Ukraine War, 22 June 2023: VSRF Counteroffensive

Good morning!

Just a short update because a lot is going on, but I’m in a hurry.

In the air… the PSU hit a VSRF deport in Volnovakha, yesterday, and the port of Berdyansk, followed by Vasilivka, this morning.

The Russians targeted the Kharkiv Oblast and Kryvyi Rih with Iskanders, early this morning (around 00.35hrs).

BATTLE OF DONBAS

Seems, yesterday was a day of major (and, often enough: massive) Russian counterattacks.

Kupyansk-Svatove-Kremina… North of Kupyansk, the VSRF attacked in the Synkivka area through the forest along the Oskil River in direction of Kupyansk. Pudding-fans are claiming ‘advance’, but haven’t found any kind of evidence for one: it’s the GenStab-U who reported that the Russians came to within 2,000m north of the town.

Kremina area…. the VDV and/or BARS attacked through the Serebyanka Forest. Might have made some minimal gains (100-200 metres), before they were thrown back to their starting positions.

Both efforts, plus a similar assault from Chornopopivka in the direction of Torske, were supported with massive artillery barrages and air strikes. Here an audioclip of the barrage on Torske: the Russian assault there was cut to pieces…

Think, this is Gerasimov’s answer to Western questions about how many ‘reserves’ are still around within the VSRF…

SOUTHERN ZAPORIZHZHYA (& SOUTH-WESTERN DONETSK)

Vasylivka... The Russians (apparently the 49th CAA), have launched a particularly strong counterattack on Pyatykhatky, and claim to have recovered the place, pushing Ukrainians back into Lobkove. Haven't seen any confirmation yet (on the contrary, the 128th spent much of the day yesterday with recovering damaged Russian tanks and BMPs).

Hulyaipole…The Russians counterattacked into the eastern flank of the Ukrainian advance into Robotyne and claim to have forced the ZSU out of the place. Actually, lost at least half a dozen of tanks and plenty of troops. Ukrainians also blew up a forward Russian ammo depot in Novoselivka.

Staromaiorske...Like most of the time the last week or so, the Russians launched two additional counterattacks into the western side of Makarivka - supported by deployment of CBUs - yesterday. Both were repelled. I've got no idea why are they still trying: the units they deploy are far too small for achieving anything, but: it’s ‘nice’ to see the 58th CAA squandering its reserves by rolling them downhill over open area. Tragically, the local landscape is meanwhile more reminiscent of that on the Moon - though littered with wreckage of destroyed armoured vehicles…

Further south, there's bitter fighting inside northern Urozhaine.

More worrying: on 20 June, the Russians seem to have re-entered Novodonetske. This enabled them to show-off with their first actually captured Western vehicles in this offensive. Like this AMX-10RC, or this (Turkish-made) Kirpi:

….and this Oshkosh M-ATV, ‘still intact enough’ to be towed away:

Kherson/Nova Kakhokva….the Russians seem to expect a major Ukrainian attack over the Dnipro. Indeed, this is how that scum - plus half of Pudding PRBS-fans is now explaining the mining of the Kakhovka Dam: ‘Ukrainians did it, so they have it easier to cross the Dnipro’.

Arguably (or at least from one gets to hear from within Ukrainian ranks) the ZSU might have planned to cross, but ‘weeks ago’: indeed, that ‘plot’ was abandoned precisely because the Russian scum blew up the Kakhovka dam….