VIDEO WITH SUMMARIZED COMMENTARY:
16 Jun: Ukrainians CAPTURE THE WHOLE FOREST IN 1 HOUR | War in Ukraine Explained
Reporting from Ukraine
297K subscribers
6-16-2023 10:00 p.m. EDT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhaDIebgzNQ
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I am Ukrainian. My country has been invaded by Russia. In this video I will tell you what happened on the four hundred and seventy eighth day of the war.
Day 478: Jun 16
After a short pause due to unsuitable for fights weather conditions, Ukrainians have finally launched their next series of attacks. The most intense clashes took place around Lobkove. Over the last several days, Ukrainians have conducted a series of light-reconnaissance operations around Zherebianky, and judging by today’s actions, the main goal of these reconnaissance attacks was to see where Russian firing points in Zherebianky are and how Ukrainians can secure their flanks against a counterattack from this village.
Today in the morning, Ukrainians finally launched the first assault in the direction of Pitykhatky. If we look at the topographic map, we can see that Piatykhatky is also located in the lowlands, which is why it became the next logical target.
Russian sources reported that Ukrainians used 5 armored fighting vehicles and 2 tanks. Russian sources also reported that Ukrainians started applying a new tactic, which proved to work much better on the Zaporizhia front: Ukrainians are quickly delivering their assault units directly to the contact line with various armored carriers, the carriers immediately leave while several tanks provide fire support from a distance and drone operators help to navigate the situation on the ground.
The reason why this tact works better than direct heavy assaults is that in most places, Russians have created multiple small defensive positions instead of one big fortification. Such conditions require extremely high mobility of small assault units for the highest efficiency of attacks.
After 1 hour of continuous fights Ukrainians reportedly completely chased Russians from probably the most important position in this region – the forest. This forest is 1 km long and 300 meters wide, which means that the assault went extremely swiftly.
The forest gives a substantial tactical advantage. Not only does it allow hiding and accumulating assault units right on the doorstep of 2 Russian-controlled settlements, but it also secures Ukrainian flanks against a sudden counterattack from Zhebianky.
After achieving this initial success, Russian sources reported that Ukrainians started preparing reinforcements to develop their success even more. Shortly, Ukrainians were ready and launched the next series of attacks.
One small assault unit approached Russians from the northern bank of the river and opened fire on Russian positions, which made Russian troops less agile, while the second assault unit attacked the settlement from the southern bank of the river, more precisely from the forest. After around 1 hour of intense clashes, Ukrainians pushed Russians out of the western part of the settlement.
Russian sources reported that Russian forces faced many difficulties in rebuffing the Ukrainian attack, primarily because prior to the attack, Ukrainians once again used Remote Anti-Armor Mine shells to mine the roads for the Russian reserves. However, even after Russian reserves finally arrived, they did not have enough forces to make a decisive blow, and both parties got stuck.
Both parties heavily relied on artillery, however, Russian sources reported that Ukrainians prioritized counterbattery fire over direct support of the units on the ground, and Russians were forced to respond reciprocally, so 2 separate battles took place here simultaneously: between the infantry and between the batteries.
In order to break the situation, Russian forces requested airstrikes on Ukrainian positions, and soon, the Russian assault helicopters Ka-52 arrived on the spot and started targeting Ukrainians with missiles. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainians managed to shoot down one of those helicopters in the process. In the end, it seems like Ukrainians had to retreat to the forest, and they did not manage to establish full control over the settlement at this time.
Nonetheless, even the most prominent Russian sources admit that Ukrainian almost took the village, which is why they are expecting a new attack on Piatykhatky very soon. And this new attack will likely be even harder to repel, as Ukrainians now understand the setting much better and will avoid many mistakes. After Piatykhatky, the next logical step is Zherebianky, which due to the local geography, will require even more coordination between multiple assault units in multiple directions and tactical excellence.
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ARTICLE
Ukraine advancing in the south: military chiefs
June 17, 2023
https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/06/17/ukraine-advancing-in-the-south-military-chiefs/
Ukrainian forces are advancing in southern sectors of their counter-offensive against Russian occupation troops, Ukrainian military officials said on Friday.
The latest report on the counter-offensive, as well as an account of “desperate resistance” by Russian troops in the east, was issued as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said movement in the counter-offensive was “the most important thing”.
“Every soldier, every new step we take, every metre of Ukrainian land freed from the enemy is of utmost importance,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video message.
Reuters could not verify the battlefield situation. Russia has not officially acknowledged Ukrainian advances in the early stages of a counteroffensive, and said it had inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv’s forces in the previous 24 hours.
Deputy Ukrainian Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app that troops were “engaged in active moves to advance in several directions at once.
“Practically in all sectors where our units are attacking in the south, they have registered tactical successes,” Maliar said. “They are gradually moving forward. At the moment, the advance is up to 2 km (1.3 miles) in each direction.”
In Ukraine’s east, Maliar said Russia forces were trying to dislodge Ukrainian forces from established positions.
Ukrainian forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut, captured by Russia last month, were trying to push Russian forces out from the outskirts of the town.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who is in charge of Ukrainian ground forces, had earlier described the situation in the east as tense, with Russia bringing its best divisions into the Bakhmut sector with backup from artillery and aircraft.
“We continue to conduct offensive actions in separate directions, occupying dominant heights, and strips of forest with the aim of forcing the enemy gradually out of the outskirts of Bakhmut. Realizing this, the enemy units put up desperate resistance,” Syrskyi said on Telegram.
Bakhmut has seen some of the fiercest fighting since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. The Ukrainian military said last week it had begun pushing back Russian forces near Bakhmut.
Kyiv said on Thursday it had regained control of about 100 square km (38 square miles) of territory in just over a week of its counteroffensive.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian troops in the southern Tavriia sector, said there had been 36 combat engagements and 578 attacks in the past 24 hours in the sector.
“The enemy’s losses in killed and wounded amounted to more than four companies,” he wrote on Telegram. A company typically consists of 100–250 soldiers.