Ukraine War, 26 February 2023: Bakhmut
Good morning everybody!
Good morning everybody!
A short update, entirely focusing on the Bakhmut area (I might expand this one during the day, if there are any additional related news).
Commander of the ZSU Ground Forces, Colonel-General Syrsky (first from the right on the photo below), seems to have visited the HQ of the ZSU’s Bakhmut Group. Some of Ukrainians are considering that top officers there are assessing the option of withdrawal, and thus Syrsky arrived to check the situation with his own eyes before bringing his decision.
To explain this a bit: many of Ukrainians not in touch with anybody in Bakhmut, consider the situation there for ‘too critical’, and the town for ‘short of falling’.
In comparison, troops inside the town seem to still be in high spirits.
Here a brief report of a correspondent of Radio Liberty from inside the town.
On the other hand, the situation within ranks of Russian VDV, VSRF and PMC-troops in the Bakhmut area is nothing merrier: the Russians continue suffering massive casualties — and yet more — in every single of their rolling assaults (some of photos and videos are shown entire ‘assault groups’ of Spetsnaz cut to pieces inside one of trenches), the number of complaints by mobiks is constantly growing (of course, all of their demands ‘Vladimir Vladimirovich’ — which is: Pudding — to get them out of there, remain unanswered). Indeed, the Rosgvardia had to re-deploy an additional contingent of Kadyrovites behind the frontline, to block all the defectors. (BTW, Kadyrov’s Chechens of the Akhmat Special-Special-Special Force are deployed in the Kremina area with the same purpose.)
***
Bakhmut….North… The Russians have mopped-up Berkhivka, yesterday and from there began assaulting Bohdanivka. Actually, they claim to have secured Yahidne, too, but have so far only shown the entrance to that village. Of course, the ‘Wagner is in front’, and they’re now proudly explaining to the social media how they’re just 1,000m from the town centre and have the Road 0506 into Bakhmut under their artillery fire.
However, Ukrainians blew up the dam of the Berkhivske Reservoir, to flood the area from south of Berkhivka towards Pidhorodne in the north, and thus impede the Russian advance. Provided the reservoir contains enough water, this might stop the Russians for at least a while…
By the noon, Wagner-fans were claiming that the dam was blown up too late (or, more likely: there was too little water in the reservoir), and the PMC managed to advance about 500 metres south of Berkhivske Reservoir. Supposedly, ‘Ukrainian resistance was weak’… around the same, time, official Kyiv announced Zelensky’s dismissal of Major-General Eduard Mykhailovych Moskalov, Commander of the United Forces (for Donbass). Moskalov is known to have been appointed to this position in March 2022.
Later this afternoon, I’ve been told that ‘they’ are planning a counterattack, but not to talk about this. So, you didn’t get this from me, but from here — and everything that’s going to follow in this regards remains unconfirmed: RUMINT has it, the ZSU launched not only one of its many ‘local counterattacks’, but actually a major counterattack north of Bakhmut, and the map below should be showing the situation as of late this afternoon.
Ah yes, and: word is the operation is run by the 3rd Assault, 46th Airmobile and the 17th Tank (please: don’t get euphoric: again, nothing of this has been confirmed as of yet, and (quote), ‘not everything is good’; I’m reporting this because it was mentioned by ‘more than two proven sources’, and independently from me, too).
‘Motolife’ from the 93rd Mech, ZSU, which is fighting in this area, released the following video:
Bakhmut…South… Yesterday afternoon, ‘Wagner’ began assaulting Ivanivske, south-west of Bakhmut, in attempt to close the pincer from the south. Obvious aim is to cut off the road T0504: that would leave the 0506 and a road constructed by Ukrainians as the last two venues to the garrison.
As of this noon, it seems Ukrainian lines held out, and this assault was repelled (the 3rd Assault was the core of the ZSU defence, in this area). Of course, the Russians continue trying.
A VKS Su-25 was claimed shot down over the Bakhmut area today. Apparently, the Russians confirmed this loss.
***
Troops of the 110th TD Brigade have claimed a VKS Su-25 shot down in the Avdiivka area. Reportedly, it was hit by a MANPAD into the left engine and crashed.
***
In other news:
VKS had one of its A-50 SRDLO (AWACS in English) aircraft damaged in some sort of an incident at the Machulishchi AB: Ukrainians claim ‘partisans’ to have hit it with two UCAVs.
Both Belarus and Russia have confirmed an aircraft of this type was ‘damaged by fire’: Ukrainians claim, it was one of only six A-50Us currently in service (out of a total of mere 9 A-50s that are fully operational).
BTW, a nice illustration of the ‘speed’ at which NATO is working: months since this was mentioned for the first time (I’ve really lost the count, sorry), Croatia is now preparing its (grounded) fleet of Mil Mi-8 helicopters for donation to Ukraine. Word in Croatia is, this is a result of a ‘ceasefire’ between the President (who’s earning himself lots of fame for his pro-Putin/Russia stance) and the Prime Minister…
