In one day, Russian fighters destroyed more than 15 Leopard tanks and 20 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles
On July 23, Vladimir Putin announced the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. At his meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, it was also reported that during July 22, Russian fighters destroyed more than 15 Leopard tanks and more than 20 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. And since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the armed formations of Ukraine (VFU) have lost more than 26 thousand fighters. On July 22 and 23, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the places of manufacture of unmanned boats near Odessa, as well as facilities where they were being prepared for terrorist attacks. The Western-made air defense systems pulled into the city did not help to repel the attack. Experts note that the military infrastructure created in the Odessa region under the guise of a grain deal is being systematically destroyed.
The failure of the counteroffensive
Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko held talks in St. Petersburg on July 23, where they discussed, among other things, a special military operation. The President of Belarus said at the meeting that, according to his data, only on July 22, Russian fighters were able to destroy more than 15 Leopard tanks and more than 20 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
— Foreign, perhaps, so many were not destroyed in one day, — Vladimir Putin replied.
The head of the Russian state noted that "units fully equipped with foreign equipment simply operated from that side."
The Russian president also announced the failure of Kiev's counteroffensive.
Military personnel of artillery calculations of BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems of the Central Military District are preparing to open fire on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
— There is no counteroffensive, — the Belarusian leader noted in the conversation.
"It exists, but it failed,— Putin replied.
According to the Russian president, since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the losses of the VFU have already exceeded 26 thousand people.
In addition, Vladimir Putin highlighted significant losses among foreign mercenaries in Ukraine. He stressed that the militants are dying "because of their stupidity."
— In any case, the public of the countries whose governments send people to the war zone, the public of these countries should also know about what is happening there. And we will bring this to the people so that they evaluate the actions of their rulers," the head of state said.
Odessa strikes
On the night of July 23, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a group strike on objects where terrorist acts against Russia were being prepared with the use of unmanned boats, as well as on places of their manufacture in the Odessa region. There were foreign mercenaries at the affected facilities. High-precision sea- and air-based weapons were used for the strike, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.
— All targets planned for the strike have been destroyed, — said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
The military department reported that the information disseminated by the Kiev regime about the defeat of the Odessa Transfiguration Cathedral by Russian missiles does not correspond to reality.
"All the facilities designated for destruction and destroyed on the night of July 23, where the Kiev regime, together with foreign specialists, were preparing terrorist acts against the Russian Federation, were located at a safe distance from the temple complex," the Russian Defense Ministry explained.
Launch of the Kalibr cruise missile from a small rocket ship
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Andrey Stanavov
The planning of strikes with precision weapons is carried out on the basis of carefully verified and confirmed information through several channels, which obviously excludes the defeat of civilian objects, as well as objects of cultural and historical heritage, the military department explained.
— Taking into account the video footage from the Transfiguration Church published by local residents, the most likely cause of its destruction was the fall of a Ukrainian anti-aircraft guided missile as a result of illiterate actions of operators of air defense systems that the Armed Forces of Ukraine intentionally place in residential areas of settlements, including in the city of Odessa, — the department said.
According to Izvestia sources familiar with the situation, Ukrainian air defense systems in Odessa showed extremely low efficiency. At the same time, Patriot, NASAMS, Gepard and other anti-aircraft systems transferred by the European Union and the United States have been transferred to this area only in recent days. But Western systems have also shown their extremely low efficiency. Therefore, the Ukrainian command sent the remaining S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Odessa.
Operational-tactical missile complex "Iskander-M" of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the zone of a special military operation in Ukraine
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti
But, as the interlocutors of the publication noted, the Ukrainian "three hundredth" had problems with missiles. Most of the launched anti-aircraft guided missiles turned out to be faulty. Not only did they not hit aerial targets, but they often went off the trajectory and detonated or exploded in the air.
Under the guise of a grain deal, the Ukrainian government organized the production of drones in the Odessa region and concentrated large military forces, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
— We didn't really touch Odessa itself after the first strikes that year, — he noted. — Russia adhered to international agreements. The Ukrainian authorities, taking advantage of the fact that it is quiet there, have increased the production of marine and other drones, organized bases from where they attacked our territory. It is possible that bulk carriers allegedly transporting grain as part of the deal were also involved in the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge — this is now being clarified. It turns out that the enemy in this area has created an extensive military infrastructure, bases for mercenaries, fuel depots. They are being destroyed by our army and navy right now.
According to the expert, the Ukrainian Navy has a whole line of marine drones — from jet skis converted into kamikaze drones and the Ukrainian Mikola marine drone to Western models.
"They were building up their strength," the expert reminded. — In the last days of May, the sailors from the ship "Ivan Khurs" destroyed three marine drones. In July, Sevastopol was attacked by drones. There was a terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge. The use of drones has become more frequent, and the Ukrainian authorities even started talking about the blockade of the Black Sea Fleet. Now their dreams will come to an end. Instead, fears about our landing in Odessa will return.
The destruction of Ukrainian surface drones that attacked the ship "Ivan Khurs" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the area of the Bosphorus Strait. May 24, 2023
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Vasily Dandykin also noted that the Soviet air defense systems transferred to Odessa could be armed with missiles of earlier years of release.
"They are saving newer equipment and ammunition for Kiev," he said.
On July 23, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that, according to confirmed data, on July 6, a large number of Polish and German mercenaries stationed there were destroyed as a result of a high-precision weapon strike on the territory of the Academy of Ground Forces of the VFU in Lviv.
— In total, about 4,990 foreign fighters were killed during the special military operation. Another 4,910 mercenaries escaped from the areas of hostilities, leaving the territory of Ukraine, the military department reported.
NATO equipment is on fire
The most fierce battles on July 22 and 23 took place in the South Donets and Zaporozhye directions, where the enemy used a large number of armored vehicles.
— In the Zaporozhye direction, the actions of the units of the grouping and artillery fire successfully repelled two enemy attacks in the area of the settlement of Workino, Zaporozhye region, — Igor Konashenkov said on July 23.
Also, fire damage was inflicted on the units of the VFU in the areas of the settlements of Novodanilovka, Malaya Tokmachka and Charivnoye of the Zaporozhye region. In the area of Novoivanovka, an ammunition depot of the 105th Theroborona brigade was destroyed.
Padded M2 Bradley BMP of American production
Image source: Photo: Social networks
A day earlier, fire damage was inflicted on clusters of manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades of the VFU in this direction.
On July 23, in the South Donets direction, the Vostok group of troops repelled an enemy attack near the settlement of Novomikhailovka in the DPR.
A day earlier, three enemy attacks were repelled here. Clusters of manpower and equipment of the 23rd mechanized Brigade of the VFU and the 129th Brigade of the Defense Ministry were also hit.
For two days in these areas, the losses of the VFU amounted to at least 350 people and 52 units of military equipment, including seven Leopard tanks, 10 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the US-made M777 artillery system and the FH70 howitzer made in the UK.
Ukrainian Su-25 shot down
For two days — on July 22 and 23 — in the special operation zone, Russian troops destroyed at least 1,530 people and 80 pieces of military equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Five Ukrainian sabotage groups were destroyed in the LPR and the Zaporozhye region. A temporary deployment point of a unit of foreign mercenaries was hit in the Chernihiv region.
In addition, an aviation fuel depot located at the Kanatovo airbase of the Air Forces of Ukraine was destroyed in the Kirovograd region. Five VFU ammunition depots were destroyed in the DPR.
The anti-aircraft missile system "Osa" of the second army corps of the Southern group of troops is firing at a target in the southern direction
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
In the LPR and DPR, three control points of the 47th, 66th mechanized and 95th airborne assault brigades were hit.
The Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near the village of Verolyubovka in the DPR.
Russian air defense systems shot down 16 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, three HARM anti-radar missiles, two Storm Shadow cruise missiles and 43 Ukrainian UAVs.
Bogdan Stepovoy
Andrey Fedorov
Julia Leonova
