Experts named the new goals of the SVO in the DonbassThe liberation of Artemovsk has been completed.
From the last occupied quarters of the enemy, the assault detachments of the Wagner PMCs were knocked out with the support of artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Troops. During the day, up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries, as well as several pieces of equipment, were destroyed in the Artemivsk direction. Experts note that the liberation of Artemovsk completes an important stage of the operation to liberate the entire Donbass, Avdiivka and Maryinka are next in line. No less important is the moral effect: the Ukrainian propaganda myth about the impregnable "fortress of Bakhmut" has collapsed.
The myth of the "Bakhmut Fort"
During the offensive of the assault detachments of the Wagner PMCs, with the support of artillery and aviation of the Southern Group of Troops, the liberation of Artemovsk was completed, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on May 21.
— During the day, up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries, one tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, five pickups, a Polish—made Krab self-propelled artillery installation, as well as a self-propelled artillery installation "Gvozdika" were destroyed, - said the details of the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
Also, in the Artemovsky tactical direction, air strikes and artillery fire of the Southern Group of troops defeated enemy units in the areas of the settlements of Konstantinovka, Bogdanovka and Krasnoe. The aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces made six sorties during the day, the artillery of the group performed 69 firing tasks.
In addition, in the area of Krasny, a road bridge was destroyed, along which reinforcements of the VFU were transferred to Artemovsk, as well as an ammunition depot of the 60th mechanized brigade. AN AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar station was destroyed near the village of Kalinin.
The battles for Artemovsk lasted 224 days, recalled military expert Vasily Dandykin.
— From an operational and tactical point of view, the liberation of the city is an important moment, - he believes. — For a long time, all Ukrainian logistics went through it along the Donetsk arc up to Seversk. Now this transport artery has been completely severed, which will make it difficult to transfer troops, deliver ammunition and other material values. Including for this reason, the enemy held on to Artemovsk with his teeth.
The expert believes that the liberation of the city will be a great moral blow for Ukrainian formations and ideologists.
— Ukrainian propaganda has lost another myth, — he reminded. — They tried to make the so-called "Bakhmut fortress" a symbol of the indomitable Ukrainian spirit. It didn't work out, this myth has collapsed, and there is no replacement in sight. And for the enemy, this is a very important and painful moment.
Military personnel of the private military company "Wagner" during the installation of the Russian flag in honor of the capture of Artemovsk under the control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Artemovsk (Bakhmut), Donetsk region
Image source: Photo: TASS/Concord Press Service
Vasily Dandykin also noted that now it is important for us to strengthen the flanks and repel counterattacks, with the help of which the VFU will try, if not to surround, then at least to take the city in a pincer.
— We will be able to repel them, I am sure, — he believes. — Then it is necessary to resolve the issue with Avdiivka and Maryinka, so that there will be no shelling from the barrel artillery of Donetsk and other major cities. Next, we will have to turn off the big Donetsk arc — from Ugledar to Seversk with access to Konstantinovka and Slavyansk. These are the last two cities of the large Donbass agglomeration, followed by the steppe, where it will be very difficult for the enemy to hold on.
Mortars will meet the enemy
In the Avdiivka direction, mortar men help our infantry in attacks and in defense. Rodion Severyanov, a correspondent of Izvestia, looked at their work.
— A forest plantation, a spruce grove — nothing suspicious, in fact, a 120-millimeter mortar is disguised here, — the correspondent said.
The contact line is just a stone's throw away from their position, so the crew is in full combat readiness and ready to open fire to kill after the first command within one minute.
— The average distance to the targets is from 3 km, sometimes a little closer. As intended, we hit our own kind: mortars, artillery batteries, platoons or individual guns, enemy firing points," a serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the call sign Associate Professor told Izvestia.
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA
Mortar men often work on the tip of the UAV. They are well monitoring the delivery of ammunition to the enemy and field ammunition depots on this section of the line of contact.
— We have the intersections of roads in our sights so that we can work preemptively at a time when the enemy is not expecting. We are looking for fatter goals — so that with accuracy and minimum consumption, — explains the Associate Professor.
The fighters in their own direction have not heard about the vaunted Ukrainian counteroffensive.
— The situation is tense, but not to say that it is some kind of critical, we do not see any changes in this area. Planned work and art projects are underway," the Associate Professor said.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
A silence regime has been declared on the line of contact for a short time. The copter's video camera captures the enemy unit within reach, but our fighters simply watch as the VFU extracts the bodies of the dead from under the rubble without opening fire.
Silence is observed, the Russian military does not have a habit of hitting in the back or surreptitiously.
— I am against Nazism, against killing peaceful people… I feel sorry for the children. They shoot at peaceful areas, at Petrovka, at Alexandrovka, my native, they beat me five times, and the people die," said a serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the call sign Okrop.
The fighting continues
On May 20 and 21, at least 965 people and 82 units of military equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, were lost in the special operation zone in all strategic directions of the VFU, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.
13 sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been liquidated in the Kharkiv, Zaporozhye regions, the DPR and the LPR.
In addition, in the LPR and DPR, the ammunition depots of the VFU were destroyed. The Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was also hit on the territory of the latter.
In the Kherson region, the ammunition depot of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade was destroyed, and in the Zaporozhye region, the command post and ammunition depot of the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade were hit.
Photo: REUTERS/Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko
Image source: iz.ru
Drone to help
The Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.
The calculation of the self-propelled artillery gun of the guard of Sergeant Nikolai Potocki supported the units located at an important line of defense with fire. During the execution of the combat mission, the gunners destroyed two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, seven cars, as well as a large number of militants. The skillful leadership of the unit, the professionalism and courage of the guard Sergeant Nikolai Potocki and the coordinated actions of his subordinates made it possible to hold the occupied defense lines and inflict serious damage to the enemy.
A unit of Russian paratroopers of Junior Sergeant Alexey Kamnev was liberating one of the strategically important settlements. Alexey, under heavy enemy fire, provided a stable connection between the units and the command, which made it possible to make decisions quickly and bring them to subordinates.
Conducting additional reconnaissance of the area with the help of a quadrocopter, Kamnev uncovered suitable enemy reserves on armored vehicles. The coordinates were promptly transmitted to the headquarters, and accurate fire was opened on the militants — all equipment was destroyed.
Andrey Fedorov