In its latest report on the war in Ukraine, published on Wednesday night, the US think tank wrote: “Ukrainian forces in southeastern Kharkiv Oblast are likely exploiting Russian force reallocation to the Southern Axis to conduct an opportunistic yet highly effective counteroffensive northwest of Izyum.”
‘Tactical surprise’
The American experts noted that “Ukrainian forces likely used tactical surprise to advance at least 20km into Russian-held territory in eastern Kharkiv Oblast on September 7, recapturing approximately 400 square kilometres of ground.”
The ISW added: “Russian sources claimed that Russian troops began deploying reinforcements to the area to defend against Ukrainian advances, and the Russian grouping in this area was likely understrength due to previous Russian deployments to support ongoing efforts to capture the remainder of Donetsk Oblast and support the southern axis.”
As the US experts explained, “Ukraine’s ongoing operations in Kherson Oblast have forced Russian forces to shift their focus to the south, enabling Ukrainian forces to launch localised but highly effective counterattacks in the Izyum area.”
Shock among Russian military bloggers
According to Russian military bloggers, “this Ukrainian counterattack seeks to cut ground lines of communication (GLOCs) to Russian rear areas in Kupyansk and Izyum, which would allow Ukrainian troops to isolate the Russian groupings in these areas and retake large swaths of territory,” the ISW noted, adding that “These milbloggers used largely panicked and despondent tones, acknowledged significant Ukrainian gains, and claimed that the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south may be a distraction from the ongoing actions in Kharkiv Oblast, which they name as the main Ukrainian effort.”
The US experts pointed out that “The level of shock and frank discussion of Ukrainian successes by Russian milbloggers speaks to the scale of surprise achieved by Ukrainian forces, which is likely successfully demoralising Russian forces.”
“While it is unlikely that the southern counteroffensive and effort to attrit Russian forces in southern Ukraine is a feint for renewed operations in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian forces likely took prudent advantage of a reallocation of Russian troops, equipment, and overall operational focus to launch localised counteroffensives toward critical points in Kharkiv Oblast,” the ISW assessed.
‘Good news from Kharkiv Oblast’: Zelensky
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told the nation in his nightly video address on Wednesday: "This week we have good news from Kharkiv Oblast. All of you have most likely seen reports about the recent activities of Ukrainian defenders. And I think every [Ukrainian] citizen feels proud of our warriors. It is a well-deserved pride, a righteous feeling.”
He added: “This is not the time to reveal which towns and villages [have been liberated]. But it's a good moment to thank the 25th Airborne Brigade, the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade and the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade for the bravery and heroism they have displayed in the course of carrying out their combat missions,” as cited by Ukrainska Pravda website.
Ukrainian offensive continues in southern Kherson region
Simultaneously with these localised counteroffensives in the north east, “In Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian brigades continue to conduct offensive operations,” the UK Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
In their latest intelligence update, the British analysts noted that “Ukraine has probably destroyed a military pontoon bridge at Darivka, which Russian forces had deployed after the nearby road bridge was severely damaged.”
The UK Ministry of Defence added that “The Darivka crossing is one of the main routes between the northern and southern sectors of Russia’s military presence along the Dnipro river.”
Ukraine systematically targets crossing points
The British experts assessed that “Ukraine’s systematic precision targeting of vulnerable crossing points likely continues to impose pressure on Russian forces as they attempt to contain Ukrainian attacks: it slows their ability to deploy operational reserves and resupply matériel from the east.”
Thursday is day 197 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: understandingwar.org, pravda.com.ua, UK Ministry of Defence
