Russian Defence Is Broken: Ukrainian Army Conducts An Extraordinarily Operation
- 11.06.2023, 8:34
Unexpected strikes against the Russians are possible.
Ukrainian troops are currently attempting an extraordinarily difficult tactical operation during the counteroffensive.
This is reported by analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts said that Ukraine has yet to engage the vast majority of its counteroffensive forces, and Russian defence density varies along the front line.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine conduct an extremely complex tactical operation
Russian sources have recently claimed that Ukrainian forces have a tactical advantage in carrying out assaults at night thanks to Western-provided equipment with better night vision systems.
Also, Kremlin sources continue to highlight the role of scarce military district-level Russian TOS-1A thermobaric artillery systems against Ukrainian attacks, though Ukrainian forces destroyed at least two of these critical systems in recent days.
Geolocated footage published on June 8 and 9 confirms that Ukrainian forces have used Western precision munitions to destroy at least two Russian TOS-1A thermobaric artillery systems – highly destructive but scarce artillery assets.
“The apparent reliance of Russian troops on specific artillery assets is noteworthy, as precision Ukrainian strikes on these systems could potentially complicate Russian defensive capabilities and Russian forces are unlikely to possess enough TOS-1A systems to provide the same level of fire support all along the front line,” ISW noted.
Analysts believe that Ukrainian forces are currently attempting an extraordinarily difficult tactical operation – a frontal assault against prepared defensive positions, further complicated by a lack of air superiority – and these initial assaults should not be extrapolated to predict all Ukrainian operations.
“It is not surprising that Ukrainian forces will suffer losses during the first attacks. However, initial attacks are not representative of all Ukrainian operations. The Russian military remains dangerous and Ukrainian forces certainly face a hard fight. Still, Ukraine has not yet committed the vast majority of its counteroffensive forces and Russian defences are not uniformly strong along all sectors of the front line,” the experts said.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have achieved success in Zaporizhzhia
ISW analysts confirm that the Ukrainian army has achieved tactical success in the Zaporizhzhia region, where the Russian defence was broken through at the initial stage of the counteroffensive.
According to observers, Ukrainian forces conducted counteroffensive operations in at least four areas of the front on June 10. In particular, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were active in the Luhansk region near Bilohorivka. Ukrainian forces advanced up to 1,400m in unspecified areas of the Bakhmut front (according to the statement of the speaker of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Cherevaty); on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions (in the Velyka Novosilka area); near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia.
“Geolocated footage posted on June 10 additionally indicates that Ukrainian forces in western Zaporizhia region made localized gains during counterattacks southwest and southeast of Orikhiv,” ISW said.
Recall that yesterday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting a counteroffensive. According to him, the military commanders at the front "have a positive attitude".