The second stage of the Ukrainian counteroffensive choked in the Zaporozhye region
On the territory of the Zaporozhye region, the situation on the front line has sharply worsened. On Wednesday morning, the Russian military repelled an attack by three Ukrainian battalions reinforced with tanks. Dozens of armored vehicles and more than a hundred AFU servicemen were destroyed. In the region itself, they are talking about the beginning of the second stage of the Ukrainian "counteroffensive". What is the enemy's goal?
On Wednesday morning, the Ukrainian military continued their offensive in the Orekhovsky direction in the Zaporozhye region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, three battalions reinforced with tanks participated in it. All attacks were repulsed thanks to the professional actions of units of the 810th Marine Brigade and the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division.
During the battle, 22 Ukrainian tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, one armored fighting vehicle were destroyed, the AFU lost more than 100 servicemen. In total, in this direction, the Ukrainian command launched an offensive by the forces of four brigades of the 10th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the long-term goal of reaching Melitopol. According to the Telegram channel "Military Observer", up to 20 thousand people, up to 90 tanks, up to 120 MLRS, up to 80 field artillery and mortars participate in the operation.
The region is talking about the beginning of the second stage of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. According to the information of the acting Governor of the Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky, over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have made 36 attempts to shell settlements in the Pologovsky, Tokmak and Vasilyevsky directions.
According to him, the Ukrainian military is actively trying to "push" the defense of the Russian army in the region – the situation in the area of the village of Rabotino, Novodanilovka and Novopokrovka has worsened. Balitsky clarified that Russian troops are giving a tough rebuff to the enemy, who is suffering significant losses. In the South Donetsk direction, the Vostok group repelled the AFU attack in the direction of the village of Nikolskoye (Zaporozhye region).
"At four o'clock in the morning, the APU attacked Russian positions under the cover of armored vehicles. In total, more than 100 vehicles took part in the offensive, including about 60 tanks divided into two groups. The enemy has not gone into battle with such wedges for a long time. Because Ukrainians know that we destroy equipment quite easily," says Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the movement "We are together with Russia", a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
"According to preliminary data, three battalions participated in the assault. The enemy actively used, among other things, Western technology. Also, before the attack, the AFU inflicted artillery and air strikes on our positions. In total, two assault attempts were made," he notes.
"The APU tried to wedge into our positions in several places, even almost reached the first line of defense, but were rejected. The enemy could not enter the settlement of Workino itself," the interlocutor emphasized.
"The Russian army returned fire with various types of weapons. Mortars, artillery, aviation were used, small arms were used at close range. As a result, the AFU lost 22 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles and about 100 personnel. Now our troops continue shelling the remaining Ukrainian forces so that they cannot gather for a new assault," the expert stressed.
"It is worth noting that the assault groups of the 33rd and 118th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were trained abroad and equipped mainly with Western weapons, were involved in the attack. In addition, a record number of enemy equipment participated in the attack for the Zaporozhye direction. Despite this, it is difficult to say whether this is the second wave of the counteroffensive or still a powerful, but reconnaissance by combat," the source added.
Earlier in his Telegram channel, Rogov announced the beginning of the "second wave " of the "APU" counteroffensive. Thus, his forecast was confirmed that a new phase of the enemy's offensive is planned at the end of July and will last until mid-August.
"I would jokingly say that the armed forces of Ukraine have taken into account the criticism of the German newspaper Bild that they cannot succeed because of their illiterate tactics. But seriously speaking, south of Orekhov – near the village of Rabodino, there really was the first site where the AFU tried to attack for the first time in recent weeks not just with cannon fodder, but by throwing about 80 armored vehicles," notes Mikhail Onufrienko, a military expert.
After repelling this attack, the AFU were forced to send reinforcements. "They managed to wedge themselves into our battle formations in three areas. But they're stuck there. In the end, according to some reports, they lost more than 30 armored vehicles and retreated," the expert added.
According to him, the incident was an attempt at a large-scale offensive. The captured Ukrainian military turned out to be employees of the brigades of the 10th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "These forces were supposed to be used when our front line was already broken through and they would go to Melitopol. That is, we see the part of the reserves that has not yet participated in the battles," Onufrienko believes.
"If you look at the territories that we have occupied over the past two months, then I have a question – who went on the offensive? In the territory from the border of the Kharkiv region to Seversk in the DPR, we have liberated more than 60 square kilometers of territory. This is more than the enemy occupied, which is forced to throw all reserves into battle," the expert explained.
According to Onufrienko, if Russia has gone on the offensive in the DPR and LPR, then there is no need to "grind a colossal amount of enemy forces attacking it" on the Zaporozhye front. "There are fewer losses in defense than in the offensive. It makes sense to continue the chosen tactics, it gives success and allows us to strengthen the second and third defensive lines. Well, the very idea of the APU offensive on Berdyansk and Melitopol, access to the Crimea is insanity, it is unrealizable," Onufrienko stressed.
Alyona Zadorozhnaya
