12/18/2022
Translated from Ukrainian via Google and OFP
In the course of counter-offensive operations in the Lugansk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are pushing the Russian invaders across the Krasnaya River. Active battles also continue in the Svatovo and Kremennaya regions, and in the Donetsk region, Russian invaders continue to storm Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut.
At the same time, in the Kherson region, the movement of enemy units in the area of occupied Kakhovka is recorded. This is reported by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing Ukrainian and Russian sources.
ISW writes that on December 17, Ukrainian forces continued counter-offensive operations along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line. In particular, a Russian military blogger claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing in the direction of Sofiyivka, Luhansk region (21 km northwest of Svatovo), and the head of the Lugansk Regional Military District, Serhiy Gaidai, said that Ukrainian troops were advancing in the Svatovo region.
According to a Russian military blogger, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out assaults in the direction of Russian positions near the settlement of Terny, Donetsk region (17 km northwest of Kremennaya) and the city of Nevskoye, Luhansk region (18 km northwest of Kremennaya). He claims that Ukrainian forces also carried out an assault in the direction of the village of Golikovo (10 km north of Kremennaya) in order to take control of the R-66 Svatovo-Kremennaya highway and push Russian troops across the Krasnaya River.
In turn, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Ukrainian forces repelled the attacks of the invaders in the area of Ploshchanka (17 km north-west of Kremennaya), Krasnopopovka (6 km north-west of Kremennaya) and Dibrova (5 km south-west of Kremennaya).
In the Donbass, on December 17, the Russian army continued offensive operations in the Bakhmut area. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian troops repelled attacks by Russian invaders on Bakhmut itself, in the area of Zelenopolye (4 km northeast of Bakhmut), Opytnogo (3 km south of Bakhmut) and Andreevka (10 km south-west of Bakhmut ).
The head of the Chechen Republic within Russia, Ramzan Kadyrov, claims that the Chechen special forces “Akhmat” and units of the 2nd army corps of the “LPR” are firing at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Soledar.
An unnamed Ukrainian soldier said that the forces of the Russian PMC Wagner in Opytnogo are being reinforced either by fresh troops from the Wagner Group or by ordinary Russian military personnel, possibly detachments of marines from the Vugledar area.
A Russian “military commander” reported that small-arms fire exchanges continue in Opytnogo and that Ukrainian troops are actively counterattacking south of Bakhmut in the area of Kurdyumovka and Ozaryanovka. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops repelled counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the northeast and south of Bakhmut.
Also, Russian troops continued offensive operations along the western outskirts of Donetsk. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine informed that the invaders attacked the areas of Maryinka, Pobeda and Novomikhailovka, all near the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk.
Russian “military correspondents” claimed that Russian troops had attacked Vodyanoe, Pervomayskoye and Nevelskoye (all on the northwestern outskirts of Donetsk) and that fighting was continuing in the center of Maryinka. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops allegedly destroyed two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups near Novomayorsky and Shevchenko, about 50 km southwest of Donetsk.
In turn, the National Guard of Ukraine reported that the National Guardsmen successfully repelled the attack of Russian troops in the area of Velyka Novoselivka, about 70 km south-west of Donetsk and about 15 km east of the administrative border of Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions.
As for the situation in the south, Ukrainian officials have warned that Russian troops may be trying to lure UAF units into a trap on the eastern bank of the Dnieper. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that unidentified Russian units withdrew from Kakhovka and Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, to the settlement of Nizhniye Syrogozy (at the intersection of T2209 and T2208, 50 km southeast of the eastern bank of the Dnieper River) and that Russian forces informed local residents of plans to completely withdraw from the Kakhovka region until the New Year.
“It is highly unlikely that Russian forces will be able to stage a withdrawal of troops without the UAF discovering the deception,” the ISW suggests.
For their part, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to strike at the Russian rear in southern Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that on December 15, Ukrainian strikes on the accumulation of Russian troops in Tokmak and Pologi, Zaporozhye region, injured more than 100 Russian servicemen and destroyed an ammunition depot. A Ukrainian source reported explosions in the port of Zhelezny (along the Black Sea coast in the southwest of the Kherson region, 40 km south of the eastern bank of the Dnieper) on 17 December.
Meanwhile, Russian troops on December 17 continued to carry out artillery and rocket attacks on areas in southern Ukraine. Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces were targeting front-line areas in the Zaporozhye region west of Huliaipole. Ukrainian officials said that the occupiers shelled Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Also, Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that Russian troops fired on Kherson and its environs on the western (right) bank of the Dnieper.
Earlier, OBOZREVATEL reported that on the morning of December 17, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed in its report that the Russian occupation forces were redeploying individual units in the Kherson region. In particular, the terrorists began to withdraw part of their forces from Kakhovka and Novaya Kakhovka, moving in the direction of the settlement of Nizhnie Serogozy.
According to analysts of OK “South”, the occupiers may not just “hint” that they are allegedly preparing to leave the temporarily captured cities of Kakhovka and Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region. This is probably part of a hybrid war or a possible trap for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“According to analysts of OK “South”, the occupiers may not just “hint” that they are allegedly preparing to leave the temporarily captured cities of Kakhovka and Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region. This is probably part of a hybrid war or a possible trap for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
If the Ukrainians smell a rat (actually and figuratively speaking), then maybe they can turn the tables and use this poorly accomplished ruse to trap the trap layers themselves.
Amen Sir OFP!