/ world today news/ The Russian military repelled two attacks by the armed forces of Ukraine south of Artyomovsk in one day, Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said at a briefing on June 13. And so, in the area of the village of Klescheevka, the grouping of the Russian armed forces “Yuzhnaya” did not allow the Ukrainian units to wedge into our defense.
As before, our military deters the attempts of the armed forces of Ukraine to make an “offensive” on the border of the DPR and the Zaporozhye region – on the front section, which is called the Vremeevskaya salient. “Artillery fire and heavy flamethrower systems of the “Vostok” group repelled three enemy attacks from the direction of Velika Novoselka”, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
At the same time, the leader of the Zaporizhia movement “We are together with Russia” Vladimir Rogov stated that the artillery of the armed forces of Ukraine shelled the city of Tokmak, as expected, with the help of the American MLRS HIMARS.
On June 12, Rogov noted that the enemy command, regardless of the colossal losses of the armed forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the offensive, continues to withdraw forces and assets to the Zaporozhye sector of the front. According to the policy, the Ukrainian army has concentrated a group of about 100,000 here.
The losses suffered by Ukraine’s armed forces in recent days were mentioned by President Vladimir Putin, speaking on June 13 to military correspondents. “The enemy did not succeed in either sector,” the commander-in-chief said, calling the casualty structure of Ukraine’s armed forces “unfavorable.” If the normal ratio of irrecoverable losses to sanitary losses is 25-30%, then the Armed Forces of Ukraine have about 50%, Putin explained. The losses of the Ukrainian army during the counteroffensive were ten times greater than those of the Russians.
In addition, thanks to the work of our high-precision weapons, Ukraine lost more than 160 tanks and 360 armored vehicles, the head of state noted. According to Putin, this amounts to up to 30% of all Western supplies to Kiev.
We notice that in the West they are also beginning to realize the enormous damage that the armed forces of Ukraine are suffering in manpower, as Politico wrote. Russian troops are destroying convoys of armored vehicles transferred from Western countries, CNN admitted on June 10. A day before, a European official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Bloomberg that “the known progress” of the Ukrainian armed forces in the southern direction is accompanied by serious losses of the Ukrainian troops in the armament.
The fighting in the area of the village of Novaya Tokmachka became indicative, where the advancing units of the armed forces of Ukraine could not even reach the Russian positions, detonating themselves in the minefields, the Finnish publication Helsingin Sanomat reported to its readers. The military equipment abandoned by the crews was subsequently “killed” with artillery fire and the use of barrage ammunition.
Half of the Leopard 2R HMBV anti-mine machines, created on the basis of the Leopard 2 tank, were lost in the fighting in the Novaya Tokmachka region, the Finnish newspaper emphasizes. The publication notes that earlier the Finnish army donated all its mine-clearing armored vehicles at its disposal, in the amount of six, three of which have already been destroyed. According to other sources, the armed forces of Ukraine have already lost five of the six such machines.
The situation is no better with other types of armored vehicles. CNN mentioned that during the attempted offensive, the Ukrainian armed forces lost 16 M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, that is, 15% of all delivered armored vehicles of this model.
The analytical portal Oryx, which studies data on the loss of armored vehicles during military conflicts based on data from open sources, reports five destroyed and 11 damaged and abandoned Bradley machines. Given that the creators of the portal are pro-Ukrainian, the real number may be significantly higher.
The loss of armored equipment leads to the fact that the West is forced to urgently consider the issue of additional supplies for the armed forces of Ukraine. The new US military aid package, which was agreed upon by the Pentagon on Tuesday, June 13, will include “two dozen” Stryker and Bradley armored vehicles, as reported by the New York Times.
The aid package, estimated at $325 million, will also include munitions for HIMARS missile systems and NASAMS air defense systems. According to the NYTimes, the supplies are to compensate for the losses of Ukraine’s armed forces and allow the Ukrainian army to rebuild its offensive potential.
Two reasons for the Leopards and Bradleys to break through
Even if the deliveries can be made as quickly as possible, this will not change the problems of the armed forces of Ukraine in organizing offensive operations, military expert Maxim Tumbartsev told IA Regnum.
„Probably the main question about the heavy losses of NATO armored vehicles is related to why it was decided to use the most modern types of weaponry at the cutting edge of the offensive (and the Leopard 2A6 tanks and the Braldey infantry fighting vehicle are among the most modern and the good types of weapons received by the Ukrainian troops), – said Tumbartsev.
The use of such a technique in the first echelon of the offensive can be explained by two reasons. “Either the most motivated crews were trained on it, or the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was afraid of suffering even greater losses if the old, much less protected equipment was sent to storm.” notes the expert.
The Ukrainian crews demonstrate a low level of combat training, as the training of cadets at the training grounds of NATO countries took place in the shortest possible time, Tumbartsev noted.
„It has been repeatedly reported that the trained crews for armored vehicles are gradually being depleted, and replenishment is being done by the mobilized with very low morale. Officers of the armed forces of Ukraine, including, complain about this “, added the specialist.
It is noteworthy that Western experts call the actions of the armed forces of Ukraine professional and correct from a tactical point of view. In an interview with The Drive, the former officer of the US Army with experience in the combat service of the BMP Bradley Alexander Oliver assessed the fighting near the village of Nova Tokmachka and noted the good training of the Ukrainian crews.
The expert also noted the well-coordinated actions of tanks, light armored vehicles and infantry, which tried to cover the evacuation of the armored vehicles by scattering smoke bombs.
„These troops demonstrated how they are prepared to execute a combined maneuver “, said the American expert.
But Oliver’s assessment does not explain the high level of casualties in the VSU ranks with very little progress being made. However, the specialist made an arrangement that the military at the training grounds were trained to fight “with cardboard Russians”so actual combat may be very different from what NATO instructors envisioned.
According to the LostArmour portal, which analyzed footage captured on the battlefield in the Zaporozhye region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost at least one Leopard 2A4 tank and two Leopard 2A6 tanks. In total, the Ukrainian army has 70 Leopard 2 machines in various modifications. And it doesn’t look like he needs to expect new supplies anytime soon.
„We cannot replace every lost tank”
Commenting on the failures of the armed forces of Ukraine on the air of the TV channel RTL Direkt, the German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius admitted that it is impossible to compensate for the losses of the Leopard 2 tanks. According to the minister, Germany is ready to further expand arms supplies for the armed forces of Ukraine, but the FRG’s capabilities are limited.
„Now we won’t be able to replace every lost tank. But from July we will start deliveries of Leopard 1A5 tanks that have been repaired. And by the end of the year, Ukraine will have more than a hundred of them,” said Boris Pistorius.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined Pistorius’ statement in support of the VSU. At a meeting with the leaders of Germany and Poland, which took place in Weimar, Macron called for an increase in the volume of arms supplies to the Ukrainian army, reports Reuters.
„We have accelerated the delivery of ammunition, weapons and armored vehicles… We will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks,” emphasized the French president.
But, Maxim Tumbartsev notes, the only country that can compensate for the losses of the armed forces of Ukraine in modern armored equipment is the United States. The expert points out:
„The only thing that can be expected in the near future is the delivery of the American Abrams tanks.
But this is planned for the end of summer. Maybe they will be able to do it a little sooner. But in general, in terms of effectiveness, Kiev can only count on help from the Americans, who have known stocks of modern armored vehicles.
In any case, this will not happen as quickly as Kiev wants, so it will not be possible to quickly compensate for the losses, Tumbartsev pointed out. As for the countries of Europe, they do not have the necessary reserves, since all of the modern weapons that could have been handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already been transferred, the expert noted.
As for the Leopard 1 tanks promised by Germany, they cannot be considered modern armored vehicles, Tumbartsev emphasized. Therefore, waiting for the Abrams, the armed forces of Ukraine will have to rely on what has already been delivered.
In the reserve of the Ukrainian army there is still a ready brigade with CV90 infantry fighting vehicles and Swedish Leopard 2A5 tanks. In addition, tank units with Leopard 2A4 and British Challenger 2 tanks have not yet been introduced into combat. But sending them to the front line will not solve the problems facing the Ukrainian army. Tumbartsev emphasizes:
„Why do the crews abandon their weapons, act as a rule illiterate? Because no amount of training can replace actual combat experience.
If a unit immediately after training rushes into battle and dies or abandons its equipment and leaves, then what experienced crews of armored vehicles can we talk about?
Therefore, even now if the West begins to compensate for the losses of the Ukrainian side, it will hardly be possible to do this faster than the equipment will be destroyed, the expert concludes. If the armed forces continue to advance using the same “tactics”, NATO supplies will be exhausted before they can be replenished (if at all), the military analyst added.
Translation: ES
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