In one day, 13 Ukrainian long-range guns and self-propelled guns were put out of action in the SVO zoneThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has set tasks for the near future.
This was announced on December 27 by the head of the military department, Sergei Shoigu. Next year, he stressed, the course for the progressive development and improvement of the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be continued. On the same day, two American-made M777 artillery systems, three MLRS, two self-propelled guns and six enemy howitzers were destroyed in the area of the special operation during the counter-battery struggle. Experts note that the work of artillery now not only provides reliable defense, but also prepares the ground for new attacks by Russian troops.
The tasks are set
On December 27, at the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a final conference call with the leadership of the Armed Forces. The head of the military department heard reports from the senior staff on the results of the activities of the troops in the outgoing year, on the operational and combat training activities carried out and planned.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting with members of the Coordinating Council for Ensuring the Needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Image source: Photo: TASS/Dmitry Astakhov
Sergei Shoigu also said that at an expanded meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense with the participation of Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin, the results of the outgoing year 2022 were summed up and tasks were set for the department in the near future.
He added that next year the policy of progressive development of the Armed Forces and increasing their combat capabilities will be continued. At the end of the meeting, Sergei Shoigu congratulated colleagues from the Ministry of Emergency Situations on their professional holiday.
The "hurricane" has quieted down
On December 27, the Ministry of Defense told about how the counter-battery struggle is going on in the zone of the military special operation. In particular, in the area of the settlement of Netailovo, a firing position was opened and destroyed along with the calculation of the US-made M777 artillery system, from which residential quarters of the city of Donetsk were shelled.
Another M777 artillery system was hit near Preobrazhenka in the Zaporozhye region.
— In the areas of the settlements of Nevskoye of the Luhansk People's Republic and Seversk of the Donetsk People's Republic, a combat vehicle of the multiple launch rocket system "Hurricane", as well as two combat vehicles of the multiple launch rocket system "Grad" were destroyed, — said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
Not far from Krasnogorovka and Prechistovka in the DPR, two Ukrainian self-propelled artillery installations (ACS) 2S1 "Carnation" were destroyed in firing positions.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Four Msta-B howitzers and two D-20 howitzers were destroyed in the districts of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, Velikaya Novoselka in the DPR and Novogrigorivka in the Kherson region.
Counter-battery fighting came to the fore against the background of positional battles in most areas, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov noted in an interview with Izvestia.
— Without the suppression and destruction of enemy artillery, no offensive is possible, — the expert explained. — The adjustment from drones has breathed life even into towed systems that were considered obsolete. They have become much more accurate and lethal than before. Ukraine has largely recovered the losses of its artillery due to supplies from abroad, and now it has to be knocked out again. I am glad that we have successes here, and very significant ones. Even the enemy admits that the Russian artillery is "shooting him down."
Intensive artillery duels continue not only near Artemovsk and Maryinka, but also along the entire front line, along the main length of which the battles took a positional character, Dmitry Boltenkov recalled.
"Knocking out Ukrainian artillery in such areas weakens the VFU and their firing capabilities, prepares the ground for new attacks by Russian troops, including in unexpected directions for the enemy," the expert concluded.
Minus the command post
Up to 30 Ukrainian militants, two armored fighting vehicles and three cars were destroyed in the Kupyansk direction as a result of artillery strikes on enemy manpower and equipment accumulations in the area of the village of Peschanoe LNR, the Defense Ministry reported details of the fighting on December 27.
Units of the 11th Theroborona Brigade were defeated in the Krasnolimansk direction. The enemy's losses during the day amounted to more than 40 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles and two pickups.
In the Donetsk direction, during successful offensive operations, units of the 79th Airborne Assault Brigade of the VFU were defeated. Up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, three infantry fighting vehicles and seven vehicles were destroyed.
Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Image source: iz.ru
In the South Donetsk direction, as a result of complex fire damage to enemy units, more than 70 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles and two pickups were destroyed during the day.
Rocket troops and artillery hit the reserve command post of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade of the VFU, as well as 67 artillery units in firing positions and 89 areas of concentration of troops.
The air defense forces of the Russian Federation shot down three drones and two multiple rocket launchers "Hurricane" in the area of the settlement of Kostogryzovo, Kherson region, as well as three anti-radar missiles HARM manufactured by the United States near the city of Debaltseve in the DPR.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 352 aircraft, 192 helicopters, 2,734 unmanned aerial vehicles, 399 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,267 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 947 multiple rocket launchers, 3,729 field artillery and mortars, as well as 7,779 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.
The commander of the "reactivators"
The Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.
On the first day of the special operation, units of the 126th Separate Guards Brigade of Coastal Defense made a rapid march to Novaya Kakhovka. They immediately occupied and held a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper near the village of Veseloye.
The firepower of the brigade was provided by a rocket artillery division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Ermolin. Volleys of 18 Grad vehicles repeatedly covered the enemy.
The brigade units were successfully advancing in the Kherson region. On March 2, they made a march from Vesely, Kherson region to Voznesensk, Mykolaiv region, during which the column was ambushed.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Image source: iz.ru
The motorized skirmishers continued to move in order to complete the task, and parts of the "reactivators" and the rear troops fell into the operational environment. Mikhail Ermolin moved out in an unarmored Ural truck to get more than 35 people out of the encirclement. Thanks to his brave and courageous actions, it was possible to save the lives of servicemen and evacuate the wounded. During the battle, he was mortally wounded. The hero's body was returned during one of the exchanges, and now he is buried at home. Mikhail is survived by his wife, son, sister, and parents.
In one of the battles, sailor Nikita Shomin delivered people and ammunition to the positions under fire, and then took wounded Russian servicemen to a safe area.
A few days later, he accompanied a reconnaissance group to the BMP. At the entrance to the settlement, his combat vehicle was fired at by the enemy. As a result, the crew and personnel were seriously injured.
Nikita gave first aid to himself and his comrades, took command of the group and evacuated everyone to the nearest forest belt. There he took an advantageous position and organized a defense. Under heavy fire, Shomin's group fought off enemy attacks for six hours, forcing him to retreat.
During the battle with the Ukrainian nationalists, senior Ensign Valery Schmidt provided emergency assistance to the wounded in the places of shelling, after which he evacuated them from the battlefield. Valery personally took out eight wounded people from under enemy fire, unable to move independently, which saved their lives. After the end of the battle, Valery ensured the evacuation of all the wounded to the field medical detachment. The senior ensign has also repeatedly provided medical assistance to civilians affected by shelling from the Ukrainian side.
Andrey Fedorov
Anton Lavrov
Bogdan Stepovoy
