Don's Weekly, 5 August 2024: Part 2

by Donald Hill

(….continued from Part 1…)

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Siversk

Using heavy bombardments and infantry assaults, Russia was able to gain about a kilometer in two areas south of Siversk.

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Toretsk

Despite Ukrainian infantry clearing apartment buildings and the Bradleys from the Skala Battalion providing fire support, Russia was still able to advance 700 meters to solidify their hold on the center of Niu York. They were also able to secure a square kilometer of Pivnichne.

Russia isn’t using a lot of vehicles in this sector but some of them were destroyed.

A lot of Ukrainian civilians, especially older people, stay in their homes even when it becomes a war zone. Some have someone or something to care for. Some have nowhere else to go or don’t want to start over. And, because it’s a war zone, it’s too dangerous to go to the cemetery.

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Bakhmut

Most of the Siversky Donets - Donbas canal is a concrete ditch and the water flows through it, but in two locations by Chasiv Yar it moves through elevated pipes when the pumps are working. Russia moved under the elevated pipelines north of Chasiv Yar and is supporting it with artillery and drone attacks. But they also crossed a portion of the concrete ditch at a bridge site, also north of Chasiv Yar. Russia was aided by woods that only have a 100 meter gap for the canal. That same risk of woods is present by the southern set of elevated pipelines. It remains to be seen if Russia crosses anywhere in between where the gap in the forest ranges from 150-450 meters.

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Avdiivka-Pokrovsk

When Russia crossed the border in the Kharkiv region both ground and drone units were sent as reinforcements. Ukraine has now moved drone units to this sector, including Magyar’s unit that was in Kharkiv. The sector can use their help as Russia is advancing at a faster rate here than at any other location. This week Russia consolidated and slightly expanded their gains from last week. Their units at the front are complaining about shortages of water, food and ammo due to all the Ukrainian drone attacks in their rear area, but most of Russian advances are a result of new troops being thrown into the fight, not sustaining the infantry that is already there.

A column of 26 Russian infantrymen near Sokil is hit by a drone and they all took cover in the adjacent treeline. While stationary in the treeline, they are hit by DPICM. The few that emerged are then hit by drones.

This is not the first time Russia piled up anti-tank mines in the open. This won’t be the last time Ukraine blew them up.

A Bradley fires on Russian positions. The 47th says they’ve lost a “lot” of Bradleys but didn’t provide a number.

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Mariinka

Krasnohorivka is now in Russian hands but Russian vehicles making the trip to the city continue to suffer attrition. Elsewhere, Russia didn’t gain any territory but 38 armored vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The 33rd Brigade attacked yet another column, and the 79th engaged a column of 10 tanks, 47 armored vehicles with infantry, 10 motorcycles and a golf cart with everything in their arsenal.

A Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashed directly east of Donetsk and south of Makiivka, 30 km from the front line. A Russian report says a Ukrainian drone hit it as it was taking off. A Ukrainian report confirms it. That was the Mi-8MTV-2 Bort 59, reported the last week.

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(….to be continued…)