The much-hyped Ukrainian Counteroffensive finally gained a lot of momentum today, even if it, so far, has yielded no territorial results – in fact, Ukrainian officials are denying that it has even started, and by now, we know that they’ll only ever announce it when (or if) they capture some minimally meaningful village or settlement.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov: “When we start the counteroffensive, everyone will know about it, they will see it.”
Downstream from the Kakhovsk dam, catastrophic flooding is still ongoing, mainly in the areas of the eastern bank of the river controlled by Russia – Russian Federation’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers working in the region to help civilians.
But regardless of who destroyed the dam, since the flooding in Kherson makes it impossible for large troops to cross the swelling Dnieper river in the next weeks, now both armies are free to move their troops west and north into the areas that will be the main theater of operations of the counteroffensive, in Zaporozhie and Donetsk.
While in many, many points along the line of contact, the action is undertaken by nothing more than DRG (Diversion and Reconnaissance Groups) of a somewhat suicidal nature, in the Zaporozhie oblast we had on Wednesday (June 7th), the first big bonafide mass attack by the Ukrainian troops.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped places now. Kiev has the forces ready, with a large number of equipment, and as many as 4 brigades of the 10th Army Corps for offensive operations.
“In total: up to 20 thousand people, up to 90 tanks, up to 180 AFVs, up to 120 MLRS, up to 80 field artillery guns and mortars.”
The main offensive action so far is taking place in the direction of Orekhov – Tokmak – Melitopol, with the objective of severing the land bridge to Crimea peninsula, and also gain access to the Sea of Azov, that right now is a Russian controlled sea.
Ukrainian tank runs over a Russian mine during the offensive. Watch the video:
The first waves of assault were repelled, with the attacking Ukrainians suffering heavy casualties. Simplicius the Thinker reported:
“In a somewhat uncommon gesture, Shoigu himself actually gave the exact figures of Russian losses during this assault. They were: 71 Russian servicemen killed, 210 wounded.
[…] Ukraine’s losses from June 4 to June 6 were 3,715 soldiers, 52 tanks, 207 armored vehicles, 134 vehicles, 5 aircraft, 2 helicopters, 48 artillery systems and 53 drones, Mr. Shoigu announced.
[…] But interestingly, just in today’s (Wednesday, June 7th) new assault in west Zaporozhye, we have visual confirmation of 42 pieces of armor destroyed. That’s just from a couple videos from one unit out of dozens/hundreds of units on these lines.”
Kiev’s forces are ‘probing in force’, with a gigantic main breakthrough force, elite soldiers trained and equipped by the Western allies, at the rear ‘ready to swing in as soon as the vanguard units find an opening’.
As we publish this, the attacks are ongoing, with Ukraine sending more and more ‘expendable’ forces to the slaughter, trying to find the weak link.
