Ukraine's army is able to minimize risks posed by Russia's offensive. Serhiy Zgurets’ column

The Russian offensive is not unexpected for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

One of the most capable groups of the Russian forces, is concentrated in the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna area. It consists of one tank army, four combined arms armies and one army corps. The number of Russian forces and the enemy's plans are not a secret for Ukraine, so there is no question of any offensive surprise. The enemy's grouping is large, but the Defense Forces have been preventing them from making progress for many months and have been striking the Russians powerfully. However, the enemy decided to test the strength of our defense in several areas at once.

First of all, we are talking about the movement of Russian forces from Masiutivka to Lyman Pershyi to Kupiansk and Borova in the north. In the center is the direction of Nyzhnia Duvanka - Novoselivske. Of course, this is the frontline from Svatove to Kreminna and further south. The Russian Federation attacks here with a whole network of our settlements - from Karmazynivka downwards: Makiivka, Nevske, Terny, Yampolivka, Torske and up to the fighting in Serebrianske forestry. It is possible that some of our defense positions may be pushed. Some settlements have already changed hands. Do the Russians have enough forces to make large-scale breakthroughs up to the Oskil River frontier? I'm not sure, because such attempts have been made for a long time and have failed.

The emergence of the Sixth Army and the First Tank Army. If the enemy uses these reserves for offensive actions, what are the consequences? I think that in an offensive, the Russian Federation could lose all these limited reserves in areas that have long been prepared by the Armed Forces for defense. We should also not forget about the reserves of the Ukrainian side. In my opinion, their use will not affect the pace of offensive actions on the Zaporizhzhia front. Even if the enemy has hopes for this. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have enough capabilities to minimize the risks of the current Russian activity.

Bakhmut: Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive continues

The situation in the Bakhmut sector is clear. There are offensives by the Defense Forces in both the north and the south. In the north, there is fighting in the direction of the dominant heights in Berkhivka with fighting towards Yahidne.

Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the Freedom Battalion (4th operational brigade of the National Guard), said that there are attempts to move the enemy - advances and assaults. They are being repelled. According to him, the Russians do not run out of ammunition for the number of available guns. All these areas have a lot of dug trenches - it is quite difficult to knock out the enemy. According to Nazarenko, cluster munitions will solve this problem. He hopes that the Russians will suffer losses faster than they will try to take up any positions during the retreat.

Nazarenko added that the liberation of the territory is a well-planned operation aimed at saving people as much as possible. He emphasized that many people in civilian areas are looking at the counteroffensive and everyone wants the war to end soon. This should not be done at the expense of hasty, ill-considered steps that can lead to losses. Every action should be as planned and safe as possible to protect the soldier or sergeant who clears a trench or landing. Coordinated actions of aviation, armored vehicles, and artillery are important.

Fighting Russian drones: we need to create a unified defense system

The National Guard member noted that Russia has been using Lancet UAVs for many months. The Defense Forces have learned to counteract in a certain way, but it is not a pleasant thing. In his opinion, modern warfare is a war of skills, technology, dynamics, abilities, and coordination. The enemy is also trying to adapt.

Aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi said that the story about the Lancets on Russian TV is just propaganda and the production is not as massive as they show. But still, the problem exists. It is somewhat wrong to compare the production of drones in Russia and Ukraine. Lancets can be most effectively countered by electronic warfare. According to the expert, we need to pay more attention to electronic warfare - to build a multi-level system of protection and counteraction. It may include suppression stations for UAVs. This is the so-called trench electronic warfare, which will counteract drones on the front line. It is also necessary to equip military equipment with anti-drone defense systems that detect drone frequencies and activate protection in the form of an electromagnetic dome. Khrapchynskyi added that all this should be integrated into a single system that will protect facilities far from the front. 

Khrapchynskyi, who works for a firm that develops electronic warfare technologies, said they have a comprehensive solution to all issues: trench electronic warfare, anti-drone guns, signal suppression stations, and telemetry. He said that there is a desire for the Ministry of Defense to respond more quickly to their proposals and offer contracts with prospective payment so that orders can be fulfilled. He said his company can produce 40-60 anti-drone guns per month and there are opportunities to increase production. He added that the best modification of the gun costs UAH 580,000. Most of the orders are from volunteers, but there are also orders from the National Police and the National Guard.