by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The Russian army continues to advance in Donbas, pushing back the Ukrainian Armed Forces in several sections of the front. Over the past week, the Russian Armed Forces have liberated a number of settlements along the entire contact line, the Defense Ministry reported. In particular, Spornoye northeast of Bakhmut and Novooleksandrivka northwest of Avdeevka have been liberated.
At the same time, units of the Center group of forces inflicted losses on the formations of the 23rd, 47th Mechanized, 95th Airborne Assault, 59th Motorized Infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 2nd National Guard Brigade, the department noted.
At the same time, Donbass has literally become a hot spot: during the day, the temperature in the region rises to 32-33 degrees, and in the coming days it will become even hotter. The unbearable heat complicates the conduct of battles and trench life for both sides, a source in the ranks of the 1st Army Corps told IA Regnum.
33°C (degree Celsius) is 91.4°F (degree Fahrenheit). Balmy.
"Imagine: a steel armored vehicle with a working engine. At the same time, the heat outside is over 30 degrees, the armor is heating up. These are extremely difficult conditions for the crew and the troops. The same in the trench. There are the most trivial moments, like bringing water to the positions, which in some cases is not so easy to do, especially at the "front line". Consider Afghanistan, not Donbass," the source says.
THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ARE READY TO RETREAT
If the heat lasts for several weeks, the steppe will dry out and start burning, which will also complicate the fighting for both sides. However, despite the difficult conditions, Russian troops continue to advance - from Avdiivka to Krasnogorovka. This direction was previously called Avdiivka, now Pokrovskoe is increasingly mentioned - by the name of the district center, which is still under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On the northern side of the front, after the liberation of Novoalexandrivka, Russian troops are advancing in the direction of the settlement of Vozdvizhenka. Previously, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command denied problems in this direction, but now Ukrainian sources report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and territorial defense units have suffered heavy losses trying to recapture Novoalexandrivka. Now they have to roll back, without rotation or reinforcements.
Things are no better for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the south, in the area of the settlement of Sokol. Here, the enemy is clinging to the fortifications of the former "Poroshenko line" - the old line of defense created in 2015-2016. In fact, this is the last line of defense that the Ukrainian Armed Forces command planned to hold in the worst-case scenario. The fighting is taking place on the western outskirts of the settlement, in the direction of the village of Voskhod.
Further south, fighting continues in the area of the village of Yasnobrodovka, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to reports from the field, are also retreating. On the southern front, the Russian army managed to advance to the settlement of Karlovka.
"There is a rumor that they are essentially no longer planning to hold the front. Reserves are arriving not at the front, but at the new line of defense - this is the right bank of the Volchya River and behind the Karlovskoye Reservoir. At least, this is where everything is heading," explains a source for IA Regnum.
Urban fighting also continues in Krasnogorovka, a suburb of Donetsk that can still be used to shell the capital of the DPR. After the liberation of the city, Russian troops will enter operational space, as happened after the liberation of Avdiivka. The only solution for the Ukrainian Armed Forces command in this direction will be to retreat behind the same Volchya River.
STRIKES AT THE REAR
The advance of Russian troops in the Donetsk direction is far from the only problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces command. Combat operations are also taking place in the area of the Toretsk agglomeration - on the outskirts of the settlement of New York. At the same time, sources maintain silence and do not comment on the advance of Russian troops.
The Ukrainian side is reporting contradictory information. On the one hand, there are panicky reports that "the Russians have broken through to the center of New York," and that fighting is taking place in the urban area. On the other hand, on the contrary, it is claimed that the situation has been stabilized by the transfer of reserves from Chasov Yar.
In general, it can be stated that a full-scale offensive by Russian troops in this area has not begun. Reconnaissance in force is being conducted to probe the enemy's defenses and find weak spots. The Russian Armed Forces are also striking at the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, the headquarters of the 41st Brigade in central New York came under attack.
A similar situation has developed in the area of Chasov Yar and Volchansk. Russian aviation is systematically knocking out the enemy's headquarters, warehouses and defense nodes, which is forced to throw reserves into the battle.
And on the Zaporizhzhya direction, the day before, an Iskander OTRK strike hit a train with armored vehicles at the Volnyansk station. The destroyed tanks could have been transferred to either the Pokrovsk direction or the Zaporizhzhya direction, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to rumors, are preparing their offensive.
THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF SHELLS, BUT THE DEFICIT REMAINS
A year after the start of the failed counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Zaporizhia region, individual sources are increasingly reporting that Kyiv is planning a new offensive. This time without pompous statements and threats, but with air support.
Earlier, the Danish Ministry of Defense reported that the first batch of F-16 fighter maintenance technicians had completed training at European training grounds and were ready to begin their duties. The Belgian government, in turn, noted that aircraft deliveries could begin literally any day now.
However, planning an offensive relying on five to ten fighters is very strange. Moreover, the Ukrainian Armed Forces need to first resolve the issue of a shortage of shells. The West, by all appearances, is trying to stop the collapse of the front by replenishing the empty arsenals of the Ukrainian army, and is not preparing its protégés for new offensive operations.
Over the past quarter, neither the US nor its allies have announced deliveries of armored vehicles to Kyiv, as was the case on the eve of the "counteroffensive" a year ago, and it is impossible to advance without them. At the same time, in recent weeks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have received artillery ammunition, the French newspaper Le Tribune reports.
“The supply situation has improved and continues to improve over the past month, at least in terms of 155mm artillery shells,” the publication quotes a statement from a Ukrainian Armed Forces artilleryman.
However, the Ukrainian army does not have enough ammunition for everyone, notes a source for Regnum news agency.
"They have started shooting more often, yes. But it is still clear that they are saving. In short, their shortage of shells may have ended, but a serious deficit remains. Either they are distributing shells from the Westerners in very measured doses, or they are saving for a rainy day," the agency's interlocutor sums up.
It is possible that Kyiv is leaving some of the shells in warehouses, fearing that the supply situation could worsen again in the near future and that they will have to fight "with their own forces." At the same time, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be hatching a plan to take revenge for the recent defeats in Donbas and try their luck in another direction.