Knutov: “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are using last year’s “Kherson tactics”
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, having failed to break through our defenses, switched to the third stage of the counteroffensive and transferred their reserve troops to the Zaporozhye direction. Military expert Yuri Knutov, in an interview with MK, said that the 10th Army Corps, which has now begun combat operations in this sector, was preparing for other operations. However, due to colossal losses (in two months the enemy lost 43,000 soldiers), the Armed Forces of Ukraine are forced to deploy elite reserves in the Zaporozhye direction, in particular, in the Rabotino area.
Recall that the settlement of Rabotino has become one of the most mentioned in the daily reports of the military department — it is there that fierce battles have been going on for the second month. The enemy is pressing, because it is here that he has the greatest chances to break through our defenses, despite the fact that there are still as many as 19 kilometers to the main defensive line.
Having introduced the second echelon of troops into battle last week, namely, using the 10th Army Corps to attack the settlement of Rabotino, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began the third stage of their counteroffensive. This was reported by the American The Washington Post, quoting an analyst at the Institute for Foreign Policy Research Rob Lee.
«MK» talked with a military expert, director of the Air Defense Museum Yuri Knutov, who told what was really happening in the ranks of the enemy and why he was forced to unpack the last reserves.
— The first, second, third stages… The Kiev regime, of course, invents these formulations to justify its failures. Because to break through the Russian defense line, in fact, it took from 72 to 96 hours. It was planned that after a successful breakthrough of our defense, three corps would be used — primarily the 9th and 10th. They had to enter the gap, which in turn had to break through the assault units. Further, according to the plans, the Armed Forces of Ukraine should have already entered Melitopol, Tokmak and cut off the land supply routes between Russia and Crimea, passing along the Sea of Azov. But instead, now the Kiev regime is forced to use the 10th Army Corps in the Orekhovsky direction to try to break through our first line of defense.
Moreover, units of the 9th Corps were also put into battle in the Donetsk direction. It is exactly the same story with him: instead of letting these units into a breakthrough, they are now trying to break through our first line of defense with them.
— It only says that the Kiev regime has used its strategic reserves. This does not mean that tomorrow everything will end with the defeat of the Ukrainian army or that the enemy has no forces. No, they still have enough strength. And I believe that until mid-September, until the beginning of the autumn rains, attempts to break through our defenses will continue. For example, a new offensive has now begun in the Ugledar region. Moreover, very cunning «Kherson tactics» are used there, which at one time led to the withdrawal of our troops from Kherson.
— The point is that Ukrainian troops with the help of long-range artillery work on our roads and rear services, which provide the front line with ammunition, reserves, equipment, food. That is, they complicate the supply of ammunition and at the same time increase attacks on the front line. As a result, we have difficulties in making up for losses. The transportation of everything necessary is complicated due to the use of this tactic. Therefore, of course, I would not say that everything has already ended, and, in fact, the offensive has completely failed.
— The Armed Forces of Ukraine are completely abandoning the NATO strategy that was once imposed on them. Now they are claiming that they are going back to small tactical groups and wearing down our armed forces with the “thousand stab” strategy. This is a Confucian strategy, the essence of which is that if you are dealing with a giant, then you need to inflict a thousand injections on him, and he will bleed and die. In addition, they do not refuse strikes with long-range weapons, such as HIMARS, British Storm Shaddow missiles, French SCALP, on our rear lines in order to wear down and weaken the defense. And only today, in the Ugledar direction, this has begun to be traced quite clearly. Therefore, we will not jump to conclusions.
— Certainly. On the Krasnolimansky, Kupyansky directions in the Kharkov region, we crossed the Oskol River. We have the prospect of reaching Kupyansk, from where we have a road, including to Kharkov. And if we go along the Krasnolimansky direction, then we have the prospect of reaching Slavyansk. But now our task is to bleed the enemy. Even if they are significantly weakened, even though they are not 60,000 people, but only 30,000, they are still a serious force that can deliver a powerful blow somewhere and break through our defenses. And we must be ready for this. Therefore, the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense said directly that our main task is to work in advance when the enemy is just about to launch an attack. So he only concentrated, let's say, even half of his forces to strike, we must attack him at this moment with the help of artillery and aircraft in order to disperse this potential fist and force it to disperse, and thus prevent a counterattack or strike on our positions . If we follow this, then the next stage of the Ukrainian offensive will end in nothing.
— These are colossal losses. And it surprises everyone that Ukraine is taking such losses. But the reason is simple.
— At the Vilnius summit, Zelensky demanded the continuation of the grain deal under the flag of NATO warships. The NATO members did the right thing when they said that they were being dragged into the third world war and demanded results in the «counteroffensive». Immediately after the summit, this, as I believe, “psychic attack” went on at the front. And the worst thing is the attacks on our civilian targets, including Moscow and Taganrog, attacks on our cargo ships in the Black Sea. A hysterical attempt began to move the hostilities to our rear and wage them against civilian objects and civilian infrastructure. There is only one goal — to show the West that they say Ukraine is attacking, moreover, we have transferred the hostilities to the peaceful cities of Russia, and you say that we are not able to «counterattack». This is such a theatrical trick in which Zelensky succeeded. But, unfortunately, the civilian population suffers from this trick, drones hit the buildings of the Moscow-City area, which, in fact, has nothing to do with either the Ministry of Defense or military facilities. The center of Taganrog was attacked with the help of S-200 missiles and so on. Such a “psychosis tactic”, unfortunately, will now intensify. At the same time, what is called, as the personnel of the Ukrainian army is thrown into the furnace.
They mainly throw men from the eastern and central regions of Ukraine, that is, the Russian-speaking population, into the furnace. Russian-speakers kill Russian-speakers — this is the whole genocide, and this is the whole plan of the West. If there were no SVO, most likely, they themselves would have to exterminate these men. And now they are doing everything so that we are forced to clean them up. The biggest insidiousness of the NATO plan is to destroy a significant part of the Ukrainian population, but not just the Ukrainian population, but the Russian-speaking part of it. Kyiv does not feel sorry for him, because this is included in the plans.