Don's Weekly, 24 June 2024: Part 2
by Donald Hill
(…continued from Part 1…)
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Western Luhansk
Despite heavy airstrikes and artillery bombardment, Russia didn’t gain any territory and lost 18 armored vehicles. Ukraine lost two tanks, a counter battery radar. A Russian air strike also demolished a bridge.
The 3rd Assault Brigade says that Russia is assembling 10,000 troops to take the villages of Cherneshchyna and Pershotravneve and ultimately Borova. By comparison, Russia assembled 40,000 troops to take Avdiivka…https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-june-18/
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Bahkmut
On both sides of the canal zone Russian troops would reach the canal district in small numbers only to be eliminated. Inside the district itself, Russia didn’t advance. In fact, the Russians conducted a large TOS attack, most of which landed on the eastern side of the city. The Russians also conducted a drone attack on the eastern side, and an artillery attack on the eastern edge of the district. I haven’t seen any videos of Ukrainian infantry operating in the district but it’s possible they’ve been able to push the Russians out of part of the district.
Before playing this video, take note of a few things. The Ukrainian MRAP just crossed the bridge over the canal. Not the nearby original road bridge. All the original bridges have long been destroyed by Russian bombardment, but there is a scissor bridge further north, as indicated by the trail of dust. As a point of reference, this is roughly the view of the video and you can see the next crossing about 900 meters to the north.
Next, take notice of the four armored vehicles and a civilian vehicle that are stationary. This is the main route into and out of the canal zone and it is heavily bombarded. These are the vehicles that have not been recovered.
Then take a look at all the buildings. They have been hit by 152 mm shells, 500+ kg bombs, thermobaric rounds from TOS-1As, incendiaries, and 122 mm rockets from helicopters and ground rocket launchers. If they were single story houses they would be flattened already. Being of sturdier construction, they are still upright and provide a defensive position. The trees immediately around the buildings are stripped of any greenery.
Now play the video. As the MRAP drives, at least a dozen 122 mm rockets land. Three land within 30 meters and the MRAP is sprayed with shrapnels from one of the rounds. The rest are scattered, one as far as 250 meters away. When the video ends, you can see the steeple of the church at the bottom. At the time of this event, everything in view is controlled by Ukraine, but on the other side of the street from that church is where Russian control begins.
An update on the physical state of the canal district. The only reason Ukraine is still in the canal zone for the moment is because the apartment buildings are still standing…https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1803429571263426665
South of the canal district, small groups of Russian infantry reached the canal itself. In this section it is not a concrete-lined ditch but a raised pipeline. They try to hide under the pipeline but thermal imagery spots their signature. There were eliminated…https://t.me/RFUenglish/267
Klishchiivka has been occupied by a very small number of Russians because of the danger. Last week, a very small number of Ukrainians walked in the southern half of it…https://x.com/small10space/status/1802276054884565242
40 km east of Bakhmut, a Russian truck carrying ammo caught fire…https://x.com/samotniyskhid/status/1803530231187206399
In front of Horlivka, the 24th Brigade attrits Russian vehicles…https://x.com/24th_brigade/status/1803352295045836953
At Klishchiivka, a Russian drone downs a Ukrainian drone with a net…https://x.com/EjShahid/status/1804602020520763881
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Avdiivka
Russia was able to advance 500 meters north and west of Novooleksandrivka. They didn’t advance anywhere else but the fighting was heavy. Ukraine had ten armored fighting vehicles damaged or destroyed. Russia had 30 damaged or destroyed.
A Russian vehicle unloads a small infantry team north of Novooleksandrivka…https://x.com/EjShahid/status/1804526722869522489
9 km from the front line, and with the coke plant 3500 meters behind it, a Russian tank has a sudden change of status. This was the cause…https://x.com/DefMon3/status/1803903060244054344
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Marinka
The 109th Brigade hunts the Russians around Krasnohorivka with drones…https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1803193626266067332
The 46th Brigade takes a toll on Russian vehicles…https://x.com/sternenko/status/1803863780608143818
The 79th Brigade continues to destroy vehicles around Novomykhailivka…https://x.com/giK1893/status/1804090706031526005
The Russian-constructed railroad bypass has, ‘finally’ been completed…https://x.com/hizzo_jay/status/1804523279459184847
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Zaporizhzhia
You can see some of Russia’s defensive obstacles in this video of Ukrainian nighttime artillery strikes…https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1803479772892172688
GRAPHIC: Three Russian MT-LBs are immobilized and the soldiers try different tactics to survive the drones that are hunting them…https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1803146754977652797
Ukraine identified the Russians who shot Ukrainian POWs in May near Robotyne…https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1803442659127595331
Terrorists have used fertilizer to create bombs. It’s unclear what the target was, but a Ukrainian drone demonstrates the explosive power of nitrogen in Novodonetske…https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1804498905448481022
A Russian command post is identified and bombed…https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1804586478691037194
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Kherson
Ukraine hits a lot of targets, including a warhouse 25 km from the front line that is hit by three bombs…https://x.com/giK1893/status/1804151933222924581
Two and a half minutes of drones destroying Russian infantry grenade drops or attacking boats with airbursts…https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1804500406468260036
A Russian 240 mm mortar fires on a village across the river that has no military value…https://x.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1804190075716026751
***
Unknown Location
A Russian drone observes a HIMARS launch. After following it to its hide location, a missile strike is called on the HIMARS and its support vehicle. While the damage cannot be observed it is within the blast radius…https://x.com/Archer83Able/status/1803836021223887090
That’s the very essence of the RUK concept, described by Tom in his yesterday’s feature.
GRAPHIC: No blood is seen, but a wounded Russian asks to be killed by his comrade. Life is cheap for them…https://x.com/PStyle0ne1/status/1804565441626468578
(….to be continued…)
The last video is impressive: for the Russian soldiers themselves, their lives and the lives of their comrades are worth nothing. Even more impressive are the tens of millions of Westerners who 'admire' Russia, the same Russia where life is so bad that one comes to believe that life has no value.
I stopped watching the war porn videos a long time ago, as the deaths of people, even enemies, doesn't delight me. But "Do you prefer to be killed or captured?" is a question every soldier needs to ponder and have and already have anwer for before the situation arises. The possibility of being tortured is great enough that a dignified way out is understandable.