How will this affect the situation in the area of the SVOAll the missiles fired during the massive strike on November 15 hit exactly the designated targets.
This was announced the next day by the Russian Defense Ministry. The purpose of the precision strikes was the military control system of Ukraine and related energy facilities. The ministry stressed that no strikes were carried out on Kiev, and all the destruction in the city occurred from the fall of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles. Experts note that the enemy's air defense has demonstrated low efficiency and is not capable of repelling such attacks. In the area of the special military operation, Russian units continue to hold the defense, and near Donetsk — to move forward.
Everyone is amazed
On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry summed up the results of large-scale missile strikes on targets in Ukraine, inflicted a day earlier.
— On November 15, the Russian armed forces launched a massive strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons against the military command system of Ukraine and related energy facilities. The target of the strike has been achieved. All the missiles fired hit exactly the designated targets. All objects are affected," the department said.
The Defense Ministry stressed that not a single missile strike was carried out on objects in Kiev, and all the demonstrated destruction in residential quarters of the Ukrainian capital was a direct consequence of the fall and self-destruction of anti-aircraft missiles fired by Ukrainian troops from air defense systems located within the city.
The ministry stressed that the images of the wreckage found in the village of Przevodow published in Poland on the evening of November 15 were unequivocally identified by Russian defense industry specialists as elements of an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 air defense complex of the Air Forces of Ukraine. "We want to emphasize that high—precision strikes were carried out on targets only on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance no closer than 35 km from the Ukrainian-Polish border," the Defense Ministry said.
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| The place of the rocket crash. |
| Source: REUTERS |
— The Ukrainian air defense has demonstrated a very weak response to the strike, — says military expert Dmitry Boltenkov. — The potential of effective S-300 and Buk-M1 complexes that can shoot down cruise missiles is clearly running out. Kiev does not have enough missiles, and the latest strikes have clearly reduced the number of combat-ready vehicles. There are still enough of them for actions from ambushes on aviation, but not for repelling massive missile raids. After all, the air defense should use two anti-aircraft missiles to intercept a cruise missile according to the standards. A few foreign complexes did not make the weather.
Regular strikes on critical facilities throughout Ukraine do not allow the concentration of all Ukrainian air defense systems along the front line. The Ukrainian command is forced to keep them even in the western part of the country. It was from there that the S-300 rocket flew to Poland the day before. Such a dispersal facilitates the task of our VKS on the front line.
— Appealing to Western allies will not solve the problem of Ukraine, — the expert believes. — Those simply do not have enough modern complexes that can replace dozens of divisions of the "Soviet heritage" and cover both the front line and strategic facilities in the interior of the country. Massively, but not too quickly, they can only supply deeply outdated Hawk air defense systems and various short-range models, according to the capabilities approximately corresponding to the Soviet "Wasps" and "Arrows". Such equipment cannot create a full-fledged air defense system for the whole country.
As reported by Izvestia, numerous videos of cruise missile flights over Ukrainian cities appeared on social networks on Tuesday afternoon. After a massive strike with precision weapons, power outages began in most regions. Power outages were reported from Kiev, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa and other major cities.
The next day, the Russian Armed Forces continued to launch missile strikes against Ukrainian military facilities. According to the military department, during the day, Russian planes and helicopters, as well as missile troops and artillery hit seven control points of the VFU, an ammunition depot, 94 artillery units in firing positions, a US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar station and 185 troop concentration areas.
Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
During the counter-battery struggle, two M777 artillery systems (USA), a Ukrainian self-propelled artillery installation "Acacia" and a combat vehicle of the multiple launch rocket system "Grad" were destroyed.
Holding the defense
Russian units on Wednesday continued to repel attacks by Ukrainian formations.
— In the Kupyansk direction, the strikes of the army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces thwarted the attempts of the offensive of three company tactical groups of the 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of the settlements of Berestove, Kolesnikovka of the Kharkiv region and Novoselovskoye of the Luhansk People's Republic, - said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
Losses of Ukrainian formations — more than 80 servicemen, six tanks, eight armored fighting vehicles, two armored vehicles and three self-propelled artillery installations.
In the Red-Limansky direction, two attempts of attacks by company tactical groups to the settlement of Kolomyychikha in the LPR were reflected. As a result, the VFU lost more than 100 servicemen killed and wounded, two tanks and four armored fighting vehicles.
On Donetsk, Russian troops continued to advance, the VFU unsuccessfully tried to stop their advance. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian formations were dispersed. They lost more than 160 soldiers, three tanks, five armored combat vehicles, a pickup truck and two vehicles with ammunition.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
The attack of the battalion tactical group of the VFU was stopped in the South Donetsk direction. The attackers were pushed back to their original positions. Their losses amounted to more than 65 soldiers and mercenaries, two infantry fighting vehicles, five armored vehicles and three cars.
Operational-tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a helicopter Mi-8 of the Air Forces of Ukraine near the settlement of Novoselovka, Zaporozhye region.
During the day, air defense systems shot down three UAVs, 11 shells of multiple rocket launchers "HIMARS" and "Hurricane" in the areas of the settlements of Kalanchak and Novonikolaevka of the Kherson region.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 333 aircraft, 177 helicopters, 2,514 unmanned aerial vehicles, 388 anti-aircraft missile systems, 6,644 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 892 multiple rocket launchers, 3,587 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 7,240 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed, Igor Konashenkov said..
In stubborn battles
The Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.
Photo: TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Image source: iz.ru
Sergeant Valery Sibirskikh and his subordinates were guarding the location of the unit when he found an armed group of militants in the forest belt. Having entered the battle, Valery competently built a fire system and identified the firing sectors. With heavy fire, Russian servicemen destroyed the firing points, defeating the militant group. "The courageous and selfless actions of Sergeant Sibirsky, as well as the high professionalism of his subordinates, made it possible to ensure the security of the location of Russian units," the Defense Ministry said.
The assault group of Corporal Yaroslav Cherevanev liberated the settlement from Ukrainian formations. Yaroslav was at the forefront and corrected artillery fire. He promptly and accurately transmitted the coordinates of the enemy's military equipment, thanks to which the Russian troops managed to liberate the settlement.
During the march to the task area, the column of the battalion tactical group of Sergeant Sergei Chetin was attacked. "Sergey took the communication equipment out of the shelling and hid it in a forest. The sergeant reported to the command about the attack and the location of the militants' positions. An artillery strike was inflicted on them, which allowed the column to continue moving and arrive in a given area," the department noted.
Andrey Fedorov
