Ukrainian soldiers from the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade attempted to storm a Russian defensive position when it suddenly turned black.
- Ukrainian forces are waging an increasingly intense battle against Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine in an attempt to regain control of the occupied territories.
- Video materials released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense show examples of brutal warfare and highlight the need for Western military equipment.
- Russian-controlled areas of southern Ukraine have been heavily fortified over the past 1.5 years, and the offensive has taken a huge toll on Ukrainian lives and equipment during a new massive counteroffensive. Many Russian soldiers were also killed.
- The forces are fighting particularly intensely in two core regions in the south, aiming to reach the Sea of Azov to split the Russian-held areas in two, which will complicate the logistics of the Russian war.
After a very bloody and unsuccessful start to the counter-offensive, Ukrainian soldiers now see little hope on the battlefield.
But the price they pay in life and equipment is high.
A new clip, released by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, shows the brutal battle Ukrainian soldiers are now facing.
As part of the counteroffensive, which has been going on since the beginning of June, the soldiers are trying to liberate the occupied territories from the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The clip (which you can watch above) shows four soldiers sitting inside a US Humvee, an armed vehicle given by the US to Ukrainian forces. Another soldier shoots the Russians through the hatch.
In the next moment, the car is hit by what is assumed to be a Russian artillery shell.
Shows needs and problems
By sharing such images, the Defense Department is easily conveying an important message to it: Quite simply, it is showing the world why Ukraine believes it needs Western equipment.
Because even though they were wounded, all the soldiers in the armored car must have survived, and according to the Ukrainians, the brigade must have managed to take the Russian position.
«Thanks to the American people! Your Humvees are saving our Soldiers’ lives. They write in English on Twitter.
At the same time, the clip also shows something more:
It shows one of the biggest problems for the Ukrainian forces, during months of counterattacks. It is kilometers after kilometer of a formidable Russian defensive structure, with mined fields, trenches, and tank bunkers, and protected by Russian artillery and attack helicopters.
Read more: This is how Russian defense works in Ukraine
The areas in southern Ukraine that Ukrainian forces are now trying to retake have been under Russian control since the start of the all-out war last winter.
This meant that the Russians had a year and a half to plan and build a very strong defence. Europe has not seen a military attempt to penetrate such a heavily defended area since World War II.
This is what the Ukrainians are trying to do now.
Since the beginning of June, Ukraine has launched an all-out counteroffensive, trying to recapture as much of the occupied territory as possible.
Expectations were very high up front. Many Western politicians have suggested that Ukraine will quickly break through Russian defenses. However, progress has been much slower than many expected.
In the first weeks of the offensive, many Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the face of a fiercely resistant Russian defence. A significant part of the military equipment sent by Ukraine’s allies was also destroyed.
according to The New York Times The Ukrainians lost up to 20 percent of their vehicles and weapons in the first two weeks of the offensive.
So how are things going now, two months later?
This is happening in the war now
In short, there are five different places along the front line that are now central.
What military analysts describe as the two most important axes of the Ukrainian counter-offensive is taking place in the south of the country.
Here, Ukraine is trying to reach the declared goal – the Sea of Azov. The goal is to cut the regions controlled by Russia in half, between eastern Ukraine and Crimea. This would make Russia’s supply lines vulnerable and the logistics of war more complicated for it.
See the front line map here. Blue is Ukraine’s progress since June:
This happens along the two important axes now:
- In Donetsk Province, the Ukrainians have in recent days recaptured the village of Orozhin, and are continuing their push south toward the large city of Mariupol. It seems the Russians are trying to defend every village along the way.
- In the Zaporizhzhya region, east of Donetsk, Ukrainian forces are working to capture the town of Robotyne, which the Russians have spent plenty of resources holding all summer.
At the end of the week, Ukrainian military authorities stated that they had achieved “partial success” in the city. The goal of the Ukrainians along this axis is to reach the city of Tokmak, and then Melitopol, two cities important to Russian war logistics.
At the same time that the main Ukrainian offensives are going towards the Sea of Azov, their soldiers are also on the offensive in two other places:
- In eastern Ukraine, over the summer, the Ukrainian army was advancing ever further around the devastated and contested city of Bakhmut, which Russia, with the help of the Wagner Group, seized in May after nine months of urban warfare.
- In the Kherson region, there have been more and more reports in recent weeks that the Ukrainians managed to cross the Dnipro River at two points, pushing the Russian forces back here as well.
– The goal for Ukraine is to continue to thinly deploy Russian forces abroad, and make it difficult for them to deploy reserves, wrote military analyst Mike Martin at King’s College London on Twitter/X.
According to Martin, this strategy is working in Ukraine.
– It seems that the Russian reserves are running out, and now they have to move troops between different parts of the front line. And he writes further, It’s very bad news for them.
Does this mean that Russia’s ability to resist Ukraine’s attack is collapsing? It’s too early to say.
In several regions, Russia has recently tried to launch an offensive.
And Ukrainian forces in the northeast of the country, near the city of Kubzhansk in the Kharkiv region, are trying to resist a major Russian advance.
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