Instead of a tight defense, on July 9, the Russian armed forces began to actively counterattack in many places, while the Ukrainian side continued to intensify their attacks.
Russian Defense Ministry: Ukraine continues to attack but fails
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian army continues to fail in its offensive in the southern directions of Donetsk, Krasny Liman, and Donetsk.
In the direction of Donetsk, Russian forces, supported by air and artillery fire, successfully repelled Ukrainian attacks near Belogorovka, Opytnoye, Pervomaiskoye, and Severnoye in Donetsk.
Areas of concentration of Ukrainian personnel and weapons were ambushed near Konstantinovka, Krasnoye, Avdeevka, and Krasogorovka in Donetsk.
Enemy losses amounted to 180 Ukrainian servicemen and foreign mercenaries, 4 armored fighting vehicles, 3 motor vehicles, 1 Czech-made RM-70 Vampire howitzer, 1 Msta-B, and 1 cannon The American-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer was destroyed.
Ammunition depots of the 53rd and 115th Ukrainian motorized brigades were destroyed near Karlovka and Kramatorsk in Donetsk.
To the south of Donetsk and Zaporizhia, the Vostok force group, supported by air, artillery, and heavy firepower, repelled Ukrainian attacks near Rabotino, Novodanilovka, and Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporizhia region.
In addition, areas of concentration of manpower and equipment of the 65th and 72nd motorized brigades and the 105th Ukrainian Territorial defense brigade were attacked near Priyutne, Rabotino, Malaya Tokmachka, Novodanilovka in the Zaporizhia region, Makarovka and Nikolskoye in Donetsk.
The operation of a Ukrainian reconnaissance group was intercepted near Rovnopol in Donetsk.
More than 210 Ukrainian servicemen and foreign mercenaries were removed from the battle, 4 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 2 pickup trucks, 1 Grad rocket artillery, 2 D artillery pieces -20 and 1 Msta-B, and 1 American-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer were destroyed.
In the direction of Krasny Liman, Russian forces thwarted the attacks of 3 Ukrainian motorized brigades, 21, 63, and 66 near Torskoye in Donetsk, Novovodyanoye, and Nevskoye in Lugansk.
In addition, human and material clusters of the 63rd, 67th, 95th, and 15th Ukrainian brigades were attacked near Yampolovka, Torskoye, Terny, Stariy Karavan, Grigorovka in Donetsk and Chervonaya Dibrova in Lugansk.
The operation of two Ukrainian reconnaissance groups was disrupted in the Serebryansky forestry area.
Ukrainian losses amounted to 80 servicemen, 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 2 pickup trucks, 1 self-propelled howitzer Gvozdika, 2 D-30 cannons, and 1 D-20 cannon.
In the direction of Kupyansk, the group of Zapad forces, supported by air and artillery, neutralized the areas of concentration of Ukrainian manpower and equipment near Novomlynsk, Kamenka, Olshana, Kislovka, Timkovka, and Borshchevaya, Kharkiv region.
Ukraine lost up to 20 servicemen, 2 motor vehicles, 1 self-propelled howitzer Gvozdika, as well as an ammunition depot of the 127th territorial defense brigade destroyed near Staritsa, Kharkiv region.
In the Kherson direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to 60 soldiers, 1 tank, 8 motor vehicles, 1 self-propelled gun Gvozdika, and 1 US-made M777 cannon.
Russia neutralized 86 Ukrainian artillery units at fire sites, along with a lot of manpower and military equipment in 109 areas.
In total, since February 24, 2022, Russia has destroyed Ukraine’s 453 aircraft, 241 helicopters, 4,948 UAVs, 426 anti-aircraft missile systems, 10,604 tanks, and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,137 multiple rocket launchers, 5,396 mortars, as well as 11,547 special military vehicles.
Ukraine’s war on each front: Russia actively counterattacks
According to Rybar, instead of a tight defense, on July 9, the Russian armed forces began to actively counterattack in many places and achieved certain results.
In the direction of Svatovo, fighting continues in the vicinity of Novoselovsky, west of Kuzemovka. After several attacks on Novoselovsky and the clearing of two streets, the Russian forces withdrew to positions near the railway, concentrating their forces on the southern suburbs.
Russian shock detachments were entering the staging area, trying to break through to the 190-meter-high tactically important hill. The road to this high point runs through a forest belt, half of which has been cleared and the rest is in the gray area.
This high point would provide a safer entrance to the village than a direct attack, allowing Russia to limit troop losses and control fire in all directions approaching Novoselovsky.
In the direction of Kremensk, Russian assault detachments have continued to attack Ukrainian positions in the area of Torsky Peak and the Serebryansky Forest for several weeks now.
After several rounds of fierce fighting in low visibility conditions, Russian forces were able to knock Ukrainian troops out of more than a dozen defensive points. Ukrainian defense units at this site suffered heavy losses and had to be partially withdrawn to recover. At present, the Russian army has consolidated its stance, increasing artillery fire along the line of contact.
In the Yampol area, a Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer was hit. Both sides are launching massive attacks on fortified forward areas.
Russian troops are said to have attacked with precision fire on the deployment of Ukrainian formations, killing 31 soldiers and wounding 2.
However, now along the Svatovo and Kremensk sections, Ukraine is concentrating large forces with many soldiers and armored vehicles on the Liman-Izyum-Volosskaya Balakleya line, which is expected to prepare Ukraine for a major offensive in the coming days. next day.
On the western approaches to Bakhmut, violent clashes continued. The main high points near Kleshcheevka and positions in the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal area, on the approach to Kurdyumovka, are under Russian control.
Supported by artillery, Russian infantry, and anti-tank missile crews are active, intercepting Ukrainian infantry units trying to cross the trenches, forcing them to retreat.
To the west of the fortified Avdiivka area, on the Severnoye-Tonenkoe line, a Ukrainian unit trying to capture a stronghold in the gray area was defeated by Russian fire. During the night, Russian heavy artillery rocket systems bombarded Ukrainian positions, causing loss of life.
In the Vremievsk region, Ukrainian units continued to attack the Russian line in small groups on the Staromayorskoye-Priyutnoye line. Russian artillery and air force continuously opened fire on Ukrainian units, however, the Ukrainian command continued to focus on attacking, despite casualties.
In the direction of Zaporizhia, Ukraine made several attempts to penetrate the Russian defense in the Rabotino area, but all attacks were stopped.
In the vicinity of Pyatikhatki, the situation did not change much: individual Ukrainian units continued to leave the village and suffered casualties under the fire of Russian artillery. At the same time, the Ukrainian command is deploying additional forces to the front lines, seeking to achieve local successes on the eve of the NATO Summit.
In the Kherson direction, Russian units continued to fight the Ukrainian forces that had landed in the coastal area. At the same time, Russian artillery identified Ukrainian artillery positions on the opposite bank and delivered a massive attack.
Krasno-Limansky area, Russian forces repelled all Ukrainian attacks.
In the Chervonaya Dobrova area, the attack of the 63rd Ukrainian Independent Mechanized Brigade was repelled, and about 10 servicemen and 1 infantry fighting vehicle were defeated by Russian artillery fire.
In the Novovodyane area, three attacks with the support of infantry fighting vehicles and pickup trucks of the 107th Ukrainian territorial defense brigade were repelled.
Attempts by the 21st Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade to launch an attack on the settlement of Torskoye were thwarted. The Russian TOS-1A system targeted Ukrainian positions, causing heavy losses, and forcing the enemy to withdraw.
The armored group of the 66th Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade was ambushed in the Nevskoye settlement, losing 1 infantry fighting vehicle and 3 pickup trucks.
Russian artillery also attacked the concentration of troops and weapons of three Ukrainian brigades 63, 67, and 95 in the settlements of Yampolovka, Torskoye, Terny, and Chervonaya Dobrova.
The Russian Air Force bombed Ukrainian defensive positions in the settlements of Chervonaya Dobrova, Serebryansky Forestry, Nevskoye, and Terny.
Mr. Biden worried that NATO would confront Russia if it joined Ukraine early
The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO is being actively discussed before the summit of the bloc on July 11-12 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
According to AFP, referring to Ukraine, US President Joe Biden on July 9 warned that if NATO admits Ukraine before the war ends, it means the whole alliance is engaged in the war against Russia because NATO has a commitment to collective defense.
“I think we have to chart a reasonable path for Ukraine to qualify for NATO membership. I don’t think the member states will agree on admitting Ukraine now when they are in conflict,” he said. Biden said.
Sharing with Politico magazine, some experts and former officials have warned that continuing to support Ukraine in the conflict with Russia could mean long-term trouble for NATO, in which the big problems should have been resolved by the marginalized military bloc.
There is clearly a lack of consensus among members on the issue of aid to Ukraine, with many allies increasingly worried about “time and cost”. However, NATO and US officials have stepped up efforts to present a united alliance ahead of this week’s summit, expressing their willingness to continue to support Ukraine in times of need.
Speaking to ABC News, President Zelensky said that if NATO left the door open for Ukraine to join the bloc, it would be a message that the Western military alliance “is not afraid of Russia.”
He noted that Ukraine should receive clear security guarantees as a non-NATO member and that will be one of his goals at the summit in Vilnius.
“I will be there and do whatever I can, to call for that solution, to have an agreement with our partners,” Zelensky said on ABC’s last broadcast.
