Today, the intensity of hostilities is extremely high along the entire frontline. Over the last day, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 120 enemy attacks. Russia is now trying to use its superiority in manpower, aircraft, and ammunition. This is reflected in certain parts of the frontline, and the Pentagon is already talking about it. In particular, at a briefing by John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator of the National Security Council, it was stated that if US assistance does not arrive in the coming months, Russia will be able to achieve certain territorial successes on the frontline. He stated that the Russians could advance in the east, but could potentially do so in the south as well.
However, such statements are related to the lack of equipment and ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, in my opinion, the ammunition will be delivered to Ukraine in the near future. Given the dynamics of our European partners and the discussion about their willingness to allocate funds for the initiative of Czech President Petr Pavel, we can hope that such a delivery will be realized very soon.
It is worth noting that the General Staff has started reporting on the Novopavlivka sector. This is actually what is happening around Marinka and in the Vuhledar sector, as these two areas are interconnected in terms of enemy actions. That is why the General Staff presents this as one line in the report. In this direction, the Russian army is trying to advance towards Kurakhove. Combat actions are ongoing beyond Pobieda. Russia is also trying to encircle Novomykhailivka. There are dozens of destroyed enemy vehicles near Novomykhailivka. The Ukrainian military successfully repel all enemy assault attacks.
Map of combat operations in the Marinka sector as of February 28
Ukrainian military units have withdrawn from Stepove and Sieverne. Now the Armed Forces are continuing the defense operation near Tonenke, Orlivka, and Berdychi. We understand that the Russians will not give up trying to advance as far west as possible. It is very important that we have the capabilities to deter this.
Map of combat actions in the Avdiivka sector as of February 28
Oleksiy Tarasenko, deputy battalion commander with the 5th Detached Assault Brigade, said that his brigade is holding the highway west of Bakhmut. The situation in this area has been unchanged for several weeks. The Russian army is constantly putting pressure on Ukrainian positions using a huge number of armored vehicles. Tarasenko noted that such tactics are not typical for this area, as it is the first time that the Russians have used such a huge number of vehicles and suffered losses. For several weeks now, Russians have been attacking with BMP-1, BMP-3 and T-72 tanks.
In the area of Ivanivske, Russian conducted 4 massive assault attacks using armored vehicles over the past two weeks. In total, the Russians lost up to 35 armored vehicles during this period. According to Tarasenko, such losses are quite serious for such a narrow area. Moreover, the invaders did not have any success as a result of these attacks. Such losses were inflicted mainly due to FPV drones. Tarasenko also noted that large-caliber artillery and mining play a significant role in repelling such attacks. Tarasenko said that today the enemy was not even able to move to the area of direct fire and lost 7 pieces of equipment. This equipment was detected on the early approaches and destroyed by FPV drones.
Map of combat operations in the Bakhmut sector as of February 28
Oleksiy Tarasenko also spoke about the work of the Ukrainian artillery in the Bakhmut sector. According to him, artillery and self-propelled artillery divisions often demonstrate miracles of accuracy. Tarasenko emphasized that the situation with ammunition is very critical. Artillerymen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have minimal ammunition reserves, which only allow them to deter the enemy.
Since the summer, the invading Russian forces have been trying to use subversive reconnaissance groups dressed in Ukrainian uniforms. Tarasenko said that such groups are usually recognized by the nature of their actions. In particular, during aerial reconnaissance, it is clearly visible and understandable where such groups appear. Also, during normal interaction between our units, everyone knows where everyone is.
Oleksiy Tarasenko also said that Russia has significantly intensified the use of anti-aircraft guns. Over the past week, there were more than 10 attacks on Ivanivske and Chasiv Yar with guided bombs. These weapons are very imprecise and are designed to hit an area rather than a point. Tarasenko noted that although such weapons are quite destructive, they do not have a significant impact on the course of hostilities.
As for the fortifications, Tarasenko said it is very difficult to restore destroyed trenches and defenses in the direct contact zone with Russia. The Ukrainian military are trying to use the dark time of day and bad weather conditions to drag out explosive and non-explosive engineering barriers. They are also using blasting to dig trenches in the frozen ground.