The video has been published by a department of the Ukrainian defense and is difficult to verify 100 percent. But it will show Ukrainian forces attacking a detachment of Russian tanks and armored vehicles near the town of Vuhledar. Ukrainian artillery attacks Russian tanks in Donbas It is supposed to be Ukrainian artillerymen from the 72nd motorized brigade who have been responsible for the attack. Among other things, this department is equipped with motorized artillery of the M-109 type, of which Norway has given more than 20 pieces to Ukraine. Here, Norwegian cannons are in use at the front in Donbas What we know is that the mining town of Vuhledar, ten kilometers southwest of Donetsk city, is the scene of some of the hardest fighting in eastern Ukraine right now. When news visited this area in January, the fighting was in full swing and we could hear the booming of the cannons continuously. . A self-propelled M109 cannon provided by Norway near the town of Vuhledar in January 2023. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani/news Since then, they have only increased in strength, and Russian media have said several times that the Russian forces are about to take control of the strategically important city. But at the latest last week, Ukrainian military bloggers, including Mykhailo Ukhman, were inside the bombed-out city, to show that the Ukrainian forces still have some kind of control here. Battles on three fronts Battles are currently taking place on three fronts in the war in Ukraine. Besides Vuhledar in the south, the war is now raging around the town of Bakhmut further north in Donetsk county and along a longer front line in Luhansk further north in Donbas. Both Russian and Ukrainian sources report that Russia has long been building up forces in the areas from the city of Kreminna northwards in the direction of Svatove and Kupjansk in Kharkiv county. According to the American think tank Institute for the study of war ISW, video footage shows that the Russian forces have made some progress precisely in the areas north-east of Kharkiv county, which Ukraine partially retook during the offensive in autumn 2022. One of the targets of a possible offensive could be Lyman , which is the most important railway junction in this part of Donbas. The city is already badly damaged, after it was first captured by the Russian forces in 2022, and then recaptured by Ukraine on 1 October. The railway junction Lyman could be one of the targets of a possible Russian offensive in Donbas. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani/news What is happening in Luhansk? The governor of Luhansk county, Sergej Gajdaj, posted on Telegram several images on Thursday showing images of the fierce fighting, including what he claims is a successful attack on a Russian armored vehicle of the BMPT Terminator type. This image is supposed to show an attack on a Russian Terminator type tank. Photo: Serhii Gajdaj This is one of the most modern weapons in the Russian defence, and is specially designed for battles in densely built-up areas. It was used when, in the early summer of 2022, Russian forces took control of Sieverodonetsk, the unofficial capital of the part of Luhansk county that Ukraine had controlled since 2014. Now Serhii Gajdaj and the Ukrainian forces control only about 5 percent of Luhansk county. Russian elite units in place But the Ukrainian forces have taken up strong positions in the large forest areas located in the border areas between Donetsk and Luhansk counties. According to the ISW, the Russian army leadership and chief of defense Valeriy Gerassimov have placed some of their best units precisely in this area, in view of a possible offensive. This applies, among other things, to a regiment from the 90th Tank Division and units from the 76th Parachute Division, usually based in Pskov not far from the border with Estonia. Both of these divisions participated in the failed attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the spring of 2022. When will the major offensive come? It is still unclear whether what is happening in Luhansk and Kharkiv counties is the start of a major offensive from the Russian side. The weather also makes it difficult to operate heavy tanks outside the already damaged roads. Temperatures around and above zero degrees have been reported, making the ground soft and muddy. With the fighting already raging, it is difficult to talk about the calm before the storm in the war in Ukraine. It may seem that the parties feel each other in the teeth, to find weaknesses in each other’s lines of defense. But most people agree that something will soon happen, and that it could be dramatic and bloody.
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Has Russia started the offensive in Donbas? – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
