Fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine: Partisans operate behind Russians

Fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine
The partisans operate behind the Russians

By Frak Niemeyer
09/14/2022, 6:24 PM

In the east of Ukraine, the Russians must establish a new defense line any time soon. Ukrainian partisans are trying to prevent this. In the rear of the Russian troops, they stop the advancing forces

While large swaths of eastern Ukraine are returning to Ukraine, gains in terrain on the southern front are far less spectacular. This is mainly due to the fact that the balance of power between the two forces in the south is significantly worse for Ukraine. Accordingly, the Ukrainian advance around Cherson is progressing relatively slowly, but Ukraine has a decisive advantage there: it has already controlled supply lines to the rear of Russian troops or completely cut them off.

Ukrainians use the Dnieper River there, which runs through the region south of Cherson. The Russian army had to cross this wide river when bringing supplies from the south, but because of heavy Ukrainian shelling that had begun before the attack, the bridges over the Dnieper barely held. Repairs are expensive and time consuming.

Tanks cannot cross the river

Accordingly, Russian troops often rely on boats and helicopters to deliver ammunition to soldiers. According to reports on Tuesday, light armored vehicles reportedly drove over a bridge in Nova Kharkova. There is no information on the movement of heavy vehicles – tanks and artillery.

The Dnieper is several kilometers wide in this area. There was no possibility that the Russians would have a river of normal width to make temporary crossings with the help of pontoon bridges. At the same time, amphibious vehicles also run into trouble. Many Russian combat vehicles can swim, but not well and not fast, according to Gustav Kressel, a military expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. If they go into the river, there is a risk that the vehicles will be scattered widely in the water.

The Dnieper presented a two-fold problem to the Russian army, firstly, it was difficult to get to the troops north of the river. Especially in the city of Cherson, they have already returned to positions close to the shore, so they can receive fire support from the south bank, that is, across the river. In Gressel’s view, this suggests that “the troops there are slowly running out of ammunition.”

This is particularly dangerous for the Russians, who now have 20,000 troops there, anticipating a Ukrainian attack. “They smuggled their operational reserves over there and a lot of paratroopers, so a lot of good combat units,” says Kressel.

The tanks did not return either

A second problem created by unstable bridges: even if the Russians decided that they could not hold their bridgehead at Cherson due to difficult logistics and abandoned it entirely, they would not be able to get their heavy equipment out of there. So you have to accept huge material loss.

All of this plays directly into the hands of the Ukrainians. Although they are outnumbered, they advance slowly, but compared to the fierce battles in the Kharkiv region, they suffer only minor losses and can play for time. Because the Russians can’t supply their troops and ammunition stocks run out when they fall.

The situation in Kharkov region is completely different. There, in the east of the country, the Ukrainian military has momentum on its side. She recaptured the Kubyansk railway junction which the Russians used to supply their troops. The liberated city of Izyum was important for Kremlin troops, from where further attacks on still unoccupied areas of Donbass were planned.

In this way, Ukraine was able to capture not only a large area from the Russian attackers, but also important logistical centers. Now they must consolidate their gains and set the stage for another attack.

Rivers also play an important role in the current conflict in the east. Fierce fighting was also reported in the relatively small Chivarsky Donets and especially around the town of Lyman in the Lysizansk region. “Ukraine is trying to expand bridges across the river from the south,” says Kressel.

The partisans stab the Russians in the back

In his view, the situation in the Oskill River is less than satisfactory. At present, the front row goes directly across the river. Ukrainian troops remain in the West Bank, where they are trying to regroup, refuel combat vehicles and prepare for further advances. At the same time, the Russians were trying to establish a strong defensive line on the east bank of the river.

However, there are reports that Ukrainian troops have already crossed the river and reached the eastern bank. Accordingly, at least one developed bridgehead must already exist. But Kressel is currently not confirming such reports. It is difficult to assess the situation in the region, since many partisans are stationed behind the Russian front, that is, further east.

“That’s why there are always heavy fighting and places in the east of Askil where the Ukrainian flag is flying. But it is difficult to determine whether these are already Ukrainian troops,” says military expert Kresel. There is little information from Ukraine, “even though they certainly know what’s going on there.” He himself had yet to see “the density of victories that would allow them to claim that they had areas under their control.”

It is certain that Ukrainian partisans and special forces are trying to operate in the rear of the enemy forces, ambushing, confusing and delaying the new Russian forces now massed there to protect the front line. The aim was to disrupt and, if possible, delay the construction of the Russian defensive line.