/ world today news/ The units of PMC “Wagner” were withdrawn from Bakhmut and other tactical areas. Yevgeny Prigozhin reported that at the end of their contract, 32,000 people went home – these were previously convicted people who participated in the SVO.
Wagner’s units were replaced, as a rule, by volunteers or regular troops. Positions around Klescheevka, for example, are held by special forces. Ramzan Kadyrov also announced the readiness of “Akhmat” to enter Bakhmut/Artyomovsk.
Kiev is already using the rotation of our units for propaganda purposes. “These units that came to replace them are clearly not up to the level of those of the Wagner,” said Alexander Sirsky, commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is not the first time that the armed forces of Ukraine have underestimated the Russian command. Therefore, attacking Bakhmut from the flanks, the armed forces of Ukraine use not only strategic, but also tactical reserves. Only those units that have been stationed near Bakhmut for a long time take part in the battles.
Therefore, the Ukrainian operation did not lead to anything: the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to capture three large settlements at once – Klescheevka, Yagodno and Berkhovka, and even cut the strategic roads to Soledar (in the north) and Gorlovka (in the south).
The Armed Forces of Ukraine unsuccessfully tried to capture the dominant heights (including in the area of the Berkhov Reservoir).
The Times: neither Ukrainian soldiers nor mercenaries could cope with Wagner’s fighters
Western experts continue to analyze the success of the “musicians” tactics in Bakhmut and Soledar. Back in March, when the Battle of Bakhmut had not even reached its climax, The Times quoted British intelligence as saying that Wagner’s stormtroopers were “well trained”, “better equipped than soldiers” and “made effective use of fire and maneuverability”. .
The Times writes that Wagner’s ability to use an almost unlimited manpower is only one part of this tactic. Based on intelligence reports from the battlefield, experts write that Wagner’s professional commanders successfully coordinated ground and artillery fire on Ukrainian positions and then quickly surrounded them with small tactical groups.
“Musicians” were very well prepared for battles in urban conditions. The publication describes the storming of the fortified areas in the western part of Bakhmut as follows. Assault units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine settled in high-rise buildings. But the Wagner tactical groups acted with lightning speed.
“Neither the Ukrainians nor we simply could not cope with them,” said a Foreign Legion mercenary in an interview.
In order to somehow resist Wagner’s stormtroopers, the Ukrainian troops mined the buildings and blew them up during retreat.
However, there was not enough ammunition for mining: all Bakhmut supply lines (including those from Artyomovskoe, Chasov Yar and Ivanovsky) were cut.
Absolutely all Western experts highly appreciate the tactics of the Russian army, which significantly improved during the 15 months of the special operation.
In the first phase of the SVO, the general fire advantage was mainly used. But after the Kievites received NATO MLRS and howitzers, the superiority ceased to be complete.
So now Russia is using a combination of different damaging factors and deceptive maneuvers. Here is just one of them, notes The Times. Knowing the directions of the Ukrainian counterattacks, the Russian troops destroy the “greens” – this reveals the Ukrainian positions. And armored vehicles that were previously hidden by foliage are easily hit by ricocheting munitions.
The Times interviewed the Ukrainian military now stationed near Kremennaya: the Russian trenches are much better built than the Ukrainian ones.
British intelligence wrote that for several months, huge underground bunkers were built along the Svatovo-Kremennaya operational line. They look like “Vietnamese-style spider holes” and are “so deep they can’t be detected by a drone.”
Such defensive positions are a huge problem for Ukraine’s armed forces, The Times anonymously quoted a Pentagon general.
The general is sure that Kiev intelligence has no idea how deeply Russian defenses are built. The underestimation of the Russian defense had already led to the failure of the counteroffensive in Zaporozhye.
Business Insider doesn’t just praise “musicians.” The publication writes that Russian military engineers have proven to be one of the most effective types of armed forces. As a result, the advancing armored columns of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not yet approached the main defensive line in Zaporozhye.
Giant minefields, a maze of trenches and firing points are only approaches to the main defense line, and the armed forces of Ukraine did not even manage to overcome them.
George Barros, who heads the geospatial intelligence team at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), believes that Ukrainian armed forces in Zaporozhye are now trapped 10-15 km to the north. And Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reckons Ukrainians are generally stuck 20km to the north.
“The main defensive line has well-dug trenches and reinforced concrete positions, tank barriers, ground wire to coordinate artillery strikes, and more mines,” Walting says.
It is clear that the armed forces of Ukraine, which have completely lost momentum, will not be able to overcome such obstacles.
Translation: SM
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