Military Situation In Ukraine
South Front, Oct 14 2022
The situation on the Ukrainian front remains tense for both sides of the conflict.
Kharkiv direction: In the Kupyansk sector, units of the 14th Branches and the 32nd Integrated Troops Battalion once again unsuccessfully attempted to storm Russian positions at the Kislovka-Pershotravnevoje line. The enemy had sustained heavy losses and retreated.
Luhansk direction: In the Limano-Svatovsky section, the AFU servicemen increase the grouping at the line Torskoye–Terny. Soldiers of the 208th Cossack Regiment of the AFRF are fighting with Ukrainian units near the village of Terny. A similar situation is observed in the Lysychansk sector, but in this case it is not about supporting the offensive of ground units, but about defense. LNR mortar men are constantly firing at the AFU, thereby preventing them from gaining a foothold on the ground.
Donetsk direction: Russian forces hold defenses in the vicinity of Novosadovoye, preventing the 111th AFU brigade from gaining a foothold in the area. To the south of Bakhmut, Wagner PMC assault detachments are engaged in fierce fighting in Opytne. In the Soledar area, the sides are fighting near Spornoye.
Results of the shelling of Russian troops near Bakhmut
People’s Militia take part in artillery duels in the area of Opytne and strike at the positions of the enemy. After hitting each target, the guns are camouflaged and the crew withdraws to cover. Part of the AFU units, having suffered losses, withdrew from Otradivka to Kleshchiivka. Ukrainian formations once again shelled Donetsk, Makiivka, Yasinovataya, Dokuchayevsk, Aleksandrovka and other surrounding settlements, no injuries or casualties.
Zaporizhzhya direction: The Ukrainian command continues to prepare for a large-scale counter-attack along the entire front line in the Zaporizhzhya region. The AFRF struck facilities in Zaporizhzhya using the Geranium-2 kamikaze drones. A fire broke out at the site. A fuel and lubricant depot was reportedly hit.
The AFU also fired more than ten munitions at Energodar, the outskirts of the city and the coastline. It is symbolic that the attack by Ukrainian Nazis took place on the eve of the celebration of Zaporizhzhya’s liberation day from the Nazi invaders. The AFU attempted to strike Melitopol with kamikaze drones. Kiev sent two drones with explosive devices attached to them. One drone collapsed and exploded, while the second was shot down by the air defense system. The information about the destruction is being clarified. There were no casualties or injuries.
Southern direction: In the Andriivsky sector, two platoons of the 18th and 137th battalions of the 35th Marine Brigade of the AFU attempted to storm the positions of Russian units north of Bezvodnoye. The AFRF managed to repulse the enemy attack, forcing them back to their initial positions. Russian forces continue to conduct sorties against AFU strongholds in the direction of Sukhoy Stavka. In the Beryslav area, Ukrainian formations again shelled Russian military positions in Pyatikhatki and Polyanka. Four explosions are reported in Kherson. Presumably, an air defense system went off in the city. Air defense assets intercepted 15 drones and 14 rockets over liberated territories. The Russian Defense Ministry reports that over the past 24 hours, high-precision weapons were used to hit a large foreign weapons depot in Brody, Lviv region, as well as energy and military facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions.
The AFU shelled Belgorod, and the air defenses were active. A hit on a local substation was recorded, due to which electricity was lost in some areas of the city. Ukrainian formations shelled Voznesenovka in the Belgorod region. Air defense forces also intercepted several enemy shells in Novooskolsk District.
In a series of unsuccessful attacks, the AFU lost more than 160 men, three tanks, 13 armored vehicles and 11 pickups. In addition, the AFRF carried out strikes on the location of foreign mercenaries and the 59th AFU brigade, destroying more than 170 fighters and 13 pieces of equipment. Also struck 2 AFU control posts, 63 artillery units, 156 areas of unit accumulation, 6 ammunition depots. A Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 was shot down over Bereznevatiy. Ukrainian PM Denis Shmygal said that the country’s power supply system had stabilized after the Oct 10-12 missile strikes. However, he added, the capacity of the energy mains has been reduced due to significant damage, and therefore the load on the networks must be reduced. The growing number of reports on the successes of the Russian army in the absence of recently mobilized Russian citizens at the front line indicates the gradual depletion of the AFU. Strikes against energy facilities can only bring Russian successes closer.
Israel Giving Intelligence Support To Ukraine
Lucas Leiroz, South Front, Oct 14 2022
In a recent report, it was revealed that Israel is already actively participating in the Ukrainian conflict. A source from Tel Aviv says that a private Israeli company would be giving to the Ukrainian forces some strategic information about the positions of Russian troops on the battlefield, guaranteeing Kiev an advantage in planning attacks. This type of action appears to have begun or at least intensified, as a response to the growing Iranian-Russian cooperation in the supply of military drones. On Oct 12, the NYT published an article in which it is mentioned that Israel is providing “basic intelligence” data to Ukraine. The text is based on information provided by an anonymous senior Israeli government official who was allegedly interviewed by the newspaper. The data collection service would be operated via satellite by an Israeli intelligence company, which was also not identified by the source. Images received by satellite would be identifying the positions of Russian troops and equipment including Iranian drones which would be allowing Kiev to operate counter-offensive attacks more quickly and successfully. Despite being a private company, there is great cooperation between state and non-state agents in Israel for defense purposes, so it is possible that the government is acting in collusion.
Interestingly, on the same day the article was published, Ukrainian media reported the successful shooting down of fifty suicide drones used by Russian forces, most of them Iranian-made. There is no concrete data by Russian or neutral sources to calculate the exact number of equipment shot down and confirm the veracity of the Ukrainian allegations, however, if there is really a high incidence of drone shooting by Kiev’s forces, the fact may be evidence that the report made by the NYT is accurate. It is important to note that despite being an absolute ally of NATO and Western forces, Israel has sought to maintain a balanced stance in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, trying to reconcile its geopolitical position with its strategic interests in maintaining pragmatic ties with Moscow. However, the bilateral diplomatic situation may have started a new phase of deterioration since September, when Moscow’s forces began using Iranian suicide drones in the special military operation. Considering that Tehran is a direct enemy of Israel, Russian-Iranian military cooperation appears to be fueling tensions between Moscow and Tel Aviv.
Any improvement that would be occurring in Ukrainian air defense with such data received from Israel seems utterly ineffective in the face of the overwhelming power of the Iranian drones used by the Russians. A considerable part of recent Russian air strikes has been conducted exclusively by Shahed-136 drones, with Moscow’s forces having had great success in neutralizing Ukrainian strategic targets without using manned aircraft. Such is the power of these drones that recently the Ukrainian air defense began using fighter planes to shoot them down. In fact, using fighter jets, whose market value is very high, to shoot down cheap drones does not only sound like a strategic mistake but a truly desperate and irrational act, which makes it evident that Kiev is still suffering serious losses from the Shahed-136. However, regardless of the actual level of support being given by Israel to Kiev, what really matters is to analyze how Tel Aviv is getting ready to participate in a conflict that will not bring any benefits to it. Supporting Ukraine will simply make the Zionist state an accomplice to a neo-Nazi regime where racist and anti-Semitic practices have become commonplace over the past eight years, which will certainly not please the Israeli population.
In fact, Israel and Ukraine, despite being allies, had their ties criticized by Israeli people at times due to the exponential growth of neo-Nazism in Kiev. Jews have at various occasions promoted massive protests in Israel to demand changes in the country’s foreign policy so that any support for neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic forces would be ended. Furthermore, escalating tensions with Russia just to harm Iran does not sound interesting in any way. Both countries have very clear conflicts of interest in several regions, mainly in Syria, and a diplomatic deterioration could have significant negative consequences. It is also important to remember that no action by Israel in Ukraine will be able to damage Iran directly, as the practical success of the drones has already met Tehran’s plans and raised the market value and demand for the Shahed-136. The best Israel can do is to avoid participating in the irresponsible escalation promoted by the West and refuse to support openly neo-Nazi regimes.
Niqnaq 