Ukraine multiplies attacks and experiences of Russian defenses – DW – 07/02/2023

Ukrainian attacks have escalated in the past 24 hours on the fronts eastern ukraine, Where experts believe that the leadership of the Kiev army is testing the Russian defenses before launching an attack with a large part of its forces.

During the last day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued their “offensive attempts on the fronts of Liman, Donetsk and South Donetsk,” admitted Sunday (07.02.

He specified that on the Donetsk front, the Southern Group of Forces succeeded in repelling a total of 11 enemy attacks along with a number of towns, including the city of Bakhmut Which was the scene of a fierce battle for ten months.

According to Konashenkov, attacks on Russian positions on the southern Liman and Donetsk fronts were also repulsed.

According to the spokesman, Ukrainian forces in those sectors alone suffered 455 casualties and lost six tanks, ten infantry fighting vehicles and several artillery pieces.

“Pitched battles”

On the other hand, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Jana Malyar, stated that Russian forces are advancing in four areas on the front line in eastern Ukraine, where “heavy fighting” is taking place.

“The enemy is advancing in the Avdiivka, Mariinka and Limán sectors,” the deputy minister wrote on Telegram. “It is also advancing in the Svatovo sector,” he added.

“The situation is very difficult,” Jana Maliar explained. “There is fierce fighting everywhere.”

Partial success

According to her, Ukrainian forces were advancing with “partial success” on the southern flank of Bakhmut in the east, as well as near Berdyansk and Melitopol in the southern area of ​​the front.

In the south, the deputy minister noted that Ukrainian forces encountered “strong enemy resistance” and minefields, and were advancing “gradually”.

He said that Ukrainian forces are “working constantly and tirelessly to create the conditions for advancing as quickly as possible”.

“Now we are the ones attacking”

For his part, the spokesman for the military group of Eastern Ukraine, Serhiy Sherevaty, confirmed that the country’s forces are pressing and advancing north to southern Pakhmut, in statements to Ukrainian national television.

“For ten months we attacked the enemy, but now we are the ones attacking, but with a completely different tactic: we use all the developments in national and global military science, and we use drones and high-precision weapons to crush the enemy,” he said.

Shirevati noted that there was no urban combat in Bakhmut, but that Ukrainian snipers and “other units” he did not identify were already operating in the city.

The version of the Ukrainian leadership about the situation on the Donetsk front differs from that of the Russian Ministry, in particular near Bakhmut.

Ukrainian counterattack

Russian sources say that the Ukrainian forces are carrying out reconnaissance and combat operations with small groups also on the fronts of Kherson and Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted, “These allegations indicate that Ukrainian forces are not currently attempting large-scale operations leading to rapid territorial advances.”

ISW highlighted that Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it has not yet committed the bulk of its forces to the counter-offensive that began several weeks ago and whose main direction remains unknown.

“If the Russian reinforcements already sent to Bakhmut are insufficient to sustain gains in that region, the Russian leadership may face a difficult dilemma: risk creating weak points in the Kherson and Luhansk regions or withdrawing forces from southern Ukraine.” Experts indicate in their report.

Mercenaries withdraw from the Wagner Group

The situation in Bakhmut became complicated for the Russian forces after their withdrawal from the city at the beginning of June Wagner Group mercenaries, The Russian assault force that captured the city on the 23rd and 25th, under the orders of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, carried out an uprising that shocked the country.

The Wagnerians put down their rebellion after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that the criminal case against them would be postponed, Prigozhin would go to Belarus and the mercenaries could return home or formally join the armed forces.

Prigozhin announced that his goal, which he did not achieve, was to dismiss the Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, whom he had for months held responsible for the military setbacks. And the high number of casualties among the Russian forces in Ukraine.

FEW (EFE, AFP)