The experts noted that, according to Ukrainian and American sources, now the advancement of the AFU fighters can take place in the areas of the defensive positions of the Russian troops, which are the most difficult series.
Geolocation footage released on August 25 shows that the Defense Forces advanced 1.5 kilometers south-northeast of Novoprokopovka (13 kilometers south of Orekhov).
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said on August 25 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are currently being attacked through the main set of Russian defensive lines along the direction of the Ukrainian offensive.
On August 26, Reuters reported that the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, fighting in the southern direction, said that the Ukrainian forces believe that they have broken through the most difficult line of Russian defense in the area and will now be able to move faster.
The Ukrainian commander is reported to have said that UAF fighters have entered areas where they have only encountered Russian “logistics teams” and that he expects further breakthroughs in those areas to be easier.
A Russian “voenkor” stated on 25 August that the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked areas towards the rear defensive lines near Verbove (18km southwest of Orekhov), suggesting that the Ukrainian military may be located near the tactical rear within a series of Russian defensive positions that they are currently breaking through. At the same time, experts add that these reports should not be misinterpreted as pointing to Ukrainian forces entering the rear of the Russians at the operational level.
The report also states that UAF now spawns within range of the next series of prepared Russian defensive positions, which may be weakerthan previous invader defense systems, but still pose a serious problem.
A number of defensive positions through which Ukrainian forces are currently advancing consisted of dense layers of minefields and fortifications, to which Russian forces have sent significant forces, equipment and forces to hold.
A number of Russian defensive positions now in front of the UAF likely consist of a relatively more continuous array of anti-tank ditches; anti-tank obstacles “dragon’s teeth”; and additional minefields (behind these obstacles are Russian combat positions), which is very similar to the Russian first line of defense.
The Institute for the Study of War also notes that the size of the minefields around this series of prepared defensive positions is unclear, although they may be mined to a lesser extent to give Russian troops operating north of these positions an opportunity to retreat.
“Furthermore, the ISW has recently estimated that this series of prepared defensive positions may be less heavily defended than the positions that Ukrainian forces have already breached in the north, although this remains unclear,” the report says.
Analysts note that each of these Russian “lines” is a layered defensive position with its forward and rear positions, and it is important to distinguish between the rear zones of individual Russian defensive positions and the defense of Russians in southern Ukraine as a whole.
Thus, the defensive “lines” of the interventionists are also conditional in the sense that the positions prepared by the Russian Federation are not the same along the entire front in southern Ukraine and are not fully manned. To the south of the current UAF offensive there are a number of additional prepared defensive positions of the occupiers, although the Russian troops will only be able to fully use these positions if they have available personnel and equipment to include them in cohesive defensive operations.
Key takeaways:
A Ukrainian source said that Russian troops moved elements of a relatively elite formation from the Kremennaya Lugansk region to the Rabotino region in the west of the Zaporozhye region. Russian militias remain willing to threaten to unilaterally withdraw from hostilities, despite recent efforts by Russian military commanders to purge and crack down on insubordination. It is reported that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is bringing to justice junior officers and soldiers of the Russian unit who complained about the inattention of senior commanders to front issues. None of the well-known channels known to be directly linked to Wagner PMCs have shared further details about the group’s future, while most Russian sources have focused their attention on frontline kinetic activity. Russian troops conducted offensive operations on the Kupyansk-Svatovo-Kremennaya line, near Bakhmut, on the Avdiivka-Donetsk line and in the west of the Donetsk region, but did not achieve any confirmed offensives. The Russian regional authorities continue to facilitate the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from the occupied part of Ukraine to the Crimea temporarily controlled by the invaders.
Offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
This summer, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began offensive operations in the south of Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated more than 10 settlements in Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions. Recently, Ukrainian fighters entered the village of Rabotino, Zaporozhye region, and planted the Ukrainian flag there.
Also, our fighters continue their offensive on the flanks near Bakhmut. As the military command notes, there are also successes there.
Read more about the main events at the front and about the impending breakthrough in the RBC-Ukraine article.
2023-08-27 01:21:29
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