Don's Weekly, 22 April 2024: Part 1

Hello everybody!

This week’s Don’s Weekly is characterised by descriptions of ‘lots of small action’ - because that’s the way this war is fought nowadays. See: ‘Russians attacking in small groups of infantry, supported by 1-2 armoured fighting vehicles, Ukrainians responding with similar amount of assets’. That said, make no mistake: it’s not like this war now degenerated to the level of ‘single troops fighitng here and there’. On the contrary: Russian assault groups are regularly supported by glide bombing, artillery and rocket barrages, and even smoke screens (i.e. their artillery is firing smoke shells to cover the movement of assault groups as these are approaching Ukrainian positions). Means: every single assault, no matter how small, requires full alert, and regularly takes all the skills of the involved troops to beat back.

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Western Luhansk

From Kharkiv to Kupiansk to Svatove, Russian and Ukrainian forces have been attacking each other’s forces not with ground troops but aircraft, artillery and drones. A Ukrainian farmer 10 km from the border was killed by a Russian drone. Ukraine’s military lost a 152 mm SP gun and a radar. Two BMP’s were also damaged.

After failing to make any progress towards Terny for over two months, Russia tried to expand the front by attacking north of Terny and south of Yamolivka. The attacks were not as intense as in past weeks and no territory changed hands.

A drone chases a Russian infantryman near Terny…

https://twitter.com/azov_media/status/1780976585459298548

After Russian vehicles drop off infantry, thermal viewers show how the infantry was hunted even though they tried to hide…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781920536240480667

The Russians try and build up forces near the front line to make the next assault bigger. A Ukrainian tank fires on a Russian position at point blank range. Many Russians retreat and Ukrainian infantry clears out the rest…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781315069504098589

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Bilohorivka

Russian airstrikes and MRL’s plastered Bilohorivka and Russian airstrikes dropped cluster bombs on the supply roads to Bilohorivka. Russian cluster munitions have a high dud rate so those attacks could be a persistent threat. Russian attacks towards the small town can be observed crossing the fields and are regularly intercepted by drones and artillery. When they reach a treeline about 800 meters from the town they are often engaged by an automatic grenade system (AGS).

Six kilometers south of Bilohorivka, the Russians launched an attack towards Verkhnokamianske but nine Russian vehicles were damaged or destroyed before they reached the front line. Russia then hit Ukrainian positions with two large TOS-1A attacks and bombed the village with airstrikes.

This is the best view Google Maps has from on top of the slag heap looking north. Bilohorivka is on the left, on the northern edge of the quarry. You can see how Russians crossing the open fields to the east are under the observation of anyone on top of the slag heap, in addition to any drones in the area.

Russian infantry is eliminated while approaching Bilohorivka. A yellow triangle on the map marks the location…

https://twitter.com/giK1893/status/1781491170264097167

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Bakhmut

Russian sources say their better-trained troops of the VDV are trying to attack on both sides and the front of the Canal district, and that their newer troops are in front of Ivanivske. The Russian shelling, thermobaric attacks and airstrikes are still very heavy.

East of Kalynivka, a Ukrainian T-64 was moving up a moderately steep ridge when it was hit by an ATGM. The driver and rest of the crew jumped out and the tank rolled backwards and into a pond… https://t.me/msgazdiev/1331

Two more Su-25s bombing Chasiv Yar… https://t.me/the_Right_People/32668

A Ukrainian drone defeats a Russian drone north of Bohdanivka…https://t.me/Tushonka_ZSU/111

North of Bakhmut, the 30th Brigade attacks with drones…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1782075978484695407

A building in Bakhmut is hit by the French Hammer…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781609649172586668

The command post of the 331st VDV Regiment was hit by an Ukrainian MiG-29, using JDAM or HAMMER (some reports are talking about GMLRS). The Russians lost 8 officers, including the chief of intelligence of the regiment, the chief of artillery, the chief of communications of the regiment, the senior assistant to the chief of the regimental staff… all together: 8 officers killed, and a number of others wounded.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781712748897821063

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Avdiivka

After suffering heavy casualties west of Tonenke, Russia shifted their main focus north. Heavy bombardment from airstrikes, rockets and artillery pummeled Ukrainian positions. Russia moved along the double treelines by the railroad to enter the Ocheretyne before a counter-attack stopped their advance. Six kilometers to the east, the Russians entered Novokalynove on the eastern side. Russia is also trying to seize the territory in between.

Just west of Berdychi, Ukraine is fighting off attacks from the north and east. Further south, Russia is constantly hitting the Ukrainian defenses in and around Semenivka with 120 mm mortars while trying to establish footholds in the town and on the other side of the river. The 3rd Assault brigade attacks these pockets with drones and infantry. They also attacked Russian forces trying to mass in Orlivka and even conducted a raid across the river with infantry.

The 3rd Assault destroys a collection of Russian targets with drones…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1782096092944883725

A current look at Ivanivske…

https://twitter.com/giK1893/status/1781626374253379717

25th Brigade soldiers talk about the war from their point of view…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1780876498620026957

A Russian prays he isn’t walking to his doom…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1779829236414415289

A Russian discusses his situation…

https://twitter.com/albafella1/status/1782094370000265701

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Marinka

The Russians have been on the outskirts of Novomykhailivka since October, 2022. They started to make a heavy push for the village in October, 2023. Here is the progress they’ve made in six months:

It is hard to calculate the number of Russian personnel lost in that time frame. There were dismounted attacks in addition to the mounted assaults. Here are the visually confirmed number of vehicles kills the Russians suffered in those six months…

https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1781332809061142915

Unable to make any progress west of Marinka, Russia continues to try and broaden the front with attacks on Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka.

At Krasnohorivka, Ukraine regained control of the eastern edge of the town and briefly regained the southern edge. But after an MRL attack and another assault, Russia controls it once again. Previous assaults expended the Ukrainian mines, there is a shortage of ATGMs and the drones and light shelling didn’t stop the column. Besides shelling, Ukraine expended a GMLRS round on a two-story house. There are no details on the target inside the house. There was also another Russian ‘turtle’ tank that made it an extra 800 meters into the town before being knocked out.

There was heavy shelling and fighting in the western end of the village and in the trenches just outside the village. It looks like the Russians advanced another kilometer to occupy 90% of the village…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1781951876482683037

A Russian MT-LB is first immobilized and then destroyed and the crew is hunted down…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1782061913439932686

Russian vehicles are engaged outside of Novomykhailivka…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781768246984655074

Another assault on Novomykhailivka was stopped…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1780903293570441605

This is only the second Russian trench digger that was destroyed…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1780659251129499884

A second turtle tank…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1780136247329001822

The ‘inner makings’ of a ‘turtle tank’. Essentially, it’s a T-72. The Russians then weld a frame supporting protective covers made of whatever material is available. Then they add a KMT-5 or similar de-mining device to the front. The result is a vehicle that must manoeuvre in order to fire. However, this of lesser importance: what matters is that it can fire ‘forward’, in direction in which it is attacking. So, the ‘turtle tank’ can be described as something like ‘assault gun with protection for mounted infantry’.

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Zaporizhzhia

There is talk that Russia launched a significant assault in the Pryiutne-Starmaiorske area but no one wants to go on record and there is no video of such activity.

One of Russian ‘turtle tanks’ covered in sheet metal made an assault on Robotyne. Three Ukrainian HE and one DPICM shells were fired at it as it crossed the Russian front line. Another DPICM shell was fired at it when it entered the village. Damaged road wheels bring the vehicle to a halt soon after. The Russian infantry being carried on the vehicle dismounted and Ukraine fired two more HE shells as they took positions in the basements of ruined houses. Three Russian drones attacked Ukrainian infantry that moved to engage the Russian infantry. Two days later, five Ukrainian drones attacked Russian infantry in the basements.

The vehicle didn’t encounter any mines. The Ukrainian artillery fire suggests that Ukraine no longer has a thin perimeter south of Robotyne and they are not occupying the southern half of the village. They did counter-attack with infantry and drones which indicates that southern Robotyne and the treelines just outside of the village are traditional gray zones that Russia tries to occupy and Ukraine tries to empty in order to prevent a Russian build up of troops that would allow further advances.

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Kherson

A series of Russian targets are destroyed by drones…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1782095158672036062

Russia supplies its forces at night in the hope of avoiding drones…

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1781402172665495571

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Crimea

Dzhankoy airbase was hit by ATACMS missiles. Ukraine says Russia lost 4 S-400 launchers, a control point for air defense equipment, three radars, and a Fundament-M ATMS…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1780485632017465781

Ukraine showed footage of five ATACMS missiles used in the attack…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1780985972450041921

The Fundament-M can track 10,000 targets, it integrates air defense systems and streamlines response time, and is resistant to EW attacks. This analysis provides more detail on its role in the Russian military.

There are reports that a submarine rescue vessel commissioned in 1915 was hit in Sevastopal...

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1781942493837193682

***

Russia

400 km southeast of Mariupol, a Russian bomber falls out of the sky after being damaged by Ukrainian air defenses while launching missiles…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1781218052916256903

This unit supposedly shot down the Tu-22…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1781223014278877458

A chemical plant in Kamian, Rostov, makes solid fuel for anti-aircraft missiles. It was hit by drones…

https://twitter.com/anno1540/status/1780891537888411669

An oil depot burns in Smolensk…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1781584838186647556

It’s hard to determine if radar in Russia was damaged in a recent attack…

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1781379244725096862

A Russian analyst says there will be no breakthrough, Ukraine has become stronger, and that Ukraine will still be here in two years…

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1781244469766922515

Russia is considering making poor quality gasoline in order to fulfill domestic demands. This gasoline will degrade engines and the lack of parts will make repairs difficult…

https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1779951662955655460

(….to be continued…)