The Ukrainian counter-offensive operation in the Kherson region in the south of the country has started for the third day, the armored troops of Kyiv continue to advance on the lines of defense of the Russian army in several directions of advance.

Ukrainian tanks in actionPhoto: Twitter

The Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, in its assessment of the war in Ukraine, published on Wednesday morning, states that:

  • Since Monday, Ukrainian armored forces have continued to attack the Southern Group of Russian troops in several directions in the south of the country;
  • Ukrainian formations in some places moved the front line to a considerable distance, using the weak defense of some Russian lines;
  • according to his doctrine [militară]Russia will likely now try to cover these violations using previously identified mobile reserves. This will probably include some units of the “East” force group.

The Ministry of Defense in London also states that Russia continues to accelerate efforts to deliver new reinforcements to Ukraine, several volunteer battalions already left their bases in Moscow on August 24, most likely to Ukraine.

However, the operational effectiveness of these units remains unknown as they have received limited training.

It is reported that the Russians retreated due to the intensity of the Ukrainian attacks

In the report on the losses of the Russian armed forces, the General Staff in Kyiv on Wednesday morning noted that in the last day, Ukrainian troops destroyed 350 Russian soldiers, 20 tanks, 18 armored personnel carriers, 12 artillery systems, 3 salvo fire. missile launchers and an air defense system.

Although the data are not separated by theater of operations, the Russians probably suffered the most losses in the Kherson region, where the Ukrainian military command concentrated its forces in connection with the counteroffensive launched on Monday.

One of the most famous mercenaries of the Wagner PMC, known under the pseudonym “Grey Zone”, said on Wednesday in his Telegram channel that some Russian units have retreated from the front line, which is the “correct decision” given the concentration of Ukrainian troops.

He cast doubt on any figures released by the Russian Defense Ministry, which said on Monday that its forces had destroyed 26 Ukrainian tanks, 23 BMPs, 9 other armored fighting vehicles and downed 2 Su-25 attack aircraft.

Moscow’s Ministry of Defense also said that its forces had killed 560 Ukrainian soldiers and that the offensive in Kherson Oblast was “failing.”

The Southern Military Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the regional authorities said on Wednesday that fighting continues in the Kherson region, and several explosions were heard in the city of the same name, which is the capital of the region.

Ukrainian authorities also say that the Russians have begun searching for partisans in the south of Ukraine and are bombing the east of the country to divert attention from the Kherson counteroffensive.

The US helped the Ukrainian army prepare for the Kherson offensive

A White House official told CNN that in recent months, President Joe Biden’s administration has helped the Ukrainian military prepare for Monday’s counteroffensive by granting specific requests for weapons.

According to the American official, several months ago, Ukraine requested appropriate weapons for a planned counteroffensive in the south of the country.

The US has met many of these requests, including providing large quantities of ammunition, artillery pieces and Javelin anti-tank systems as part of several military aid packages to Ukraine over the past two months.

Although these packages were publicly announced by the Washington administration, it was not known that they were designed in part to support the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson.

CNN also notes that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley have been in regular contact with their Ukrainian counterparts to determine what weapons the Ukrainians need based on their offensive goals.

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