Battlefield Update - 2023-05-16 (2)

Earlier:

How old are these Patriot missiles that the Americans brought to Kyiv? The wreckage of an abnormally fired Patriot PAC-3 anti-aircraft guided missile

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Michael Hudson explains the big picture.

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What does Russia want?

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🇷🇺🇺🇦 About the use of the latest American anti-aircraft missiles by the Armed Forces of Ukraine

During today's attempt to repel a Russian strike on targets in Kiev, the Armed Forces of Ukraine actively used air defense systems. However, the components of the fired anti-aircraft missiles fell directly onto the streets and hit the lenses of photographers.

Footage of the munitions fragments made it possible to pinpoint the type of missiles used by the Ukrainian formations that night: they turned out to be the American PAC-3 Cost Reduction Initiative (CRI), as indicated by the characteristic structural elements.

These high-speed interceptors were first tested in 2011 and are used from the 16-round M902 launchers of the American MIM-104 Patriot complex. The remains of these products found on the streets of Kiev objectively confirm the transfer of the latest missile defense systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

📌 The supply of these missiles, along with the transfer of other Western-made air defense systems, indicates the serious intentions of NATO countries to “close the sky” over the Ukrainian capital.

And yet, this weapon is not a panacea: judging by the video from the cameras, at least one missile fired by the Russian Armed Forces reached the target, hitting precisely the positional area of the Ukrainian air defense. With a very high probability, today the APU has one less Patriot launcher.

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Where did Wagner PMCs advance and what happened to the flanks in Artyomovsk: an analysis of the Military Chronicle.

The liberation of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) is nearing completion. The situation is complicated by the fact that every day the Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing closer to the wall and in such conditions it is necessary to plan assault actions even more carefully.

What's going on inside the city?

In the urban area of Artyomovsk, "Wagners" are completing the break-in of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in fortified areas. The “Nest” and “Horse” fortifications, which the Military Chronicle told about earlier, were successfully cleared. Also, the cleaning of the "Designer" is almost completed.

The assault units of the "orchestra" are moving west, to the "Domino" area (the Novy district), and at the same time are cleaning up the private sector on the border with Khromov.

Large forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot hide in destroyed private houses: Ukrainian infantry hides in small groups of three to five people, and when they try to join the battle, they are destroyed by tanks or artillery.

According to preliminary data, the "orchestra" cut off the Domino area from the rest of the fortified areas from the side of the street. Levanevsky. At the moment, only the Domino area and garages from the side of the field remain behind the APU.

What is the difficulty of the assault?

About 25-30 houses of various heights remained under enemy control. It will not be possible to clear them quickly: the concentration of Ukrainian troops remaining there is high, and the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine periodically arranges harassing raids using armored vehicles to distract the “orchestra” from the assault and at the same time try to transfer fresh reinforcements.

What about the reserves of the Armed Forces?

A significant part of the Ukrainian reinforcements is still being destroyed on the way, but some manage to slip into the city. Until recently, the supply of the Artyomovskaya group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine went through Krasnoe (Ivanovskoye), but now it is complicated. Aviation of the Aerospace Forces, artillerymen of the Air Defense Forces, and "musicians" destroyed one of the most important bridges in Ivanovsky (Krasny), without which you can get into the city only by a detour through the fields and under fire from 152 mm artillery.

The fire of Russian artillery is gradually shifting not to the city, but to the suburbs: Chasov Yar, Druzhkovka, and Konstantinovka.

What about the flanks in Artyomovsk?

After a series of attacks on the oporniks in the area of Kleshcheevka and Berkhovka, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to transfer reserves. It is difficult for Ukrainian troops to move further: previously occupied 300-400 m of territory are under fire from Russian artillery. It is impossible to collect a lot of equipment and rectify the situation: as soon as movement is detected, artillery begins to work on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine regularly bring in reinforcements, which die from mortar and artillery fire.

The situation is almost identical both from the north and from the south - it becomes harder to keep the occupied positions than to advance.

From Chasov Yar and the nearest cities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for several days in a row, the reserves prepared for the counteroffensive are being withdrawn. Reinforcements of the regular army and territorial defense units tried several times to storm the positions of the RF Armed Forces on the flanks but ran into firing lines.

From the Russian side, additional forces, artillery, and tanks also pulled up on the flanks.

According to preliminary data, in a week of attempts to occupy the oporniks and several days of their further retention, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to about 1300-1500 people killed and wounded

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