HUGE VICTORY! Ukrainians PUSH RUSSIANS out of Strategic Heights! | War in Ukraine Explained

Here, the Ukrainians have seized the initiative in the north, launching counterattacks and successfully reclaiming numerous positions from Russian forces.

As you remember from the previous report, Russians suffered from the fact that they launched their offensive prematurely. Additionally, Ukrainians were able to hold on to tactical heights, laying the groundwork for a Ukrainian counteroffensive. 

While Russians were intensely bombing the area with FAB glide bombs, they were unable to prevent Ukrainians from accumulating a large number of forces here.  Ukrainian fighters in the area shared a video of how they were moving into Lyptsi by car. The result of the intense Russian bombing is also visible as the soldiers are surrounded by damaged and destroyed buildings. 

Over the last weeks, Ukrainian drone operators were heavily targeting Russian supply lines, destroying Russian reinforcements and ammunition transports on their way to the front. Ukrainians also heavily targeted Russian frontline positions to further weaken the Russian defensive situation. 

With a distinct lack of reinforcements and ammunition, a Ukrainian military analyst reported that Russian morale was becoming increasingly low. This also meant that the Russian operation of holding an active defense was failing, as the military analyst reported that Russians were increasingly refusing to carry out attacks or raids on Ukrainian positions. 

Seeing that the Russian defensive situation had significantly deteriorated, Ukrainian forces launched numerous counterattacks all over the frontline. Russian military bloggers reported that these Ukrainian counterattacks focused on regaining positions on the hills. Ukrainians understood the tactical importance of these hills as they project fire control over the surrounding settlements, all situated in the lowlands. 

The Russian military bloggers also reported that Ukrainians were supporting their assaults with elite drone detachments such as Madyar’s Birds. The Ukrainian counterattacks, being supported by such an accurate and notorious drone brigade, only worsened Russian morale. Which, according to Ukrainian fighters active in the area, even led to unauthorized retreats from the area. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that they had successfully repelled Ukrainian counterattacks near Hlyboke.

However, a prominent Russian military analyst released a statement saying that due to the Ukrainian counterattacks, Russians were forced to leave several positions on the eastern hills. The Institute for the Study of War also concluded that Ukrainian counterattacks had successfully pushed Russians out of numerous positions near Lyptsi and Neskuchne back toward Lukiantsi. Russian commanders quickly attempted to save face and ordered immediate counterattacks to retake all previously lost positions.

Russians launched numerous air strikes with different types of FAB glide bombs to undermine the new Ukrainian positions on the hills. If you want to get access to the original uncensored combat footage, you can find it on our Telegram channel by using the link in the description. 

Geolocating this footage simultaneously disproves the claims made by the Russian Ministry of Defense, showing that Ukrainians had advanced in the direction of Hlyboke as well. A Ukrainian intelligence officer reported that Russians were conducting large pure-infantry assaults supported by extensive glide bomb strikes. 

These glide-bomb strikes were insufficient as close-air support, as Russian military bloggers reported that Russian counterattacks were unsuccessful so far. If we look at the topographic map, it becomes clear why Russian counterattacks failed. 

Firstly, a Russian military analyst reported that all Russian assaults through the lowlands were destroyed, as the topography provides little cover against Ukrainian positions up on the hills. 

Secondly, Russian attacks in the east suffered because there are no hardened roads there, severely complicating the supply of any large counterattack operation. Lastly, Ukrainians had advanced to a constriction in the hill line in the north, bottlenecking any Russian assault over the hilltop, making them much more manageable for the Ukrainian defenders. 

As the Russian counterattacks had failed, Russian commanders resorted to their next best option. The Institute for the Study of War reported that Russians flooded the area with their reserves to prevent a larger Ukrainian breakthrough.

This tactic, while effective, as the sheer amount of enemy combatants heavily complicates any attempt at a breakthrough, might not help the Russians in the long run. 

Such an overconcentration of forces would also provide Ukrainians with a large amount of Russian forces concentrations to target. As the Institute for the Study of War also reported, Russians mainly move into and through the area by foot, all-terrain vehicle, or motorcycle; most of these targets are soft targets, being easy to destroy with high-explosive and cluster munitions. 

Russians have also not reinforced this area with a large number of armored vehicles, in fear of quickly losing them to Ukrainian FPV drones and newly supplied Western artillery.

With no armored support, this large amount of infantry leaves Ukrainians with two options going forward. Ukrainians can either take a more passive stance on the front line while actively targeting these soft forces concentrations with artillery and drones, wearing Russians down over the long run. Or Ukrainians can concentrate their firepower on creating a temporary superiority in manpower, allowing for a surgical strike and a spearhead into the Russian lines.

Overall, Ukrainians had severely undermined the Russian defensive situation, even leading to insubordination and mutiny among Russian soldiers. Ukrainian forces on the ground took advantage of this situation and were able to reclaim a large amount of territory. 

Russian commanders were caught in a lie and conducted a hasty counterattack to save face, which inevitably failed due to superior Ukrainian positioning. Russian commanders then resorted back to their tactic of throwing bodies at the problem to keep Ukrainians from breaking through, leaving Ukrainians with two options going forward: wearing the Russians down in the long term or breaking through in the short term.