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Ukrainian Invasion Day 530: Crimean bridges hit, storm shadow, storm shadow [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-08-06

Ukraine struck two key road bridges along critical Russian grounds lines of communication (GLOCs) connecting occupied Crimea & occupied Kherson causing Russian forces to reroute road traffic from shorter eastern routes to longer western routes.

Ukrainian forces struck two key road bridges along critical Russian grounds lines of communication (GLOCs) connecting occupied Crimea and occupied Kherson Oblast on August 6, causing Russian forces to reroute road traffic from shorter eastern routes to longer western routes. Kherson Oblast occupation administration head Vadimir Saldo claimed that Ukrainian forces launched 12 missiles at a road bridge across the Henichesk Strait connecting Henichesk Raion to the Arabat Spit and that Russian air defenses intercepted nine of the missiles. [1] Russian sources amplified images showing significant damage to the bridge and claimed that Ukrainian strikes partially collapsed a section of the bridge. [2] Russian sources amplified footage showing Ukrainian forces striking the Chonhar road bridge along the M-18 (Dzhankoi-Melitopol) highway connecting occupied Crimea with occupied Kherson Oblast and subsequent minor damage to both sides of the bridge. [3] Crimean occupation head Sergei Aksyonov claimed that Ukrainian forces launched two missiles at the bridge and that one missile made it through Russian air defenses and damaged the roadbed of the road bridge. [4] Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces used Storm Shadow cruise missiles to conduct both strikes, although ISW has yet to observe confirmation of Russian forces intercepting Storm Shadow cruise missiles. [5] www.understandingwar.org/...

www.understandingwar.org/... Aksyonov announced that repair work is underway at the Chonhar bridge and that Russian officials will reroute all traffic through the Armyansk and Perekop checkpoints along the M-17 (Armyansk-Oleshky) and T2202 (Armyansk-Nova Kakhovka) highways. [6] The Crimean occupation transport ministry announced that all traffic through the Dzhankoi checkpoint along the M-18 highway is closed but that traffic along the Kerch Strait bridge and the Kerch Strait ferry crossing is operating normally. [7] The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) suspended civilian entry to the Arabat Spit as of July 31, and Russian officials have not commented on the status of traffic along the Henichesk-Arabat Spit GLOC. [8] The extent of the damage to the bridge across the Henichesk Strait is likely forcing Russian forces to redirect military traffic from the Arabat Spit to longer western routes between occupied Crimea and occupied Kherson Oblast. The M-17 highway passes through Armyansk before branching at a junction with the T2202 highway to the north and continuing to the northwest, meaning that most if not all Russian road traffic between Crimea and Kherson Oblast will have to pass along or very close to one 20km section of the M-17 between Ishun and Armyansk. This major bottleneck in Russian GLOCs will likely pose significant disruptions to logistics and chances for delays and traffic jams. It is unclear how quickly Russian officials will be able to repair the Chonhar bridge and it is equally as unclear if Russian officials have repaired the Chonhar railway bridge that Ukrainian forces struck on July 29. [9] The damage to the Henichesk Strait bridge will likely take Russian officials substantially longer to repair. Russian GLOCs along the T2202 northwest of Crimea - especially routes along primary and trunk roads south of Nova Kakhovka - are closer to Ukrainian positions in upper Kherson Oblast and in many cases within artillery range of the Ukrainian-held western bank of the river. Russian forces likely can reduce risks from Ukrainian indirect fire in this area by taking slower and less efficient village roads northeast of Chaplynka, but at the cost of slower and more complicated logistics support. Ukrainian strikes on bridges along critical Russian GLOCs are a part of the Ukrainian interdiction campaign focused on setting conditions for future decisive counteroffensive operations. ... The Ukrainian strikes on the eastern crossing points will likely disrupt the transport of Russian personnel, materiel, and equipment from occupied Crimea to critical Russian defensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast and the Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast border area for some, undetermined, time. Ukrainian forces appear to be also expanding their interdiction efforts to target Russian naval targets involved in Russian logistics in the Black Sea as ISW has previously observed. [12] Ukrainian officials have routinely stated their commitment to a deliberate interdiction campaign against Russian military targets to degrade Russian logistics and defensive capabilities to set favorable conditions for future Ukrainian counteroffensive activity. [13] www.understandingwar.org/...

Key Takeaways: Ukrainian forces struck two key road bridges along critical Russian grounds lines of communication (GLOCs) connecting occupied Crimea and occupied Kherson Oblast on August 6, causing Russian forces to reroute road traffic from shorter eastern routes to longer western routes.

Ukrainian strikes on bridges along critical Russian GLOCs are a part of the Ukrainian interdiction campaign focused on setting conditions for future decisive counteroffensive operations.

Russian forces conducted one of the largest missile and drone strike series on Ukraine in recent months on the night of August 5-6.

Ukrainian officials stated that Ukrainian air defenses have destroyed 3,500 aerial targets since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

International talks aimed at drafting the main principles for a future settlement to the war in Ukraine continued in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 6.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov gave an unclear and contradictory answer to a New York Times reporter who asked whether Russia seeks to conquer more Ukrainian territory beyond the four partially occupied oblasts that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022.

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations on at least two sectors of the front on August 6.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line, in the Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast August 6 and made advances in certain areas.

Russian military command finally allowed personnel of the Russian “Alga” volunteer battalion – which has been involved in the most intense combat on the frontlines in Donetsk Oblast since Fall 2022 – to return to Russia on leave.

Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine continue establishing institutional linkages between Russian and Ukrainian governance structures and social services in occupied Ukraine. www.understandingwar.org/...

x ⚡️ WAR IN #UKRAINE - AUG 6



28:16 🇷🇺/🇺🇦 added by @Rebel44CZ 🇨🇿 (29:15 after corrections and/or removal of duplicates)



VISUALLY CONFIRMED:

2.8x losses to date ➡

1.7x during 2023 counteroffensive ➡

1.8x 30-day average ⬇



📈 https://t.co/PUYwoQsz4o pic.twitter.com/qNn56o25wR — Ragnar Gudmundsson 🇮🇸🇺🇦 [email protected] (@ragnarbjartur) August 6, 2023

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast) The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line but did not advance on August 6. The Russian MoD claimed that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully attacked Russian forces near Synkivka (8km northeast of Kupyansk), Vilshana (15km northeast of Kupyansk), Novoselivske (14km northwest of Svatove), southwest of Kovalivka (10km southwest of Svatove), and near the Serebryanske forest area (10km southwest of Kreminna). [31] Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on August 6 and reportedly advanced. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked Ukrainian forces near Petropavlivka (7km east of Kupyansk), Vilshana, Synkivka, and Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna). [32] Russian Western Grouping of Forces Spokesperson Sergey Zybinsky claimed that Russian assault groups of the 6th Combined Arms Army (Western Military District) advanced into Ukrainian defenses near Vilshana. [33] www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian Objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas) Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted offensive operations near Bakhmut on August 6, but did not make any confirmed or claimed gains. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Major General Kyrylo Budanov stated in an interview published on August 5 that Ukrainian forces are advancing faster around Bakhmut than in southern Ukraine. [37] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and other Russian sources claimed that elements of the Russian Southern Grouping of Forces repelled Ukrainian attacks near Klishchiivka (7km southwest of Bakhmut). [38] www.understandingwar.org/... The Russian MoD claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line and did not advance on August 6. The Russian MoD claimed that elements of the Southern Grouping of Forces repelled Ukrainian attacks near Pervomaiske (11km southwest of Avdiivka), Nevelske (13km southwest of Avdiivka), and Marinka (on the western outskirts of Donetsk City). [43] Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line on August 6, but did not make any confirmed or claimed gains. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks near Avdiivka, Marinka, and Krasnohorivka (22km southwest of Avdiivka). [44] Footage published on August 6 purportedly shows elements of the 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] Army Corps) operating in the Avdiivka direction and elements of the 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st DNR Army Corps) operating in the Marinka direction. [45] www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes) Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations along the administrative border between Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts on August 6 but did not advance. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations in the Berdyansk direction (Zaporizhia-Donetsk Oblast border area). [46] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian assaults near Urozhaine (9km south of Velyka Novosilka) and Staromayorske (9km south of Velyka Novosilka). [47] Zaporizhia Oblast occupation official Vladimir Rogov claimed that elements of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade (Pacific Fleet) repelled the Ukrainian assaults near Urozhaine. [48] Russian sources, including ”Vostok” Battalion commander Alexander Khodakovsky who is defending in the area, claimed that Ukrainian forces unsuccessfully attacked from Staromayorske towards Urozhaine with two infantry platoons with several tanks and armored vehicles and managed to temporarily cross the shallow river separating the two settlements. [49] www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast but did not make any confirmed gains on August 6. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian assaults near Robotyne (12km south of Orikhiv). [51] www.understandingwar.org/...

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/6/2185661/-530-Crimean-bridges-hit-storm-shadow-storm-shadow

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