For an offensive, reconnaissance and counter-battery means are needed
Russian troops are improving their tactical position in the Northern Military District zone during an active defense; the Ukrainian offensive has failed. The president stated this in an interview with the “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.» Examples of such active defense of Russian troops can be observed in several sections of the line of combat contact.
Five days ago, after very strong artillery and air preparation, our units began to cover Avdeevka. For the Ukrainian Armed Forces, this was a clear surprise, which made it possible to advance 10-12 kilometers in certain directions. But then the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, apparently realizing that they could lose the most important fortified area, began to transfer reserves here from other areas.
At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine increased reconnaissance, the scale of the use of attack drones, artillery and counter-battery weapons. Our units, as reported by military commanders from the field, are having a hard time there now. Aviation with gliding bombs and helicopter pilots with Whirlwind guided missiles are very helpful. Russia has a clear advantage in these types of weapons.
The Avdeevka direction is very important, since it is from Avdeevka that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been shelling Donetsk for nine years now. This fortified area is key for the entire line of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This argument will certainly be taken into account by our command when deciding whether to continue the offensive or not.
In the meantime, as Oleg Tsarev noted in his channel, the Avdeevsky Front “continues to thunder.” Despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves deployed here, our troops “keep under fire control all roads leading towards Avdievka.” In some areas there are close battles, literally “head to head”. The enemy's counterattacks are being repelled.
Our Avdeevka attack has already played a significant role, forcing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw some of its forces from other areas. As a result, at the end of the week, Russian units launched a counterattack in the Orekhovo-Rabotino area. According to the Militarist channel, many strongholds were captured, some were surrounded, and the Wesseushniks who refused to surrender were destroyed.
In turn, “Military Correspondents of the Russian Spring” report that in the Zaporozhye direction near Rabotino and Verbovoy, landing forces and infantry launched counterattacks, driving back and destroying dozens of Ukrainian Armed Forces militants.
Another promising direction for us is Kupyanskoe. There, several more strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were taken under control. The head of the Ukrainian ground forces, Alexander Syrsky, confirms the activation of Russian troops in the northern directions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces counterattack, but to no avail. As for the Ukrainian troops, the Military Chronicle reports, aviation is actively working together with artillery: FAB-500 glide bombs, as well as LMUR Izdeliye-305 aircraft missiles, are used in large quantities.
The goals of our local counterattacks are clear: to assess the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a particular area, seize the initiative, force the Ukrainian command to play “Trishkin caftan”, transferring units from one area to another. But the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have enough strength. Not all reserves have been spent. Although the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has begun to turn on the economy mode in some places, it hits accurately and over a long range. In addition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces certainly have no shortage of drones of various classes. And not just for use over the battlefield: on October 15, Kiev launched a terrorist attack with 27 drones on the Kursk and Belgorod regions. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the attack was repelled.
Military analysts warn about another direction of attack from the Ukrainian Armed Forces that is potentially dangerous for us. Kyiv may decide to cross the Dnieper in the Kherson region in order to break through to our rear and reach the Crimea. In order to thwart such a scenario, our aviation regularly attacks UAF targets on the right bank of the Dnieper, and also sinks boats with landing forces on the Dnieper.
In general, the situation in the Northern Military District zone is more or less accurately described in the daily report from the French Ministry of Defense: “The Russian Armed Forces maintain the initiative along the entire front.” Well, military expert Vladislav Shurygin clarifies in his channel: “Local offensive operations are a “test of strength” of our groups before a serious offensive. But you can move into it only when the army is fully ready for such tasks.”