“Russian Attacks Repelled 39 Times in Bakhmut, Avdijiv and Marjin Directions, Ukrainians Use New Smart Munition”

“The enemy’s main efforts are focused on conducting attacks in the Bakhmut, Avdijiv and Marjin directions. Over the last day, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 39 enemy attacks in these sections of the front.” wrote the General Staff.

According to him, the fighting is taking place directly in Bakhmut, and the Russians also attacked near it in the direction of Bohdanivka, Chromov and Kliščijivka. Near Avdijivka, the Russians tried unsuccessfully to advance towards the villages of Severne and Pervomaijské. Marjinka was also the target of the attack.

The commander of the East Syrskyi force group confirmed that the Russians are still trying to encircle Bakhmut and Avdijivka and are trying to push the Ukrainians out of the forest near Kreminna so that they can develop an offensive on Lyman. “In the direction of Lyman, our soldiers are not allowing the enemy to advance,” he said, adding that Ukrainian positions near Lyman had been strengthened.

The commander of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces also admitted that the Ukrainians are outnumbered in Bakhmut Viktor Chorenko, who visited the soldiers in the city: “The situation in Bakhmut is really complicated, but who, if not you, knows what to do and how to proceed in such conditions. Your work here proves once again that Special Operations Forces have the advantage of quality over quantity.’

The general said that even though the enemy is outnumbered and conducting massive attacks, the special forces are hitting him at key points, killing his personnel and thwarting his attempts to capture the city.

Battles of attrition take place in Bakhmut, with both sides suffering significant losses. Not only the attacking Russians, but also the defending Ukrainians are bleeding there. Because of this, the Kyiv leadership has already been criticized several times from the West for unnecessarily focusing on a place without significant strategic importance.

Syrskyj admits in a comprehensive interview for the Ukrainian agency Interfaxl that the Russians have learned a lesson: “For each brigade or regiment, on the basis of motorized rifle companies reinforced by tanks, mortars, flamethrowers and anti-tank units, separate assault units Sturm are created to restore lost positions. To establish favorable conditions for conducting offensive operations, the enemy actively uses tank and artillery units and causes heavy damage to our units by fire.

He added that the Russians then attack defensive positions that have been blown up by artillery. They use drones to control fire, and commanders use the Alpine Quest GPS smartphone mapping app, “which shows the coordinates of the positions of our fire equipment, targets and access routes to them.”

According to him, the tactics of fighting in the city have also changed. “In urban conditions, the enemy uses long-term artillery barrages,” Syrskyj describes. Then, according to him, the actual attack follows: “A group of 10 people with small arms attacks directly on the target. He usually attacks in 3-4 waves. The assault group’s losses are being quickly replenished.’

Syrskyj also defended the need to defend the city: “Bakhmut is part of the Kostiantyniv-Kramator agglomeration, the possession of which precludes an enemy attack on the flank and rear of our units in the directions of Donetsk and Lysychansk. Bachmut is an important node of defense, the maintenance of which ensures the stability of our group’s defense.”

For the same positional reason, according to Syrsky, the Russians are concentrating such efforts precisely on Bakhmut: “Without its control, they cannot develop an offensive towards Kramatorsk and Siversk.”

However, the Russians are attacking the city for another reason. “For Russia, the east of Ukraine is the only section of the front where it has made at least some progress since the beginning of the big offensive. After a series of defeats in the north and south of Ukraine, the Russian leadership needs to show at least success in the occupation of Donbass. In order to achieve its goals, Russia will spare neither human nor material resources,” noted Syrskyj.

The commander emphasized that the city defends itself well: “Bakhmut is a well-located natural fortress that is surrounded by rivers and is on hills, which makes it easy to defend.” The defense is also aided by the developed infrastructure and the large number of tall buildings in the city. For soldiers trained to operate in open terrain, combat in the city is difficult. “The fight for the control of the city is specific, requires special skills and brings difficulties to the units entering the forest-steppe,” Syrskyj described.

At the same time, he appreciated the help from the West. The delivery of artillery and missile systems, he said, allowed Ukrainian forces, which were already running out of Soviet weapons, “to carry out precision strikes at greater depth and seize the operational initiative and turn the tide of the war in our favor.”