Russia is depleting on Zaporizhzhia direction and has no reserve troops to rotate.Column by Serhiy Zgurets

Situation on the front line

Although there haven't been significant changes on the map, it doesn't imply that the intensity of fighting in the Luhansk region, south, and around Bakhmut has decreased. In fact, the offensive and active defense efforts persist across the entire front line. Ukrainian units are launching attacks in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, compelling Russian troops to bring their reserves within the range of our weapons. Noteworthy achievements have already been made, including the destruction of a substantial amount of enemy equipment and personnel. Additionally, Russia dismisses Major General Ivan Popov as commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army.

The regiments and divisions of this army are holding the front line and are being deployed as reserves to the south in order to replace the eliminated occupying forces. Popov's dismissal was a result of his complaint to Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov, where he expressed concerns about the unbearable conditions and the urgent need for reinforcements and rotations. As he said: "I called it like it is, I focused on the most important tragedies of modern warfare: the lack of counter-battery combat, artillery reconnaissance stations and mass deaths and injuries caused by Ukrainian artillery." Russia is facing a dwindling number of troops in the Zaporizhzhia direction and lacks reserves for rotations. Consequently, the Russian military leadership is experiencing public conflicts, which were previously only seen from figures like Prigozhin. As a result, Ukraine's strategy of inflicting maximum damage on the enemy could potentially have a cascading effect, curbing the capabilities of the Russian forces.

Ukrainian artillery

According to Oleh Berestovyi, an artillery intelligence officer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the tactical approach of the Ukrainian Defense Forces is to exhaust the enemy's artillery capabilities. This tactic aims to force Russia to move their artillery from the first line of defense to the second line, creating favorable conditions for a breakthrough, and allowing the main forces to engage at the opportune moment. 

According to the daily reports of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we are doing a good job. Whenever we advance into a specific section of the front, the Russians respond by deploying artillery to target our equipment and attack our forces. However, we are well-prepared with counter-battery radars that are actively monitoring the area. These radars enable us to detect the enemy's firing positions and identify the types of weapons they are utilizing.

Thanks to modern technology and the resourcefulness of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we have the capability to swiftly relay information to the artillery units. Within one to two minutes, we can effectively strike back, inflicting damage on Russian personnel and equipment. It's a chess game, a poker game, and we are winning in this area. At the onset of the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to successfully shoot down many Ka-52 helicopters, which Russia has been employing to target our equipment and serve as substitutes for artillery fire. This situation has compelled them to take risks with their expensive equipment in order to cope with the pressure exerted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and minimize the frequency of their own positions being destroyed.

In the Kherson sector, Russia employs less electronic warfare, resulting in less intense hostilities. This makes it easier for our forces to conduct air operations and destroy targets in the area. The frequency of enemy shelling in this section of the frontline has decreased, as they have largely redeployed their forces and equipment to the Zaporizhzhia sector. However, fierce fighting persists in the Kharkiv, Kupiansk, and Bakhmut sectors, as the enemy attempts to push our forces back. The occupiers have plenty of electronic warfare equipment, which is being shifted from lower-priority areas to other locations. However, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are also adapting by modifying Ukrainian-made drones to withstand electronic warfare and installing more resilient equipment. This allows our aerial reconnaissance aircraft to operate for longer periods, find ways to evade specific equipment, and neutralize it. Electronic warfare is not the main problem. Russia has deployed a lot of air defense systems, such as Buk and Tor, in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk areas. These systems often shoot down our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In our unit, each drone has destroyed one or two Buk systems, which are significantly more expensive than drones. We identify the targets and employ artillery or rocket artillery, depending on the range of the target.

Situation in the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna area

This is the area of Russia’s West grouping, where up to 80,000 personnel with a significant amount of artillery and armored vehicles are concentrated. National Guard of Ukraine officer Oleksandr Doroshenko noted that his unit is located in the Serebryanskyi forestry, responsible for an area spanning several kilometers. In recent days, Russia has intensified their assaults, and their artillery is active from multiple positions, albeit at a lower intensity than usual. Russian forces are facing issues with their ammunition supply, but they persistently target our positions and attempt separate assaults from the northern side of the forestry. The situation in Torske remains calm and under our control. As of now, Russia has not made any attempts to cross the Siverskyi Donets river.

A few days ago, the enemy simultaneously deployed several thousand infantry, and after the assault, captured some positions. However, thanks to the artillery, assault groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard, they were pushed back. We have excellent artillery on our side. Over the past week, the intensity of cannon and mortar artillery has decreased. The National Guard of Ukraine forces and Russian forces are separated by 100-200 meters. When Russian troops tried to advance a few weeks ago, they used tanks and armored personnel carriers for cover. They don't always need even equipment for an offensive. Over the past week, they have been making repeated efforts to infiltrate trenches in groups of 7-10 soldiers, utilizing artillery fire for cover. In the southern region, the enemy is constructing fortifications, trenches, and dugouts, while laying down hundreds of mines. Our forces are actively targeting these positions and making efforts to counter their artillery fire.

Russian forces sometimes prevent us from establishing trenches by promptly initiating artillery and mortar attacks. A few weeks ago, they launched Lancet drones. After some time, the guys approached - the drones worked and injured them. In forested areas, the use of FPV drones is limited due to numerous obstacles. Near Bilohorivka they could do it. Russian forces regularly dump chemicals and poison our military, including during this week.