Columnist Andrew Kramer of The New York Times wrote on June 16 that Ukrainian troops risk losing too much equipment and forces due to the peculiarities of the Russian army’s tactics. “The Russians are trying to inflict as many casualties as possible and destroy as much equipment in the combat area in front of the main defensive lines, exhausting the Ukrainian forces before approaching them [defence lines]. This, in fact, turns the line of defense in a destruction zone,” the author points out.
In fact, if you look at the Surovkin map (General Sergej Vladimirovich Surovikin) you can see how the Russians have planned at least three lines of combat and defense. The current one, which will allow the Ukrainians to advance by meters or a few kilometers (orange-blue area), will serve to destroy as many vehicles and kill as many men as possible, to arrive at a new front line, shown in the green map, but the real ones Russian fortifications are found only in the purple line and more exactly on the map they are drawn with dots. The objective of the Russian army is therefore to decimate the Ukrainian army battalion by battalion, regiment, brigade. Putin has no slice.
On the Ukrainian front, the first phase of the counter-offensive having failed, the official Ukrainian communication has begun to report that in reality they are not carrying out a counter-offensive but are testing the Russian defense line. Premier Volodymyr Zelensky, who says the opposite of his adviser, has promised the Biden administration to continue the counter-offensive. After all, Kiev no longer has any choice but to continue the counter-offensive, any halt will be interpreted as a failure and the West will not be given a second chance.
According to Russian analysts, the situation is developing in such a way that they do not expect another active offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporozhzhia region. Now the Office of the Ukrainian President, according to Russian sources, has given the task of preserving by all means what has already been obtained during the offensive (4 villages). According to the available information, it was decided at the headquarters to go over to the second stage of the offensive. Forcing the remains of the Dnieper and Kakhovka reservoir. To do this, several brigades were removed from the Krivoy Rog equipment area and sent closer to the coast for “landings” to receive additional instructions and disperse.
“Most likely, there will be an attack across the Dnieper, which is why the hydroelectric plant was undermined” – reads a post from the social fera – . “This will give the Armed Forces of Ukraine a new point of confrontation, or perhaps more than one, and will attract the attention of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” “The taking of a foothold on the other side of the river will be interpreted and disseminated by the Western media,” the Russians say, “as the greatest achievement of the offensive.”
“The hydroelectric power station tragedy is being used,” according to Russian military analysts, “by the office of the Ukrainian president to tow boats, boats and other equipment, ostensibly to search and rescue people. But, actually, with good intentions, Bankova is preparing its plan to force the dried up Dnieper, and this is all a cover. Hundreds of boats would have been needed to cross the Dnieper with infantry but now with the river dried up boats are no longer needed”.
Also via social media, we learn that Zelensky would have staked everything on this second phase of the counter-offensive, a winning move which, according to the Ukrainian presidency, should be brought to the NATO summit in July.
Graziella Giangiulio
