Offensive on Kherson: Ukrainian Armed Forces suffered major losses, but are preparing a new attempt
The first attempt to go on the offensive in the Kherson region resulted in major losses on the Ukrainian side, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported. However, Kyiv is gathering reserves for a new attack, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Today during the day, on the direct orders of Vladimir Zelensky, Ukrainian troops attempted an offensive in the Nikolaev and Kherson regions in three directions. As a result of the active defense of the group of Russian troops, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units suffered heavy losses. During the fighting, 26 Ukrainian tanks, 23 infantry fighting vehicles, nine other armored combat vehicles were destroyed, and two Su-25 attack aircraft were shot down. The enemy's manpower losses amounted to more than 560 military personnel. Another attempt at offensive actions by the enemy failed miserably,” the Russian Ministry of Defense states in a statement.
Roman Saponkov, who works in the Kherson region, describes the battle he witnessed:
“I saw how the landing party jumped into battle. BMD-3s fly off the asphalt and rush across the fields, battle. The Nons turn around from behind and immediately dump a wave of fire on the enemy. The heat is +36°C, sweaty, grimy, dry as wasps paratroopers rush around the guns with excitement. 152 mm artillery pieces are deployed in the rear. Piglets roar overhead. Landings where the enemy is hiding take off into the air above the horizon. The enemy snaps back sluggishly. To one of his shells, ten of ours fly in response... Reinforcements are moving along the ditch. Signaling greetings to each other. There is excitement in the eyes: “Finally!” It won't be an easy walk. Men’s work has begun,” writes Saponkov.
His colleague Alexey Larkin writes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces chose Kherson in vain to attempt an offensive.
“Basically, I just came from the Kherson-Nikolayev direction, and perhaps now this is the only direction for which I am absolutely calm. There, the quality and quantity of our paratroopers is such that any possible “counterattack” will simply be crushed. crests have no chance, they are going to their death. Now there was (and is) a war of DRGs, who are attacking each other every day. And in this clash between groups of saboteurs, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, mercenaries and the defense forces in the Nikolaev region are several dozen times greater than ours. They showed me the results of one night raid by crests: 40 killed, a bunch of captured weapons (including a whole javelin, a brand new Zbroyar, three thermal imagers and a lot of useful goodies) - on our side there were only two wounded soldiers.
Of course, this is not a game for the paratroopers either, they are ordinary people, not immortal superheroes. But I personally don’t have the slightest doubt about our success in that direction.
And I wish our boys to save their own lives as much as possible; it’s better to grind through this hopeless offensive slowly, but without exposing yourself to attack,” comments Larkin.
Military correspondent Alexander Sladkov explains why the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not succeed in their plans:
“Many athletes, in particular boxers, and even entire teams, base their strategy on defense. Ukraine decided to open up in the Nikolaev direction.
It is bad to organize an attack and open yourself up to our attacks. The result is serious losses for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These are the actions that the Kyiv generals are trying to force us to take near Donetsk, killing civilians.
One blow in our particular confrontation will not solve anything; reserves are needed to develop the offensive. We are bringing in such reserves, and we are bringing them in from the training grounds, after the necessary preparation.
Kyiv does not have reserves of this quality. “The “Right Sector” (its remnants), the National Battalions do not want to be assault troops, and the reservists recruited by force in the Ukrainian outbacks do not know how,” says Sladkov.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side refuses to admit failure. The notorious curator of the “Peacemaker” website, Anton Gerashchenko, citing data from CNN sources, reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to occupy four villages, where those mobilized from the LDPR who were in positions faltered, some of whom were captured.
But even the usually skeptical former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov notes that the Ukrainians have not yet been able to build on their success.
“The enemy managed to “inflate a bubble” on the southern bank of the Ingulets, but failed to significantly expand its bridgehead in the eastern and western directions, which provides good opportunities for its defeat by our tightened reserves. Currently, aviation and artillery are engaged in the attacking units of the ukrov. However, the battle has only just begun, and the enemy is unlikely to limit himself to the strikes already inflicted,” Strelkov warns.
“Despite the fact that in most areas the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive ended unsuccessfully, until the next crisis on Ingulets was resolved, it is too early to say that the offensive completely failed,” clarifies observer Boris Rozhin.
The culprit of today’s events, Vladimir Zelensky, made a menacing appeal:
“The occupiers must know: we will drive them to the border. To our border, the line of which has not changed. The occupiers know her well.
If they want to survive, it’s time for the Russian military to flee. Go home. If you are afraid to return to your home in Russia, well, let such occupiers surrender, and we guarantee that they will comply with all the norms of the Geneva Conventions,” Zelensky said.
Russian political scientist Sergei Markov explains:
“Zelensky needs the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for PR in the West so that support for Kyiv does not decrease. The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zaluzhny, was against the offensive, because he was sure that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would not be successful, but an offensive by the Russian army after this failure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was possible.
The Russian army, if the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is correctly defeated, will have a good opportunity to begin a more decisive attack on both Nikolaev and Donbass,” Markov predicts.
Deputy head of the Kherson VGA Kirill Stremousov summed up the first results of the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost about 50 pieces of equipment and 580 people killed today. Are all these sacrifices for the sake of money that the Ukronazis are stuffing into their pockets, regardless of reality?..
After all, the outcome of this entire utopia is obvious and predetermined. Zelensky played the hetman, and the price of these games is tens of thousands of ruined destinies and lives.
Once again we responsibly declare: Kherson was, is and will be Russian. We continue to establish a peaceful life and prepare for reunification with Russia,” Stremousov concluded.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.