(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Ukraine Ground War Update: The Attack Toward Andriivka Has Already Commenced [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-03
Background: In my updates on Kurakhove and the area around it (HERE and HERE (misspelling and all)), you may recall I have mentioned the town of Andriivka, the next town to the west of Kurakhove. Well, it has a large fighting position guarding its eastern and part of its southern approaches (mentioned HERE). That position has been dug in there for several years. They started work on it around the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015 and completed the major earthworks about 6-8 months later. Well, here it is.
MAGENTA line is 500 meters long for scale. Right click for larger image.
It straddles the road from Kurakhove (east) to Andriivka (west). The ground for about 2km in the direction of Kurakhove (east) is relatively clear and a slightly lower elevation. It has great fields of fire to the east and south. That southern flank is anchored on the Orlova River (small branch of the Vovcha River). Approach from the south or east would be extremely difficult (nice words for suicidal).
Well, I finally got around to taking a closer look at the position. What weaknesses does it have? Well, if you draw a circle around it at a distance of 2000 meters (below in RED) and look to the elevation profile at that distance, the weakness pops right out at you.
Right click and open in another tab for larger map.
The “fort” itself says “Elevation 430 ft” and that tiny little arrow at the center top just above the circle that you probably can’t read says 570 ft. Uh-oh. That BLUE oval on the map corresponds to the BLUE oval on the elevation profile at the bottom of the map. Checking the lines radiating out to the north from the center of the “fort,” I found that the “fort’s” position is exposed to observation and slightly plunging direct fire. Now doesn’t that just suck.
140 ft of elevation increase over a 2 km distance is not big. I mean its only an average 2+% grade, but it offers a decided advantage. It’s tough for the defender to find cover close to the ground in such a situation and concealment is hard. And there are places along those north-to-south RED lines that offer the attacker a greater elevation advantage.
So, did the Russians notice this? Why, yes, they did.
MAGENTA line top left is 10 km for scale. Light BLUE lines are waterways. They are not impenetrable, but they will cause problems for any vehicles.
Right click for larger map.
That’s exactly where their latest attack from the north is headed (RED outlined arrow in the top center from the northeast). There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of Ukrainian force up there, but our info on who is where is always wonky (which is a good thing). Hopefully, someone beside a single TDF battalion is facing that advance.
The attack from the south (YELLOW outlined arrow) is intended to cut the road into/out of Kurakhove for the forces there. The attack from the north causes serious problems for the town of Andriivka itself and its eastern “fort.”
And the beat goes on.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/3/2294884/-Ukraine-Ground-War-Update-The-Attack-Toward-Andriivka-Has-Already-Commenced?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
