Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive: Pyatikhatki turned into a trap for Ukrainians
By the end of Sunday, fierce battles continued for the village of Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye region, which recently came under the control of either the Ukrainian or the Russian side several times.
Ukrainian sources insist that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have occupied the village. Russian - that the Ukrainians were unable to gain a foothold in Pyatikhatki, since it is located in a lowland, and Russian artillery covers the enemy, preventing them from digging in.
In the afternoon, a message from a Russian fighter with the call sign “Yakut” appeared on the channel of the late military commander Vladlen Tatarsky, who claimed that Polish mercenaries took part in the attack on Pyatikhatki.
“The settlement is located in a lowland. The enemy smoked and suppressed our communication. That's why we managed to beat him back. The enemy is below us, we control the dominant points and throw artillery there. I think that in the coming days we will push the enemy out of there,” Yakut said.
By the evening, a representative of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov, announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been driven out of Pyatikhatki.
“I am confident that the settlement of Pyatikhatki, located on the Vasilyevsky direction of the Zaporozhye Front, will be inscribed in the glorious chronicle of the liberation of the southern Russian lands from the Nazi infection.
The victory of the Ukrainian Armed Forces quickly turned into Zrada, without lasting even several hours in the information space.
Our defenders worked according to the classics. They lured the enemy into a fire bag and worked to the fullest - aviation, artillery and TOS "Solntsepek".
At the moment, the enemy has been driven out of Pyatikhatki by Russian soldiers,” says Rogov.
Data that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been driven out of Pyatikhatki is also published by the channel of military personnel of the 105th Infantry Regiment of the NM DPR.
“As expected, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were unable to gain a foothold and advance to the south - Russian artillery is actively working... The Armed Forces of Ukraine are bringing up reserves, but instead of increasing the critical mass, losses are increasing... Instead of Leopard-2 tanks, Soviet-type tanks - T-72B - are actively being introduced into battle and T-64BV. At the same time, the losses of armored vehicles are significantly higher than usual - due to artillery fire, the engineering and evacuation groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are practically paralyzed and cannot withdraw damaged vehicles to the rear of the Ukrainian group,” the message says.
Even such a skeptic as the former head of the DPR Ministry of Defense Igor Strelkov admits that if the Ukrainian Armed Forces control Pyatikhatki, it will be at the cost of exorbitant losses.
“The enemy declares his control over the village, our command says that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been driven out of the village, but the village itself is in the “gray zone”, and our troops are not there. There are many videos online showing artillery strikes on the village and enemy armored infantry units moving around it. Apparently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have finally captured this settlement and this is their first (in two weeks) success in this direction. Taking into account the large losses incurred, the result, to put it mildly, is not impressive. And the capture of the village does not provide any benefits to the enemy for the development of a further offensive,” Strelkov believes.
Political scientist Sergei Markov predicts that attempts to take Pyatikhatki will continue on Monday:
“The meaning of Pyatikhatki is that their possession allows the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while maintaining an offensive impulse, to develop an attack on Vasilyevka and then either on the Zaporizhia NPP or on Melitopol. But only if the offensive momentum is maintained. To break this impulse with powerful artillery strikes and tough defense and heavy losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this is now the main task of the Russian army at Pyatikhatki.”
Former adviser to the head of the DPR, Alexander Kazakov, believes that the course of hostilities is indirect evidence of the absence of Valery Zaluzhny “at the helm” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“I think that Zaluzhny would have curtailed the offensive long ago - he would have had enough authority, among other things. The offensive had to end on the third day. Because there is one of the axioms of war: if mistakes are made at the beginning of an offensive operation, then they cannot be corrected during the operation. They will only expand, we must stop. And they won't stop. They will continue to hit the concrete wall. They will commit suicide over us. This is good…
Conducting an offensive with small forces in different directions is madness. It can be waged, but centuries of wars have proven that it can be waged on a maximum of two directions. But on one condition, that there is a backup single center. And ideal logistics, which allows you to quickly transfer reserves back and forth - now in one direction, now in another. But they don’t have that, and they are also under our fire,” comments Kazakov.
English version :: Read in English Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive: Pyatikhatki turned into a trap for Ukrainians