Unconfirmed reports indicate that there is an attempt by Russian troops to enter the outskirts of the city of Avdiyka from the southwest in a blitzkrieg move against the Ukrainians.
Not only did yesterday's early so-called Ukrainian counter-attack fail miserably, with little success (resupplying the meager forces in Bahmut), but the Russians captured two large villages in the Antveeka region, showing that they are not stopping for now.
There are unconfirmed reports that the villages of Kamenka and Stepovoe in the direction of Adveeka have come under Russian control.
The Russian forces in cooperation with the Russian speakers and the Air Force are suffocating the Ukrainians towards Berducci and Severnoe.
The Russian army is advancing on Donetsk, leveling settlements and invading Antweka, using pincer tactics.
Last Thursday morning, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mentioned Stepovoe for the first time in its report, acknowledging that Russian troops approached the settlement.
"This village is located beyond Krasnagorovka, so apparently, previous Russian reports were true, that this area is no longer controlled by Kiev," Western analysts wrote.
Today, the American Institute for the Study of War ISW reports: “The Russian army continues offensive operations on the outskirts of Donetsk and has advanced towards Berduchi, about 10 kilometers northwest of Adveka.
The report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dated March 19 indicated that Russian troops had probably advanced beyond Stepovoe,” ISW added.
The morning summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasizes that: "Russian troops attacked the districts of Kamenka, Adveka, Severny, Vodyani, Berduchi and Marinka."
Russian commandos stopped a Ukrainian operation in the Dnieper
Soldiers of the Russian airborne troops repelled the attack of Ukrainian submarine commandos in the Kakhovka region, the commander of the Russian paratrooper unit told RIA Novosti.
According to him, the other day the Ukrainian "seals" tried to go ashore, but the Russian forces reacted in time.
"We repelled the attack. Before that, they tried to approach a barge. This group was a group of divers. Somewhere they disembarked unseen for a while and almost approached the shore here. There were four of them. We neutralized them as expected. " said the source.
The Russian definitely mentioned two such failed attempts to get the Ukrainians ashore.
The Russian forces officer also said that while repelling the attack, they used a special weapon against the Ukrainian submarine commandos.
These are munitions designed to destroy underwater saboteurs. "This is a very useful tool.
The destruction radius under water is 200 meters. The enemy has no chance," he said.
The Kakhovka reservoir is located in the lower part of the Dnieper, it is a complex of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. On its left bank is the city of Energodar and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
The Ukrainian fighters are constantly making attempts to occupy this area, but their attacks so far have not brought results.
The Ukrainians are preparing a massive drone attack against Zaporizhia
Ukrainian troops are preparing hundreds of drones for a mass attack in the Zaporizhia region as part of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, said V. Rogov, a member of the main council of the Russian regional administration.
"In recent days, Ukrainian fighters have made several reconnaissance efforts in the sector of the Zaporizhia front.
The Ukrainian side is preparing a fleet of kamikaze drones to deliver a massive blow to our positions in the Zaporizhia region," the Russian official said.
The same official also noted the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gathering HIMARS missiles and other high-precision weapons, which serves as an indirect confirmation of preparation for a counterattack.
"The Russian military is aware of the plans of the Ukrainians," Rogov concluded.
As Politico magazine wrote last week, citing unnamed US officials, the Russians expect the "large-scale spring offensive" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to begin by May.
The Ukrainian military command has not yet decided which strategy it will choose, but it essentially has two options:
A. Either to advance south through the Chersona to the Crimea.
b. Either move east from her position to the north and then south, cutting the Russian land bridge.
Moscow is in a hurry to completely liquidate Bakhmut
"The Russians in Bakhmut are using all their forces, in continuous fighting from three sides of the city," said the Commander of the Ukrainian ground forces.
"The Russian forces in Bahmut have deployed all their forces and are trying to completely surround the city," he continued.
"The enemy is conducting offensive action almost along the entire eastern line of the front, trying to break through the defenses of our troops and advance to the depth of their battle formations. The heaviest fighting continues near Kremina, Torskoe, Bilokhorivka, and Spark," the Official said.
Bahamut, however, is still the focus of hostilities.
"Battles for the city continue. The enemy has deployed all his forces and is trying to break the defense on several fronts and completely surround the city," concluded.
The war in the region of Bakhmut, but also in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkiv, has reached Homeric proportions. The Ukrainian counterattack is expected, which the Russians are waiting for, to crush it, before they start theirs in all three dimensions.
