On day 64 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army is gaining some floor in jap Ukraine after repeated failures to realize a significant breakthrough. The Ukrainian defenders are placing up stiff resistance within the Donbas, whereas the final Ukrainian troops in Mariupol are nonetheless combating within the Azovstal steelworks plant.
Heavy Combating Within the East
There’s heavy combating round Izium and Kramatorsk within the Donbas, the place the Russian forces from the north are attempting to hyperlink up with Russian troops within the south and entice or pressure to retreat any Ukrainian army models there.
Ukrainian tank firing. Picture Credit score: Artistic Commons.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Protection claimed that as of Thursday, Ukrainian forces have killed roughly 22,800 Russian troops (and wounded roughly thrice that quantity), destroyed 187 fighter, assault, and transport jets, 155 helicopters, 970 tanks, 431 artillery items, 2,389 armored personnel carriers, 151 A number of Launch Rocket Methods (MLRS), eight boats, 1,688 autos, 76 gasoline tanks, 72 anti-aircraft batteries, 215 unmanned aerial techniques, 31 particular gear platforms, akin to bridging autos, and 4 cellular Iskander ballistic missile techniques.
Casualties are mounting shortly in simply newer combating as nicely. In solely three days of combating, the Ukrainian army has claimed to have destroyed 86 Russian tanks, 20 artillery items, 132 armored personnel carriers, and 122 autos, amongst different Russian gear.
The Russian Navy, regardless of the lack of the ballistic missile cruiser Moskva, its Black Sea Fleet flagship, remains to be a participant, based on the British Ministry of Protection.
“Roughly 20 Russian Navy vessels are presently within the Black Sea operational zone, together with submarines. The Bosporus Strait stays closed to all non-Turkish warships, rendering Russia unable to interchange its misplaced cruiser Moskva within the Black Sea. Regardless of the embarrassing losses of the touchdown ship Saratov and cruiser Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet retains the power to strike Ukrainian and coastal targets,” the British Army Intelligence assessed.
Actual-Time Intelligence
New stories spotlight the extent of intelligence sharing that has been occurring between the U.S. and Ukraine.
“There was lots of real-time intelligence shared when it comes to issues that could possibly be used for particular concentrating on of Russian forces,” together with business satellite tv for pc photographs, “but additionally lots of different intelligence about, for instance, the place sure forms of Russian models are energetic,” a former senior intelligence official advised NBC News.
In response to the stories, the White Home said that the U.S. authorities is offering well timed and detailed intelligence to the Ukrainian army on the battlefield, suggesting that the U.S. continues to produce the Ukrainians with tactical intelligence. However the U.S. can also be sharing strategic intelligence, akin to concerning the plans and intentions of the Russian army basically.
One instance of this intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Ukraine issues the Ukrainian anti-aircraft functionality. The U.S. Intelligence Group is sharing such detailed info with the Ukrainians that the latter are in a position to transfer their anti-aircraft defenses and plane round day by day in order to keep away from being focused by incoming Russian hearth.
The Conflict Within the Air
It has been over two months for the reason that first Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24. And but, regardless of its numerical and technological superiority, the Russian Aerospace Forces have failed to realize air dominance over the skies of Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Protection assessed that “Ukraine retains management over nearly all of its airspace. Russia has didn’t successfully destroy the Ukrainian Air Drive or suppress Ukrainian air defences. Ukraine continues to carry Russian air property in danger.”
The 2S7 Pion (Russian for Peony) with a lethal 203mm gun.
Consequently, the Russian plane are restricted to solely launch stand-off weapons, akin to cruise missiles, from nice distances. However the Russian superior weapons arsenal is depleting. Moscow has launched roughly 1,700 ballistic and cruise missiles towards targets in Ukraine. And the sanctions imposed by the West will quickly have an effect on the Russian army’s functionality to resupply its frontline models with superior weaponry.
The Ukrainian Air Drive continues to fly a number of MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets.
“Russian air exercise is primarily centered on southern and jap Ukraine, offering assist to Russian floor forces. Russia has very restricted air entry to the north and west of Ukraine, limiting offensive actions to deep strikes with stand-off weapons. Russia continues to focus on Ukrainian army property and logistics infrastructure throughout the nation. Nearly all of Russian air strikes in Mariupol are seemingly being carried out utilizing unguided free-falling bombs. These weapons cut back Russia’s capacity to successfully discriminate when conducting strikes, rising the danger of civilian casualties,” the British Army Intelligence assessed.
1945’s New Protection and Nationwide Safety Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned protection journalist specializing in particular operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (nationwide service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins College graduate. His work has been featured in Enterprise Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
