Russian invasion of Ukraine

From ‘The Analyst’ (Military & Strategic) X: MilStratOnX

POKROVSK FRONT UNDER HUGE PRESSURE

Of all the places the Russians have decided to use the vast weight of their manpower advantage, this bulging salient is it.
Pokrovsk is the ultimate goal, although it’s a good 15km away at present. The first step is to reach the Vovcha river - the same river that much further north flows through Vovchansk.
This would push the Ukrainians back to a more defensive line but would also release more Russian troops to press north and west, their aim to cut a key road that’s already increasingly in danger.
The bulging salient is crammed with Russian brigades determined to open the salient and reach their objectives. Meanwhile the Ukrainians can do little more that make it tough for the enemy as they carry out a fighting and slow retreat.
There’s only one effective way for Ukraine to slow the Russians down. A combination of counter attacks and planned withdrawals, and it does work, maximising Russian losses and maintaining a disproportionately high level of attrition. While this does cut into Russian numbers at a savage level, they as usually don’t care about their losses if they make gains. It’s this policy of short term gains for high cost that eventually, will come to be their downfall, but we’re not at that point yet. Sooner or later they just won’t be able to keep pumping up the inflated balloon they’re creating, not when in essence the air that keeps it up is men. When your losses start to exceed what you can pump in, eventually the balloon will collapse. This policy of push now or never has a lifespan far shorter than the lifespan of Ukrainian willpower to resist it.
One of the crucial pieces of kit in use has been the M2 Bradley. It’s been a stunningly effective vehicle and the Russians hate it. Many times over now we see M2 units - often in pairs - doing huge amounts of damage to Russian infantry positions with their heavy 25mm gun.
Mines play their role just as effectively, and drones have become increasingly more effective, especially larger octocopters that carry heavier bombs designed to crush the buildings Russian troops hide in.
Meanwhile skilled FPV operators harass and attack anything and everything enemy they cans find.
The heat and the dry soil has made it easier to spot vehicles moving as they throw up so much dust. In rear areas Russian logistics are continually attacked and harassed.
Unfortunately the Russian advance in the hills along the railway line towards the village of Progress couldn’t be stopped - they had such an overwhelming force that this resulted in part of the Ukrainian 31st brigade being trapped in what was originally designed as a core control position on the hill.
Let’s be polite here and say that senior commanders in the Ukrainian command weren’t seeing this as the problem it could so easily have been and were slow to react. Too slow. So slow that those in the field decided to act on their own initiative and not wait - an element of flexibility in the Ukrainian army that Russia totally lacks.
Using flanking attacks against the Russians and a breakthrough to the rear by the encircled Ukrainians, they were able to coordinate an escape and the trapped units got out, but it was a close run thing involving heavy fighting.
CONTINUES here
CONTINUED from earlier posting.

However this action had another cost. The 47th brigade was diverted to assist the breakout and it resulted in the rapid loss of the village of Progress, swamped as it was with Russian infantry.
This cascaded down the line and forced the Ukrainians to retreat from a larger area southward.
The battles are fierce and ongoing. The Russians have made this their top priority. Ukraine lacks the equipment and numbers of men to hold the line against so much overwhelming if badly trained Russians. They do what they can to extract the maximum losses from the Russians while fighting a slow withdrawal.
As the salient gets bigger, the thinner Ukrainian forces defending the lines have to be spread.
The battle continues. In the sweltering heat of one of the hottest summers ever recorded in this part of Ukraine.

‘The Analyst’
Slava Ukraini
 

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