The Ukrainian armed forces are making progress along four axes in the southern Ukrainian provinces of Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk Oblasts one week into their eagerly awaited 2023 counteroffensive.
The first line of Russian fortifications had likely been breached in certain regions by Ukrainian forces, according to the UK Ministry of Defense noted.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Push Forward
Progress in other Ukrainian regions has lagged. The Ukrainians’ toughest axis, which runs from Orihiv and Mala Tokmachka down the front line to Tokmak, 20 kilometers to the south, might also be their most fruitful one.
If the Ukrainians are able to breach the fortifications manned by a sizable, well-equipped Russian force.
The 503rd, 291st, 70th, and 429th Motor Rifle Regiments, a few reserve formations, and five mercenary battalions are listed from north to south.
Through the trenches and earthworks surrounding Tokmak and across the Tokmak River, they might be able to sprint all the way to Melitopol, a vital city close to the Sea of Azov, with 10,000 or more front-line soldiers and hundreds of armored vehicles.
By cutting off the supply routes that travel overland to Crimea, Melitopol’s liberation would soothe the peninsula before any potential Ukrainian attempts to drive out the Russian troops.
The tremendous value of Tokmak helps to explain why the Russians are putting up a valiant struggle to hold the line when the Ukrainians have committed some of their heaviest regiments and best modern weaponry to the Axis.
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Engineer Battalions Face Challenges in Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
The key formations in Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, the 33rd Mechanized and 47th Assault Brigades, incurred major equipment losses last week during their assault just south of Mala Tokmachka.
At least five of the specialist engineering trucks used by the battalions were lost.
These vehicles, which are equipped with mine plows and mine rollers, guide tanks and infantry fighting vehicles through minefields by plowing and roll a path through the mines so the tanks and IFVs may get past enemy defenses.
The engineers’ significant vehicle loss on or around Thursday doesn’t indicate that the attack on Russian positions close to Mala Tokmachka was unsuccessful.
Yet, A breach is a direct assault on an enemy fortification that is one of the riskiest and most demanding operations in ground warfare.
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