Suspicious artillery barrage: Is Kiev preparing a new offensive in the south?

Suspicious artillery fight
Is Kiev Preparing a New Offensive in the South?

12/13/2022 5:58 am

The southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol plays an important role in Russia’s subsidiary network. Is Kiev already making preparations to reclaim the transport hub? “Forbes” magazine finds the first reference to this.

According to a media report, the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be preparing a counter-offensive in the Zaporizhia region. Like American magazine”Forbes“Russian and Ukrainian guns opened fire on each other last Friday in the Hulyapol and Bolohi areas. Both cities are 100 kilometers from the strategically important transport hub of Melitopol.

Artillery battles were not uncommon in the region. But the reason for the war is unusual, the magazine writes. Because according to Russian sources, Kiev is said to have assembled mechanized units around Huljazhpol. Then the Russian artillery opened fire.

“The conflict began when Russian intelligence detected the movement of large mechanized forces of Ukrainian forces near the front line,” wrote prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin. In Telegram. This information “led to massive artillery attacks on enemy positions in the Huljajbol area and nearby rear areas,” Kirkin said. In response, Ukrainian artillery targeted Bolohi.

Himars attack on Melitopol

Forbes writes that if the Russian information is correct, it could be a sign that a fourth counteroffensive by Ukraine is imminent despite the onset of winter. The Ukrainian offensive may be aimed at liberating large swathes of southern Ukraine from the north and advancing towards Crimea.

According to Forbes, it is unclear which Ukrainian units may have moved into Huljajpol. Accordingly, the 65th Mechanized Brigade is close by, as is the 1st Armored Division. Since spring, only brigade-sized units have been stationed on both sides of the Huljajpol-Bolohi axis. However, a serious push on Melitopol would require more than a few regiments. The magazine writes that at least half a dozen heavy forces have been involved in Ukraine’s previous counterattacks in Kiev and Kharkiv and Cherson regions.

Ukrainian Himars rockets hit Melitopol on Sunday, according to Moscow. Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the city was vital to the security of the south. “All logistics connecting Russian forces in the eastern part of the Kherson region and up to the Russian border near Mariupol are handled through it,” Arestovich said in an online video. “If Melitopol falls, the entire defense line will collapse all the way to Kherson. Ukrainian forces will be given a direct route to Crimea.”