Ukraine War, 23 February 2024, Evening Update

Hello everybody!

A ‘telegraphic‘ update for this evening.

Yes, yes, this evening, the PSU has shot down another Russian A-50 AEW-aircraft (for my reconstruction of the shoot-down of the first one, back in January, please see here). This time it didn’t use any Patriots: the range was much too long. Instead, it was using one of ancient S-200 surface-to-air missile systems (ASCC/NATO reporting name was ‘SA-5 Gammon’). The jet was hit over the Krasnodar area, some 220km from the nearest point on the frontline held by the ZSU: the S-200 has a range of about 250km.

The Russian media has confirmed the loss (it’s showing wreckage pieces, too), but seems the Russians are claiming it as another ‘own goal’.

To make sure:

• what can be seen on the screen-grab from the video, here:

  

• …is the front of the housing on the tip of A-50’s fin, containing actuators for horizontal stabilisiers. Essentially, the area encircled in red on this artwork of mine.

(….and no: this artwork is not related to the A-50 jet shot down this evening: right now, the ‘Bort’ number of the same is not yet known.)

…additionally, the PSU claimed two Russian Sui-34 fighter-bombers during the day: one over the Kharkiv area, the other in the Genichesk area.

On the ground…

Bakhmut… there’s very heavy fighting raging all the way from Bohdanivka to Ivanivske. As reported the last night, ZSU didn’t manage to kick the Russians completely out of the latter. As the Ukrainian infantry knows very well, meanwhile, when the Russians hold even ‘just one ruined home’, it’s hard and takes time to kick them out. Moreover, the VDV spent most of the day with rushing reinforcements into Ivanivske: certainly enough, the Signum Group of the 93^rd Mech has had a good day there, knocking out some 4-5 BMP-3s. But: such interdiction would actually require plentiful artillery support to be really effective. Thus, the fighting there is still going on.

A BMP-3 of the 11th VDV Brigade, as seen few milliseconds before being converted into something like ‘exploded view’ by an FPV-drone of the Signum Group.

Avidiivka… things are heating up because the Russians have meanwhile replaced the mass of their worn out units with fresh troops. For example: they’ve brought in two battalions of mobiks to create a ‘new’ 114^th Motor Rifle Brigade, or the new 15^th Motor-Rifle Brigade, then send everybody into another assault…

And so, the last two days, they’re assaulting from:

-          Krasnohorivka over the railway berm on Stepove;

-          Coke Plant in direction of Orlivka;

-          From the northern Avidiivka in direction of Lastochkyne, and

-          From western Avidiivka in direction of Sjeverne.

In Stepove, the 47^th Mech has deployed its US-made M1A1 Abrams for the first time. Seems, the Russians weren’t very amused and… hm, well, since some of readers here are complaining about the use of expressions like ‘killing orcs’, let me henceforth be more politically correct. Indeed, let me use something that’s probably far more acceptable in these days, even for kids under 16 - than ‘killing orcs’.

Have decided to use ‘cuddling orcs’ instead.

Read: the M1A1s of the 47^th have cuddled lots of orcs in Stepove today…

Shakhtarsk… good news from Pobeda: Ukrainians have taken the Russian 225 Motor-Rifle Regiment by surprise, counterattacked and recovered ‘half’ this important village. Apparently, the Russians were celebrating so much, they didn’t care to entrench there. The fighting is still going on, of course.

Further south, the 79^th Airborne did well with interdicting another Russian assault group as this tried to approach the eastern side of Novomykhalivka. Gauging by videos like the one from which the still below came, there were lots of…erm… cuddled orcs there, too (at least 3 BMPs plus plenty of troops that ended flying all over the place).

Robotyne… The Russians continued assaulting from west and south. They are also assaulting further east, over the line Verbove – Novoprokopivka. They’ve had some minor successes: nothing dramatic, but not very pleasant.

South Kherson… The Russians are still claiming ‘victory’ in Krynky… but, well, all one gets to see from there are videos taken behind their positions, or exploded views of their armoured vehicles knocked out during different attacks. This still is showing the wreck of a BMD-2, surrounded by lots of…cuddled orcs…

Cannot but conclude: in some areas these days, ZSU troops foremost need to remain vigilant, and to ‘have nerves’…..and that is easier said than done…