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continued as Storm Shadow missiles
were launched on December 26th at the
Novocherkassk landing ship in the port of
Feodosia. The explosion of carried ammunition
and subsequent fire contributed to its sinking.
At the end of December, Russia launched
the largest rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities
since the beginning of the war. 18 strategic
bombers participated in the raids on December
29th. In total, Russians launched 122 missiles
and cruise missiles and 36 drones. The attack
claimed 58 human lives and injured more than
160 people.
January 2024
Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities
continued. For example, on January 2nd,
a total of 134 missiles and drones were
launched. This attack also involved 16 Tu-95MS
bombers. However, Russians did not only
bomb Ukrainian targets. Their own munitions
increasingly fell accidentally on their own
cities and towns.
Russians suffered a significant loss in the
air on January 14th when an early warning and
control aircraft, Beriev A-50, was destroyed.
It crashed into the Sea of Azov. Along with it, the
airborne command and communication post
Il-22M was also hit. Despite being peppered
with shrapnel and having casualties on board,
it managed to make an emergency landing.
However, the aircraft is now considered
a write-off. Additionally, on January 24th,
a transport Il-76M crashed in the Belgorod
region after being hit by an anti-aircraft
missile. It is still unclear what or who it was
carrying.
February 2024
In the last month covered, two significant
events occurred. Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed popular
General Valeriy Zaluzhny from the position
of the highest commander of the Ukrainian
armed forces on Thursday, February 8th. He
was replaced by the former commander of
ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrsky.
Syrsky lead a successful defense of Kyiv in the
spring of 2022 and a rapid counteroffensive in
the Kharkiv region in the fall of 2022. However,
he also led the battles around Bakhmut, where
many soldiers criticized him for mistakes in
rotation at the beginning of 2023. Zaluzhny is
to become the new Ukrainian ambassador to
Great Britain at his own request.
The second significant event was the
Ukrainian retreat from Avdiivka, which was
completed on Saturday, February 17th. It is the
first such success of the Russian army since
May 2023 when Bachmut fell. Russia paid for
it with tens of thousands of dead and wounded
soldiers and hundreds of destroyed pieces of
equipment. The fall of Avdiivka was mainly
contributed to by two factors - the limitation
of ammunition supplies from the West and
Russian aerial bombing.
The decision to withdraw from Avdiivka was
made earlier and began to be implemented
when Valeriy Zaluzhny was the commander of
the Ukrainian army. Ukrainians moved the 3rd
assault brigade to Avdiivka under the pretext
of rotation and strengthening the defense.
However, its real task was to cover the retreat
of other units. When the Russians realized what
was happening, they threw all their forces into
the attack. The result was chaos over which
neither side had any control. Small units mixed
in the ruins of the city and often had to fight
surrounded. Several wounded Ukrainians had
to be left behind during the retreat because
they couldn't move and couldn't be carried
away. Some fell into captivity, but others were
massacred by the Russians.
While last summer, Ukrainian artillery
managed to overcome the Russian in some
areas, in Avdiivka in the last period, it had to
remain silent due to a lack of ammunition. Its
deliveries from the EU are delayed, and those
from the USA have completely stopped due to
domestic disputes in Congress.
Russian mass attacks on Avdiivka, which
began in October 2023, seriously disrupted
artillery even before Russian soldiers
approached within the range of small arms.
Therefore, especially during the initial attacks,
Russians suffered significant losses. However,
nothing like this happened in the last weeks
before the fall of Avdiivka. Russian formations
could prepare for the attack undisturbed, and
Ukrainian infantry in defense could rely only
on their own weapons and the support of
Bradley armored vehicles, which emerged
from shelters to help them.
The second significant factor was Russian
aerial bombing. Shortly before the Ukrainian
retreat, around 50 glide bombs fell on Avdiivka
daily. Their accuracy was not high, but with
a weight of 500 kg, they caused damage
wherever they fell. In Avdiivka, they mainly
destroyed tall apartment buildings used by
Ukrainians for battlefield observation and
defense.
This mobile machine gun shows 15 Shahed drones and
one Lance drone kill marks. It is not known whether
these are the achievements of one gun or the entire unit.
The erodynamic shields‘ test during the pre-flight
preparation of a Russian Su-25.
A Russian rescue unit, which on February 17, picked
up the downed pilot of a Su-35 fighter jet with a Mi-24
helicopter.
An image of the Russian A-50.
Captain Fyodor Graboveckiy, who was less fortunate
on February 19 and died in the Azov Sea after his
Su-35 was shot down.
ARTICLES
INFO Eduard30
April 2024