Russian Special Military Operation in the Ukraine - Mark IV: The Partitioning of Discussion

[Susanna]

Crips don’t tell other crips to walk in high heels or insult the masculinity of their own.

Milley ordered yank soldiers to wear high heels?

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

Milley ordered yank soldiers to wear high heels?

There is a whole thread here about Navy SEALs trooning out and threatening to kill anyone right of Stalin on Twitter for a reason. Trannies in Ukraine already have a long history of threatening American politicians and getting away with it.

 

[crustystipend]

Milley ordered yank soldiers to wear high heels?

and

"WHY IS RECRUITING FOR THE US ARMY SO DIFFICULT?!?!"

 

[Susanna]

View attachment 5547855
View attachment 5547854

There is a whole thread here about Navy SEALs trooning out and threatening to kill anyone right of Stalin on Twitter for a reason. Trannies in Ukraine already have a long history of threatening American politicians and getting away with it.

View attachment 5547856
View attachment 5547858 and View attachment 5547859

"WHY IS RECRUITING FOR THE US ARMY SO DIFFICULT?!?!"

Okay, that's hilarious. I'd seen the photos, but I assumed those were actually volunteers. But I guess they were actually voluntold to do it. I yanks are too broken to actually frag a commander for that.

 

[Overly Serious]

The Republicans have shot down the last hopes of giving Jewlinsky the billions he wanted and I think it's safe to say this is the end of US Aid to Ukraine full stop. so it's only a matter of time before they exhaust the resources they have and once that happens it's check and mate.

Not necessarily. From Biden's comments the other day, giving money to Kiev is so critical to the Democrat leadership that they are actually willing to compromise on US border security issues. So Kiev may still get more money and weapons.

About Medals Miley... can anybody tell me what rank he started at. Like is it fair to say he didn't join like some private and get promoted upwards. You go to some special officer school that puts you straight in charge, I guess?

 

[Romeo]

Going to recap and connect the dots of what has happened in the past six months, so you can get a gist of how successful are the Ukrainians in their attempt to capture Bakhmut, a city that they have lost back in late May to the Russians, and have used the Summer to launch assaults in an attempt to capture the city as part of the 2023 Summer Counteroffensive. In addition, I will analyze how the Russians reversed a lot of the gains the Ukrainian forces achieved through and before the Counteroffensive around Bakhmut.

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Bakhmut Front - The 187-Day Ukrainian Counteroffensive and the Russian Counter-counteroffensive​

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Invasion Update - 6 December, 2023 - Day 651

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Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast

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Introduction​

​

On 20 May, Wagner Group PMC and VDV Paratroopers of the Russian Armed Forces fully captured the city of Bakhmut, achieving a propaganda and military victory. The bad publicity of the loss of Bakhmut resulted in recapturing the city of Bakhmut one of the main objectives of Ukraine's Summer Counter-offensive. Many on the Ukrainian side posted many takes on the Internet hoping that the Russian forces will somehow retreat following their capture of the city because they achieved their propaganda victory or will be overwhelmed by the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Here are some of them as well as comments collected by @Useful_Mistake , @marfusha , and @snov and posted in the thread right after the Russian victory in Bakhmut.

Some pro-Ukrainian opinions​

Progress of the war: "Russian troops have fled with their tails between their legs" Ukraine surges ahead at Bakhmut - List: Three places to focus on​

​

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​

Since it is already obvious these pro-Ukrainian predictions aged like already spoiled milk, I want to instead analyze how this badly this milk became rotten cheese.

The Ukrainian battle plan is this: flank Bakhmut in the north and south to create a cauldron so that their forces from the west, north, and south will pour into Bakhmut. It's similar to how the Russians taken Bakhmut, with Ukrainian forces hoping that the Russian garrison would consist of tired Wagner PMC operatives and Russian conscripts to make the job easier. Soon, Wagner PMC operatives later withdrew from Bakhmut and its surrounding towns to re-supply, months before initiating their "rebellion" with the Russian government. This leaves the Russian Ground Forces (Russian Army) to garrison the city and the region, thus heightening the hopes of a Ukrainian capture of the city.

I will focus on three subfronts that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will launch their counteroffensives:

North of Bakhmut​

Settlements:

• Berkhivka (Russian-held) is a village located by a reservoir (Berhovske Reservoir) located north of Bakhmut. The first main objective is to capture this village to cut the Russian defenses in this front into two.
• West of Berkhivka is Dubovo-Vasylivka (Russian-held), a village that once Berkhivka is assaulted, will either force the garrison of that village to reinforce the Berkhivka garrison. If Berkhivka gets captured, the garrison in Dubovo-Vasylivka is cut from the main frontline. In addition, Ukrainian forces will assist assaulting these villages from the west if they manage to overrun Russian defenses.
• Bohdanivka (Ukrainian-held) is south-west of Berhovske Reservoir located northwest of Bakhmut. This is where Ukrainian forces will launch their assault towards Berkhivka.
• Orikhovo Vasylivka (Ukrainian-held) is north-west of Dubovo-Vasylivka and is where Ukrainian forces will launch their assault towards Dubovo-Vasylivka from the west.

Bakhmut and Khromove​

Settlements:

• Bakhmut (Russian-held) is the largest city that Russia has captured since Ukraine's 2022 September Counteroffensive. An assault towards the city is suicide, and until many objectives in the north and south are completed, the Ukrainian capture of Bakhmut may have to come at a later time.
• Khromove (Grey area) is a village adjacently north of Bakhmut. It is not a priority, but if captured, can allow an assault into Bakhmut proper from the north-west. However, such a task is risky due to the heavy defenses set up by Russia since their capture. If northern and southern objectives are not complete, consolidation of control over this town may be impossible due to Russian shelling and defenses.

South of Bakhmut​

Settlements:

• Klischiivka (Russian-held) is a heavily defended village surrounding by Russian-controlled hills, in which an Ukrainian assault from the west to capture the town will require heavy numbers, armor, and artillery. Capturing the town will allow Ukrainian access to the railway in the east that leads into Bakhmut from the south.
• Andiivka (Russian-held) is a village south of Klischiivka that is right adjacent to the railway that goes to Bakhmut.
• Kurdyumivka (Russian-held) is a village right between the water channel and the railway to Bakhmut and is south of Andiivka. East of the village is Zelenopillya (Russian-held) and south of Kurdyumivka is Ozarianivka (Russian-held).

I will focus on the three sub-fronts above, and will cover the Counteroffensive towards Bakhmut since May 20. As a result, expect some overlap with other updates I did previously since they cover Bakhmut. If you know most of the events that I reported on in regards to the Bakhmut front, skip to 28 June in the Northern front and 22 June in the Southern front.

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May - Aftermath of the Siege​

Bakhmut and Khromove​

• The Ground Forces of the AFU (Ukrainian Army) withdrew from the outskirts of Bakhmut and the adjacent village of Khromove towards trenches in the west and Ivanivskie (a Ukrainian-held town west of Bakhmut), following the Russian capture of the city. Russian forces then launched combing operations to take positions that were vacated by the Ukrainians around the city. The Russians, however, kept Khromove within the grey zone and did not consolidate control over the village. (2)

20 May	25 May
1	2

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka)​

• From 24 to 27 May, the Ukrainian Army recaptured new areas northeast of the Ukrainian-held village of Orikhovo-Vasylivka.

27 May​

​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• From 24 to 29 May, the Ukrainian Army managed to recover some positions towards the village of Klischiivka from Ivanivskie.

29 May​

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June - Ukraine launches counteroffensives north and south of Bakhmut​

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• On June 5, from the south of Berhovske Reservoir, the Ukrainian Army launched a large assault that reached the dam and the southern houses of Russian-held Berkhivka (dark blue line), before being pushed back from a Russian counterattack towards the reservoir presumably on 6 June. (1) However, pressure by Ukrainian troops forced Russian troops to withdraw back to Berkhivka, allowing the Ukrainians to seize new positions south of the reservoir from 7 to 8 June. (2)
• After over two weeks, the Ukrainian Army launched several assaults in which they managed to capture positions west of the Russian-held village of Zaliznyans'ke and north of Orikhovo-Vasylivka and positions close to Bakhmut. (3) Ukrainian troops soon captured new positions east of Orikovo-Vasylivka two days later. (4)

6 June	8 June	28 June
1	2	3
30 June
4

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• For the entire month, the Ukrainian Army re-captured all positions west of the water channel right adjacent to the Russian-held town of Kurdyumivka. (1, 3, 4) North of Kurdyumivka, the Ukrainians have advanced closer to Klishchiivka, re-capturing many Russian positions along the way. (2, 4, 5) It is presumed that the Ukrainian forces in this front outnumbers the Russian garrison of this front and Klischiivka.

8 June	19 June	22 June
1	2	3
25 June	30 June
4	5

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July - Ukraine reaches town limits of Klischiivka and Andriivka despite many hurdles​

Recent video footage shows Ukrainian Army continue advancing in the channel west of Klishchiivka - SuriyakMaps​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• In the beginning of July, Ukrainian troops advanced in the channel and recaptured an important trench system which overlooks the western outskirts of Klishchiivka, being 1.2 km from the first buildings. (1, 2) For the next several days, the Ukrainian Army took some of the adjacent hills from this advance, forcing the Russian Army to retreat towards the town. (3)
• From 6 to 15 July, the Ukrainians kept advancing towards Klischiivka and Andriivka, capturing many positions including the northern trench system of Klishchiivka and the ruins of the military factory within Bakhmut's suburbs. (4, 6, 8 ) The Russian garrison within Klischiivka soon launched several successful counter-attacks from the town and re-captured some territory from the Ukrainians thanks to the assistance of Russian artillery. (5, 7)
• This culminated in a large Ukrainian attack that was repelled on 15 July, in which Ukrainian troops penetrated the main defensive live defending Klischiivka and reaching the town's limits, before being repelled by Russian forces and artillery. However, the Ukrainian assault manage to weaken the Russian defenses as Russian troops were forced to withdraw from the hills towards the village due to AFU artillery strikes. (9)

Gains of the Ukrainian Counter-offensive in the Bakhmut Front, 8 July​

• Over the next five days, thanks to numbers and artillery, Ukraine made a successful breakthrough, taking most of the heights surrounding Klishchiivka and the western hills which overlook the small village of Andriivka. Despite Russian forces retaking part of the northern fortification during the last hours, the situation for the Russians in Klischiivka became more difficult as counter-attacks and artillery are not enough to increase the buffer zone and relieve the Ukrainian pressure on the Russian garrison. (10)
• There were minimal advances by both Russia and Ukraine that managed to capture a hill west of Klischiivka and some farms southwest of Bakhmut respectively. The Ukrainians are attempting to enter the abandoned military warehouse in Southwest Bakhmut. (11)
• The situation for the Russian forces in the southern front of Bakhmut grows worse as Ukrainian forces achieved another breakthrough on 24 July where they seized more hills and positions adjacent to the water channel and the small village of Andriivka, and have entered the town of Klishchiivka from the south. (12)
• The Russian garrison managed to expel the Ukrainian forces from Klischiivka on 27 July but the situation still remains difficult as Ukrainian forces still control the hills surrounding the village. (13) On 28 July, the Ukrainian forces seized a strategic hill as they advanced towards Kurdyumivka along the water channel. (14)

1 July	2 July	5 July
1	2	3
6 July	7 July	8 July
4	5	6
13 July	14 July	15 July
7	8	9
20 July	22 July	24 July
10	11	12
27 July	28 July
13	14

Gains of the Ukrainian Counter-offensive in the Bakhmut Front, 8 August​

• By then, pro-Russian supporters grew desperate of the Russian situation in Klischiivka and some accused SuriyakMaps of disinformation.

During the last few days many accused this account of publishing false developments around Klishchiivka. Today these developments were confirmed by other accounts and reporters. The situation for the Russians in that locality is very complicated and only the artillery superiority is allowing them to maintain their positions. However, the Ukrainian numerical superiority on this axis is clear and is allowing the attacking soldiers to advance despite the enormous cost in lives.

It is still argued that Bakhmut has no importance in this conflict, however, the most intense battles are taking place in the outskirts of the city where important resources are still being allocated to retake or defend it, eclipsing even the movements of the Zaporizhia front.

The Ukrainians will continue their attack both from the north and from the south with the aim of forcing the Russian withdrawal from Bakhmut taking advantage of the breaches caused in the points where the Russian forces are inferior. While the defensive problem could be solved in the south with the construction of the trench system, in the eastern fronts the problem still persists. As it has been said on other occasions (the first time in January), the second Russian mobilization is necessary and inevitable, not only to maintain the occupied zone in Ukraine, but also to restart large-scale offensive operations.

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• On 7 and 15 July, Russian forces launched several counter-attacks that recaptured several positions from the Ukrainians with the assistance of artillery. The Ukrainian forces soon withdrew from the dam area of Berkhivka over the next week due to intense Russian artillery shelling, and instead launched a large assault that managed to capture several hills adjacent to Khromove and Yahidne, two villages adjacently north of Bakhmut. (1, 2, 4) Meanwhile, the Ukrainian forces made advances north-east of Orikhovo-Vasylivka. (3)

7 July	15 July	20 July
1	2	3
22 July
4

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August - Ukraine captures half of Klischiivka and many positions of the Southern Front, with several setbacks​

Helmet cam footage of Ukrainian Forces assaulting Russian trench positions with an APC near the Klischiivka district (South of Bakhmut). - August 10, War Leaks 18+​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• In the beginning of August, Ukrainian forces have continued advancing in the north of Klischiivka (1, 3) while Russian forces launched a major counterattack forced Ukrainian troops south of Klischiivka to retreat from areas east of the water channel which relieved the pressure over the Russian garrison in Kurdyumivka. (2)
• However, with the arrival of Ukrainian reinforcements, on 11 August, the Ukrainian Army launched a successful assault that not only reversed some of the positions lost to the Russian counterattack, but also reentered the southern part of Klishchiivka. (4) However, war footage came out showing Russian forces recapturing the southern part of Klischiivka from the Ukrainian forces two days later. (5)

Situation south of Bakhmut: recent video footage shows Russian Army retaking control over the southern part of Klishchiivka/Кліщіївка, which had been lost 48 hours ago, following Ukrainian Army counterattack. - SuriyakMaps, 13 August (4)​

• On 21 August, the Russian Army launched a counterattack composed of armored vehicles trying to capture the fortified hills north of Klishchiivka. However, thanks to artillery, Ukrainian forces repelled the attack and inflicted many armored losses on the Russians. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops launched a series of attacks towards Andriivka, which was repelled by Russian troops. Nevertheless, the situation remains deteriorating for the Russians south of Bakhmut, while Ukraine at the same time suffers heavy casualties at the cost of holding the hills around Klishchiivka due to Russian counterattacks and artillery. (6)
• This finally culminates in a successful breakthrough for the Ukrainians over eight days. Not only Ukrainian forces reached the outskirts of Andriivka, they also broke Russian defenses within Klishchiivka and captured half of the village. Battles continued with high intensity as the Russian Army has continuously launched counterattacks to reverse the situation with no success. (7) Ukrainian forces soon recaptured some positions close to the water channel south of the village of Ozarianivka, which is adjacently south of Kurdyumivka. (8 )

7 August	9 August	9 August
1	2	3
11 August	13 August	21 August
4	5	6
29 August	30 August
7	8

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• On 10 August, Russian forces retook control over a series of positions from the Ukrainians east of Berhovske Reservoir increasing the buffer zone south of Berkhivka.

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1-16 September - Ukraine fully captures Andriivka​

Ruins of Andriivka before Ukrainian capture​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• As summer comes to a close, Ukrainian forces have continued clearing more houses and positions in and around Klischiivka (1, 3, 4), while capturing areas surrounding Andriivka in the beginning of September. (2) Russian counterattacks were not being able to change much besides reversing some gains. (1, 3) In addition, the AFU has finally reached the railway that leads to Bakhmut, and has consolidated their control over it. (2, 4)

Russian troops withdrawing from Klischiivka, 15 September (9)​

• Finally, on 8 and 9 September, Russian forces have started withdrawing from Klischiivka and Andriivka respectively, leaving artillery shelling to try to prevent Ukrainian forces to occupy the rest of the settlements. (8 ) The Ukrainian Army used this advantage to seize more areas of Klischiivka (6, 9) and reach Andriivka (5).

Recent video footage confirms Ukrainian Army managed to enter in the settlement of Andriivka/Андріївка (48.502432, 37.964945), which confirms its capture. - SuriyakMaps, September 16​

• Russian troops launched two counterattacks, in which one of them recaptured territory east of Klischiivka and the other attempting to hold on to the northern section of Klischiivka. However, they are unable to consolidate the latter, and are forced to withdraw to the railroad again as Ukraine captures more of the village. (7, 8 ) And on 16 September, the Ukrainian forces captured Andriivka. (10)

4 September	5 September	7 September
1	2	3
8 September	9 September	11 September
4	5	6
13 September	15 September	15 September
7	8	9
16 September
10

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• On 11 September, the Russian Army made small advances along the railway south of Berkhivka in an operation that lasted several days.

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17-30 September - Ukraine captures Klischiivka and occupies a portion of Khromove​

Video footage shows Ukrainian forces announcing the full control over the town of Klishchiivka/Кліщіївка after almost three months of hard combats (place of video: 48.527496, 37.958355). - SuriyakMaps, 17 September​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• On 17 September, Ukraine has fully captured the village of Klischiivka after almost three months of combat as revealed by video footage above. In addition, some corrections were made some kilometers south showing that Ukrainian Army is closer to the town of Kurdyumivka, which according to SuriyakMaps is probably the next target of this counteroffensive. Ukrainian gains of the Counteroffensive in the Southern Front of Bakhmut increased by 8.4 km to a grand total of 41.4 km.

Ukrainian gains of the Counteroffensive, 17 September​

• Following Ukraine's full capture of Klischiivka and Andriivka, Ukrainian troops increased the buffer zone around the village for the next three days. (2, 3)

• In addition, Ukrainian Army launched a weekly assault since the capture of Klischiivka, in which they managed to entrench in the western outskirts of Kurdyumivka. (4)

17 September	18 September	21 September
1	2	3
24 September
4

Bakhmut and Khromove​

• Recent video footage shows Russian Army shelling Ukrainian Army positions in the small settlement of Khromove (48.599734, 37.948915), which indicates Ukrainian troops managed to reenter in the locality for the first time since it was vacated last May.

​

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• From 25-28 September, the Russian Army retook the initiative towards Orikhovo-Vasylivka and managed to enter in the first houses in the south-eastern part of the village.

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Ukrainian Counteroffensive Analysis​

The Summer Counteroffensive has been lackluster to outright disastrous for the Ukrainians in the Bakhmut Front, as the Ukrainians are unable to assault Bakhmut the entire summer. With the minimal gains that Ukraine achieved, it can be easily lost to Russia's winter offensive that the country's military has been preparing.

In the southern front, Ukrainian forces had a little success, capturing two villages, Klischiivka and Andriivka, of which both are very strategically important in assaulting Bakhmut from the south, with Klischiivka being on top of hills, which is easy to defend. Unfortunately, they did it too late as summer was about to end, so it'll be difficult to quickly set up defenses and consolidate the surrounding areas before Russia launches its own offensive. Even so, I presume that the Ukrainians incurred heavy losses to capture Klischiivka, as the Russian garrison managed to launch successful counterattacks that gave many setbacks to the AFU. As a result, we may see the Ukrainian forces in the Southern front of Bakhmut to be war-weary and no longer have the number advantage due the effects of attrition.

Meanwhile, in the northern front, the Ukrainian forces were unable to capture Berkhivka to the point that the Russians pushed them back multiple times. Even worse is that the fact that the Russian troops actually launched counterattacks that recaptured positions lost to the Ukrainians and are now assaulting Orikhovo-Vasylivka, whose troops and garrison would be used to assault the North of Bakhmut from the west. As a result, the Ukrainian troops in the North of Bakhmut made a last ditch attempt to cement some gain by occupying Khromove, which is pretty much suicide, as they are open to artillery attacks and heavy Russian defenses within Bakhmut, while a flanking assault from the village's east will spell doom for them as the pressure is too much.

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October - Ukraine attempts to consolidate its gains in the Southern Front​

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• Ukrainian forces increase the buffer zone around Klischiivka by capturing surrounding positions around the town as well as the adjacent railways to set up defenses against a Russian offensive. (1-7) Ukrainian forces managed to evict most, if not all, Russian presence west of the railway near Klischiivka and Andiivka. (4) Even so, Ukrainian troops set up a foothold east of the railway from Andiivka. (5)

2 October	12 October	15 October
1	2	3
16 October	23 October	29 October
4	5	6
30 October
7

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• Russian forces made small advances along the railway and later the reservoir south of Berkhivka over a week later. (1, 2) The latter forced Ukrainian troops to withdraw west from their positions. (2) A week later, Ukrainian Army made small advances southwest of Dubovo-Vasylivka. (3)

11 October	23 October	30 October
1	2	3

Bakhmut and Khromove​

• On 13 October, Russian artillerymen have bombarded the northern part of Khromove, which confirms that the Ukrainian Army has captured and is fully entrenched in most of the village. (https://archive.is/UxpZO) (1) At the same time of their advancement southwest of Berkhivka, Russian troops also recovered some of the lost positions within the forest northeast of Khromove. (2)

13 October	23 October
1	2

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November - Russia begins its Fall/Winter Offensive​

Russian shelling of Ukrainian vehicles, 27 November (https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57316)

Spoiler: NSFW: Includes deceased Ukrainian soldiers

Footage of the Russian assault towards Khromove from the forest (https://t.me/RVvoenkor/57623)​

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• From 28 October to 2 November, the Russian Army recaptured the forest belt south of Berhovske Reservoir and some positions northeast of Orikhovo-Vasylivka. (1) With the capture of the forest belt, the Russians launched an assault southwards then resulted in capturing positions that forced the Ukrainian troops there to withdraw to the railway. (2)
• Over the week, Ukrainian troops withdrew from numerous positions towards more defensible positions, allowing Russian Army captured these positions in a large scale assault south of Berhovske Reservoir and Yahidne, approaching the O0506 road between Khromove and Chasiv Yar. Moreover, the Russian Army recaptured most of the lost territory in the north of Bakhmut, effectively nullifying almost all of Ukraine's successes in this front. (3) Soon, Russian forces in this front set their sights on Ukrainian-held Khromove (see Bakhmut & Khromove section)
• On 29 November, the Russian Army made small advances west of Berhovske Reservoir reaching the pond north of Bohdanivka. (4)

2 November	5 November	13 November
1	2	3
29 November
4

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• In early November, Russian forces seized Ukrainian positions in the railway east of Klischiivka, which probably implies that the Ukrainians did not have time to set up defenses within these positions. (1, 2) This was followed by Ukrainian troops abandoning their foothold from east of the railway back to Andiivka due to Russian flanking assaults from the north and south. (3)
• Russian forces crept closer to Klischiivka and Andiivka, with the latter now being contested by the Russians and Ukrainians. (4-6) Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces made small advances north of Kurdyumivka. (7)

8 November	9 November	11 November
1	2	3
13 November	18 November	21 November
4	5	6
23 November
7

Bakhmut and Khromove - Russia captures Khromove from the Ukrainians​

• Following the Russian breakthrough that seized many abandoned positions south of Berkhivka, Russian troops re-entered Khromove from the east after troops retook control over the northern hills on 28 November. (1) Ukrainian forces soon ditched Khromove to the northern trenches along the O0506 road towards Chasiv Yar, allowing the Russians to fully sweep and consolidate their control over the village. (2) The capture of Khromove is already referenced by @Useful_Mistake in the thread here: https://kiwifarms.net/threads/russian-special-military-operation-in-the-ukraine.150029/post-17256121

28 November	29 November
1	2

The latest advances (https://t.me/Suriyak_maps/1674) in northern Bakhmut are yet another manifestation of the attrition suffered by Ukrainian troops in the summer months. Since May the Ukrainian army employed reserves to recapture Bakhmut and positions taken by Russia since the beginning of 2023. Reserves that would have been useful for the Zaporizhia front. However, territorial advances materialized between June and August, but at a high cost for Ukraine, which could not advance beyond the railway tracks.

After this offensive the Russian army has gone on the offensive in northern Bakhmut and during the month of November not only recovered 80% of the territory lost after the previous advance of the Wagner forces, but also managed to capture the locality of Khromove, which was left in a no man's zone to be later reoccupied by the Ukrainian forces.

The initial goal of the Russian command seems to be the expansion of the buffer zone around Bakhmut which had to be interrupted after the start of the Ukrainian offensive in summer. Undoubtedly the advances are going to be costly given the fortifications around Chasiv Yar, which is intermittently shelled by Russia and will be a future objective of theirs that would pave the way to Kramatorsk. It is also important to add that these offensive actions are aimed at diverting Ukrainian reinforcements destined for Avdivka, which is the Russian priority target.

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Early December - Russia expands further into the Bakhmut front as Ukraine's gains are nullified​

North of Bakhmut (Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bohdanivka)​

• In the beginning of December, the Russian Army continued advancing west and south of Berhovske Reservoir consolidating the positions around the pond north of Bohdanivka. (1) This was followed by the Russians taking partial control over "Nursery farms" at the railway south of Berhovske Reservoir (2) and a small advance towards Bohdanivka. (3) One the day after, Russian forces achieved a major breakthrough in which they seized a series of hills southwest of Dubovo-Vasylivka and cut the road between Hryhorivka and Bohdanivka. (4)
• Meanwhile, the Russian Army made significant advances north of Khromove that forced the Ukrainian Army to withdraw towards the trench system adjacent to the O0506 road towards Chasiv Yar. (3)
• These advances are made possible with the arrival of Russian reinforcements from 4 December.
• In regards to the Russian assault towards Bohdanivka:

Important to note the recent advance was costly to both the attacker and defender as this position is located in a difficult access area due to the adjacent high positions, most of them under Ukrainian control. Some months ago Wagner had difficult problems to hold this farm which was at the edge of the maximum Russian advance made during Bakhmut battle. The Russian success will depend on the extension of the offensive towards the hills around Bohdanivka/Богданівка which will allow to force Ukrainian Army to withdrew from Popivske area, which precents Russian Army to advance from Bakhmut towards Ivanivske/Іванівське. This, again wont be an easy task.

With the latest Russian advances north of Bakhmut (https://t.me/Suriyak_maps/1715) 85 % of the lost positions on may were recaptured. For a better visualization the following map shows the maximum advance made by Russian Army and Wagner PMC during the battle of Bakhmut. Interesting to note that the current advance includes areas that were never captured before suggesting that there is an interest in expand the frontline westwards ending any attemp by Ukrainian Army to recapture the city of Bakhmut. - SuriyakMaps, 5 December​

2 December	4 December	5 December
1	2	3
6 December
4

South of Bakhmut (Klischiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka)​

• On 5 December, the Russian Army, with reinforcements that arrived on 4 December, advanced west of Bakhmut and managed to recapture some of the dachas lost during the month of July. In addition troops, Russian troops advanced north of Klishchiivka and reached Ukrainian-held hills west of the town. (1) This was followed by a Russian assault that seized several of these hills, endangering the Ukrainian garrison in Klishchiivka. (2)

5 December	6 December
1	2

Bakhmut and Khromove​

• On 6 December, the Russian Army re-entered the ruins of military unit's warehouses at the western outskirts of the city & the grey zone following the recapture of the new dachas, possibly removing most of the Ukrainian presence in the Bakhmut proper's southwestern suburbs. This comes with the arrival of Russian reinforcements from 4 December.

​

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Conclusion​

​

Ukraine's situation is deteriorating rapidly in the Bakhmut Front as all of their gains have been mostly nullified by Russia's Fall and Winter Offensive. Andiivka is now a contested grey zone, while the Russians have seized Khromove from the Ukrainians. Ukraine lost a majority of its advances towards Berkhivka, only getting a lick of a town for a day.

With the seizure of the hills next to Klischiivka, Russian forces will probably capture the rest of the hills and cut off the Ukrainian garrison from the west and force them to withdraw from the village. If the Ukrainians are unable to hold onto Klischiivka, the most important gain of the Counteroffensive is gone, and all of Ukraine's efforts to capture Bakhmut, which by the way, were unable to even get close to for the entire Counteroffensive, are basically for nothing.

Ukraine's downfall in this front has been attributed to manpower problems, as most of it is spent assaulting Berkhivka and Klischiivka with costly setbacks, similar to Marinka. This is hence why Russia has seized several of these hills and many positions around Klischiivka due to Ukraine unable to set up defenses in these positions.

From a fellow Kiwi of the thread:

Marinka itself is of little to no value. The only significance of the taking of Marinka is that after fighting over it for so long, the Ukrainians were willing to give it up rather than put more force into it. It goes along with a perception that the Ukrainian reserves are running out. Time will tell if this becomes a pattern of any significance.

Either way, pro-Ukrainian takes on Bakhmut had pretty much become rotten cheese at this point, but Bakhmut seemed to be but a distant memory for them to care about now. Since the Zaporizhzhia Counteroffensive failed, there is probably no where else that Ukraine can launch a successful counteroffensive, leading to some pro-Ukrainians disillusioned of a Ukrainian success.

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This post has a whopping >100 attachments.

Crediting most of what I have to SuriyakMaps (Telegram), which has been consistently neutral and reliable, and has been my main source for posting updates in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli Invasion of Gaza threads.

Previous update: https://kiwifarms.net/threads/russian-special-military-operation-in-the-ukraine.150029/post-17275863

 

[Sister Miriam Godwinson]

I like how the western sources resort to ackshually-ing the tally by saying "Ukraine counteroffensive liberated over 200 square kilometers of territory". Dude. DUDE. 200 sq km is a patch of 50 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide. How long is the entire frontline right now?

 

[crustystipend]

This post has a whopping >100 attachments.

@Null can we get an emoji for superb posts like this by @Romeo ?
Tremendous stuff

 

[Eternal Gopnik]

@Null can we get an emoji for superb posts like this by @Romeo ?
Tremendous stuff

You get a couple extra stickers if you send Null cryptoshekels.

 

[Susanna]

Progress of the war: "Russian troops have fled with their tails between their legs" Ukraine surges ahead at Bakhmut - List: Three places to focus on​

I still find this headline baffling. It’s not some random youtuber, it’s the Swedish state public broadcaster. Swedes consider them the most credible news organ in the western world. But “Russian troops have fled with their tails between their legs” is written in the past tense, as if it’s already happened. This was mere days after the city was liberated, so I guess “achieving your objective and occupying new ground” has a new definition?

 

[Ashkenazi Porn Actress]

Tbh while dunking on delusional "Crimean summer vacation 2023" NAFOids is funny I'm more amused by nutters like Anatoly Karlin who went from being a obnoxious Z booster to a Richard Spencer-esque "Western hyperpower is effortlessly bleeding Russia dry with surplus equipment" position and endlessly sperging that Poootin and the stupid boomers around him need to reenact the Sportpalast speech, go full war economy and turn LEO into a debris field lest Ukraine would use giant swarms of Western-supplies suicide drones to wreck Russia (spoiler: it never happened).

 

[crustystipend]

I'm more amused by nutters like Anatoly Karlin who went from being a obnoxious Z booster to a Richard Spencer-esque "Western hyperpower is effortlessly bleeding Russia with surplus equipment dry" position

Tolechka is a dreamer

 

[There Is Light At The End]

Tolechka is a dreamer
View attachment 5548084

Fag

 

[clipartfan92]

https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1732725417982013917 (archive.ph)

 

[VargReallyDidNothingWrong]

Anatoly Karlin

who?

post relevant screenshots or video in the thread

View attachment 5548089
https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1732725417982013917 (archive.ph)

Wispy male pattern balding hair, no wig, increasingly masculine voice and mannerisms, Alison Rapp tier eyebags.

"Go with God" says the tranny.

 

[Cpl. Long Dong Silver]

who?

post relevant screenshots or video in the thread



Wispy male pattern balding hair, no wig, increasingly masculine voice and mannerisms, Alison Rapp tier eyebags.

"Go with God" says the tranny.

He's not returning to Ukraine is my guess

 

[SaidNoOneEver]

who?

post relevant screenshots or video in the thread

I'm curious about that guy's backstory too. It doesn't seem like he'll be missed by either side. From what little I've gathered he used to be a hardcore anti-Russian Ukrainian official of some sort who at some point became an anti-Ukrainian pundit on Russian tabloid TV? One of the Russian twitter accounts I follow even called him a war criminal?

Wispy male pattern balding hair, no wig, increasingly masculine voice and mannerisms, Alison Rapp tier eyebags.

"Go with God" says the tranny.

So they brought the mentally-ill propagandist known for threatening US Senators to DC. What are these idiots thinking?

 

[Romeo]

I like how the western sources resort to ackshually-ing the tally by saying "Ukraine counteroffensive liberated over 200 square kilometers of territory". Dude. DUDE. 200 sq km is a patch of 50 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide. How long is the entire frontline right now?

Mobile-posting so this is going to be a bit low quality.

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Here are the gains of the Ukrainian counteroffensive of most of the assaults on September 17, in which most of the Ukrainian assaults have since dwindled down.

South of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast	Lobkove, Zaporizhzhia Oblast
17 + 16 + 8.4 = 41.4 km^2	10 + 7.5 + 0.8 + 0.9 = 19.2 km^2
Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast	Velyka Novosilka, Donetsk Oblast
33 + 13 + 34 + 0.8 = 80.8 km^2	145 + 24.5 + 15 + 0.7 = 185.2 km^2

This adds up to a total of 326.6 km^2.

On the other hand, on 4 October, Russia still holds 20,254 km^2 of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and 15,300 km^2 of Donetsk Oblast, to a grand total of 35,554 km^2. (https://t.me/Suriyak_maps/1255)

Now add that to the Ukrainian gains to the total to represent the amount of territory Russia held before the Counteroffensive and then divide the Ukrainian gains from this grand total and you get:

35,554 + 326.6 = 35,880.6 km^2 of Russian-held territory in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk Oblasts before the Counteroffensive.

326.6/35,880.6 = 0.910% of the frontline captured by the Ukrainian in the counteroffensive. Not even 1 percent.

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I’m using my phone calculator since I’m mobile-posting, so correct my calculations or methodology if I’m wrong.

 

[Male Idiot]

Tolechka is a dreamer
View attachment 5548084

I... I don't know what to say. So ghey, it even has gay elephants, gay robots, gay girls, gay robot girls.... rainbows everywhere...

Wait a soros-second! Those robot girls are way too thin! And there is not enough Black Folks of Color on it! This is nazism reeeee!

 

[Overly Serious]

So they brought the mentally-ill propagandist known for threatening US Senators to DC. What are these idiots thinking?

They're probably thinking "take this thing back".