Kharkiv

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Some of the best armored vehicles on the Ukrainian side of the long battle for Bakhmut don’t necessarily belong to the Ukrainian army. They might be from the Ukrainian national guard, the fighting force of the country’s interior department. These eight-wheel BTR-4s are fast, flexible and—with their stabilized 30-millimeter autocannons and Barrier anti-tank missiles—hard-hitting. Especially when they operate alongside well-led infantry. But the brutal, 10-month siege of Bakhmut spares no one and nothing. The national guard and army have lost several of their precious BTR-4s defending the ruined city. The 17-ton, three-person BTR-4 is a uniquely Ukrainian vehicle. The Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau—Ukraine’s iconic tank plant—revealed the prototype in 2006. The Kharkiv plant intended to sell the BTR-4 abroad. But the first big customer, Iraq, rejected the initial batch of vehicles, citing quality … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s BTR-4 Wheeled Fighting Vehicles Are Wreaking Havoc In Bakhmut—And Taking Heavy Losses

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ukraine, before counterattacking, seems prone to play up the idea it is teetering on the brink of failure. It is a risky gambit. A strategy built around exploiting emotional highs and lows, where impending defeat is closely followed by an unexpected battlefield achievement, offers enormous benefits—when it works. And while this well-worn stage tactic is a useful Hollywood plot device, the unintentional stink of failure can be contagious. Right now, everything sounds terrible. The New York Times , reflecting Pentagon concerns over the staunch Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut, writes that Ukrainian casualties and ammunition consumption have been so unsustainable that an expected spring counteroffensive may not happen. The Washington Post is reporting that “grim assessments have spread a palpable, if mostly unspoken, pessimism from the front lines to the corridors of power in Kyiv.” To be blunt, the news coming out of … [Read more...] about Just As In 2022, Defeatist Media Coverage Comes Before Ukraine Counterattacks

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 386. As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues and the war rages on, reliable sources of information are critical. Forbes gathers information and provides updates on the situation. As Russian attacks continue, particularly in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka and Shakhtar sectors, Ukrainian forces have killed 1,040 Russian troops in the past 24 hours. Russia also lost 12 tanks, 11 APVs, 11 artillery systems, three anti-aircraft systems and one MLRS. Ukraine counts more than 162,000 Russian killed-in-action since the invasion began. Donetsk region. A Russian missile attack on the city of Kramatorsk on March 14 killed at least one person and wounded six others. The missile also damaged buildings, a kindergarten, a museum and an administration office. Dnipropetrovsk region. The town of Marhanets came under heavy Russian fire yesterday . Two women … [Read more...] about Monday, March 16. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine