LYMAN FRONT: NEW REALITIES FOR RUSSIA

The Russians constantly try to push their salient towards the Sherbets River, desperate to take the three villages centred on Torske.
Even though they have had to spend most of the past fortnight recovering, they have never entirely stopped.
You will recall from last week that the Ukrainians managed a rather successful counter attack and took back key positions in the centre of the salient, mostly in fortified tree lines. Without any resources to push back the Russians simply accepted the situation.
It does seem that during the process of reorganising and refit, the Russian command came up with a new strategy having finally learned that endless meat wave assaults weren’t cutting it and loses were simply unsustainable. Ukraine beat them off every time.
The first attacks would face Yampolivka and Terny in the north-centre of the salient and be entirely infantry based, while a second attack of armour would start a couple of days later towards Torske in the southern half of the salient, after the Ukrainian forces had moved away to fight off the northern infantry assault.
The Russians used armoured assault groups to deliver troops into the forested areas and then began their infantry attack in the northern section. These deliveries were done at very high speed so that the vehicles barely stopped and retreated once their troops were disembarked - they didn’t hang around for Ukrainian drones to find them.
Ukraine confirmed it lost a couple of small positions but that the Russian casualties had been extremely high and the defences were well prepared for them.
Then came the mechanised attacks in the south towards Torske. The first wave was three APC’s and a pair of tanks travelling in a column, it did not go well. The Ukrainians with fresh artillery started to make things difficult and the Russians then ran into a tree line choke point the Ukrainian forces had mined very heavily. The Russian tanks had to move slowly to ensure their mine rollers worked, but in doing so became sitting ducks to artillery. The entire operation became mired in the mines and soldiers disembarking the disabled carriers fled, having failed to reach anywhere defensible or engage the Ukrainians. Cluster munitions ended their careers in the military.
It was noted that all of the Russian vehicles were equipped with EW equipment designed to counter drone strikes- but that didn’t stop the artillery.
The Russian attack failed, largely due to artillery.
This is an important turning point as the Ukrainian forces had become super-reliant on drones as a substitute and the Russians have been developing EW and systems like the ludicrous looking, but oddly effective, turtle tank to overcome them. Artillery cares about neither.
Yet again Ukrainian drones can return to their primary role of artillery hunting and killing - because when it comes down to it, as a long term strategic goal, the devastating losses of Russian artillery in the last year have made significant inroads into their offensive capabilities. There are no stocks left in strategic stores, nothing to refurbish, little being made , and what they have is in the field. This is why they have become so dependent on the Grad MLRS - cheap and easy to make as a vehicle and the rockets are simple if inaccurate, they work on volume not precision.
Ukraine’s war against Russian artillery has been vital to holding the line in the past year. Russia is in the odd position of having more shells than it knows what to do with and insufficient artillery to fire it with. Long gone are the days of 60,000 rounds hitting Ukrainian forces every day. Russia’s whole armed strategy has always been masses of infantry backed by masses of artillery, and one part of that previously successful duo has been substantially reduced with the advent of drones.

Slava Ukraine