Don's Weekly, 10 June 2024: Part 1

Hello everybody!

Last Saturday, the area where I’m living was hit by a thunderstorm and heavy downpour. Sure, nothing comparable to what we often see from ‘somewhere else’, but still: one person is missing, several farms (including all the animals) and dozens of cars washed away… over 3000 firefighters and 200 troops of the Austrian Bundesheer deployed, plus hundreds of volunteers. A family in the village where I’m living was in need of some help with clearing debris, too - and that amid elections for the EU Parliament, run yesterday. Thus, sorry for interruption: I’ll get back to answering your questions in the coming days.

Meanwhile, it’s Monday and therefore the time for Don’s summary of the last week. Let me just add that over the last 48 hours, the Ukrainians have

• targeted the Akhtubinsk AB - the principal Russian flight-test centre - with UAVs; three of these have hit the base, one ‘at least damaged’ a Su-57s: the Russian ‘stealth’ - but non-operational - fighter jet; the Russians are not yet sure if it’s worth repairing; must’ve been the first type of combat aircraft jet since 1945 damaged even before it entered operational service (and yes, I know: there are reports that it already flew combat sorties over Syria and Ukraine, but sorry: I call that hogwash);

• targeted another Russian amphibious assault ship in the Sea of Azov (apparently by a naval drone); results are unclear as of right now;

• targeted a Russian ‘command node’ in the Belgorod area with Storm Shadow or SCALP-EG missile (see: one or more of Su-24s of the PSU have fired such a missile at one of Russian headquarters inside Russia). While Ukrainians and NATO are still ‘assessing results’, the Russians ‘confirmed’ that the Belgorod area was ‘attacked by numerous drones’…

Guess, the epitome of the Western systemic incompetence in governance (indeed: the ‘Zombie Idiotism’) visible on the photo below (between others: it’s such characters, but here in the EU, who ‘can’t explain what they call he ‘shift to the right’ in the EU elections) - is going to over-spill his cup of coffee when informed about that, early in the morning, US time… which is still an hour or two away…

Sometimes…. yes, sometimes it would be interesting to be that proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ in certain places at certain points in time…

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Kharkiv

In the Hlyboke and Lukiantsi sector to the west, the Russians have been relying on infantry to hold the line. Ukraine is attacking across the sector but is focusing on Hlyboke and is making a small amount of progress. Over in Vovchansk, Ukrainian infantry and special forces are pushing the Russians back house by house and the Russians are pushing back by sending more reinforcements. Ukrainian drones and artillery are interdicting their movement and supply lines.

Ukraine’s counter attacks in Vovchansk are destroying Russian companies and yielding prisoners…https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1798625665182494723

Another Russian surrenders in Vovchansk…https://x.com/moklasen/status/1797661933300302255

Drones patrol for Russian soldiers in Vovchansk…https://x.com/moklasen/status/1798764051369218077

The 42nd Brigade takes a toll on Russian assaults…https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1797231177624887613

A small depot is destroyed, but these actions add up…https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1797234283184111803

One report of a Ukrainian soldier in Vovchansk who noticed a machine gun aiming at him from ten meters away…https://x.com/albafella1/status/1798755244853059684

North of Lyptsi, a 92nd Brigade BMP strafes Russians in Hlyboke at close range…https://x.com/wartranslated?lang=en

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Western Luhansk

There’s little activity in this sector and none in Terny, where Russia had been pushing so hard for so long. The most active sector is centered on Tabaivka, where Russia has advanced 3 km in six months, although most of that was during the last six weeks.

Ukraine has been using drones to lay minefields or directly attack vehicles with it. That supposedly happened here but the drone captures the aftermath of whatever did happen, which is a smoking vehicles and personnel running away…https://x.com/moklasen/status/1798808739597701254

***

Bakhmut

Chasiv Yar’s canal district is in the final phase of a Russian assault. In the woods west of Ivanivske and south of the canal district, Russia is pushing towards the canal. They secured most of the woods but any patrols that were sent across the canal were eliminated soon after. Russian attempts to reach the canal north of the canal district failed, so they focused on frontal attacks on the district from the east and south.

Instead of columns of vehicular assaults, infantry moved through the treelines and woods moved into the edge of the district. Heavy bombardments force Ukrainians into shelter and then the Russian infantry would move into the city. Ukrainian infantry would emerge from their cover and started to expel the Russians but the Russians were entering the city at a faster rate than they were being expelled. By the end of the week, Russia was in control of the eastern half of the canal district, which included over half of the well-built multi-story buildings that were particularly durable in the face of bombardment. They are likely to continue advancing in the canal district.

Further south, the Russians continued to push west of Klishchiivka without success. Over the last few weeks, Ukrainian drones have been able to damage or destroy most of the Russian vehicles before they reached the front line, and that was true for last week, as well.

Russian infantry advancing on the western edge of Ivanivske are attacked by drones…https://x.com/Teoyaomiquu/status/1797996151490134235

(….to be continued…)