Shock situation: a special military operation is entering a new stage

Over the weekend, the Russian military launched powerful missile strikes on the military infrastructure of Ukraine

The armed forces of the Russian Federation last weekend inflicted several powerful blows on the military infrastructure of Ukraine. In the seaport of Odessa, a Ukrainian warship and a warehouse of American anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" were hit. Also, as a result of the strike, an enterprise for the repair and modernization of Ukrainian Navy ships was destroyed. Military aviation equipment was destroyed by high-precision weapons at the Kanatovo airfield. In addition, several headquarters of Ukrainian armed formations were liquidated over the weekend. Experts believe that these strikes are part of the preparation for a new stage of a special military operation.

Odessa Harpoon

Over the weekend, the Russian Armed Forces inflicted several powerful strikes on the military infrastructure of Ukraine with high-precision weapons. The VKS, Navy ships, rocket troops and artillery were involved in the attacks.

- In the seaport of Odessa, on the territory of a ship repair plant, high-precision long-range sea-based missiles destroyed a Ukrainian warship in dock and a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles delivered by the United States to the Kiev regime. The production facilities of the enterprise for the repair and modernization of the naval personnel of the naval forces of Ukraine have also been put out of operation," said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.

Also, the Ministry of Defense said that the military aviation equipment of Ukraine stationed at the Kanatovo military airfield of the Kirovograd region was hit by a strike of high-precision long-range sea- and air-based weapons.

Photo: TASS/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Image source: iz.ru

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, as a result of a strike on the temporary deployment point of the 406th artillery brigade of the VFU, up to two hundred personnel, nine artillery pieces and military equipment were destroyed. As a result of the fire damage by Russian artillery to the combat positions of the Donbass national formation, more than 60 militants were eliminated.

Planes and helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the area of the settlement of Belogorovka of the Donetsk People's Republic destroyed more than half of the personnel of the 2nd battalion of the 14th mechanized brigade of the VFU.

In addition, as a result of the fire damage to the positions of the 108th and 109th battalions of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the VFU, over 70% of the personnel were destroyed. More than 50 personnel, more than three thousand artillery ammunition of various calibers and 10 armored vehicles were destroyed by strikes on the warehouses of weapons and ammunition of the 28th mechanized brigade of the VFU and the 123rd brigade of the thermal defense on the territory of the locomotive repair plant in Nikolaev.

Now preparations are underway for a new stage of a special military operation, military expert Vladislav Shurygin believes.

- We are still observing an operational pause, but the picture will change soon, - he told Izvestia. – This is evidenced by the fact that last week the head of the Russian military department, Sergei Shoigu, visited the command posts of all the groups involved in the special operation. We also see that the formation and combat training of new Russian units is coming to an end. The other day, for example, there was news about the end of the combat coordination of the Odessa brigade, we heard about the creation of various republican battalions, about the emergence of new units of private military companies.

Servicemen of the Odessa brigade in a combat position

Image Source: Photo: TASS/Sergey Bobylev

The expert believes that now it is worth waiting for the beginning of events that "have been asking for a long time."

- We are waiting for the beginning of the offensive, - says Vladislav Shurygin. –It can be in three directions – Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Zaporozhye. But first, and this, in my opinion, is the main thing, we need to finish with the liberation of the territory of the DPR - we are talking about an operation in the area of Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Konstantinovka.

Minus "Three axes"

In just two days, the strikes of operational-tactical, army aviation, missile troops and artillery destroyed 21 control points, including the joint command post of the Kakhovka group of troops, two control points of the 54th and 65th mechanized brigades of the VFU, 11 warehouses with ammunition and fuel and rocket and artillery weapons, and There are also 226 areas of concentration of troops.

Russian air strikes destroyed two units of the VFU numbering up to a company, two American M777 howitzers, also called "Three Axes" and the electronic warfare complex "Bukovel".

During the counter-battery struggle, six platoons of Grad multiple launch rocket systems, five artillery platoons of Msta-S self-propelled artillery units, 18 artillery platoons of Msta-B guns, 42 artillery platoons of D-20 howitzers, as well as 24 artillery platoons of Gvozdika self-propelled artillery units were destroyed.

Russian air defense in two days hit 16 unmanned aerial vehicles and ten projectiles of multiple rocket launchers "Hurricane" and HIMARS.

In total, according to the Ministry of Defense, 260 aircraft, 144 helicopters, 1,605 unmanned aerial vehicles, 357 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,156 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 763 multiple rocket launchers, 3,196 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 4,457 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation.

In the footsteps of saboteurs

On July 24, the Ministry of Defense told about the soldiers and officers who showed courage and dedication during the special operation. The platoon of Senior Lieutenant Andrei Gordievsky guarded the command post. In a nearby forest belt, Andrey found a large concentration of armed Ukrainian saboteurs. Despite their numerical superiority, his subordinates destroyed the nationalist branch. The surviving saboteurs began to retreat rapidly, leaving the wounded on the battlefield. During the pursuit, the enemy was eliminated. There were no losses in the platoon of Senior Lieutenant Andrei Gordievsky.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Image source: iz.ru

The unit of Petty Officer Nikolai Detter drove the enemy out of the settlement. Being under mortar fire and heavy small arms fire, Nikolai destroyed four units of military equipment. Considering that the enemy far outnumbered his forces, the foreman led the personnel to the outskirts of the settlement, where he organized a temporary defensive line.

There he took the fight with the approaching superior forces of the enemy. Fighters under the leadership of Nikolai destroyed an enemy armored personnel carrier and more than 20 nationalists. The survivors retreated, the Defense Ministry said.

The battalion-tactical group of Senior Lieutenant Alexey Koscheenkov was liberating the settlement. On the outskirts of the village, Alexey found a strongpoint and two firing points with mortar calculations. Having assessed the situation, Alexey organized a firing system and, together with his subordinates, attacked enemy positions.

Despite the fact that the enemy outnumbered our unit, Alexey's subordinates destroyed enemy pillboxes and during a fleeting battle captured a strong point, capturing part of the militants, the military department said.

Sergeant Nikolai Merzlikin, patrolling the area near the location of the positions of the battalion tactical group, found six saboteurs preparing an ambush. Nikolai secretly approached the opponents and threw a grenade in their direction, the explosion of which destroyed two nationalists. The rest laid down their weapons and were taken to the control center, where they gave out the location of their unit's positions during the interrogation. Subsequently, an artillery strike was carried out at these coordinates.

Photo: TASS/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Image source: iz.ru

Senior Lieutenant Ilya Makarov was moving as part of a column when he discovered a group of saboteurs preparing an ambush. He took an advantageous position and entered the battle, destroying three shooters and a grenade launcher. A few days later, during a reconnaissance, Ilya found the enemy's DRG preparing an attack.

Thanks to the confident actions of Ilya Makarov, the attack was repelled, the senior lieutenant personally destroyed six saboteurs. There were no casualties among the personnel, the military department noted.

Corporal Alexander Boyarshin was escorting a convoy of Russian servicemen when it came under fire. Alexander discovered and suppressed the enemy's firing points with fire from an automatic cannon. Entering the flank, he opened heavy fire, causing great damage to the enemy. Having received a concussion, the corporal did not come out of the battle and destroyed two more grenade launcher crews. The column arrived in the specified area on time.

A few days later, an air strike was carried out on the positions of the regiment, as a result of which the corporal's car was damaged, and all personnel received concussions and injuries. Alexander independently provided himself with medical assistance, delivered the crew to a safe place and returned back to restore the armament. A few minutes later, he found the DRG. The enemy decided that Alexander's combat vehicle had already been hit. The corporal took advantage of this – he let the saboteurs get closer and destroyed them with well-aimed fire.

Bogdan Stepovoy

Andrey Fedorov