The Russian army ensures the safe departure of the population from the regionIn the area of Kherson, the Kiev regime is going to conduct military operations using prohibited methods, Sergei Surovikin said in his first interview with the rank of commander of a Joint group of troops in the area of the SVO.
According to him, the situation in this area is now very difficult. A massive missile strike is being prepared not only on Kherson, but also on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam. The Russian army is ready to ensure the safe departure of the population. Experts note that the evacuation will not only help protect the city from shelling, but also allow you to prepare for defense. The general also said that Russian aviation, drones and air defense have proven themselves well in their defense and for the first time gave statistics on their use.
Prohibited methods
In Kherson, a dangerous situation has developed for residents, food delivery is difficult, there are problems with water and electricity, the commander of the Joint Group of Troops in the area of the SVO, Army General Sergei Surovikin, said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel on October 18.
According to him, the hits of HIMARS rockets damaged the Antonovsky Bridge and the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, the traffic on which is stopped.
The NATO leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine has long demanded offensive operations on the Kherson direction from the Kiev regime, regardless of any victims — both in the Armed Forces themselves and among the civilian population.
— We have data on the possibility of the Kiev regime using prohibited methods of war in the area of the city of Kherson, on the preparation by Kiev of a massive missile strike on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, a massive rocket and artillery strike on the city indiscriminately, - said Sergey Surovikin. — These actions can lead to the destruction of the infrastructure of a large industrial center and large civilian casualties.
The General said that under these conditions, the primary task is to preserve the lives and health of civilians. Therefore, first of all, the Russian army will ensure the safe, already announced departure of the population according to the resettlement program being prepared by the Russian government. Further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the current military-tactical situation.
— I repeat, it is already very difficult today. We will proceed from the need to preserve the lives of civilians and our military personnel as much as possible, we will act consciously, in a timely manner, not excluding the adoption of difficult decisions," Sergei Surovikin said.
In the evening of the same day, the acting Governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, announced the organization of the relocation of the civilian population of Berislavsky, Belozersky, Snigirevsky and Alexandrovsky municipalities to the left bank of the Dnieper due to the threat of a large-scale offensive.
— This decision was caused by the creation of large-scale defensive fortifications so that any attack would be repulsed. There is no place for civilians where the military operates. Let the Russian army fulfill its task," Vladimir Saldo said.
The regional authorities did not announce the evacuation of Kherson itself. For its residents, the recommendation remains to voluntarily leave for safer regions for a while.
— The main problem of the defense of the Kherson region is its cut—off from supply routes, - military expert Dmitry Boltenkov explained in a conversation with Izvestia. — After the damage to all the bridges leading there, the supply of both the population and the group hung on the ferries, which are also regularly attacked by the VFU. Evacuation of the population will not only help protect it from shelling, but will also give priority to military supplies, better prepare for defense. I have no doubt that no one is going to rent Kherson. And even if Ukrainians have some successes in the steppe regions of the region now, they will turn out to be temporary after the deployment of the mobilized reserve of the Russian army is completed.
"We take care of every soldier"
Sergey Surovikin described the situation in the zone of the special military operation as tense.
— The enemy does not abandon attempts to attack the positions of Russian troops. First of all, it concerns Kupyansky, krasnolimansky and Nikolaevo - Krivoy Rog directions, — he specified.
According to him, the Ukrainian regime seeks to break through the Russian defense. To do this, the VFU pulls all available reserves to the front line, and to prevent flight, the Ukrainian authorities use nationalist detachments that shoot everyone who tries to leave the battlefield.
— Every day the enemy's losses range from 600 to 1000 people killed and wounded, — said the general.
He also said that the Russian army uses a different strategy.
— We do not strive for high rates of advancement, we take care of every soldier and methodically "grind" the advancing enemy. This not only minimizes their losses, but also significantly reduces the number of civilian casualties," Surovikin explained.
He also said that the Combined Group of Troops is increasing the combat and numerical strength of formations, creating reserves, equipping defensive lines and positions along the entire line of contact.
Aviation in combat
Sergey Surovikin also said that the SVO confirmed the effectiveness of Russian aviation and air defense systems.
— During the operation, the crews of operational-tactical, army and long-range aviation carried out more than 34 thousand sorties. They have used more than 7 thousand guided aircraft weapons," he noted.
Since February 24, more than 8 thousand sorties have been carried out by unmanned aircraft, and more than 600 VFU facilities have been destroyed by attack drones.
On Tuesday, the Russian Armed Forces continued to strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons at the facilities of the military administration and the energy system of Ukraine, as well as arsenals with ammunition and weapons of foreign production.
— All designated facilities have been hit, — said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
The list of attacked objects includes the space communications station of the Government Communications Center of Ukraine near the village of Paliyivka in the Odessa region. A launcher of the Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was hit near the village of Petropavlovsk in the DPR, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
In particular, after the explosions in one of the largest districts of Kiev, light outages began. The footage, which is published by eyewitnesses in social networks, shows that thick smoke is rising over the capital of Ukraine. The city authorities announced the defeat of critical infrastructure facilities in the Desnyansky district of the city. A little later, videos appeared with a fire at the largest Kiev CHP-6.
In Dnepropetrovsk, the Dnieper TPP was burning. Local authorities reported that some areas of the regional center, as well as Sinelnikovo and Vasilkovki were left without electricity.
A column of black smoke rose over Zhytomyr. The city authorities reported that the settlement was left without electricity and water. The authorities of Krivoy Rog reported a strong explosion in the northern part of the city. After the explosion in Kharkiv, electricity was lost and the metro stopped working. The power outage was recorded in Mykolaiv and partially in the region.
It is important that the Armed Forces strike methodically, the attacks were not one-time, military expert Vladislav Shurygin believes.
— In recent days, our forces have been working mainly with kamikaze drones, and on Tuesday cruise missiles were massively added to them, - he told Izvestia. — The tactics are quite effective. We are pulling apart the enemy's air defenses by UAVs, and we are hitting particularly important objects with cruise missiles. With such methodical work, we will seriously disrupt the energy system of Ukraine in a month and a half, which will certainly affect the combat capability of enemy formations.
The destruction of long-range air defense systems in recent days suggests that the fight against the air defense of Ukraine is now being conducted seriously, the expert noted.
— Gerani—type drones equipped with a radar search unit could significantly increase the effectiveness of the fight against air defense complexes, - Vladislav Shurygin believes. — It would be impossible to fend off a swarm of such UAVs. It would be the perfect weapon.
On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the presidential administration had not yet issued a decree on the completion of partial mobilization measures throughout Russia.
He recalled that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has set its own indicators for each region, and the subjects report on their implementation.
— Thus, the process of this partial mobilization has already been exhausted and stopped in those regions that have coped with this task. As for the presidential decree, there is no one at the moment, we will inform you," the press secretary of the president said.
Recall that the number of mobilized in the Russian Federation cannot exceed 300 thousand people, since this number is fixed in the decree of the President of Russia.
Gorobevka was released
In the Kupyansk direction, the armed forces of Russia went on the offensive and captured the village of Gorobevka in the Kharkiv region. During the attack, they defeated units of the 1st operational brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.
In the Kharkiv region, an attempt to attack a company tactical group of the VFU, reinforced with tanks, was also thwarted. The enemy is thrown back to their original positions. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this direction amounted to more than 60 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three armored combat vehicles and two pickups.
In the Krasnolimansky direction, the assault groups of the 71st Jaeger, 80th airborne assault and 25th airborne brigades of the VFU thwarted attempts to ferry the enemy across the Zherebets River. 46 servicemen, two armored personnel carriers, six armored fighting vehicles and two pickups with heavy machine guns were destroyed, the military department said.
In the Mykolaiv-Krivoy Rog direction, units of the VFU tried to break through the defenses of Russian troops in the direction of the settlement of Bruskinskoye, Kherson region. The enemy's attack is repelled. By artillery fire, the units of the VFU were dispersed and thrown back to their original lines. In total, more than 90 servicemen, one tank, eight armored combat vehicles and 21 vehicles were destroyed in this direction during the day.
During the day, the operational-tactical, army aviation, missile troops and artillery of Russia hit the control point of the combined group of forces of the Dnepr VFU and radar repair shops at the Iskra research and production complex, as well as 56 artillery units in firing positions and 132 areas of concentration of troops near the city of Zaporozhye.
During the counter-battery struggle, two VFU artillery batteries and a platoon of American multiple launch rocket systems HIMARS were smashed. Three ammunition depots and three AN/TPQ-37 and AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar stations, manufactured by the United States, were also destroyed, the Defense Ministry said.
The Russian Air Defense forces shot down 10 unmanned aerial vehicles in a day.
— In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 323 aircraft, 161 helicopters, 2266 unmanned aerial vehicles, 381 anti—aircraft missile systems, 5876 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 871 multiple rocket launcher combat vehicles, 3485 field artillery and mortars, as well as 6635 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed, - he listed Igor Konashenkov.
Artillery will support
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.
Sergeant Vladislav Diaghilev and his comrades supported one of the units with artillery fire. Thanks to his professional skills, as well as the teamwork of the entire crew of the combat vehicle, an enemy anti-aircraft missile system, two cars and up to 20 militants were destroyed. After that, Diaghilev brought the combat vehicle to a safe area, preserving the equipment and the lives of his crew, the military department said.
Senior Sergeant Denis Ryabenko performed the tasks of artillery support of motorized rifle units. Repelling counterattacks, Denis destroyed an ammunition depot and up to 20 militants with targeted fire from a self-propelled howitzer.
— The courage, bravery and professionalism of Denis Ryabenko allowed to inflict significant damage to Ukrainian units and deprived them of the opportunity to attack, — said the Russian military department.
Corporal Sergei Nikolaev discovered an enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group on the route of a column of Russian paratroopers. One of the first to engage the enemy, Sergei destroyed five saboteurs. The militants retreated, suffering losses.
During the battles with the Ukrainian formations, medical instructor Corporal Viktor Nazarov provided emergency assistance to the soldiers right on the battlefield under heavy fire and carried the wounded to a safe place. Having shown courage and dedication, Viktor personally saved the lives of 10 Russian servicemen, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation noted.
Andrey Fedorov
Bogdan Stepovoy
Anton Lavrov
