Day 497: 5 July
Today Ukrainians conducted yet another HIMARS raid on Russian logistics and batteries, which finally resulted in the collapse of the most formidable Russian strong point in the east.
Ukraine confirms destruction of Russian ammo depot in occupied Makiivka
The target of the first HIMARS strike once again became Makiivka. If yesterday Ukrainians destroyed a huge ammunition depot that had just received fresh supplies of shells, then today Ukrainians destroyed a huge oil depot. Russian sources reported that the Russian air defense shot down HIMARS rockets, and the falling debris caused the fire, however, the result suggests otherwise. After a successful strike, at least 5 oil reservoirs caught fire. The fire proved extremely difficult to put out, and experts estimated that firefighters could not do much until the morning.
Russian occupation authorities and media confirm the fire at the Makiivka fuel depot
📷TASS pic.twitter.com/Izn2n5k28Q
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 5, 2023
The target of the second strike became a train with equipment transported to the front-line positions through Yasynuvata. The footage shows wrecked freight cars and trucks near the railways. Like Donetsk, eastern cities are extremely industrialized, which means they have very well-developed logistics that Russians are constantly using. Unfortunately for Russians, they are closely being monitored.
Closer footage of the consequences after the shelling in Yasynuvata. https://t.co/kevbb0LHai pic.twitter.com/lPEdg28lVv
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) July 5, 2023
The destruction of multiple ammunition depots, echelons with equipment, oil depots, and a dozen of artillery batteries on such a narrow front line created massive short-term problems for the Russians. And a short-term decrease in the ability of the Russians to conduct defensive operations is all Ukrainians needed.
Today Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces had problems deploying their reserves to Klishchiivka on time, possibly due to the Ukrainian precision strikes on Russian logistics. Soon, the most prominent Russian sources started raising the alarm that Ukrainians breached Russian defense and took Klishchiivka.
Interestingly, Ukrainian sources claimed that they had not taken Klishchiivka yet. However, the news about the fact that Ukrainians entered it is true. It looks like Russian sources understand that Klishchiivka will shortly fall and are setting the information conditions for the collapse of the front line. And this is not surprising because the fact that Ukrainians entered the village means that they have cleared the most powerful fortification on the entire front, namely, an extensive trench network on a hill.
After destroying a dozen Russian batteries, the Russian artillery fire significantly decreased, making these positions that were already in a salient even more vulnerable. Russian sources reported that Ukrainians had opened 4 axes of advance: 2 north of the village and 2 south of the village. All Ukrainian assault units necessarily leveraged the tree lines that they have cleared east of the canal. One group successfully entered the village from the south, got into the Russian rear, and caused a lot of problems for the Russian forces. This operation was a massive success because by drawing Russian attention and resources to the southern part of the village, Ukrainians made sure that Russians had fewer troops to protect the most powerful fortification.
Overall, Ukrainians established control over the trenches, but more importantly, the local heights. As you can see, the next Russian defensive positions are located in the lowlands, so moving further will be much easier. And this is exactly why Russian analysts are so concerned about this direction and urge the Russian command to hold the line no matter the losses. The Russian command once again seems to be making a grave mistake – prioritizing holding settlements instead of tactical heights around these settlements. Such a setting is very beneficial for Ukrainian assault units.
In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Read also:
- Russian missile attack kills at least four, injures nine people in Lviv (updated)
- Russia plans to mobilize additional 500,000 soldiers – Ukraine’s General Staff
- Russia lost half of its combat capability in Ukraine – UK’s Defence Staff Chief
- Fierce fighting rages on along 1,200 km front line – Ukraine’s General Staff
- Ukraine confirms destruction of Russian ammo depot in occupied Makiivka
- Ukrainian counteroffensive prioritizes attrition over rapid territorial gains, ISW assessments reveals
- Frontline report: Ukrainian HIMARS raid inflicts heavy damage on Russian logistics and assets in eastern front
