Morocco will soon hand over tanks to Ukraine, not just components for them. Serhiy Zgurets column

Attacks on Russian military facilities

So, I'll start with the fact that December 10 and 11 became a continuation of the good trend - these are strikes by both high-precision HIMARS and longer-range classified systems on Russian targets on our land. Yes, tonight was made an attack on an object in temporarily occupied Melitopol, which the Russian army is trying to turn into the military hub. It turns out badly for them. Head of the city, Ivan Fedorov, said that as a result of strikes on the Russian base, Russia lost about 200 people and the wounded were taken to Crimea. In addition, yesterday very effective attack was made on the temporarily occupied Kadiivka, namely on the hotel where Wagner mercenaries settled. Fiery "bavovna" also visited Crimea. On December 10, there were explosions at three air bases: Belbek airfield, the military air unit in Dzhankoy and Saki airfield in Novofedorivka. Official Ukrainian sources did not comment on the attacks on objects in Crimea and other places and what caused the attacks. In any case, here, first of all, the result is important, and we have it. And it was the same during recent attacks on the base of Russian strategic bombers in "Diaghilevo" and "Engels" at depth of more than 600 km into Russian territory.

Military aid to Ukraine from the USA and Morocco

And now some details about American aid to Ukraine, which was not known before. Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Charles Brown, said that Pentagon had transferred it, and the Ukrainian military began to effectively use special simulators on the battlefield.  According to him, this is an example of the importance of quick non-standard approaches that change the situation in favor of Ukraine. Imitators are small devices with antennas that completely copy the operation of the Buk air defense radar, S-300.

They cannot be distinguished, so Russian fighter or helicopter perceives the work of simulators as a real threat and tries to bypass or destroy them. Such devices allow you to deceive the enemy and then destroy them from ambush. Another detail regarding military aid to Ukraine has arrived from Africa. Morocco will hand over T-72 components to Ukrainian Armed Forces. It seems to be the only African country participating in the contact groups on aid to Ukraine in the Rammstein format. She has already contributed to the victory over Russian Federation. In total, the ground forces of Morocco have at their disposal almost 700 tanks of various types, of which 40 units are T-72B and another 60 vehicles of this type are in storage. I think that soon it will be about the transfer of tanks themselves. At one time, Ukrainian specialists helped Morocco maintain these tanks in combat-ready condition. Now, this good is returning to Ukraine. The more weapons, the easier it is for the Ukrainian army to knock out Russian troops from our land.

Situation on Svatove - Kreminna front

Reserve colonel and expert of the Center for Defense Strategies, Viktor Kevlyuk, noted that the Russian aggressor launched an offensive in the Svatove-Kreminna section and in general in the north of Luhansk region at the end of November and tried to stop the advance of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, in particular to push them beyond Hrebets river. Ukrainian defense forces have advanced and cut Svatove - Kreminna highway and are now threatening the Russian group. Russian Federation transfers reserve military units, mostly staffed by mobilized, with neither experience nor skills. They suffer heavy losses even in the stages of advancement because they are hit by Ukrainian artillery while they are in dense battle formations. The initiative is on the Ukrainian side. Aware of a growing problem, Russian troops over the past two weeks transferred units of 76th and 106th divisions, withdrawn from Kherson direction, here. Overall leadership is provided by the headquarters of the 20th combined army, which is trying to organize control from its advanced command post in the Starobilsk region through points of 3rd, 18th and 144th divisions, which form three tactical groups that are trying to stop the advance of Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Despite the fact that these are mostly small unit attacks in order to find weak points in defense, losses of the Russian Federation are significant: according to Russian estimates, in a month - up to 4,000 were killed and about 9,800 were wounded and missing.  Ukrainian losses of the Russian Federation were estimated at approximately 1,500 killed and 4,200 wounded and missing. Viktor Kevlyuk does not agree with them. If the killed ratio of 1:3 is more or less real, then for the wounded - it is not adequate, because Ukrainian Armed Forces, unlike Russian Federation, can evacuate the wounded from the battlefield, in particular the seriously wounded. Russian Federation does not do this. Moderately and severely wounded remain on the battlefield or wriggle out on their own or die without medical assistance. Russian Federation created a powerful group in the Alchevsk region in case of a breakthrough of Ukrainian defenses between Bakhmut and Soledar, in order to lead the large mass of troops at the same time. Grouping in the Valuyok area is a point of permanent deployment of one of the divisions and today it is more likely for demonstrative actions. But in case of a rapid Ukrainian advance deep into the Luhansk region, it may well deliver a flank strike, but it will have a sad fate because it will put the right flank and rear under the attack of the Ukrainian group in the Kharkiv region. In particular, through the territory of the Russian Federation.

Russian defense in the area of ​​Svatove - Kreminna and further north is a scattered network of strongholds of separate Russian cells, which are not a defensive line, where everything is organized according to a single plan and actions of units are coordinated. Russian tactics follow from this. It is better to seek happiness in the offensive than to defend in unprepared positions.

Tactics of Russian Federation in Bakhmut direction

For a long time, Russian Federation tried to break through and bypass Bakhmut to the south, and southwest but received significant blows in the Opytne and Ivanhorod areas.  These attempts stopped by the beginning of the week. Unexpectedly for themselves, but not for Ukrainian Combined Forces, Russian troops have shifted the main effort to the north and are trying to break through between Soledar and Bakhmut. Tactics are traditional: artillery raid, after that mobilized go into battle, which half do not even reach the line of fire contact, because they are dispersed by artillery, repeated fire raid on identified targets and assault squads come into action, which are formed, as during battles for Lyman: partly PMC Wagner. Survived mercenaries from PMC become commanders of mobilized infantry and lead them into attack along the same route. It is possible to talk about high tension from the point of view of constant influence on Ukrainian troops, and from the point of view of the scale of operation - it is from 6 to 15 attacks of units, usually without reinforcement. Armored vehicles of the Russian Federation are afraid to approach positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Javelin, NLAW systems keep them at a respectable distance, but Russia is trying to support its attacks from afar. They are doing great because there are well-prepared boundaries and there are almost no chances for a breakthrough. We tried this tactic in different directions: Russian troops must be struck in the area of ​​concentration, where they are in dense battle formations.

This is the first wave. The second is to use low-quality management, destruction of command posts will ultimately uncoordinate Russian actions. Strikes on logistics should be continued, and counter-battery fights should be increased. To do this, knowing the commitment of Russian artillery to actions at reduced intervals and distances, which reduces control, it is necessary to use cluster ammunition to cover a large area at the same time. In a week, Russian troops advanced 800 - 1.5 thousand meters, which is not a high rate of attack. They stopped trying to advance south of Bakhmut, getting stuck in Klishchiivka. Attempts to act in other areas are attempts to feel for weak spots in defense that are not there. Now both sides here are sufficiently exhausted for a large-scale offensive. Most likely, in the next month, events in the Bakhmut direction will shift to positional defense. Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff transferred reserves in time and in the appropriate amount. Russian attempts to achieve something in the area of ​​Avdiivka and Maryinka ended in nothing. There are no chances to develop success. To go on the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to get stuck in the urban agglomeration, in particular, to do something with Donetsk. Today, for us, the specialist does not see any prospects for active actions in Donetsk direction.

Dynamics of changes in Zaporizhzhia direction

This is a very interesting area where certain events are about to begin. Russian armies are not all the same: some contain two divisions and two brigades, and some are simply two brigades that are worn out from previous battles and do not represent much. Russian command understands that it has no chance of holding the front of such a length because there are no defensive lines, or proper physical and geographical conditions for normal defense, military columns moved there for 280 days without creating anything to stop the offensive. Russian troops are afraid of Ukraine's active actions in the ZNPP area. Certain changes are taking place in Polohy, Hulyaipole. Russian Federation realized that it is better to move away from the contact line beyond the limits of artillery fire Ukrainian Armed Forces and set up there. There is information that Surovikin orders to hold access to the coast and at least some land corridor between Rostov region and Crimea. This is a railway line from Volnovakha through Melitopol to Crimea. The front line will pass somewhere here. Russian Federation also has concerns about the direction of Vuhledar - Mariupol.