(…continued from Part 1…)
Sloviansk
Russia continues to push forward through infiltration but has not been able to secure any ground.
Kostiantynivka
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow reported the capture of Kostiantynivka on 3 July. Evidence shows that the city is a gray zone with Russian and Ukrainian positions intermixed. Russia says they took advantage of a tactical failure by the 156th Brigade to take control of the high-rise apartments while advancing from Illinivka. They are moving through the forests east of the city to reach residences on the edge but haven’t penetrated to the center of the city yet. Elements of three different assault regiments are reportedly deployed to clear out Russian infiltrators. It is not known why they were not deployed sooner.
Russians and Ukrainians are both in Dovha Balka, Rozkishne and Stepanivka. Chasiv Yar is stable but there is fighting in Novodmytrivka and Molocharka.
Two soldiers from the stalwart 24th Brigade eliminate two Russians near Chasiv Yar. A Russian walks freely in the southwestern part of the city. In the south central part of the city, an F-16 dropped a JDAM-ER on a building used by drone operators.
Russia mines roads with drones. Ukraine uses drone to destroy mines. It had rained the night before so when the child’s jacket remained dry, the Ukrainian drone team knew it was placed there recently.
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk sits on high ground and the apartment buildings provide Russian drone pilots with good lines of sight to communicate with their drones on radio waves. One apartment building is identified as being used by a drone team so an Su-27 launched a 450 kg JDAM-ER glide bomb to drop it.
The ratio of Russian killed:wounded is 2:1. The front lines remained stable.
Komar
Some videos are starting to be released. This video from the Ukraine’s 40th Marine Brigade shows the terrain and the Vovcha river by Yalta. Ukraine’s 37th Marine and 79th Air Assault brigades announced that Novokhatske was cleared. Given the embargo on news from this sector, it could have been done last week or the week before. The 42nd Brigade targets Russian artillery and vehicles supporting the front between Filiia and Dachne.
The 79th, 80th and 95th Air Assault Brigades have been operating in this sector since May while practising Operational Security (OPSEC) and controlling the information about their operations and presence. Information is still sparse, but the satellite images of impacts and the few videos that were released indicated that much of the fighting shifted 3-5 km to the east over the last two months. This represents an expansion of the gray zone eastward with only a small amount of the territory coming under firm Ukrainian control. These are slow attritional advances with the intent to destroy Russian forces and preserve Ukrainian lives.
Huliaipole
In May, there were 500 Russian airstrikes every ten days. In June, there were 350 airstrikes every ten days and in July there were “only” 200 airstrikes in the first ten days. There are manmade and river obstacles that impede and expose infiltration. The rate of Russian infiltration has slowed and Ukraine’s infiltration near Uspenivka slowed down Russian advances, but they are still attacking. The attacks on Russian supply lines are having an impact throughout the south.
Russia places drones on the roads Ukraine uses for logistics. Ukrainian drones, like these from the 110th Brigade, search the roads and blow them up with dropped munitions.
A UGV is damaged by a Russian drone while evacuating a wounded soldier. A second Russian drone is sent to kill the soldier and is hovering just a few meters from him when help arrives.
Zaporizhzhia
A Ukrainian drone flew around a screen and surveyed the contents of a depot before detonating it. A Russian gunner in an anti-aircraft missile platoon was killed about 30 km behind the front lines.
Kherson
An ammo depot was destroyed 20 km southeast of Nova Kakhovka.
Odesa
(…to be continued…)
Don, I was fascinated by that 2:1 KIA:Wounded ratio you mentioned so I clicked on the link. I think it may be the wrong one. It's about the fighting in Pokrovsk - still going on amazingly - but it makes no mention of that ratio.
If that ratio is accurate then it has to be the highest in modern warfare. I cannot think of anything close to it. It used to be considered that 1:3 was horrific, particularly since so many Russian milbloggers have reported units taking 90% or higher casualties.