by Chris Covert exclusively for SouthFront
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another four were wounded in an incident Donbas rebel official media are characterizing as a friendly fire incident, according to Russian language news account.
The incident took place near Peski and Staromykhailivka near western Donetsk city Thursday, where Ukrainian forces exchanged fire as they were conducting "uncoordinated actions", according to a news report which appeared in regnum.ru.
The report said that two tanks and one infantry fighting vehicles of the Ukrainian 128th Separate Mechanized Brigade were destroyed in the exchange of gunfire between friendly forces. Several other Ukrainian weapons were used in the incident, but neither the article nor the source elaborated how many or which kind of weapons were used.
Ukrainian forces involved in the fighting in southeastern Ukraine have a massive problem in such incidents. Official rebel media has claimed in the past that as many as 20 percent of Ukrainian casualties involve some kind of friendly such, including accidental firearm discharges. Normally such an abnormally high accidental discharge rate can be attributed to the nature of Ukrainian forces, using poorly trained conscripts, but Ukraine's fire discipline problems are compounded by the involvement of untrained private militias, including members of the Right Sektor political groups which man many of those units.
Fighting in Donetsk, Lugansk continues
Exchange of gunfire and artillery fire continued by both sides in Lugansk and Donetsk over the past 48 hours, according to various Russian language news accounts.
The Ukrainian defense ministry said on Wednesday and Thursday that rebel forces fired on their positions a total of 77 times, according to a news report which appeared in lb.ua.
The report said that on Wednesday, rebel 120mm mortar fire fell on Ukrainian positions in Troiskoye, Novoselovka and Avdievka. 82mm mortar fire hit Ukrainian positions in Verhnetoretskovo, Avdievka and Novgorod.
In southern Donetsk, rebel 152mm artillery, and 120mm and 82mm mortar fire hit Ukrainian positions at Lebedinskoye and Shirokino.
In Lugansk, rebel 82mm mortar fire fell on the Popasnaya area, and in Novoaleksandrovka, Boguslavsky and Novozvanovki.
According to a separate report which appeared in lb.ua, in Donetsk, rebels 120mm mortar fire hit Troitskoye on Thursday, while 82mm mortar fire hit Ukrainian positions in Avdievka. In southern Donetsk, rebel 82mm mortar fire hit Ukrainian positions in Shirokino.
In Lugansk, rebel 82mm mortar fire hit Ukrainian positions in Novoaleksandrovka.
The Donetsk ministry of defense reported in its website that Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions 300 times in the previous 48 hours using heavy weapons.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in Donetsk at Donetsk, Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, the Petrovsky district of Donetsk city, Staromykhailivka, the Donetsk airport, Zaitsevo and Spartak. In southern Donetsk Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in Dokuchaevsk and Sahanka.
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces repeated their artillery attacks on Zaitsevo, Yasinovataya, the Donetsk airport, Staromykhailivka, Spartak and the Petrovsky district of Donetsk city. In southern Donetsk, Ukrainian artillery hit Sahanka and Kominternovo.
Rebel official media also reported that another 30 residential buildings were damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire in Zaitsevo during the night of July 6th to July 7th. It has been previously reported that a total of 40 residential buildings were damaged from Ukrainian artillery fire last July 4th in Zaitsevo and Gorlovka.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
The journalism of Chris Covert
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
Top rebel commander dies in Donetsk
by Chris Covert exclusively for SouthFront
The commander of the rebel 7th Separate Brigade based at Debaltstevo was killed Sunday morning in a land mine attack, according to several Russian language social media and news websites.
Colonel Aleksandr Bushuev apparently was riding or driving a vehicle when it ran over a land mine at a railroad crossing in Makievka near Donetsk, according to a post at the Russian language blog Chervonets Andryuha. According to Chervonets Andryuha, retired Russian GRU Colonel Igor Bezler wrote on his wife's Vkontakte page about the incident. That post since has been taken private and is publicly unavailable.
According to Ukrainian blogger Roman Sinitsyn, Col. Bushuev was formerly commander of the Russian 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade before coming to Donetsk and commanding the 7th Brigade.
Official rebel media has made no mention of the incident so far. Usually rebel media in both Donetsk and Lugansk are very diligent even in reporting the death of top commanders.
Colonel Bushuev's 7th Brigade recently successfully concluded the defense of Logvinovo region at the line of contact in their area of operation, preventing a Ukrainian probe from reaching Debaltsevo June 29th.
40 homes damaged in Zaistevo/Gorlovka
A total of 40 residential buildings were damaged in overnight artillery attacks by Ukrainian armed forces, according to a news item posted at the Russian language Gorlovka Pravda.
The artillery attacks began at 2000 hrs and did not stop until around 0430 July 4th. Two unidentified individuals were wounded by shrapnel. One residential building was destroyed by fire in the attacks.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian artillery attacks continued overnight, July 3rd to July 4th, in several sectors of the line of contact in Donetsk, according to data supplied by the Donetsk ministry of defense. Among the locations hit in northern Donetsk were Spartak, Mineralnoye, Yasinovataya, Trudovskoy Staromykhailivka, Gorlovka and Zaitsevo.
In southern Donetsk, Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions at Leninskoye, Oktyabr, Sahanka, Kominternovo and in the Novoazovskiy district.
According to the Donetsk ministry of defense, a total of 219 shells were fired at the various locations from 82mm and 120mm mortars.
The Ukrainian ministry of defense said in its daily briefing that rebel artillery struck locations in Donetsk city to include Peski, near western Donetsk city and Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka, where rebel forces used 122mm artillery and at Avdievka, where rebel forces used 120mm mortar fire.
In southern Donetsk, rebel artillery struck Ukrainian positions at Shirokino using 122mm artillery and 120mm and 82mm mortar fire, as well a antitank rocket fire and small arms fire, according to official Ukrainian media. Rebels used 120mm mortar fire to hit Vodyanoma and Krasnogorovka.
Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions in northern Lugansk as well as well as the forward zones near Logvinovo, according to a news report which appeared in regnum.ru. Locations hit include the villages of Sanzharovka, Loginov, Kalinovka, Lozove and Kalinovo
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Details on the Ukrainian attack on Logvinovo
By Chris Covert
As memory of the battle for Logvinovo fades into the background, two analysis have emerged, one Ukrainian and one rebel, which reaffirm the recent Ukrainian strategy of using short sharp attacks on rebel positions followed by short advances of forces.
Russian blogger Chervonets Andryuha, writing in his Live Journal account references the two analyses characterizing the new Ukrainian tactic as a "creeping offensive", which uses weak points in the rebels' deployment and informal, but established neutral zones -- which the rebels call grey zones -- to advance their lines further into rebel territory. It should be noted that, to date, the new creeping offensive tactic has been used twice since its inception, the latest in Logvinovka, and the first time in Yasinovataya last March. Of the two, only the Yasinovataya attack has been a qualified success.
The first analysis appeared in lenta.ru, authored by Alexei Sanin, who wrote that, unlike earlier reports which identified one Ukrainian combat formation -- Ukrainian 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade --, parts of two Ukrainian combat formations, the 54th and the Ukrainian 58th Separate Mechanized Brigade, were involved on the attack on Logvinovo. Sanin writes in his article that both sides leave considerable reserves well to the rear of the line of contact, and these two brigades were no different.
The Ukrainian 58th Brigade had spent six months undergoing training by unidentified NATO advisers before moving into Artemovsk, which is a command and logistics node for Ukrainian operations in the region. That training would some importance in the battle at Logvinovo.
Rebel forces in the form of spearheads, parts of the 1st Army Corps, 7th Brigade were deployed dug in at several locations to the north of Logvinovo, where heights looking south towards Debaltsevo are, with their main force camped out in Debaltsevo as a mobile reserve. According to Sanin, significant rebel forces also were deployed to the flanks of the Logvinovo position, specifically at Lozovoy, Sanzharovki and Kalinovka.
The Ukrainian attack took place at dawn on June 29th, and involved parts of four rifle companies, a reinforced rifle group from the 25th battalion, and two more rifle companies of the 54th brigade, and one rifle company from the 58th Brigade. The attack hit five locations spread out along the front, the weakest being a roadblock north of Logvinovo. Although casualty figures are not available, Sanin said that the rebels did suffer losses at the Logvinovo roadblock location, and the group was forced to withdraw with losses. Sanin notes that Ukrainian forces suffered losses at the battle, but to date, figures have not been released by the Ukrainian ministry of defense.
Rebel positions northwest of Logvinovo, however, did not buckle and held firm against Ukrainian attacks, according to Sanin. When Ukrainian commanders came to the realization that rebel forces were not going to budge, Ukrainian artillery fire began. The same thing took place at Sanzharovki and Kalinovka. Rebel forces refused to withdraw, so Ukrainian tactical commanders decided to try to isolate rebel positions, presumably by going around those positions.
Ukrainian reserves of the two brigades were in Artemovsk, and despite the fact that forces near Logvinovo, Sanzharovki Kalinovka were becoming bogged down in the fighting, most of those reserves stayed put. After advancing about 4.5 kilometers south and failing to gain most of their main objectives, the Ukrainian offensive stopped.
Sanin said that two objectives the Ukrainians did take, which were significant advances into the neutral zone at the line of contact. Two heights, about three kilometers from Uglegorsk, actions which Sanin characterized as serious, but not enough to permit an attack into Debaltsevo, which was the Ukrainian main, eventual objective. The requirement for the Ukrainians was to take all objectives to presumably help with a subsequent operation that would move Ukrainian forces into Debaltsevo.
Sanin concludes in describing the tactical battles, that failing to commit reserves into battle cost the Ukrainian forces enough that the whole operation collapsed. By noon, the attack had stopped cold. At 1400 hrs Ukrainian commanders called in a tank company to help out with their big guns. It was then Ukrainian artillery began to fall on the area, but this time to cover withdrawing forces.
Sanin goes on to suggest that the reason for the attack was to provoke rebel commanders into a counterattack, to draw rebel riflemen into open ground and attack them with artillery. He also suggests that the tactics being taught by NATO advisers were to avoid close combat with rebel forces and use what NATO calls stand off weaponry, artillery and tank gun fire to achieve local tactical successes.
Sanin says in his article that Ukrainian forces did not expect such stiff resistance from rebel forces. Because of rebel forces holding their positions and their counterfire, the Ukrainian tactical groups remained in their positions until almost 2000 hrs, before withdrawing north.
Ukrainian Analysis on the Debaltsevo Operation
Ukrainian military journalist Dmitri Tymchuk published a much shorter analysis at his http://sprotyv.info/ blog, in which he said that a successful attack on Debaltsevo could conceivably shift momentum in the Ukrainian's favor.
A successful attack on Debaltsevo would seemingly be the coup the Ukrainians needed to shift momentum in their favor in the war. Debaltsevo is a major rail/road node which allows its owner to shift forces and supplies in most directions. Ukrainian forces sat on Debaltsevo after a failed offensive in August of 2014, but were destroyed by the rebel defensive operation in February, 2015. In the seven months between then and the rebel operation, Ukrainian forces did little more than just sit on the location. They had a rather long front to hold in addition to the town itself, which drained forces and supplies into the region. Ukrainian did not have the advantage of owning many of the roads leading into Debaltsevo, the way rebel forces do now.
However, it also should be noted that even though the rebels have a favorable geographical advantage in owning Debaltsevo, any presumed advantages have not materialized since. The rebel defensive operation to take Debaltsevo took place 18 months ago, and despite a better tactical situation in the 18 months since then, rebel commanders had done little more than the Ukrainians did before that.
In his analysis, Tymchuk admits the Ukrainian's new tactic of wedging forces into neutral zones as a means of pushing rebel forces south. He notes, darkly that the June 29th attack "it did not cause delight in [rebel commanders]."
Tymchuk said that rebel forces' use of fire groups, such as tank and mortars, or BMP and mortars, were used as "fire raids" to try to give rebel an advantage in advancing past Mironovski reservoir, weel to the north of Logvinovo. The goal in that, said Tymchuk, was to force Ukrainian commanders to shift their forces away from another location to the west of the region, thus giving rebels a local tactical advantage at Svetlodarsk. However reports from the Ukrainian ministry of defense, until well after the Ukrainian attack stopped, had failed to note any artillery or direct gunfire in the area prior to June 29th.
Tymchuk said that rebel fores at Lozovoye, where the Ukrainians were stopped, were not light, and included a rifle company supported by tanks. Additionally, rebel commanders had moved additional artillery north prior to the Ukrainian attack. Tymchuk claim the amount of artillery the rebels had in reserve was close to 24 guns, and included 122mm artillery. The forces at Logvinovo had been moved up and were attacked by Ukrainian forces, apparently present at Logvinovo. Rebel forces retreated under Ukrainian fire and"friendly fire", as he put it.
Of the two analyses, Tymchuk's sounds much more confused that Sanin's. Indeed Tymchuk tries to put a spin on a failed operation by noting extreme claims made in social media by unofficial sources, and not noting far more careful claims by official rebel media.
Tymchuk and Sanin both bolster notions held by this writer that neither side will be able to conduct modern mobile combat operations because of the use, nature and composition of available forces. Ukrainian commanders probably have one thing right: that engaging rebel forces in brief but intense firefights as a means of slowly and by small steps pushing the rebels south, is their best chance to win the war.
However, that presumes that rebel forces won't hold their ground and can be forced back. At Logvinovo they held.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
As memory of the battle for Logvinovo fades into the background, two analysis have emerged, one Ukrainian and one rebel, which reaffirm the recent Ukrainian strategy of using short sharp attacks on rebel positions followed by short advances of forces.
Russian blogger Chervonets Andryuha, writing in his Live Journal account references the two analyses characterizing the new Ukrainian tactic as a "creeping offensive", which uses weak points in the rebels' deployment and informal, but established neutral zones -- which the rebels call grey zones -- to advance their lines further into rebel territory. It should be noted that, to date, the new creeping offensive tactic has been used twice since its inception, the latest in Logvinovka, and the first time in Yasinovataya last March. Of the two, only the Yasinovataya attack has been a qualified success.
The first analysis appeared in lenta.ru, authored by Alexei Sanin, who wrote that, unlike earlier reports which identified one Ukrainian combat formation -- Ukrainian 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade --, parts of two Ukrainian combat formations, the 54th and the Ukrainian 58th Separate Mechanized Brigade, were involved on the attack on Logvinovo. Sanin writes in his article that both sides leave considerable reserves well to the rear of the line of contact, and these two brigades were no different.
The Ukrainian 58th Brigade had spent six months undergoing training by unidentified NATO advisers before moving into Artemovsk, which is a command and logistics node for Ukrainian operations in the region. That training would some importance in the battle at Logvinovo.
Rebel forces in the form of spearheads, parts of the 1st Army Corps, 7th Brigade were deployed dug in at several locations to the north of Logvinovo, where heights looking south towards Debaltsevo are, with their main force camped out in Debaltsevo as a mobile reserve. According to Sanin, significant rebel forces also were deployed to the flanks of the Logvinovo position, specifically at Lozovoy, Sanzharovki and Kalinovka.
The Ukrainian attack took place at dawn on June 29th, and involved parts of four rifle companies, a reinforced rifle group from the 25th battalion, and two more rifle companies of the 54th brigade, and one rifle company from the 58th Brigade. The attack hit five locations spread out along the front, the weakest being a roadblock north of Logvinovo. Although casualty figures are not available, Sanin said that the rebels did suffer losses at the Logvinovo roadblock location, and the group was forced to withdraw with losses. Sanin notes that Ukrainian forces suffered losses at the battle, but to date, figures have not been released by the Ukrainian ministry of defense.
Rebel positions northwest of Logvinovo, however, did not buckle and held firm against Ukrainian attacks, according to Sanin. When Ukrainian commanders came to the realization that rebel forces were not going to budge, Ukrainian artillery fire began. The same thing took place at Sanzharovki and Kalinovka. Rebel forces refused to withdraw, so Ukrainian tactical commanders decided to try to isolate rebel positions, presumably by going around those positions.
Ukrainian reserves of the two brigades were in Artemovsk, and despite the fact that forces near Logvinovo, Sanzharovki Kalinovka were becoming bogged down in the fighting, most of those reserves stayed put. After advancing about 4.5 kilometers south and failing to gain most of their main objectives, the Ukrainian offensive stopped.
Sanin said that two objectives the Ukrainians did take, which were significant advances into the neutral zone at the line of contact. Two heights, about three kilometers from Uglegorsk, actions which Sanin characterized as serious, but not enough to permit an attack into Debaltsevo, which was the Ukrainian main, eventual objective. The requirement for the Ukrainians was to take all objectives to presumably help with a subsequent operation that would move Ukrainian forces into Debaltsevo.
Sanin concludes in describing the tactical battles, that failing to commit reserves into battle cost the Ukrainian forces enough that the whole operation collapsed. By noon, the attack had stopped cold. At 1400 hrs Ukrainian commanders called in a tank company to help out with their big guns. It was then Ukrainian artillery began to fall on the area, but this time to cover withdrawing forces.
Sanin goes on to suggest that the reason for the attack was to provoke rebel commanders into a counterattack, to draw rebel riflemen into open ground and attack them with artillery. He also suggests that the tactics being taught by NATO advisers were to avoid close combat with rebel forces and use what NATO calls stand off weaponry, artillery and tank gun fire to achieve local tactical successes.
Sanin says in his article that Ukrainian forces did not expect such stiff resistance from rebel forces. Because of rebel forces holding their positions and their counterfire, the Ukrainian tactical groups remained in their positions until almost 2000 hrs, before withdrawing north.
Ukrainian Analysis on the Debaltsevo Operation
Ukrainian military journalist Dmitri Tymchuk published a much shorter analysis at his http://sprotyv.info/ blog, in which he said that a successful attack on Debaltsevo could conceivably shift momentum in the Ukrainian's favor.
A successful attack on Debaltsevo would seemingly be the coup the Ukrainians needed to shift momentum in their favor in the war. Debaltsevo is a major rail/road node which allows its owner to shift forces and supplies in most directions. Ukrainian forces sat on Debaltsevo after a failed offensive in August of 2014, but were destroyed by the rebel defensive operation in February, 2015. In the seven months between then and the rebel operation, Ukrainian forces did little more than just sit on the location. They had a rather long front to hold in addition to the town itself, which drained forces and supplies into the region. Ukrainian did not have the advantage of owning many of the roads leading into Debaltsevo, the way rebel forces do now.
However, it also should be noted that even though the rebels have a favorable geographical advantage in owning Debaltsevo, any presumed advantages have not materialized since. The rebel defensive operation to take Debaltsevo took place 18 months ago, and despite a better tactical situation in the 18 months since then, rebel commanders had done little more than the Ukrainians did before that.
In his analysis, Tymchuk admits the Ukrainian's new tactic of wedging forces into neutral zones as a means of pushing rebel forces south. He notes, darkly that the June 29th attack "it did not cause delight in [rebel commanders]."
Tymchuk said that rebel forces' use of fire groups, such as tank and mortars, or BMP and mortars, were used as "fire raids" to try to give rebel an advantage in advancing past Mironovski reservoir, weel to the north of Logvinovo. The goal in that, said Tymchuk, was to force Ukrainian commanders to shift their forces away from another location to the west of the region, thus giving rebels a local tactical advantage at Svetlodarsk. However reports from the Ukrainian ministry of defense, until well after the Ukrainian attack stopped, had failed to note any artillery or direct gunfire in the area prior to June 29th.
Tymchuk said that rebel fores at Lozovoye, where the Ukrainians were stopped, were not light, and included a rifle company supported by tanks. Additionally, rebel commanders had moved additional artillery north prior to the Ukrainian attack. Tymchuk claim the amount of artillery the rebels had in reserve was close to 24 guns, and included 122mm artillery. The forces at Logvinovo had been moved up and were attacked by Ukrainian forces, apparently present at Logvinovo. Rebel forces retreated under Ukrainian fire and"friendly fire", as he put it.
Of the two analyses, Tymchuk's sounds much more confused that Sanin's. Indeed Tymchuk tries to put a spin on a failed operation by noting extreme claims made in social media by unofficial sources, and not noting far more careful claims by official rebel media.
Tymchuk and Sanin both bolster notions held by this writer that neither side will be able to conduct modern mobile combat operations because of the use, nature and composition of available forces. Ukrainian commanders probably have one thing right: that engaging rebel forces in brief but intense firefights as a means of slowly and by small steps pushing the rebels south, is their best chance to win the war.
However, that presumes that rebel forces won't hold their ground and can be forced back. At Logvinovo they held.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Ukrainian drug kop attacked in Kherson
The former head of drug crimes in the Ukrainian National Police was attacked Saturday night in Kherson, according to a news account in korrespodent.net.
Ilya Kiva, who was campaigning in Kherson for a seat in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, was not in his car when it was attacked, and was unharmed.
The gunman fire about 20 rounds into Kiva's car, then detonated a hand grenade.
Kiva was dismissed as head of the Interior Ministry's National Police drug department, along with a department ombudsman, last May. According to a separate korrespondent.net account, he was to head the department of veterans in the interior ministry's Anti Terrorist Operation, but was to be "recertified" for a law enforcement post.
Kiva's troubles began in April when a blogger published photographs which showed Kiva open carrying a firearm while boarding a train in Kiev.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Ilya Kiva, who was campaigning in Kherson for a seat in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, was not in his car when it was attacked, and was unharmed.
The gunman fire about 20 rounds into Kiva's car, then detonated a hand grenade.
Kiva was dismissed as head of the Interior Ministry's National Police drug department, along with a department ombudsman, last May. According to a separate korrespondent.net account, he was to head the department of veterans in the interior ministry's Anti Terrorist Operation, but was to be "recertified" for a law enforcement post.
Kiva's troubles began in April when a blogger published photographs which showed Kiva open carrying a firearm while boarding a train in Kiev.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Ukrainian Army receives US battlefield radar systems
By Chris Covert
The Ukrainian Army has received four advanced counterbattery radar systems and 10 countermortar radar systems from the United States military, according to Russian language news accounts.
The systems, used at the battalion level by US troops is among the most advanced of its type in the world. The systems enables the operator to pinpoint the location of firing artillery and mortars, thus to enable friendly artillery to hit and destroy firing artillery, according to a story posted on the korrespondent.net news website.
Four each AN/PQ-36 Firefinder radar systems and 10 each AN/TPQ-49 radar systems arrived at the Boryspil International Airport on Saturday. According to the report, an additional total of USD $500 million in direct aid is to be transferred to Ukraine from the United States.
According to data supplied by the manufacturer, Thales Raytheon, the Firefinder radar system can locate several firing locations simultaneously. The system is said to be compact and mobile.
The second system is a dedicated radar for finding mortar fire. According to data by Global Security.org, the AN/TPQ-49 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar can "track multiple rounds fired from separate locations within a 315 square kilometer surveillance area."
The AN/TPQ-49's main advantage is that it can be set up quickly, and has been recently modified for more rugged use.
The war between Ukraine and Russian speaking rebels has been primarily an artillery war, with artillery exchanges being a feature of life in Donetsk and Lugansk almost daily for nearly two years.
Fighting continues in Donetsk
Ukrainian artillery has struck rebel targets in Donetsk more than 600 times in the past two days according to data supplied by the Donetsk ministry of defense.
On Thursday evening, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in Trudovskoy, the Donetsk airport, the Donetsk city Volvo Center, at Spartak, Zhabichevo and Panteleymonovka. Ukrainian artillery also hit locations in Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka. All told 165 82mm and 120mm mortars were fired on the locations.
In southern Donetsk, near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery was reported striking Dokuchaevsk and Sahanka. A rebel media report on Thursday said that five residential buildings were damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire in Dokuchaevsk.
On Friday evening, according to data supplied by the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian artillery hammered rebel positions another 341 times, striking Yasinovataya, between Donetsk city and Gorlovka, in addition to the locations from the previous day. As with the previous day, 82mm and 120mm mortar fire was sued by the Ukrainians.
An unidentified 79 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian antitank rocket fire in Zaitsevo.
On Thursday an unidentified 27 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian antitank rocket and mortar fire in Dokuchaevsk. In Yasinovataya, also on Thursday, an unidentified 45 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian shelling.
According to Ukrainian reports which appeared in lb.ua, rebel artillery struck Ukrainian positions in Donetsk a total of 28 times, hitting targets in Verhnetoretskoe, Troitskoye and Avdievka. Weapons used in the attacks were said to be 122mm artillery and 120mm mortars.
In southern Donetsk, rebel artillery struck Ukrainian targets in Talakovke, Novotroitsk and Berezovo, using 120mm mortars.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
The Ukrainian Army has received four advanced counterbattery radar systems and 10 countermortar radar systems from the United States military, according to Russian language news accounts.
The systems, used at the battalion level by US troops is among the most advanced of its type in the world. The systems enables the operator to pinpoint the location of firing artillery and mortars, thus to enable friendly artillery to hit and destroy firing artillery, according to a story posted on the korrespondent.net news website.
Four each AN/PQ-36 Firefinder radar systems and 10 each AN/TPQ-49 radar systems arrived at the Boryspil International Airport on Saturday. According to the report, an additional total of USD $500 million in direct aid is to be transferred to Ukraine from the United States.
According to data supplied by the manufacturer, Thales Raytheon, the Firefinder radar system can locate several firing locations simultaneously. The system is said to be compact and mobile.
The second system is a dedicated radar for finding mortar fire. According to data by Global Security.org, the AN/TPQ-49 Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar can "track multiple rounds fired from separate locations within a 315 square kilometer surveillance area."
The AN/TPQ-49's main advantage is that it can be set up quickly, and has been recently modified for more rugged use.
The war between Ukraine and Russian speaking rebels has been primarily an artillery war, with artillery exchanges being a feature of life in Donetsk and Lugansk almost daily for nearly two years.
Fighting continues in Donetsk
Ukrainian artillery has struck rebel targets in Donetsk more than 600 times in the past two days according to data supplied by the Donetsk ministry of defense.
On Thursday evening, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in Trudovskoy, the Donetsk airport, the Donetsk city Volvo Center, at Spartak, Zhabichevo and Panteleymonovka. Ukrainian artillery also hit locations in Zaitsevo, which is north of Gorlovka. All told 165 82mm and 120mm mortars were fired on the locations.
In southern Donetsk, near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery was reported striking Dokuchaevsk and Sahanka. A rebel media report on Thursday said that five residential buildings were damaged by Ukrainian artillery fire in Dokuchaevsk.
On Friday evening, according to data supplied by the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian artillery hammered rebel positions another 341 times, striking Yasinovataya, between Donetsk city and Gorlovka, in addition to the locations from the previous day. As with the previous day, 82mm and 120mm mortar fire was sued by the Ukrainians.
An unidentified 79 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian antitank rocket fire in Zaitsevo.
On Thursday an unidentified 27 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian antitank rocket and mortar fire in Dokuchaevsk. In Yasinovataya, also on Thursday, an unidentified 45 year old man was wounded by Ukrainian shelling.
According to Ukrainian reports which appeared in lb.ua, rebel artillery struck Ukrainian positions in Donetsk a total of 28 times, hitting targets in Verhnetoretskoe, Troitskoye and Avdievka. Weapons used in the attacks were said to be 122mm artillery and 120mm mortars.
In southern Donetsk, rebel artillery struck Ukrainian targets in Talakovke, Novotroitsk and Berezovo, using 120mm mortars.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Fighting in Donetsk and Lugansk continues overnight
By Chris Covert
Artillery attacks, especially coming from Ukrainian forces continued well into the night of June 29th to June 30th, and into the next morning in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Russian language news accounts.
One day after denying the battle at Logvinovka even took place, Ukrainian military officials said on Thursday that rebel forces, after hours of fighting, were forced to retreat from Logvinovka with heavy losses. According to Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman, Colonel Andrei Lysenko, Ukrainian forces lost one dead and 11 wounded in the fighting.
Although rebel military officials say their side took no losses, the unofficial body count for the Ukrainian side in the fighting at Logvinovka climbed into the double digits, according to a report which appeared in novorosinform.org Ukrainian officials claim rebel losses were as high as 23 dead and 34 wounded, according to a news account which appeared on lb.ua. Other reports, absurdly, place rebel losses as high as 220, which is a common mistake in western reportage of the fighting in southeastern Ukraine, due to the technical terms occasionally used by rebel and Ukrainian military officials.
Ukrainian military officials said that rebel artillery fire continued that evening until after midnight of June 29th to June 30th. In total, the fighting in that area lasted 10 hours.
Rebel media said that Ukrainians fired artillery and mortars into rebel positions a total of 251 times, according to data supplied by Donetsk rebel military officials. Positions hit by Ukrainian artillery include Yasinovataya, northern Gorlovka, the Petrovsky district of Donetsk city, at the Donetsk airport, and Spartak.
In southern Donetsk, near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions at Kominternovo and Sahanka.
Fighting in Lugansk
According to Lugansk ministry of defense spokesman Major Andrei Marochko, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in several locations Wednesday.
Localities struck in Lugansk by Ukrainian artillery include Golubovska, Sokolniki, Lozove, Sanzharovka, Pervomaisk, Kalinovo, and Kalinovka. Ukrainian artillery fired a total of 259 times, using 152mm artillery, and 120mm and 82mm mortars. No rebel casualties were reported.
Ukrainian officials say that unsighted rebel artillery fire hit in three locations in Lugansk, in Krimskovo, Novozvanovki and Novoaleksandrovka.
According to Major Marochko, elements of the Ukrainian 24th, 28th, 54th, and 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigades were involved in the artillery attacks on Lugansk.
A news account which appeared in regnum.ru, quoted Ukrainian ministry of defense spokesman Major Sergey Zhmurko as saying that rebel artillery fire hit Troiskoye, Berezovo and Novoselovka.
A separate novorosinform.org report quoted Lugansk commander Colonel Nile Nurulin saying that the Ukrainian 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, apparently based in Schastye on the left bank of the Northern Donetsk River, has become active and has started rotating combat units back into the area. The same report quoted Major Marochko saying that Ukrainian forces in Lugansk have moved more heavy equipment into their forward zones, equipment including two BM-27 220mm rocket artillery launchers, two D-30 122mm towed artillery pieces, two 100mm T-12 towed anti-tank guns, and one 2S9 120mm self propelled mortar.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Artillery attacks, especially coming from Ukrainian forces continued well into the night of June 29th to June 30th, and into the next morning in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, according to Russian language news accounts.
One day after denying the battle at Logvinovka even took place, Ukrainian military officials said on Thursday that rebel forces, after hours of fighting, were forced to retreat from Logvinovka with heavy losses. According to Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman, Colonel Andrei Lysenko, Ukrainian forces lost one dead and 11 wounded in the fighting.
Although rebel military officials say their side took no losses, the unofficial body count for the Ukrainian side in the fighting at Logvinovka climbed into the double digits, according to a report which appeared in novorosinform.org Ukrainian officials claim rebel losses were as high as 23 dead and 34 wounded, according to a news account which appeared on lb.ua. Other reports, absurdly, place rebel losses as high as 220, which is a common mistake in western reportage of the fighting in southeastern Ukraine, due to the technical terms occasionally used by rebel and Ukrainian military officials.
Ukrainian military officials said that rebel artillery fire continued that evening until after midnight of June 29th to June 30th. In total, the fighting in that area lasted 10 hours.
Rebel media said that Ukrainians fired artillery and mortars into rebel positions a total of 251 times, according to data supplied by Donetsk rebel military officials. Positions hit by Ukrainian artillery include Yasinovataya, northern Gorlovka, the Petrovsky district of Donetsk city, at the Donetsk airport, and Spartak.
In southern Donetsk, near Mariupol, Ukrainian artillery struck rebel positions at Kominternovo and Sahanka.
Fighting in Lugansk
According to Lugansk ministry of defense spokesman Major Andrei Marochko, Ukrainian artillery hit rebel positions in several locations Wednesday.
Localities struck in Lugansk by Ukrainian artillery include Golubovska, Sokolniki, Lozove, Sanzharovka, Pervomaisk, Kalinovo, and Kalinovka. Ukrainian artillery fired a total of 259 times, using 152mm artillery, and 120mm and 82mm mortars. No rebel casualties were reported.
Ukrainian officials say that unsighted rebel artillery fire hit in three locations in Lugansk, in Krimskovo, Novozvanovki and Novoaleksandrovka.
According to Major Marochko, elements of the Ukrainian 24th, 28th, 54th, and 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigades were involved in the artillery attacks on Lugansk.
A news account which appeared in regnum.ru, quoted Ukrainian ministry of defense spokesman Major Sergey Zhmurko as saying that rebel artillery fire hit Troiskoye, Berezovo and Novoselovka.
A separate novorosinform.org report quoted Lugansk commander Colonel Nile Nurulin saying that the Ukrainian 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, apparently based in Schastye on the left bank of the Northern Donetsk River, has become active and has started rotating combat units back into the area. The same report quoted Major Marochko saying that Ukrainian forces in Lugansk have moved more heavy equipment into their forward zones, equipment including two BM-27 220mm rocket artillery launchers, two D-30 122mm towed artillery pieces, two 100mm T-12 towed anti-tank guns, and one 2S9 120mm self propelled mortar.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Ukrainian forces attack rebel positions near Logvinovka
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| Image from Chervonets Andryuha |
A Ukrainian rifle company (about 100 effectives), supported by tanks and armored fighting vehicles struck pro-Russian rebel positions at Logvinovka Wednesday morning, according to Russian language news accounts.
According to data supplied by the rebel controlled Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian forces, parts of the Ukrainian 54th Mechanized Brigade drove four kilometers south towards the farming community of Logvinovka, in northern rebel held territory in Donetsk. The initial Ukrainian artillery bombardment which also included fire from armored vehicles took place starting at 0700 hrs and ended at 0900 hrs. Ukrainian forces fired 122mm artillery in support of the advance for a total of 116 times.
Official Ukrainian media denied the attacks have even taken place. According to a news account posted in tsensor.ua, spokesman for the Ukrainian ministry of defense, Colonel Andrei Lysenko said the attacks as reported by rebel media had not even taken place.
Instead, Ukrainian official media said that rebel forces fired 120mm mortars on Ukrainian positions at Novotroitsk and Berezovo, and fired grenade launchers at Shirokino and Mayorsk.
Quoted in the Live Journal blog of Chervonets Andryuha, Alexander Zhuchkovsky, who helps supplies aid to rebel forces, said that Ukrainian forces suffered losses in vehicles destroyed, and that the Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw under rebel fire.
In a separate Chervonets Andryuha blog entry, FSB Colonel Igor Girkin, being quoted in EA Daily news outlet, said that occupying the area just north of Logvinovka would give Ukrainian forces a height from which they can observe artillery strikes all the way south into Debaltsevo. The cause of the attack, according to Colonel Girkin was rebel forces, consisting of the 7th Brigade were not strong, so the situation appeared to be easily exploitable.
Colonel Girkin characterized the attack as a tactical move by Ukrainian forces, with no apparent strategic goal in mind. That assessment essentially means the Logvinovka attack was a probe, intended to test rebel defenses in the area.
According to official rebel media, Ukrainian forces continued to fire artillery into the area even after withdrawing. A separate official rebel report said that Ukrainian forces lost two infantry fighting vehicles, presumably BMP-2s and an armored personnel carrier.
The Ukrainian attack on Logvinovka followed a similar pattern the Ukrainian forces executed back earlier in the spring when their forces advanced towards the southeast into a neutral zone between Avdievka and southwestern Gorlovka. That move effectively placed civilian motor traffic under the direct observation of Ukrainian forces and their artillery observers, and has since tied up civilian traffic between Donetsk city and Gorlovka, as well as in several surrounding areas. The highway between Gorlovka and Donetsk is the only hard surface road between the two cities.
Since that time, both sides have been exchanging artillery fire, Ukrainian hitting targets including a check point at Yasinovataya and other points nearby with rebel forces responding by attempting to engage Ukrainian artillery with counterbattery fire. At the time Russian journalist Boris Rozhin remarked that the attack in Yasinovataya was a change in tactics in which Ukrainian forces would launch short, sharp advances of less than 15 kilometers, then consolidate that position.
However, until Wednesday, Ukrainian forces have been content in firing artillery strikes on rebel positions in western Donetsk city, northern Gorlovka and in the south, near Mariupol.
Wednesday's attack on Logvinovka appears to be a repeat of that pattern.
Logvinovka is an iconic locale for the rebels' defensive operation in the winter of 2014-2015 which captured or destroyed 3,500 Ukrainian troops in and around Debaltsevo. Early in the battle for Debaltsevo, after several days of attempts to close the pocket further north containing Ukrainian troops, a composite company sized rebel mechanized force took Logvinovka at night from the march to establish a blocking position along the only highway between Debaltsevo and Artemovsk to the north.
Ukrainian Artillery Fire
According to yet another separate new release by the Donetsk ministry of defense, Ukrainian forces fired artillery on rebel forces a total of about 585 times, including the use of 82mm and 120mm mortars, and 122mm and 152mm tube artillery. Ukrainian artillery struck several rebel target locations including at Gorlovka, Zaistevo, Yasinovataya, northern and western districts on Donetsk city, at the airport and at Spartak.
In southern Donetsk, rebel media reported Ukrainian artillery hitting locations at Dokuchaevsk, Kominternovo, Leninski and Sahanka.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues.
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