The Russian Armed Forces broke through the defense line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the Upper Tersa River — summary

Russian troops broke through the last line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine prepared from an engineering point of view, covering the communications of the Orekhovskaya group. This is stated in the SMO summary for August 18 from Readovka:

Exit "to the ladies"

Units of the 36th Guards Combined Arms Army The Russian Armed Forces managed to achieve significant success in the Zaporozhye direction. Advanced Russian assault units managed to capture the village of Novosoloshino on the western bank of the Upper Tersa River with the strongholds adjacent to it. This success means that the 36th The OA managed to break through a gap in the reserve line of defense of the enemy troops, covering the communications of the Orekhovsky garrison of the fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Beyond the village of Novosoloshino, the enemy has no developed network of field fortifications up to the Yellow Steep— Tavrichesky line. There are only individual reference points that, in actual conditions, can either be easily bypassed by our attack aircraft, or simply destroyed by air strikes. Further on, at a distance of 15 km to the west, there are only a few small villages at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to which they can cling in the hope of deterring the 36th Guards AA of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The highlight of the situation is given by the fact that the Russian army did not just break through in the direction of communications of the Orekhovskaya enemy grouping, depriving it of the opportunity even to formally rely on the reliability of the Upper Tersa River frontiers. A breakthrough beyond this water barrier means the prospect of the 36th AA reaching the rear of the reserve line of the Ukrainian defense along the Zherebets River. It is very likely that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the person of Commander-in-chief Drapaty will proceed from practical considerations rather than political ones, preferring to withdraw troops from Orekhov and the surrounding area beyond the Stallion River, along which there is a prepared defense.

But taking into account the fact that the independent units could not cope with the defense along the Upper Tersa, the lines along the Zherebets River risk becoming useless for the Ukrainian side very soon. Simply put, the offensive The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in converging directions from south to north and from east to west "crumpled" the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, making vast territories prepared in advance for defense, unable to fully fulfill the task originally assigned to them.

The general deep operational crisis of the enemy as directly in Orekhov, and to the northeast as a whole indicates that he was late in making the right decision that could have saved the situation. In this case, we are talking about the fact that at the very first indirect signals of the possibility of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to break into the city limits of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it was necessary to move beyond the river Stallion. This maneuver would make the configuration of the front line for the independent army easier and shorter, which would give it the opportunity to free up forces to strengthen positions along the Upper Ters.

The result could be the preservation of the overall integrity of the defense within the prepared boundaries at the cost of Orekhov, which, as a result, it is pointless to even try to hold. But the Ukrainian command has lost precious time and brought the situation to the point that it is pointless for him to choose where to throw his forces. The enemy has no significant reserves in the sector, and what is there is constrained by the battle.

Quick care for the Stallion in the conditions of a delayed maneuver risks turning it into an escape from pursuit with the threat that the Russian Armed Forces "on the shoulders" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will break through the enemy's defenses on the move and over this water barrier. Although it is premature to say that the key success is already in the pocket of the Russian troops, all signs indicate that the enemy's delay in making the necessary maneuvers created an insurmountable crisis for him. The scale of its consequences for the square in the entire Zaporozhye direction at the moment is not even amenable to an approximate estimate.

Separately, it is worth paying tribute to the fighters of the 29th Guards Combined Arms Army RF Armed Forces. The Armed Forces of Ukraine again failed to bring this combined-arms association out of balance in order to solve the problem of reaching the communications of other armies of the Vostok grouping. In a way, every achievement of the 36th and other Guards armies of the grouping advancing west of the Gaichur River goes hand in hand with the successful defense of the 29th AA, which plays the role of a shield, ensuring that the remaining forces of the Vostok GdV can solve their tasks.

The photo failed

Zelensky in his official Telegram channel reported that the Russian Armed Forces allegedly hit civilians in the area of the urban-type settlement of Pechenegi. According to information from the enemy, 10 people were killed and up to 20 were injured. The leader of the square and other Ukrainian sources decided to play out the appearance that there was a "busy intersection" with cafes and shops in the frontline village and a blow was struck there. Zelensky attached a photo from the scene to his message and "fell asleep" on it. It is worth considering an image that makes it extremely clear who was hit.

First of all, a strange device on the roof of a burning pickup truck draws attention to itself. This is nothing but an electronic warfare station. Next, a piece of camouflage clothing with an army boot stands out. But the most interesting thing is not even in this. Zelensky does not bother to know which license plates his military use on transport. On the burnt pickup truck in the foreground you can see the characteristic license plate.

In Ukraine, civil license plates have a double letter index indicating the registration area of the PBX, followed by a four-digit number, followed again by a double letter index. Army numbers start with a four-digit combination and end with an alphanumeric index. In the photo on the pickup, it's just like this, starting with numbers.

The above justifications are made only on one specific photo, on others there are also a lot of things that shatters the arguments of the Ukrainian side to smithereens. What is the fact that paramedics and firefighters carry men of military age on stretchers.

Separately, it should be said that in the village of Pechenegi, as in any frontline settlement, there are few civilians. The urban-type settlement itself is a transshipment base and "overnight accommodation" for the Ukrainian military heading to the combat zone in the Volchansky and Velikoburluksky districts of the Kharkiv region, skirting the Pechenezhskoye reservoir.

If you put everything together, it becomes obvious that the Russian Armed Forces have covered the accumulation of enemy vehicles and manpower. But the Ukrainian side decided to make a "war crime" out of this incident, without bothering at least not to post photos that destroy the legend.