The Russian-Ukrainian War of 2022 (News and battle updates)

[TruckDriver9]

Map - 29.05.2022

"The situation in Ukraine by the end of May 29, 2022

In the north of the Kharkiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine made an unsuccessful attempt to attack Dementievka, losing several pieces of equipment. The plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to push the Russian troops to the border failed, limiting themselves to the occupation of several villages on the outskirts of Kharkov and north of Chuguev. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are clearly not planning active offensive actions near Kharkov at this stage, limiting themselves to holding down actions.
In the Slavyansk direction, units of the Ukrainian 79th Airborne Brigade that retreated from Liman are building defensive lines in the Svyatogorsk area. In the vicinity of the villages of Dibrovo and Shchurovo, units of the RF Armed Forces are clearing forests.
From the side of Izyum, fighting is going on in the Bogorodichne area in order to capture Svyatogorsk in encirclement, or force the retreat of the AFU grouping holding Svetogorsk.
The enemy expects the imminent resumption of the offensive of the Izyum grouping on Slavyansk or Barvenkovo. The grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was reinforced by forces transferred from Dnepropetrovsk.
In Severodonetsk, by the end of the day, there were reports of a complete retreat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Severodonetsk. Footage from the outskirts of the city and interviews with local residents confirm that at least half of the settlement is already under the control of the Allied Forces.
In the Soledar direction, combined detachments of the 14th brigade and other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to hold the line on the Pokrovskoye-Berestovoye-Vrubovka line. The Ukrainian armed formations attempted a counter-offensive in Belogorivka to unblock the Bakhmut-Lysichansk highway, but the road is still under control of the Allied Forces.
In the Zolotoye - Gorskoye direction, fighting is going on near the western outskirts of Toshkovka and in Ustinovka. Attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to return part of the positions in Toshkovka were not successful. The enemy is still holding the cut.
In the Bakhmut / Artemovsk direction, fighting in the Pilipchatino area, which is locked in a semi-encirclement. The section of the road between Artemovsk and Soledar is also under fire from Russian artillery. Artillery and rocket strikes continue on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city area.
In the Kherson - Nikolaev direction, the attack attempt of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Davydov Brod area ended in much the same way as the attack attempt in the Gulyaipole area - the strike group came under artillery and aviation fire and suffered heavy losses. Nevertheless, the enemy clearly plans to continue probing the possibility of advancing northwest of Kherson from Krivoy Rog and Nikopol, where armored vehicles and artillery are being accumulated. We can expect an intensification of hostilities in this direction in the coming weeks.
Odessa, Gulyaipole, Ugledar, Marinka, Avdiivka - no change."

 

[Giordano Bruno]

Maybe it's just me, but these "battle maps" look like they haven't moved more than a few inches back and forth since we started posting them more than 3 months ago in February 2022.

Feels very similar to the trench warfare in world war 1, where they battled in the cold mud for 4 years for just a couple of acres of territory, and when it was all over the borders had barely even moved.

Reminds me of how in WW1 everyone expected the war to be very brief and quick, and instead it was a several year long drudging slogfest.

Then all the countries involved decided to prepare for that building fortifications and such, but in WW2 it was instead a Blitz, I've heard that there was no tactic or strategy actually called Blitz, this was just the result of technological developments.

 

[TruckDriver9]

Quick Severodonetsk update - most of the reidential area was liberated by the allied forces, as usual the industrial zone was turned into a stronghold.

 

[Papist]

Quick Severodonetsk update - most of the reidential area was liberated by the allied forces, as usual the industrial zone was turned into a stronghold.

If the Ukrainians have again retreated to the catacombs in the industrial areas, then this will just be Mariupol all over again.

 

[TruckDriver9]

If the Ukrainians have again retreated to the catacombs in the industrial areas, then this will just be Mariupol all over again.

I guess, it will come down to morale... And that doesn't look good for the ukrainians
From RFI - Radio France Internationale

Donbass: la colère des soldats ukrainiens du front

Depuis plusieurs semaines, l’armée russe jette toutes ses forces pour prendre le contrôle total du Donbass, dans l’est du pays. Depuis plusieurs jours, la grande ville de Sievierodonestk est bombardée…

www.rfi.fr

"For several days, the big city of Sievierodonestk has been continuously bombarded by Russia. In this most active part of the front, located in the Luhansk region, the Ukrainian army is on the decline.
And a movement of discontent is being born among the soldiers, who complain about the lack of means and the lack of support from their hierarchy.

From our special envoys in Ukraine:

Installed in the heights of Lyssychansk, the soldiers of the 3rd brigade of the 20th infantry battalion are resting after returning from the front.
Below, you can see the Severski Donets River, a strategic watercourse, difficult to cross and which serves as a natural barrier; farther on the columns of smoke rise above Sievierodonestk.
The Ukrainian soldiers describe it as hell on earth: “The Russians are bombing and firing mortars 24 hours a day. It’s non-stop. When you engage your men in there, after two minutes of combat, you already have plenty of wounded that you must evacuate. The new ones arrive and a few minutes later they are dead,” says a Ukrainian soldier.

Unbalanced forces

According to several sources, the Ukrainians are now fighting outside the city now controlled by the Russians. Soldiers on the decline, in particular because of an imbalance of forces between the two camps.
Sergeant Roman Ilchenko, 32, explains that “the Russians have artillery, armored vehicles, and their forces are five to six times greater”.
Faced with this firepower, the Ukrainians note with bitterness the weaknesses of their forces.
T-shirt and trellis-colored bandana around the skull, Volodymyr Kharchuk, 33 and member of the 20th battalion recounts his last mission in which he was responsible for protecting the retreat of the airborne troops: “We only had machine guns and AK47s. RPGs from 1986. A Degtyaryov machine gun from 1943. And a Maxim machine gun from 1933. And we also have a Swedish NLAW man-portable anti-tank missile, but the battery didn't work. That's all we had." He clarified that none of his men had received night vision goggles, or even binoculars. “We had to bring models from home that are usually used for hunting,” says Volodymyr Kharchuk.
The mission he describes ended badly. Once the airborne troops had been extracted, the men of the 3rd Brigade moved towards the bridge over the river, but it was destroyed. The soldiers therefore recount having had to cross on foot, fighting against a strong current. “Our equipment is heavy. So we used our ropes to be able to cross. All this under mortar fire. Our evacuation was successful. But knowing that we were on the other side of the river, the command accused us of being deserters. They threatened us with prison. While they were the ones who ordered us to leave the city, ”explains Volodymyr Kharchuk, adding that his superiors then denied having ordered them to leave Sievierodonestk.

Iillogical orders

A member of the same unit, Roman Ilchenko specifies that a new task has been assigned to them. Defend the last bridge connecting Sievierodonestk and Lyssychansk. An order which, for him, has no logic.
“It is officially to prevent the Russians from passing. Except that the bridge is already destroyed. It makes no sense to defend him. The Russians can attempt to cross the river anywhere else where it is shallow. My men are ready to fight, but we need equipment, and artillery. Our soldiers are not demoralized, they want to fight. But we no longer believe in our superiors,” he said bitterly. “We fight with patriotism and it is insufficient to defend against such firepower,” adds the battalion commander.

The Russians will crush us

Faced with such means deployed by the Russians, the men are unanimous: Sievierodonestk is already lost and we must react at all costs. Andrei Shevchenko, a 39-year-old soldier, believes that if the Ukrainian army does not strengthen its artillery, it will not be able to do anything.
“You can't fight with only AK47s. The Russians are going to crush us.
They bombard us from the air, with mortars, we cannot respond with simple Kalashnikovs or short-range rocket launchers.

So will the Ukrainian army lose the battle of Sievierodonestk? “The city is already lost,” replies the soldier with a gloomy expression.
According to him, if nothing changes, the whole Donbass will sooner or later fall into Russian hands."

 

[TruckDriver9]

The industrial area in Severodonetsk is diffrent from Mariupol - it's not a one big stronghold-factory. It's more of an entire district full of warehouses and industrial enterprises - it's large, half the city more or less.

Map - ukrainian sourced, most likely outdated by now

You can see the industrial area clearly.
Most of the enterprises in Severodonetsk are chemical plants, largest of them is "Azot" /nitrogen/. That's troublesome - last month in Rubizhnoye, ukrainian army blew up several chemical installations /with ammonium/ to slow down Russian advance. We could see something like that in Severodonetsk - guess who will be blamed ??
And on another sour note - the Lisichansk part of those "twin cities" is on a higher ground, so once the ukrainians pull out of Severodonetsk they will immediately open artillery fire on the city without any regard for the civilian population...

 

[911]

Excellent rundown by a French military analyst on Russian tactics and the situation in Donbass, he presents things in a clear and precise way:

 

[TruckDriver9]

Ukrainian counter North of Kharkiv update - map 31.05.2022

"The situation in the north of the Kharkiv region by 18:00 /Moscow time/ on May 31, 2022
After the retreat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Tsupovka and Tokarevka to the Dergachi-Tsirkuny line, battles began for the village of Sosnovka. According to preliminary information, the Ukrainian units suffered losses and have already retreated from the settlement.
Artillery of the RF Armed Forces destroys the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zolochev, Konstantinovka and Slatino. There is active fire destruction of targets on the line of contact.
To contain the strike, the Armed Forces of Ukraine deployed additional units to the Slatino-Pitomnik line.
From the area of Zolochev and Dergachi, Ukrainian artillery strikes at the positions of the Russian Armed Forces in Kazachya Lopan and the recently captured Dementievka. Target designation is provided by the AN / TPQ-36 counter-battery radars supplied from the USA, located in Rogan."

 

[911]

Located where?!?!

 

[TruckDriver9]

Rohan (Ukrainian ) / Rogan (Russian), "Рогань" is an urban-type settlement located in Kharkiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine near the oblast's capital of Kharkiv.
It was founded in 1736.
Population: 3,355
Coordinates: 49°54′14″N 36°29′11″E

 

[911]

 

[TruckDriver9]

Most of the enterprises in Severodonetsk are chemical plants, largest of them is "Azot" /nitrogen/. That's troublesome - last month in Rubizhnoye, ukrainian army blew up several chemical installations /with ammonium/ to slow down Russian advance. We could see something like that in Severodonetsk - guess who will be blamed ??

"In Severodonetsk, a tank with nitric acid was blown up at the Azot enterprise. "

 

[911]

 

[TruckDriver9]

Severodonetsk update
"Reporting from the central regions of Severodonetsk. There is no organized enemy resistance in residential areas.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine concentrate on holding the Azot plant and the industrial zone."



"The Akhmat special forces, together with the National Militia of the LPR, cleared all the residential areas of Severodonetsk.
Only the industrial area remained, where yesterday the enemy staged a terrorist attack with a cistern explosion at the Azot production association. Also in the city there are disoriented enemy groups of 2-3 people who are identified and destroyed during resistance.
See the inclusion of the @wargonzo project from the center of Severodonetsk with a short tour from the legendary commander of the "Akhmat" Okhotnik, who was directly involved in the capture of the city."

 

[Pointy Elbows]

Ukraine losses on the Donbass are absolutely horrible, as admitted by Zelensky himself. Quoted from MoonofAlabama.org:

In a recent interview with Newsmax the Ukrainian comedian and president Volodimir Zelenski mentioned casualty numbers:

"The most difficult situation is in the east of Ukraine and southern Donetsk and Luhansk.
"The situation is very difficult; we're losing 60-100 soldiers per day as killed in action and something around 500 people as wounded in action. So we are holding our defensive perimeters."

That sums up to 600 casualties per day which is about 18,000 per month which is even higher than my earlier estimates. However Zelenski has interest in lowballing the real number.

As Ivan Katchanowski from the University of Ottawa points out, the numbers Zelenski gives relate to only one region and only to a specific category of people:

Ivan Katchanovski @I_Katchanovski - 4:57 UTC · Jun 1, 2022
#Zelenskyy statement about 60-100 soldiers killed & about 500 wounded per day in combat is minimal casualty number. Missing in action, who are killed, are not reported as killed. Casualty numbers also likely exclude territorial defense, police, SBU, etc & non-combat casualties.
#Zelenskyy statement about 60-100 #Ukrainian soldiers killed & 500 wounded per day refers to #Donbas. It excludes casualties of #RussiaUkraineWar in #Kharkiv region & Southern #Ukraine & casualties of daily Russian missile attacks in other regions of #Ukraine. #UkraineRussiaWar

The real numbers for the dead and wounded on the Ukrainian side may well be double the numbers Zelenski mentioned.

There are at least five different groups of security forces in Ukraine. The normal uniformed police and the SBU which is a secret internal police and political enforcer power derived from the former KGB. The regular military forces includes the army, navy and airforce. The National Guard is different in that it was established under the Ministry for the Interior from fascist militant groups like the Azov, Aidar, Dnepr-1 and 2, C-14 and other battalions. These are actively fighting but not soldiers in any real sense.

Then there are the really screwed ones, the Territorial Defense Force:

It is formed by a core of part-time reservists, usually former combat veterans, and in cases of war can be expanded to local civilian volunteers for local defense, in a case of mass mobilization. That core is expected to lead the mobilized volunteers.
The Territorial Defense Forces also contain the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, formed by foreign volunteers.

Other details of interest:

On 25 May 2021, President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a law to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's national parliament) "on the basis of national resistance" [...] The old Territorial Defence units would be now organized under the new Territorial Defense Forces as a standalone branch of the Armed Forces. Veterans of the Donbas War from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard of Ukraine and other paramilitary forces involved in the conflict would provide a backbone to train and lead the mobilized volunteers. [...] The creation of the branch coincided with the Russian military build-up which had been ongoing since 2021.
On 11 February 2022, the planned number of volunteers was increased to 1.5 to 2 million.
...
By 6 March, almost 100,000 people had volunteered for the Territorial Defense Forces. Some units stopped accepting volunteer as they reached their operational limit. There were reports of Ukrainian volunteers paying bribes or using connections to join the Territorial Defense.

Lord, have mercy.

 

[Belgrano]

By 6 March, almost 100,000 people had volunteered for the Territorial Defense Forces. Some units stopped accepting volunteer as they reached their operational limit. There were reports of Ukrainian volunteers paying bribes or using connections to join the Territorial Defense.

That's because the units of the Territorial Defense were originally not allowed to be deployed outside of their assigned home regions.

It is formed by a core of part-time reservists, usually former combat veterans, and in cases of war can be expanded to local civilian volunteers for local defense, in a case of mass mobilization. That core is expected to lead the mobilized volunteers.

So if you happened to be in Western Ukraine, you would try to sign up for the local Territorial Defense so you can't be drafted into the army and sent to the war in the eastern part of the country. This is the reason why people were bribing their way into joining. Unfortunately for these men, the Ukrainian government pulled the old switcheroo on them:

May 3, 2022

Parliament greenlights deploying Territorial Defense Units in war zones.

Ukraine’s parliament voted to allow Territorial Defense Units to fight outside their assigned regions, along with Ukraine’s military. Prior, Territorial Defense Units operated within the regions of their conscription.

Now these poor sods are being sent into the Donbass meat grinder, the very thing they were trying to avoid. Part of the reason why morale amongst the Ukrainian frontline troops is so bad. This is why there are so many videos of Ukrainian units complaining about their lack of equipment and training and accusing the government in Kiev of using them as cannon fodder. These men are not soldiers, they don't want to be there.

 

[TruckDriver9]

Slavyansk front - Liman direction

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Nikolaev front

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Popasna bulge

"According to preliminary information, units of the RF Armed Forces completely took control of Kamyshevakha north of Popasnaya and approached the western outskirts of Zolote. Ukrainian units were completely knocked out of the building and went into the surrounding forests.
Also, there is confirmation of the capture of the village of Pilipchatino, west of Popasnaya, and the fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located around it by Wagner PMC assault detachments. The fields around the settlement are mined, which affects the pace of advancement."

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Severodonetsk map 01.06.2022

 

[Nineteen84]

 

[TruckDriver9]

Map - north of Kharkiv 02.06.2022

 

[TruckDriver9]

Severodonetsk roundup

"On the situation in Severodonetsk.

Residential part of the city is under the control of Russian troops. A significant part of Severodonetsk was liberated from the Ukrainian invaders without any resistance. The enemy, having suffered losses on the outskirts of Severodonetsk, quickly began to retreat to the bridges to Lisichansk and to the industrial zone of the Azot plant.
A full-fledged supply of the remnants of the Severodonetsk garrison has long been difficult, and the Azot plant itself is not as convenient for defense as Azovstal. It is closer to the plant named after Ilyich, where the remnants of the 36th Marine Brigade capitulated. Nevertheless, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are showing in every possible way that they intend to hold on to the Azot plant for some time in order to slow down the preparation of the Russian Armed Forces for an attack on Lisichansk.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was held hostage by its own propaganda, which for more than a month was broadcasting about the impregnable fortress of Severodonetsk, while after the start of the assault on the city, most of the “impregnable fortress” was handed over in a few days.
In order to somehow explain the discrepancy between previous statements and reality, a propaganda smokescreen is being staged about the “cunning plan”, “trap” and “counterattacks” in Severodonetsk. In fact, they are trying to pass off local street battles in the industrial zone and artillery shelling of the city from Lisichansk as a "cunning strategy."
There can be no rapid counterattacks in the conditions of modern urban combat, but at least some activity must be shown so that the public is less likely to wonder why most of the city has been surrendered.
Sergiy Gaidai the gauleiter of the occupied territories of the LPR announced the loss of more than 80% of the city, which was followed by shouts from the Zelensky gang that in fact things are much better. Again, reports from the field did not coincide with propaganda reality.
Regarding the prospects for fighting in Severodonetsk, it seems that now we will gradually put pressure on the Azot industrial zone, waiting for the troops to break through the enemy’s defenses in the Ustinovka and Privolye areas in order to reach the outskirts of Lisichansk and cover it from three sides.
Of key importance for the future battle for Lisichansk will be the ongoing battle in the area of the Bakhmut/Artemovsk-Lysichansk highway, where the enemy has thrown the reserves accumulated in the Artemovsk region."