From "The Analyst":
VOVCHANSK UPDATE
Despite being pushed back, Russia has continued to use its attack to defend tactics in Vovchansk, a system that’s repeatedly proven to be costly in lives, which of course they don’t care about, but longer term leads to poorly trained troops and low morale, let alone short life expectancy.
These Russian attacks appear to have been manipulated by the Ukrainians into over extending themselves in a very thin corridor, which drew them into the aggregate plant - a target easily cut off with preparation but far too attractive for the Russians to ignore the opportunity. It was simply too much of a strategic target to ignore, offering up dominance over the whole town.
The only problem was that the access to it came from an already narrow strip of Russian controlled land by the river.
The Russians have used these spike infiltration tactics before and Ukrainian commanders have become familiar with how they operate and their motivations.
Ukraine still holds a manpower advantage here of 3:1, but the Russians have 5:1 in artillery which, along with endless glide bomb attacks, they have, in six weeks, destroyed completely this previously unharmed town. It’s little more than wreckage and rubble now.
The Russian storm troopers did their thing, as the Ukrainians sheltered, observing their actions, waiting until they over-extended their supply lines from their narrow point of origin.
At this point, with the Russians shelling and glide bombs temporarily backed off to avoid hitting their own troops, the Ukrainians launched a swift counter attack, quickly cutting the Russians off in the aggregate plant and closing down any means of retreat. The Russians, some 400 of them, were trapped.
The Russians sent in drones with food, water and ammunition to try and sustain the trapped troops. However the Ukrainians, able to deploy their airforce having destroyed Russian radars and anti-air systems, dropped GBU-39 bombs into the plant to make their lives the misery they deserve.
This battle has been raging for six days. The Russians have failed to breakthrough to relieve the trapped troops - or anywhere else for that matter despite the relentless use of poorly trained infantry.
Ukrainian aircraft destroyed the remains of the hospital being used as a Russian concentration point and ensured no relief was ever coming through.
With casualties mounting in the heat of summer averaging 21-25C and no means of evacuating the dead or wounded the Russians are expected to either kill themselves as their indoctrination tries to get them to do, or surrender which some reports say has already occurred.
The effort Russia has expended to mount this operation and its imminent failure will prove even more detrimental over time. Their chances of holding on to the remains of Vochansk will be greatly diminished.
Without it there’s almost no point to this section of the front which has few defence positions and is mostly open ground.
In other news the Ukrainians announced that a month ago they shot down one of Russia’s latest hypersonic missiles. This is not the aero-ballistic Kinzhal, but the true hypersonic 3M22-Zircon with ramjets and cruise-terminal glide variability systems. It marks the first time in history that such a missile has been shot down.
It took a month to admit it because they were uncertain if the claim was true, but forensic evidence gathered enough parts to prove it. Presumably this was shot down with a Patriot, but they haven’t said. This is a very significant development because such weapons were considered largely invulnerable.
Slava Ukraini !
