Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
| They used to call it General Winter, I understand, but those were simpler times. |
2. With these statements, they try to justify both the successes of the PMC "Wagner" in the Artemovsk direction, and the failure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in attempts to counterattack north and south of Artemovsk, as well as the tough defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city itself.
3. Indeed, the fighting in the area of Artemovsk is complicated by the slush, which has an impact on the course of the fighting. But as you might guess, it is more difficult to attack in muddy conditions than to defend, because the defender in prepared positions is much less faced with the problem of moving equipment outside paved and highway roads than the attacker.
4. Since during the fighting near Artemovsk, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and PMC Wagner were constantly advancing, the problem of mudslide had a greater impact on them than on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Serious problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine began when, as a result of the offensive of our troops, key asphalt roads to Artemovsk were taken under fire control, which forced the use of primers and fields to supply the Artemovsk group. Then went whining about the mudslide. While the Armed Forces of Ukraine controlled the roads, they did not particularly complain about the mud.
5. With the counteroffensive near Artemovsk, the same story. Its necessity stems from the situation of operational encirclement and loss of control over paved roads. But the slush naturally prevents us from advancing across the fields. But this is a consequence of the current operational situation, and not the cause.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine knew very well that even in winter, in the spring, there would be a strong mudslide in the Artemovsk region (a special department of the General Staff deals with weather issues when planning operations), but hoped that due to tough defense, our offensive would slow down and our troops would suffer more from it, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to keep supplies on paved roads. Failed. And now they are trying to blame everything on the weather.
6. In general, the German-style Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to blame the causes of the defeat on the climate, and not on the actions of our troops, which drove the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Artemovsk into a difficult situation, which actually exacerbated the problems of logistics and slush.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin/83601 - zinc (broadcast of hostilities as usual in Telegram, who are interested, subscribe)
From the V Kontakte page of Tatyana Vasilyeva
Ukrainian sources report that it has allegedly been decided that Zelensky's headquarters has finally decided to postpone the offensive from spring, at least to summer. It is reported that due to huge losses in Bakhmut. Considering that vacations in the Armed Forces of Ukraine were not canceled, it can be assumed that no one was going to attack in the next month, so all this is most likely informational noise.
But, of course, this does not apply to losses near Bakhmut. They are really, really big. But the problem for Kyiv is that, leaving Artemovsk, and trying to rest in another place, he will get exactly the same "meat grinder". Well, or just retreat to Kyiv and Lvov. And even the military genius of Zaluzhny, who almost from January called for leaving Artemovsk, could not do anything with this, which was very beneficial for him in terms of media.
Meanwhile, yesterday, at the rate, Zelensky demanded that Syrsky keep Bakhmut, at least until May 9, inclusive, “in order not to give the Kremlin a big information victory.” The general, in turn, announced that he could complete this task only if he was provided with heavy Western equipment in order to recapture the Yar-Bakhmut Clock route, without which Bakhmut would fall in the coming days. Only it is unlikely that they will give him Western technology, which in reality is very scarce, and is no longer expected in the near future. And she won't help either.
That is, losses will not decrease. Moreover, as The Times writes, Ukraine may “lose control of the sky” (which it never had) due to a lack of air defense systems and ammunition for them. The publication reports that after the Bandera air defense was seriously reduced, the VKS got the opportunity to work much more actively on the advanced positions of the Bandera, and even the immediate rear, further increasing the losses of the enemy, and demoralizing them.
Meanwhile, a protest movement of relatives of militants is gathering in the rear, who accuse the Nazi regime of abandoning their husbands and sons without training, without the necessary equipment, and almost without weapons, almost to certain death. The protesters, of course, have already been declared “Kremlin agents” and “Poroshenko supporters” at the same time, which caused them even more fury.
From the V Kontakte page of Armed Forces of Novorossiya (VSN)
Kyiv called the climate weapon of Russia the reason for the loss of Bakhmut.
The Russian Armed Forces used climate weapons in the battle zone, said Alexander Syrsky, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
With such an unusual statement, the general spoke at a meeting of the headquarters of the high command in Kyiv.
Using a climate weapon, Russia managed to cause prolonged rains in the Donbass, a Ukrainian general said without batting an eyelid. As a result, the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot withstand the successful attacks of the Russian army in the Donbass and, in particular, in Bakhmut, Syrsky complained.
According to the Kyiv media, the headquarters discussed the situation in Bakhmut, where the situation continues to deteriorate. Weather conditions do not allow organizing a counterattack, and rain is predicted for the next ten days, which will greatly complicate the supply of the Armed Forces in the city.
“The commander of the ground forces reported the loss of control of the main road of life to the city, and two weeks of rain are ahead, which will make it difficult to use the fields.
Syrsky admitted that his plan for a counter-offensive near Bakhmut failed due to the use of climate weapons by Russian troops. Two months of continuous rains played their role against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, preventing armored vehicles and ammunition from being brought up to the city,” the publication says.
It is worth adding that the slush makes it difficult to supply Russian troops. However, bad weather does not prevent the fighters of the RF Armed Forces from smashing the enemy, Russian military correspondents say.