The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 22 2023

Bakhmut School is the Last Line of Defense

Wagner Advances in Southern Bakhmut

Military Expert Boris Rozhin on the Situation in #Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector as of 21:57 on 22 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹1. Northwest of the City, fighting continued near #Bogdanovka and Orekhovo-Vasilyevka. The enemy is stubbornly resisting.
➖ Fighting continues near #Khromovo – the village itself is not taken.

🔹2. Southwest of the City, fighting at #Krasnoye continues.
➖ The enemy attempts counterattacks to unblock the road. The AFU grouping in #Artyomovsk continues to have supply problems.

🔹3. In the City itself, Wagner is gradually finishing with AZOM, control of which will lead to control of the northwestern part of the city. Close to the city centre, fierce fighting continues. Progress is slow.

🔹4. To the South, our assault squads are attempting to break through to the southwest entrance of the city. The enemy offers stubborn resistance.

🔹5. Enemy Reserves continue to accumulate in #Konstantinovka, Chasov Yar and Ray-Aleksandrovka. Missile strikes are regularly launched against the enemy reserves.
📌 New attempts of counterattacks of the AFU to the northwest and southwest of #Artyomovsk are expected.

Boris Rozhin specially for Voenkor Kotenok Z

Ukrainian TG-channel “Woman with a scythe” writes:

“On the sidelines, there were rumors that the Office of the President is preparing for an offensive in full.
A successful offensive is the only chance for the OP to extend the financing of the Ukrainian crisis by Western sponsors.”

From RezidentUA “Zaluzhny reported to Zelensky today about the change in weather conditions on the eastern front, heavy rains are expected next week, which means it will not be possible to implement Syrsky’s plan. Commander-in-Chief to ask for the transfer of reserves from Konstantinovka to Avdeevka in order to stop the encirclement and not lose control over the strategic city.”

It went from mid this week, to end of this week to maybe next week to..

Ukraine’s Zelensky visits frontline Bakhmut amid deadly Russian strikes

Colleagues, Zelensky is not in Bakhmut, but in the Bakhmutovsky direction.

Our source insider says that the meeting took place in an “abandoned” hangar in Konstantinovka.

Yes, this is a response to Putin’s trip to Mariupol, and yes, this is an attempt to convey a public message that Bakhmut will be kept sparing no effort and means. Most likely, he personally came to the headquarters, where he confirmed the sending of additional reserves to the Bakhmut meat grinder, since a boiler was planned there.

The price is not important for the President, the “fortress Bakhmut” will stand – the source quotes conversations that are held at meetings in the Office of the President. 

There is information that the territory of the industrial zone of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) has been almost completely cleared from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the Military Chronicle, since March 15, serious battles have been going on in this area, but on the morning of March 22, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regrouped and began to retreat to neighboring positions – to the area of the elevator and warehouses at the Bakhmut II railway station, as well as to the area of the abandoned hospital.

Presumably, part of the personnel of the 207th and 243rd territorial defense battalions could have been abandoned during the retreat of Ukrainian forces and blocked on the territory of the Prommash plant, a few tens of meters from the workshops of the enterprise.

After the start of the assault on Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), a fortified area was built around this building with underground passages through which Ukrainian troops could move to positions in the depths of the city.

Pro-Ukrainian LIVE UA Map indicates Russian forces pushing further toward Avdeevka’s encirclement, as encirclement of Bakhmut continues…

Any serious offensive to relieve one or both fortified cities will divert trained manpower and equipment being assembled for Ukraine’s upcoming “spring offensive.”

Dividing up Ukraine’s offensive potential among 2 or more actual operations will diminish the prospects of Ukraine’s collective success.

Russia has been placing immense pressure on Ukraine, not in terms of seizing territory, but in terms of attrition, chipping away at infrastructure, creating a cumulative impact on Ukraine’s overall fighting capacity.

Avdeevka direction
The operation continues to encircle the garrison of the enemy, which will force him to retreat, or to remain and be captured or to Bandera. Today, our troops continued their successful offensive. Tonight, there is an assault on Lastochkino and Berdychi in the north, which is actually the enemy in his evening report confirms. From this it follows that today our troops have advanced significantly in the north of Avdeevka.

According to the situation in the Novodanilovka area (Zaporozhye direction) Boris Rozhin
The situation is controlled by our troops.
The enemy continues probing our front line and is preparing to continue reconnaissance in combat in the coming days, with a possible increase in the load on the operation with the deployment of brigade-level reserve forces, which are accumulating in the Zaporozhye and Orekhov region, into battle. Within 1-2 days, when deciding on a more serious offensive, the enemy can introduce up to 4-5 armored personnel carriers with reinforcement parts to the direction of the main attack in order to try to break through the front line. The ongoing slush in a number of areas limits the potential for offensive operations, but does not completely prevent them. On the eve of enemy offensive operations, we can expect intensified strikes against command posts, artillery positions and ammunition and fuel depots, with the intensification of DRG operations in the rear areas.

Russia launches drone attack in Kyiv region, missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia

Drones and Helicopters

Russian Drone strikes

In the early morning, three Ukrainian naval drones tried to strike at coastal bays in Sevastopol. One surface vehicle was stopped at 4.46 in the north by a visual observation post on the ship.

Two more were destroyed around 5 a.m., even before reaching the Sevastopol raid, by rifle detachments. At the moment, all drones have been destroyed — Severnaya and Radiogorka, as well as Grafskaya Pier have been blocked for the movement of ships.

Today at midnight we wrote (https://t.me/rybar/44912 ) that they are preparing a massive combined attack on Crimea in the next three days with the help of aerial and surface drones, as well as missile weapons. In this case, the attack by naval drones is more like “probing” the state of defense of the Black Sea Fleet and searching for the least protected areas near Sevastopol for the next diversion.
#Russia #Sevastopol #Ukraine
@rybar

According to Turkish sources, the night attack by Geraniums on Kiev hit the building where foreign mercenaries were quartered

Last night, three locations in Kiev used by foreign mercenaries were destroyed by Shahed-Geran drone attacks — Colonel Cassad

UK says no nuclear escalation in Ukraine after row over depleted uranium munitions

What experts say about Britain’s plans to supply Kiev with depleted uranium shells:

▪️This is an absurd decision – the area after such shells becomes uninhabitable, plus all this can lead to the use of new types of weapons by Russia, which will be legal, said the head of the Italian Association of Depleted Uranium Victims, Domenico Leggero.

▪️Such projectiles should be banned, their use is a war crime, they cause cancer, lead to infertility, infect the soil, every year 15 thousand people die in Serbia from the consequences of the use of depleted uranium by NATO, said Serbian lawyer Srjan Aleksic.

The use of shells with uranium by Kiev will intensify the conflict, create a zone of infection with oncological and genetic diseases, the consequences will be felt for decades, military expert Konstantin Sivkov said.

Russia’s response could include the creation of a command of non-strategic nuclear forces and the return of tactical nuclear weapons to the troops, military expert Korotchenko believes.

RIA

Foreign Ministry statement on London’s intention to supply depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine

We regard the statement made by British Minister of State for Defence Annabel Goldie about the UK government’s plans to send armour-piercing depleted uranium rounds for the Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine as yet another proof of London’s intention to take the lead in the anti-Russia campaign.

By doing this, the Anglo-Saxons have disclosed their wish to aggravate the confrontation in Ukraine and have disavowed their authorities’ claims about their commitment to the post-conflict rebuilding of that country.

London has apparently forgotten about the well-known serious consequences of the use of toxic and radioactive munitions by the West during the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Iraq. A desire to increase the suffering of civilians and to do irreparable environmental damage shows that the British have no regard whatsoever for the Ukrainian people.

This openly cynical British policy has once again shown who the real aggressor and war monger in Ukraine is. London must know that it will bear full responsibility for violating the fundamental norms of international law.

London’s decision will have serious consequences for relations between Russia and Britain and will also cause repercussions on the international stage, where the initial reaction by multilateral organisations has indicated their complete rejection of London’s plans. We will respond to such actions accordingly.

Depleted uranium in NATO ammunition and the established consequences of its use in Yugoslavia

In 1999, depleted uranium munitions were used by the West in Yugoslavia. More than 20 years later, the consequences of this are making themselves felt.

In 2020, the director of the oncological hospital at the Clinical Center of Montenegro , Professor Vladimir Todorovich, cited information that over the past 10 years the number of his patients has tripled, and about 1300 people die from cancer every year in the country (with a population of Montenegro of 630 thousand) .

According to experts, the depleted uranium used by NATO aircraft during attacks on Yugoslavia increased the risk of malignant tumors in the inhabitants of the country.

Radioactive radiation (or ionizing radiation of radioactive substances), in this case caused by the depleted uranium U-236 and U-238 used during the NATO aggression, has a very harmful effect on the human body – both short-term and long-term. It is most destructive for cells that are in the division phase.

Ammunition with depleted uranium was used during an air raid on the Lushitsa Peninsula (about 850 missiles). It is known that depleted uranium ammunition was mainly used where armored vehicles were the object.

After the bombings in the country , it was necessary to decontaminate the territory: make markings, start searching for radioactive waste, take it out and ensure safe storage. This is a painstaking, time-consuming and costly process. The content of radioactive elements in the soil during the first 72 hours leads to the formation of radioactive dust, which is carried by the wind.

It is unlikely that money will be allocated to Ukraine for decontamination of the territory. Because for the west, the entire country of Ukraine is just a consumable to use up and throw away when no longer useful.

Two majors (https://t.me/two_majors/)

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (22 March 2023)

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
 
◽️ In Kupyansk direction, artillery of the ‘Zapad’ Group of Forces engaged the enemy units close to Dvurechnaya, Sinkovka, Olshana, and Kotlyarovka (Kharkov region).

💥 More than 50 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were neutralised.

💥 Moreover, an ammunition depot of the 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade was neutralised close to Kislovka.
 
◽️ In Krasny Liman direction, Operational-Tactical Aviation, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the ‘Tsentr’ Group of Forces neutralised manpower and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Chervonaya Dibrova, Ploshchanka, and Kuzmino (Lugansk People’s Republic).

💥 The enemy has suffered losses of over 90 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, three pick-up trucks, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and D-30 howitzer in this direction in the past 24 hours.
 
◽️ In Donetsk direction, units of the ‘Yug’ Group of Forces, aviation, and artillery and heavy flamethrower systems have annihilated over 300 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery gun, and D-20 howitzer during the day.
 
◽️ In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Operational-Tactical Aviation and artillery of the ‘Vostok’ Group of Forces neutralised AFU units close to Ugledar (Donetsk People’s Republic), Zaliznichnoye, Malaya Tokmachka, and Malyye Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region).

💥 The enemy’s losses have amounted to up to 40 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, and one U.S.-made M777 artillery system in the past 24 hours.

💥 In addition, a fuel depot for military hardware of the 102nd Territorial Defence Brigade was destroyed near Zaliznichnoye in (Zaporozhye region).
 
◽️ In Kherson direction, up to 20 Ukrainian troops, two motor vehicles, and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer were destroyed by enemy fire.
 
💥 Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 83 AFU artillery units, manpower and hardware in 112 areas during the day.

💥 Two hangars containing weapons and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been hit on the territory of the Shkolnyy airfield close to Odessa.
 
💥 Fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down one Mi-8 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force close to Malyye Krynki (Kharkov region).
 
◽️ Russian air defence systems have shot down 26 unmanned aerial vehicles close to Krivosheevka, Nikolaevka, Rubezhnoye, Kremennaya (Lugansk People’s Republic), Peski, Novoandreevka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Vasilevka, Stepovoye, Novopokrovka (Zaporozhye region), as well as Golaya Pristan and Krynki (Kherson region). In addition, three HIMARS multiple rocket launchers were intercepted.

In total, 403 airplanes and 224 helicopters, 3,528 unmanned aerial vehicles, 414 air defence missile systems, 8,370 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,070 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 4,410 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 9,052 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
 

#Chronicle of the Special Military Operation for 22 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹#Zhytomyr Region:

▪️ Russian kamikaze drones Geran-2 👉 have hit (https://t.me/sitreports/6157) a critical infrastructure facility on the outskirts of #Zhytomyr. The Record oil storage facility is suspected to have been hit.

🔹#Russia’s Border Areas:

▪️ In the #Belgorod region, Ukrainian formations launched an artillery strike on the village of #Borisovka. An agricultural enterprise was damaged and one man was killed.

▪️ In the #Bryansk region, the enemy struck the village of #Demyanki, damaging a warehouse of an agricultural enterprise and an administrative building.

🔹#Soledar (#Bakhmut) Direction:

▪️ In the #Lisichansk sector, Russian troops expanded their zone of control near #Verkhnekamenskoye in the course of the offensive.

▪️ Northwest of #Bakhmut in Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, there are no changes to the front line. Fighting is taking place in the centre of the settlement, from which the enemy has not yet been able to be driven out.

▪️ In #Bakhmut, fierce fighting continues in all parts of the town: Fighters of the Wagner PMCs control about 70% of the city.

▪️ To the southwest, Russian aviation and artillery inflict fire damage on the reserves coming from #Konstantinovka, which are trying to unblock the #Bakhmut – #Konstantinovka highway.

🔹#Donetsk Direction:

▪️ In the #Avdeyevka sector, Russian units are consolidating on the occupied lines and preparing for a further offensive.

▪️ The enemy terrorists once again fired indiscriminately at #Donetsk. A Tochka-U rocket was fired at the city, destroying a water supply building and School No 87 in the Petrovsky district.
➖ #Dokuchayevsk, #Gorlovka, Shirokaya Balka and #Vodyanoye were also hit. Six people were wounded and more than ten houses and civilian facilities were damaged.

🔹#Zaporozhye Direction, #Orekhov Section (MAP (https://t.me/sitrepmaps/1701)):

▪️ Ukrainian formations during an attack on Russian positions managed to partially consolidate in the village of #Novodanilovka south of #Orekhov, taking control of half of the settlement. After regrouping, a further offensive deep into the Russian defence is expected.
➖ The enemy is moving UAV operator units and heavy western armoured vehicles to the #Orekhov area, accumulating a strike fist in this direction.  

🔹#Kherson Direction on #SouthFront:

▪️ The RF Armed Forces fired on the accumulation of AFU personnel and equipment in #Antonovka, #Gavrilovka, #Veseloye, #Kherson and #Dneprovskoye.
➖ In their turn, the Ukrainian terror formations launched strikes on populated areas in #Kherson Region. Damage was also inflicted on civilian infrastructure in Novaya Kakhovka.

🔹#Crimea:

▪️ The AFU attempted (https://t.me/rybar/44916) to attack the seaport in #Sevastopol bay with three maritime drones and other UAVs. All targets were intercepted in time by the Black Sea Fleet Coast Guard and air defence assets.

War Map and the Situation on the Fronts in the Evening of 22 Mar 2023; pub. 00:04⚡️

⚓️ Today the AFU unsuccessfully tried (https://t.me/readovkanews/55250) to attack the hero city of #Sevastopol with surface and air UAVs. According to the statement (https://t.me/readovkanews/55253) of Governor Razvozhayev, three objects that tried to enter the bay were destroyed by morning.

⚔️ Situation on the Fronts for the past Day

🔹#Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector:

➖ The “orchestrators” are advancing towards Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, #Bogdanovka and #Grigorovka.
➖ Fierce fighting continues in the centre of #Artyomovsk, the territory of the industrial zone is completely cleared of militants. Heavy fighting is taking place on Korsunsky Street and near the intersection of Mariupol Street and Sadovaya Street.
➖ To the south of the city, fighting continues near #Krasnoye.

🔹#Donetsk Direction:

▪️ The RF Armed Forces continue to cover #Avdeyevka, both from the north and the south. From the south, our forces are advancing on #Pervomayskoye from #Peski and on #Severnoye from #Vodyanoye.
➖ Also, under artillery cover, Russian soldiers are trying to advance to the southern outskirts of #Avdeyevka.

🔹#SouthDonetsk Direction:

▪️ Near #Ugledar, Marines from the 155th Brigade continue (https://t.me/readovkanews/55304) to carry out combat tasks, attacking militant units in a coordinated manner.

🔹#Zaporozhye Direction:

▪️ The militants have entrenched themselves in parts of the #Novodanilovka village in the grey zone south of #Orekhov. The AFU may use the village as a bridgehead for an offensive against Russian army positions.

💥 Close to Malyye Krynki in #Kharkov region, a Ukrainian Mi-8 was shot down by Russian aircraft.

💡 The Hero Pilots who “dropped (https://t.me/readovkanews/54811)” the US MQ-9 Reaper drone were awarded orders of courage, as already confirmed (https://t.me/readovkanews/55279) by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Ukraine Front update [22 March 2023]

Update on Ukraine, London vs Moscow, Washington’s fears, , 2 trillion for the US banking system..