The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on May 11 2023

The Shadow of the Storm

‘Can’t lose more people’: Zelensky’s declaration of surrender? Ukraine says ‘no counteroffensive’

Zelensky says more time needed to prepare Ukraine’s counteroffensive

Zelenskyy vows to give Russia an ‘unpleasant surprise’ in Ukrainian counteroffensive

Situation on 11 May 2023 at 22:00: On the real Activation

1. #Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut); Continuation of yesterday’s AFU attacks to the northwest and southwest of #Artyomovsk. The enemy has achieved some tactical successes, but at the moment the situation looks controlled. The operational reserves of the parties are not involved.

2. in the Area of #Mayorsk, local attacks of the AFU. They look like local activity.

3. In the #Belgorod Direction without changes. The movement of the enemy in the #Kharkov area can be directed to different areas, to the border of the region, to #Kupyansk or to the #Svatovo direction.
The work of the Russian aviation and missile strikes are expected. Arrivals in #Chernigov and #Sumy regions have begun.

4. In the #Zaporozhye and #Kherson directions, there is no progress. The activity is still of a standard nature.

5. In the #Soledar Sector, there are still reports of fighting  but there are very few specifics there.

I remind you once again – during the beginning of a real counteroffensive of the enemy, a serious disinformation and cyber strike will be inflicted, which should sow panic and increase the disorganization of state structures.

We’re waiting.

“Don’t Panic!” is the first and most important rule that anyone who is going to travel the galaxy should remember. If you find a way not to panic during your adventures, then you can take control of any situation. At this moment, nothing can stop you” (with) Douglas Adams “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

Boris Rozhin

The offensive operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not begin today.

An offensive operation is a long-term complex of measures coordinated between the branches of the armed forces and departments, requiring the setting in motion of tens of thousands of people. And it began by checking our guys in battle in Zaporozhye and Vugledar a few days and weeks ago.

Today, the concrete results of the offensive operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have become the most striking – the loss of positions and square kilometers in the Artemovsky (Bakhmut) direction. Unfortunately, there are footage from the places where the Nazis pose against the backdrop of abandoned anti-tank weapons.

The rest for now is the movement of equipment (Kharkiv region), the discharge of smoke (not the first month) of poisonous ammunition (home-made rubbish with chemistry, until the front-line soldiers do not confirm), the pulling of troops to the Zaporozhye front, the movement of equipment through the Dnepropetrovsk logistics hub. Boats on the Dnieper are only on the Internet so far. The shelling of the DPR is, alas, the harsh reality of recent years.

This does not mean that everything is fine and you can go to the beach. Leaving positions occupied as a result of long bloody battles is a failure. And there is nothing good in the enemy’s offensive during the 14th month of the war either. Old strategic miscalculations are evident.

We are talking about the fact that, as such, there is no news in the transition of the enemy to the attack . They prepared for it, somewhere better, somewhere worse. Now FABs and other wonderful products are flying through the clusters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Wagner fights in Bakhmut. In Zaporozhye, the guys looked through the thermal imager, near Ugledar, not for the first day, the gunners support the queen of the fields – the infantry.

What should we NOT do in this situation? Don’t panic. She definitely won’t help. And now the enemy will disperse lies about the “capture” of villages, the “transfer” of tanks, “explosions” everywhere. When addressing colleagues in the shop, remember that the enemy also attacks the feedback bots of telegram channels.

What should we do? That which is always. Help the front. We won (boasting) with the people’s money (bow to everyone) bought jeeps and one of them is prepared to be sent to the front. Speak only the truth that you have seen personally. Men get ready. Because the offensive will go on for more than one day (although the offensive potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is limited), and the war … the war will be long.

Two Majors

Danilov: there are no people today who know exactly all our plans for a counteroffensive

The NSDC secretary claims that the final plans have not yet been approved by Zelenskyy in terms of both timelines and directions.

“When someone starts talking about something, even from respected institutions in the West, believe me: there are no people who know exactly all our plans today. Because the final plans have not been approved yet,” he said.

Danilov also added that there is no need to “wait or not wait” for a counterattack.

Something is happening: in these minutes, a massive flight of NATO military transport aircraft from Poland to the Baltics is taking place

The statements spread by individual telegram channels about ‘defence breakthroughs’ in various sections of the line of contact are not true.

◽️As of 22:00 on 11 May 2023, in Kupyansk direction there are no active operations. The Zapad Group of Forces suppressed the actions of three enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

◽️In Krasny Liman direction, the Tsentr Group of Forces repulsed two attacks by the enemy company tactical groups close to Kremennaya and Chervonaya Dibrova.

◽️In Donetsk direction, three enemy reconnaissance attempts were thwarted and eight attacks by the AFU against Russian positions were successfully repelled.

◽️Assault units continue to liberate the western part of Artyomovsk with air and artillery support.

◽️Units of the Yug Group of Forces are actively engaged in blocking Avdeevka and capturing Maryinka.

◽️The battle is currently under the way to repel an attack by the AFU unit in the direction of Maloilyinovka. Army and Ground-Assault aviation, as well as artillery are in combat. The enemy suffers significant losses in manpower and hardware.

◽️In Zaporozhye and Kherson directions, there are no active operations.

◽️The general situation in the area of the special military operation is under control.

Ambiance supplement. The enemy is engaged in local battles as part of a grand plan. And the activity of these battles grew by small forces. The big idea is the offensive. There are many who want to take advantage of the actual situation to organize a panic, but I did not give reasons for panic. Rather, for vigilance and sports anger. Whether the enemy will gain a foothold on those lines where the fighting is going on will be shown in the next day.

All soldiers and commanders know that we are in for a big fight at the front. It will be necessary to give the enemy a kick in the teeth.

As for the situation in the south. Right now, the situation there is normal for this time of year. But as part of the development of actions, the enemy may try to break in the Gulyai Polye area. This is from obviously dangerous directions.

Kharkiv. Another source confirmed the data that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively moving equipment. But keep it at least 20 km away. from the border with the Belgorod region.

The events of today cannot be taken seriously.

 The enemy has progress. Somewhere more, somewhere less, but it is, and will have an impact on the further development of events.

The offensive did not begin today or yesterday, the enemy is daily looking for our weak points and trying to hit them.

So it was with reconnaissance in battle in Zaporozhye, constant attempts to land on the island ridge near Kherson, undermining the railway track in our rear, the murder of Vladlen and the attempt on Prilepin.

All of these are pieces of the same puzzle. And where the last piece will fall is not yet clear.

Therefore, it is criminal to treat what is happening frivolously.

To panic is like death. Wargonzo

The head of the Kherson region, Volodymyr Saldo, citing military sources in the leadership of the Dnepr grouping of the RF Armed Forces, reports:

According to the Dnepr group of troops, the situation on the contact line is currently stable. Our military are at their combat posts directly along the banks of the Dnieper and occupy echeloned defense lines.

 All enemy movements are recorded, reconnaissance is carried out in a constant mode both with the help of technical means, including drones, and visually – directly by the fighters. In the event of an attempt to force the Dnieper or other major activity, the enemy will be given a crushing rebuff. However, I repeat, now the situation is calm.

Unfortunately, even some of our opinion leaders are prone to spreading unverified information that they consider sensational.

Trust only official sources of information and do not succumb to provocations, spreading panic!

Sun Tzu wrote 3,000 years ago that “all warfare is based on deception.” This is no less true today. Probably more, actually, what with almost all-seeing ISR and social media to disseminate psyops.

It’s easy to dismiss media manipulations as inferior to physical weapons. Sure, PR warfare aimed at the gullible Western public on social media isn’t going to change much in a mud pit somewhere northwest of Donetsk. But deception can be — and has been — applied on the tactical level as well. Napoleon’s departure from the Pratzen Heights at Austerlitz is but one example.

All too many of us observe the war the way people watch sports, forgetting it’s not a game. It’s hell. I retain awareness of this, having been in one, and even I get carried away sometimes.

Wagner Private Military Company Chief Prigozhin says they advanced 220 meters in Artyomovsk-Bakhmut, Donetsk Republic (ex-Ukraine), Ukrainian forces control 2.18km of city.

The Russian Aerospace Forces began a night operation to destroy the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Bakhmut area
▪️ Strikes, among other things, are carried out on the Slavic-Kramatorsk agglomeration, where the reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and warehouses with weapons to supply the front are located.
▪️ “The entry of Russian aircraft into the controlled territory of the Donetsk region, the threat of UAR / UAB launches along the front line, and front-line settlements!” – Ukrainian military channels report with concern.

So far, the so called Ukrainian counter offensive in the Bakhmut area hasn’t been swift and fast, Russian troops are holding the line in most areas and even trying to recapture lost positions.
The heavy fighting continues and we wait for good results.

The Situation on the Flanks of #Bakhmut

Units of the RF Armed Forces’ 4th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade left the territory to the northwest of #Ivanovskoye* (#Krasnoye) with an area of up to 3.5 km.

Units of the 4th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle and 374th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades left  also positions (https://t.me/sitreports/8502) at the AFU stronghold to the northwest of #Kleshchiyevka, which were operatively occupied by the fighters of the Wagner PMC.

In Addition, the enemy attempted a breakthrough to the east of #Bogdanovka.

Callsign Bruce (https://t.me/brussinf/5963); 11 May 2023, 17:29

* More precise would be northwest of #Khromovo, cause from #Krasnoye the action is to the north.

There is a battle to repel the attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of the settlement. Maloilinovka near Bakhmut, – Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
 ▪️ The Ministry of Defense confirmed the local offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Bogdanovka – in the area where, according to the Wagner PMC, there is a defense breakthrough.
▪️ Malo-Ilyinovka is a village in the USSR that hasn’t existed since the last century; according to old maps of the General Staff, it is located 1 km north-east of Yagodnoye, on the northern outskirts of Bakhmut. From the outskirts of Bogdanovka to Malo-Ilyinovka – more than 6 km.
▪️Thus, the Russian Defense Ministry confirms the fact of a flank strike of the group and battles in the area reported by military correspondents E. Prigozhin.
▪️”A battle is currently underway to repel an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of the settlement of Maloilinovka. Army and attack aircraft, as well as artillery are involved in repelling the attack. The enemy is suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment,” the defense ministry said in a report 

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Maliar commented on the situation with ammunition of the Russian group near Bakhmut.

“The enemy is simply misleading us for their military purposes. They are able to communicate with each other by phone, and not through the publication of video and audio appeals in social networks,” said Malyar.
It is also noted that the number of Russian attacks on the Bakhmut and Liman directions in recent weeks, on the contrary, has increased significantly, and not fallen.

Russia Enters Bakhmut Citadel

Bakhmut Front [11 May 2023]: Wagner advance in Citadel Area

Bakhmut Endgame | Ukraine Major Counterattack! | Genius Or Russian Trap? 11/05/23

Ukraine Launches SUPRISE ATTACK | Recaptures Roads Entering Bakhmut

Still 2.25 Bloody Long Square Kilometers Of Bakhmut

Battle for Bakhmut situation by the end of May 11, 2023

According to the statements of the military correspondents of PMC “Wagner” and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the flanks of the Russian group of troops in the Bakhmut direction . These areas were transferred to the regular troops by the PMC “Wagner” detachments due to the decrease in the number of assault detachments and the concentration of the “orchestra” on urban battles in Bakhmut itself .

▪️According to reports from the field, the enemy managed to push through the defense of the RF Armed Forces in the vicinity of Kleshcheevka and Bogdanovka . The loss of positions near Bogdanovka is indirectly confirmed by the evening report of the RF Ministry of Defense, which refers to the hostilities “in the direction” of Malo-Ilyinovka . For convenience, we have shown the distance from the settlement of Malo-Ilyinovka to the front line, according to the Wagner PMC.

▪️During the fighting in Kleshcheevka , several strongholds were lost, the “fire brigades” from the “orchestra” managed to stop the advance of the enemy.

▪️The zone of control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the western quarters of Bakhmut has shrunk by another 220 meters: fighting is taking place in one of the three main fortified areas of the enemy, in the “Nest”. All three fortified areas are mapped.

In general, local collapses of the front and a powerful media campaign organized by Prigozhin against the Russian Ministry of Defense will most likely have to be reacted to. Perhaps in the coming days we will see the activation of the actions of the RF Armed Forces in the Bakhmut direction.

Prigozhin – loves drama.
Prigozhin – loves psy-ops.
Prigozhin – trolls better than 90% of people.
Prigozhin – use every little opportunity to badmouth the Russian MOD. Sometimes appropriate but very often he exaggerates. So please don’t always take absolutely every word he says as true coin. There is also a lot of politics involved.

Yes UA puts pressure on the flanks. And yes, UA has reclaimed certain territories. However, many of these areas have been or have been a gray area for weeks. And UA is still very far from having made a major breakthrough. By the way, this back and forth on the flanks has been going on for exactly 8 weeks. But no one said it publicly. Only the people who made it public know why the whole thing is now being publicized so widely. In a war it is completely normal that there is a back and forth. Nobody can only go forward. Not even Wagner. They are all people and not machines.
But here you just notice that a lot of people just have the urge to talk bad about everything and everyone. Now just let the Wagner guys work and calm down a bit. Will do everyone good.

Give them strength and love. They can use that now more than completely exaggerated bad mood-mongering.

Battle for #Avdeyevka – Situation until 14:00 on 11 May 2023⚡️

🔹 North of #Avdeyevka, positional fighting continues west of the H20 road section near #Novobakhmutovka. Marines of the 35th AFU Brigade have built up defences around #Novovkalinovo and #Keramik, using the slight advantage in the terrain.

▪️ East of the #Avdeyevka fortification, Russian fighters, operating from Krutaya Balka and #Kamenka, broke through the defences of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. At the moment, positional fighting is taking place to the east of the sandpit.

🔹 Further South, Russian reconnaissance and sabotage groups are active at the #Kashtanovoye – #Spartak line. They are combing the southern outskirts of #Avdeyevka, moving through the grey zone.

▪️ Thanks to the active actions of the reconnaissance groups, to the southwest of #Avdeyevka the RF Armed Forces have levelled the frontline, extending the zone of control from #Opytnoye and approaching the 9th quarter.

▪️ Russian forward gunners and reconnaissance teams are moving along the outskirts of the #Avdeyevka fortified area, “probing” the enemy’s defences.

▪️ At the same time, Ukrainian gunners from #Tonenkoye, with the support of several tanks, are conducting barrage fire on the areas of the Russian offensive.

Russia strikes in Zaporizhzhia region

Putin’s men wipe out over 500 Ukrainian troops | Watch Russia annihilate Kyiv’s fortifications

The run-up to Majorsk is rejected. It was reported that the enemy managed to occupy two strongholds during the day, but the Donbass units quickly responded to the attempt to advance and did not allow the neo-Nazis to gain a solid foothold. Fierce fighting lasted all day. As a result, the soldiers of the 1st Army Corps managed to regain the initiative, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were forced to retreat to their old lines, taking with them a significant number of killed and wounded. The escape attempt was unsuccessful. However, no one is under any illusions here, Donbass is preparing to repel new enemy attacks. Our boys are heroes

Where did Zaluzhny go?

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar said that the information about the liquidation of the Commander-in-chief of the AFU Valery Zaluzhny is false.

Rumors began to spread after on May 10, a letter from Zaluzhny came to the head of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, refusing to participate in a meeting of the alliance’s military committee “even in the format of a videoconference.”

In parallel, it became known about the destruction of a high-ranking employee of the Office of the President of Ukraine Titarenko. According to reports, this happened when the RF Armed Forces struck Chasov Yar, where at that time there was a group of high-ranking Ukrainian officers and politicians.

There are other versions of Zaluzhny’s disappearance. E.g, that he is very busy or simply didn’t want to communicate with NATO because there is nothing to say.

Some experts note that the disappearance of Zaluzhny plays most into the hand of Zelensky.

So where is Zaluzhny?

This is Zelya today This is Two Majors English Channel and most of your do not speak Russian or Ukrainian and you can´t understand what he is saying…

But you know what?  Neither do we. He is basically incoherent. Sounds more like Polish than Ukrainian or Russian….
If you can imagine it, he sounds worse that he looks.

This is the President of Ukraine. God help us all but especially Ukrainians.

Regarding Zaluzhny, Syrsky, and Zelensky—the longer they stay in command of the ramshackle Ukrainian state and military machinery, the better for the Russian Army. You do not want them to be replaced, and replaced they would be, easily, should the need arise.

The West, fighting its war against Russia with Ukraine as the battering ram, has fallen prey to its information warfare game. Having exalted the likes of Zelensky and Zaluzhny as heroes and masterful commanders—which they clearly are not—has been forced to watch as they and their entourages plunder the Western military-financial aid and send hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to slaughter for political benefit.

There are more than a few in the Western elite who would welcome the opportunity to dispose of the current Kiev clique, but no easy option to do so exists, as they have been sold to the Western masses as “saviours of Ukraine.” Their elimination by Russia would only open up opportunities to escalate.

Hence, I recommend you drink to their health—you would be toasting to Russia’s success.

Russian Defence Ministry Report on the Progress of the Special Military Operation (11 May 2023)⚡️

The RF Armed Forces continue the special military operation.

◽️In Kupyansk direction, the attacks, launched aviation and artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU units close to Dvurechnaya, Timkovka (Kharkov region), and Novoselovskoye (LPR).

◽️The actions of 1 Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group have been disrupted close to Ivanovka (Kharkov region).

💥The enemy losses were up to 125 servicemen, 4 motor vehicles and 1 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system.

◽️1 ordnance depot of the AFU 67nd Mechanised Brigade has been destroyed near Neskuchnoye (Kharkov region).

◽️In Krasny Liman direction, the attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU units close to Nevskoye, Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR), and Serebryanka (DPR).

💥The enemy losses were up to 65 servicemen, 2 armoured fighting vehicles and 2 D-20 and D-30 howitzers.

◽️In Donetsk direction, the assault squads continue to conduct the  offensive against the enemy in the western part of Artyomovsk. The Airborne Troops were supporting the units and restraining Ukrainian military personnel on the flanks.

✈️ Russian aviation have made 8 sorties in this area during the day. Artillery of the Yug Group of Forces have performed 95 fire tasks overnight.

💥Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have hit the enemy manpower and hardware close to Krasnoye, Kalinovka and Chasov Yar (DPR).

💥The enemy losses were up to 230 servicemen and mercenaries, 6 motor vehicles, 1 D-30 howitzer and 1 U.S.-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar.

◽️1 artillery ammunition depot of the AFU 54th Mechanised Brigade has been destroyed near Kramatorsk (DPR).

◽️In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the attacks, launched by aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces have resulted in the neutralisation of the enemy units close to Ugledar and Prechistovka (DPR), Malinovka, Gulyaypole, Novodanilovka and Kamenskoye (Zaporozhye region).

💥The enemy losses were over 110 Ukrainian and 7 motor vehicles.
 
💥1 ammunition depot of the AFU 102th Artillery Brigade has been destroyed near Gulyaypole (Zaporozhye region).
 
◽️In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 20 servicemen, 3 motor vehicles, 1 U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, 1 Msta-B howitzer and 1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.

💥In addition, 1 ammunition depot of the 124th Territorial Defence Brigade has been destroyed close to Kherson.
 
💥Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 96 artillery units of the AFU at their firing positions, manpower and military hardware at 123 areas.
 
💥Air defence facilities have shot down 1 Su-25 airplane of the Ukrainian Air Force close to Chervony Mayak (Kherson region). 12 HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles have been also intercepted.
 
◽️Air defence facilities have shot down 12 Ukrainian UAVs close to Belogorovka (LPR), Opytnoye, Valerianovka, Novobakhmutovka (DPR), Rabotino, Chubaryovka, Novoprokofyevka and Chapayevka (Zaporozhye region).
 
Special Operation, 11 May 2023, Main; pub. 22:33

▪️ Ukrainian military casualties in a day on various fronts amounted to about 550 militants, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said;
 
▪️ An assassination attempt on the #Zaporozhye region court chairman was made in #Melitopol, he was not injured, two security guards were hospitalized, Balitsky said;

▪️ FSB thwarted an attempt by a Ukrainian intelligence service to recruit the first deputy head of the DPR Emergency Situations Ministry, a spokesman said;

▪️ An Ukrainian drone attacked Klintsovsk Oil Depot, no casualties;

▪️ A US Patriot SAM cannot shoot down a Russian Kynzhal missile as it is incapable of intercepting targets at such a speed, a high-ranking source in the MoD said;
 
▪️ Zelensky’s ex-advisor in office Arestovich is listed as a terrorist by Rosfinmonitoring;

▪️ UK defence minister confirms London transfers long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Kiev;

▪️ Black Sea Initiative and its constituent “grain deal” will cease to exist if there is no consensus, Vershinin said.

War Map and the Situation on the Fronts in the Evening of 11 May 2023; pub. 00:04⚡️

🇺🇦 The AFU Offensive has begun. On the front there is still only reconnaissance (https://t.me/readovkanews/58713) fighting, but already with local successes. In the media field 404 is also beginning to act (https://t.me/readovkaru/3284), trying to intimidate and confuse both civilians and our fighters. The only way to resist is to pull together and endure, ignoring the media noise.

⚔️ The Situation on the Fronts over the past Day:

🔹#Svatovo – #Kremennaya Direction:

Near #Kremennaya without much change, positional fighting continues. But our fighters lose no time – especially snipers who skilfully clear (https://t.me/readovkanews/58718) the strongholds from the enemy.
➖ Russian forces, supported by artillery, attacked militant positions near #Belogorovka and #Makeyevka.
➖ In addition, our forces attempted to advance near #Stelmakhovka and #Masyutovka.

🔹#Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector:

▪️The “Orchestrators” 👉 continue (https://t.me/sitreports/8490) to storm the western outskirts of #Artyomovsk. In the northwest of the city, ours have advanced along Tolbukhin, Medvedev and Chernyakhovsky Streets. Also under the control of the “Orchestra” positions around the intersection of Zashchitnikov and Levanevsky Streets. To the south, ours reached 1st forest street.
➖ At the same time, the AFU intensified (https://t.me/readovkanews/58715) on the flanks and went on the offensive in several areas. The militants occupied several strongholds. In addition, in the area of #Bogdanovka, ours lost several square kilometres.

🔹#Donetsk Direction:

➖ The Russian army is trying to break through the militants’ defences west of the H20 section near #Novobakhmutovka.
➖ Positional fighting continues to the east of the sand pit.
➖ Also, ours expanded the zone of control from the direction of #Opytnoye.

💥 Russian Air Defence shot down an Ukrainian Su-25 near Chervony Mayak in #Kherson region.