions force the Ukrainians to be very careful with using their devices.