The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation told about the provision of volunteer fightersThe most important part of the front remains to the north-west of Donetsk.
Following the liberation of Paraskovievka on February 17, the volunteers of the assault detachments advancing north of Artemovsk (renamed Bakhmut by the Ukrainian authorities) took Berkhovka, which was confirmed by the leadership of the Wagner PMCs on February 23.
The AFU units defending this sector of the front came out of the south of Yagodnoye, taking positions further to the west – at Dubovo-Vasilyevka and Bogdanovka. The highway to Khromovo passing through here is now shot through with direct fire from 100 mm Rapier anti-tank guns. The gun crews also operate as part of the advanced units of the Wagner PMCs, which in the latest reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense are referred to as "volunteers of assault detachments".
Thus, the task of supplying the garrison of Bakhmut, squeezed in a vice from the north and south, became even more complicated. In fact, it operates in a semi-circle: less than 9 km separates the two attacking groups of volunteers of assault detachments. Despite the difficult situation of the defenders, at a meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky, Ukrainian generals promised to hold Bakhmut throughout March. In the city itself, the fighting moved closer to the MiG-17 monument aircraft. There is a second road here, along which the garrison receives material and technical supplies from the Yar Clock. However, it is also shot from the heights at Krasny (Ivanovsky), 9 km southwest of Artemovsk.
The adviser to the acting head of the DPR, Yan Gagin, said on central television that the initiative is firmly held by the advancing Russian soldiers: "Now they are fighting already in the city, almost in the center. I understand that in any case, the surrender of Artemovsk – and the enemy will be forced to surrender the city – is, I think, a matter of time, and will happen soon enough."
The situation in this sector of the front is under the close attention of the press and users of social networks, where information messages from dubious sources are sometimes published. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reacted to "exalted statements that appeared on certain information resources about allegedly blocking the supply of ammunition to volunteers of assault detachments performing combat missions to liberate the city of Artemovsk."
The agency regarded them as an attempt to "split the close mechanism of interaction and support between the units of the Russian group," considering such actions "counterproductive" and going "only to the benefit of the enemy."
The explanation published by him says that the command of the joint group of troops involved in the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine "pays special, constant and priority attention" to providing volunteers and military personnel of assault units with everything necessary.
The document further states that in just two days the total advance in this direction was more than 2.5 km, and the attackers are advancing through the prepared defensive positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is noted that successful combat operations would have been impossible without full fire support of the offensive by armored vehicles, artillery and other fire means of the Yug group. Despite the difficult weather conditions that set in towards the end of February, only within a few days the crews of the assault aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out 18 sorties to support the offensive of assault detachments.
Further, the document of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation says about the inconsistency of the reality of "statements made allegedly on behalf of assault units." Regarding ammunition, the agency reports that only in the period from February 18 to February 20, volunteers received: 1,660 rockets for multiple rocket launchers, more than 10,000 shells for barrel artillery and almost a thousand shots for tank guns. "All applications for the supply of ammunition for assault units are carried out as soon as possible," the document states. "In total, over the past year, the needs of assault detachments for ammunition were provided for 140% of the applications received," the statement says. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation continues to promise to supply volunteers in a timely manner in full.
At the same time, the document of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not pay attention to such an issue as the fire impact of the APU on ammunition depots in the frontline. Earlier it was reported that the Ukrainian military actively uses all means of intelligence, including intelligence, to determine the location of such warehouses with subsequent strikes on them. To do this, first of all, the US-supplied multiple launch rocket systems such as M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS, whose missiles are a difficult target for anti-aircraft missile systems, are involved. According to some sources, in a number of cases, the AFU managed to fire high-precision weapons at ammunition depots found on the other side of the front. Therefore, the number of shells delivered is less than the number of shots fired by the gunners in the time period under consideration. Nevertheless, the specific figures given by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation significantly complement the overall picture regarding the volume of material and technical supplies to the active army.
According to foreign sources, there is a significant disparity in the number of shots fired by Ukrainian and Russian artillery. Thus, the daily consumption of artillery shells is estimated: APU – from 4 to 10 thousand, the Russian army – 60 thousand and more. The difference is explained by the significantly better supply of its forces from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, while the Ukrainian side has largely exhausted the reserves of Soviet times, and has not been able to establish its own production. Powder factories and ammunition factories located on the territory controlled by the Kiev regime were considered by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation as priority targets for air and missile strikes. The shortage of artillery shells for 8- and 6-inch caliber barrel artillery has become especially acute for the AFU by now.
Therefore, the main direction of Western assistance to the Armed Forces remains the supply of 155-mm guns and shells for them, as well as the purchase of Soviet-style ammunition from third countries. However, even the huge financial resources that NATO countries allocate to foment the conflict do not help here. The West has already spent $ 150 billion on military aid to Ukraine, the flow of money is not decreasing. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message to the Federal Assembly: "He has already spent more than $150 billion on aiding and arming the Kiev regime."
