Ukrainian militants are trying to break through to Tokmak at any cost
Russian troops continue to hold the borders in the Zaporozhye direction. On August 28, seven attacks were repulsed near the settlements of Workino and Verbovoye, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The control of the dominant heights allowed our units to inflict serious losses on the approaching Ukrainian formations and throw them back. In the Zaporozhye direction, the VFU is concentrating all the remaining experienced units in order to break through to an important logistics center — Tokmak — and gain fire control over the strategic route to the Crimea, experts say. Therefore, the goal of Russian troops is to hold the line of defense and grind Ukrainian reserves.
Defense in the Zaporozhye direction
On August 28, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to restrain the onslaught of the enemy in the Zaporozhye direction. During the day, the armed formations of Ukraine launched seven unsuccessful attacks in the areas of the settlements of Workino and Verbovoye and suffered heavy losses, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Up to 160 militants, two armored fighting vehicles, four vehicles, two M777 artillery systems, an AS90 Braveheart self-propelled artillery unit and an FH-70 cannon, as well as two D-30 howitzers were destroyed here.
According to Izvestia sources familiar with the situation, the enemy outflanked Rabocino and reached the village of Verbovoye. Here are the positions of the main line of Russian defense. But by the evening of August 28, the Ukrainian militants could not go further. The Russian troops controlling the heights in the Verbovoye area inflicted serious losses on them. Also in the evening, Russian Marines launched a counterattack in the area of Workino. During the fighting, the forces of the VFU were pushed back, and the "black berets" were able to cover the Work from the eastern flank.
Ka-52 helicopter of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
The VFU was tasked with breaking through to Tokmak at any cost, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.
— And everything they have, everything that has been put into battle, is now slowly focusing on the Zaporozhye direction, — he noted. — All the most experienced remaining units that are available have been transferred here. Therefore, for three weeks now continuously, every day there is movement near Rabocino, next to it, on the flanks of the village. The task is to go further at any cost, and in this regard [AFU Commander—in-Chief Valery] Zaluzhny is leading the offensive not according to American developments, but according to our classic, Soviet ones. For example, for the first time they had the term "breakthrough site", there is no such thing in the American military regulations at all.
The expert expressed confidence that the VFU will continue attacks and increase their strength.
"There is no alternative for us here," he explained. — The task of the Russian troops is to keep the enemy in this direction and grind his forces. To think that the big offensive has run out of steam and everything is over is wrong. The exit to the Tokmak area for Ukrainian militants will mean the opportunity to reach, at least with artillery strikes, Melitopol and the strategic route to the Crimea. That is, this is a violation of the functioning of a large communications node, which is Tokmak, and Ukraine will throw everything at achieving this goal.
A blow to the warehouse
On the night of August 28, the Russian Navy struck a group strike with a high-precision long-range sea-based weapon at the air armament and ammunition depot of the VFU, the military department said.
— The target of the strike has been achieved. The object is hit," said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
During the day, Russian troops continued to repel the attacks of the VFU in the Donetsk, Kupyansk, Krasnolimansk and Yuzhnodonetsky directions.
In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Group of troops repelled two attacks by the VFU assault groups in the areas of the settlements of Kleshcheyevka and Krasnogorovka in the DPR.
In the Kupyansk direction, units of the Western Grouping of troops repelled two enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Sinkovka, Kharkiv region and Novoselovskoye in the LPR.
In the Krasnolimansky direction, the Center group of troops repulsed two attacks by units of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade and the 42nd mechanized brigade of the VFU near the settlement of Kuzmino in the LPR.
In the South Donets direction, units of the Vostok group of troops repelled two attacks by the 31st Marine Brigade near the settlement of Staromayorskoye in the DPR.
In these areas, the VFU lost over 400 militants and 33 pieces of equipment, including a Krab self-propelled artillery unit, an M109 Paladin artillery unit, as well as two D-30 howitzers.
Under air defense protection
On the morning of August 28, the Russian military stopped another attempt by the Kiev regime to attack Crimea with the help of an airplane-type UAV, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Two unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by the air defense equipment on duty.
Also, Russian air defense systems destroyed a Ukrainian cruise missile in the air over the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea.
Problem solving
The armed formations of Ukraine stated that the strategically important settlement of Urozhnoye "almost passed" under their control. The military correspondent of Izvestia, Valentin Trushnin, is now working in the Zaporozhye direction and showed how things really are on this section of the line of contact.
According to him, the village of Urozhnoye is the only media success of the VFU in this direction. They were launched here and are now being methodically destroyed.
— It is very difficult to defend there, there is nowhere to hide from artillery. In fact, this is already a wasteland, very vulnerable to fire, and now the enemy is experiencing all the charms of defense in such an inconvenient place," said military commander Valentin Trushnin.
All the places in the Harvest, where you can still somehow hide, are well known to our servicemen. Tankers of the operational combat tactical formation (OBTF) "Cascade" works in the mode "charged — shot — loaded again".
Soldiers of the VFU
Image source: Photo: REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
The footage provided by Russian servicemen shows the movement of enemy infantry in a forest plantation on the outskirts. This is immediately fixed, and immediately there is a blow to them with fragmentation shells.
— They have no choice. They also need to show something to their population and their owners, who have paid for everything: equipment, weapons, training. Let them pay for this imaginary media victory with the lives of their soldiers. There were just fields littered with their corpses," said the commander of the OBTF "Cascade" tank with the call sign Kalash.
The good work of our sappers also helps to keep the defense. In the video, shot by an officer of the VFU, a group of militants, which takes out a wounded man from the village, is blown up by a mine.
— They keep pushing, yes. They are not doing this on their own initiative. They are forced. They just go for cannon fodder. Here is our only direction, 500 people were killed for the fight, but this is together with the "three hundredth", — said a fighter of the OBTF "Cascade" with the call sign Kasper.
The armed formations of Ukraine are beginning to try new tactics. They are trying to infiltrate a large number of small groups from different directions, thereby trying to force our gunners to spend a huge amount of ammunition.
— A lot of equipment was knocked out near Novodonetsk, a lot. And they are trying to protect all their supplies — American tanks, Polish ones. Apparently, for some serious offensive," said a fighter with the call sign Malek.
The main problem for our military is Western cluster munitions. Each of them exploding throws dozens of small submunitions.
Cluster munition fired from the AFU
Image source: Photo: TASS/ Dmitry Yagodkin
— The most important task is to make your projection from the air smaller. That is, it is impossible to lie flat, as with artillery shelling. Because the projection is getting bigger. And our task is to make it smaller, to sit as close to the ground as possible," said an officer of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division (MSD) with the call sign Yantar.
Partially, the problem with cluster munitions is solved by closed trenches. But if there is no shelter, you need to react quickly. There is only a second after the main explosion.
The command post was destroyed
During the day in the special operation zone, Russian troops destroyed up to 570 VFU fighters and 43 pieces of equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles.
In the LPR, the command and observation post of the unit of the 67th mechanized brigade of the VFU was hit.
Russian air defense systems shot down three JDAM guided bombs, as well as one HIMARS multiple rocket launcher and 27 Ukrainian UAVs.
Julia Leonova
Andrey Fedorov
Roman Kretsul
