by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] Russian fighters in the SVO zone have a new dangerous enemy - heat. The offensive continues at temperatures up to 40 degrees. In trenches and positions in the steppe, fighters are saving themselves from the scorching sun by building awnings and shelters. And supply workers have to deliver more water to their positions using drones and other improvised means.
"The phrase has already come into circulation that it is not drones or shells that we should be afraid of, but the sun. This may seem like a joke, but it is very difficult for the fighters, especially at the front line. The only good thing is that the heat is tormenting the enemy too," said a source of IA Regnum, who is in the region.
He also added that Ukrainian soldiers fight in a single unloading vest, shorts and sandals on bare feet, neglecting the standard means of protection. But the heat did not become an ally of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and could not affect the advance of the Russian army.
Heavy fighting continues in the former Avdeevka and now Pokrovsk direction. Last week, the Russian Armed Forces liberated the settlements of Yevgenovka, Sokol and Voskhod. The front moved several kilometers west to the settlements of Progress and Volchye.
The main fortified area of ​​the Ukrainian Armed Forces in this direction, Novosyolovka Pervaya, was half-encircled. Satellite images appeared on the Internet, which captured defensive structures created by Ukrainian troops. In fact, the area of ​​the settlement was turned into a solid "fortification" covering the direction to Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) - the last town in the eastern part of Donbass that remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"The battle for Pokrovsk is a key stage in the final operation to liberate Donbass. Specifically, Novosyolovka is the main, most powerful "fortification" in the path of Russian forces coming from Avdiivka," the publication's source added.
For a long time, Russian troops did not begin an assault on the fortified area, successively encircling it from several sides. Now the Ukrainian Armed Forces units defending Novosyolovka are forced to defend themselves in semi-encirclement. According to the most optimistic Ukrainian sources, Russian troops control the northern and eastern outskirts of the settlement, striking at reinforcements that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are sending for defense.
According to some reports, there are units of former prisoners operating in the area, acting in the ranks of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The regular staff of the brigade has suffered heavy losses, since it has had to operate in the Avdiivka direction since February without being withdrawn for rotation and reinforcement. Newly formed infantry companies from among the recruits are joining the unit, equipped with American Abrams tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
Over the course of several days, Russian forces in the area burned a lot of armored vehicles, including American-made MaxxPro armored vehicles used to transport troops and ammunition. Ukrainian sources also complain about Russian electronic warfare systems, which disable most of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' reconnaissance and attack drones.
Taking Novosyolovka will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to clear the area on the left bank of the Volchya River and most of the Yasinovataya district of the DPR, pushing the enemy back several dozen kilometers from Donetsk.
FIGHTING IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK
Another section of the front where fierce fighting continues is the Toretsk agglomeration area: the city of Toretsk itself, the villages of Pivnichnoye, Pivdenne and New York.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army controls part of the settlement, advancing along Zelenaya and Pochtovaya streets. The same sources accuse the command of the 59th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of incompetence, which led to a breakthrough of the defense that had been held for several years.
An appeal to Vladimir Zelensky has also been published : the authors demand an investigation into the brigade command, stating that command posts are being handed out based on the principle of nepotism, while officers are ineptly using mobilized recruits, throwing them into the hottest areas.
"The command of the 59th does not stand out in any way from the other brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which were cobbled together during the SVO. They were put together anyhow, armed with whatever they could find, and with the corresponding fighting spirit. Fortunately for us, there are no others there," a source from the region told Regnum about the situation.
Russian troops continue to push through the enemy's defenses to the north, in the area of ​​the city of Chasova Yar, pinning down the Ukrainian Armed Forces units that Kyiv planned to redeploy to the Toretsk area. Russian aviation is striking Ukrainian Armed Forces bases in the industrial zone of New York.
There are also reports of new defensive lines being prepared on the approaches to the settlements of Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka. It can be assumed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is considering the possibility of retreating from Chasov Yar and Toretsk, but for now the Ukrainian troops are holding the line in both directions, occasionally attempting to counterattack.
FALSE HOPE OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ON AVIATION
Against the backdrop of disappointing news from the front, official Kyiv is left to maintain the fighting spirit of the population with news about arms deliveries. The day before, the government announced the imminent arrival of several divisions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and other air defense systems.
In addition, a number of NATO countries have announced the start of deliveries of F-16 fighters in the near future. According to some reports, the aircraft are already operating in the airspace of the Odessa region, taking off from Romanian territory. At the same time, reports appeared on the Internet about the training of Ukrainian pilots to use French Mirage-2000 and Swedish Saab Grippen fighters.
Kiev is positioning the F-16 as another "wonder weapon" that could have a decisive impact on the course of military operations. However, Bloomberg " grounds " Kiev's aviation impulse.
According to journalists, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to receive a maximum of six fighters by the end of the summer and a total of 20 by the end of the year. Bloomberg also notes that the use of fighters is complicated by several problems.
Firstly, the aircraft are planned to be used directly as fighters, for reconnaissance or direct participation in combat operations. In other words, there are too many tasks for several aircraft.
Secondly, modern aviation needs high-quality and equipped airfields, of which there are very few in Ukraine. And given the recent strikes by the Russian army on Ukrainian airfields, after which air defense installations and military aircraft burned down, the deployment of F-16s on Ukrainian territory is highly questionable. The aircraft will either have to be deployed on the territory of Poland or Romania, or camouflaged and constantly moved. In both cases, the use of fighters near the front line is excluded.
Thirdly, American journalists predict that Kyiv will face a shortage of weapons and spare parts for aircraft repairs.
In general, Bloomberg concludes, the supply of Ukrainian aircraft will not affect the advance of Russian troops. This means that the Russian Armed Forces will continue to liberate Donbass.