From the early morning of June 4, active operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces began in many directions of the front. Some military correspondents have hinted that this is the counter-offensive that has been talked about for so long in Ukraine. Clashes took place near Avdiivka, Soledar, Vugledar and in the direction of Zaporizhzhia. This was preceded by a new attack on the Belgorod region and a scythe jam on an alleged front breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia. Russian media understood what was happening on the line of contact between the Russian and Ukrainian armies, and whether it was a full-fledged counteroffensive or a Russian defense survey.
The situation on the southern front
For the first time, the 23rd and 31st mechanized brigades of the strategic reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were involved in the fighting in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, or more precisely, at the junction of the Zaporizhzhia region and the DPR. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian army tried to break through the front in five sectors.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to break into the operational space and break into the rear of Russian units on light armored combat vehicles, as was already the case in the Kharkiv region in 2022. There is no there was no breakthrough, and the first counterattack ended in considerable losses in equipment. Video with her job telegram channel dedicated to electronic warfare. A single site near the landing stage northwest of Rivnopol can be counted 10 damaged, destroyed and abandoned vehicles. Among them: a T-72B tank, three International MaxxPro armored personnel carriers, two Humvee combat vehicles, an M113 armored personnel carrier and several other unidentified armored personnel carriers.
File photoAndriy Andriyenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Fierce fighting took place not far from Velikaya Novoselovka for the villages of Novodarovka, Neskuchnoye and Rovnopolye near the town of Gulyaipole. According to information from the field, the Ukrainian armed forces managed to occupy a certain area for a while, but then the Russian army managed to drive out the enemy and regain control of this area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked along the main roads located in this area. Russian artillery hit Zeleny Pole, Burlatsky, Vremevka, Prechistovka, Novoukrainka and Vugledar.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to test the defenses near the villages of Vodyanoye and Opytnoye in the Yasinovatsky district near Avdeevka. Attacks were repelled with the use of artillery.
Apparently, after evaluating the results, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided not to commit reserves to combat, and this is an impressive number of American M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, combat vehicles Swedish CV90 infantry, Challenger 2 and Leopard tanks and French wheeled tanks (armoured vehicles in fact) AMX-10RC.
Another reason for the refusal to use reserves may be a different goal of these attacks – not a sudden defense breakthrough, but an attempt to identify vulnerabilities and technical equipment of Russian troops in different sectors of the front for a subsequent adjustment of attacks.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 6 mechanized battalions and 2 tank battalions were involved in the counter-offensive in the direction of Zaporizhzhia.
“As a result of skillful and competent actions of the Eastern group of forces, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to more than 250 men, 16 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles, 21 armored fighting vehicles” , said the press release from the ministry. said.
Former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov believes that if the offensive has begun and is not a “showdown”, then in the coming days the intensity of the fighting will only increase .
“The pattern is quite classic for battles of the Second World War and is quite in line with my general predictions: first, distracting attacks from the DRG and individual units on the “old border” of the Federation of Russia, then a series of distracting strikes (including in the direction of Donetsk), then the main (main) and auxiliary strikes on the southern front with the introduction of reserves where there will be the greatest success ”, – writing Strelkov in his telegram channel.
A total of nine brigades were prepared for the counter-offensive in the National Guard, in fact, the status of the former special regiments and special forces of the internal forces was changed with the expansion of their manpower and equipment. Almost all of them were involved in the “Bakhmut meat grinder” and now continue to participate in the battles on the flanks of the suburbs of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) to the south and north. It was not them who took part in the counter-offensive, but two of the 18 new brigades announced as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Belgorod region
The Belgorod region was again attacked by several companies of various units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the most famous of which is the Russian Volunteer Corps. This time the suburb of Shebekino was attacked. After a powerful artillery bombardment of the city district (about 600 arrivals), the Ukrainian armed forces tried to break through to the city, taking several Russian servicemen prisoner. The Ukrainians did not advance and the day ended in artillery duels.
Alexander Chernykh / Kommersant
If we discount the propaganda statements of the commander of the RDK, then the main thing is the actions of only two reinforced companies and the daily shelling not only of border villages, but now also of towns in the Belgorod region. This looks like an attempt to undermine the situation and force the Russian Defense Ministry to transfer military personnel from other sectors to the border with the Kharkiv region, thereby creating an opportunity for maneuver for the main offensive forces.
Behind the noise of information, and the attack on the Belgorod region was covered by all Ukrainian and many Russian media, the offensive actions of the Russian army in the direction of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region passed unnoticed. Here the Russian army crossed the Oskol River and occupied the village of Novomlynsk. There is no official confirmation from the Ministry of Defense yet.
“If the control of the RF armed forces over Novomlynskoye is confirmed, Russian units will have more and more prospects for the liberation of Dvurechnaya, an important settlement, without which the attack on Kupyansk makes no sense”, writing quasi-military telegram channel “Rybar”.
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