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Ukraine SitRep – Avdiivka
Bakhmut is encircled. All roads in and out of it are under Russian artillery fire. Over the last three days fighting has largely stopped there. No one seems to know why the operation was halted.
There are unconfirmed claims that Ukraine is preparing a counterattack to free Bakhmut from its encirclement. That attack is supposed to go off as soon as the muddy ground has dried up a bit.
Meanwhile other encirclement has taken place in Avdiivka:
Avdiivka (Ukrainian: Авдіївка, IPA: [ɐu̯ˈd(j)ijiu̯kɐ]; is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the center of the oblast, just north of the city of Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a pre-war population of 31,392 (2022 est.); in August 2022, its population was estimated at 2,500.
Avdiivka was within the claimed boundaries of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, before Russia declared its annexation of the entire region in September 2022. During the war in Donbas, Avdiivka became a frontline city and saw a battle in 2017. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, heavy fighting led to Avdiivka being largely destroyed and most of its population having fled.
March 8, 2023
Source: LiveUAmap – bigger
Avdiivka is strongly fortified. Its coke plant is a strong-point. The Ukrainian army used the city to lob artillery into Donetsk city. But attempts to seize it were largely unsuccessful.
Two week ago the situation suddenly changed. The Russian airforce started to bomb Avdiivka with heavy glide bombs. At the same time an operations was launched to envelope the city from two directions.
March 21, 2023
Source: LiveUAmap – bigger
An east to west move north of Avdiivka cut the rail access to the city. Russian forces crossed the railroad and moved further west. Fighting is currently ongoing in Berdychi. South of Berdychi is Orlovka, a road crossing point (O0542, C015801, C015802) that is for now the only real supply route left for Avdiivka.
In the southwest of Avdiivka the Russian forces moved northward. They are currently trying to capture Siverne. The first progress there was stopped when on March 12 the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade was placed in the area.
Source: Military Land – bigger
Armed reconnaissance has also taken place into the southwest area of Avdiivka city which is made up of high rises.
The distance between the Russian positions in the southwest and in the northwest of Avdiivka is 8 kilometer (5 miles). That is sufficiently narrow for Russian artillery to interdict road traffic that goes through the area in between.
The landscape around Avdiivka is mostly featureless. There are a few slag hills that rise about 50 meter above their surrounding flatland. But they can be easily covered by artillery and are thus not really helpful for either side.
Source: Ukraine Topographic Map – bigger
This is now the second Ukrainian held area on the Donetsk front that is in operational encirclement. In both areas the Russian follow Sun Tzu's advice to not completely close off an encirclement but to leave a route out. This prevents fanatical defenses by encircled troops or it may even lead the enemy to push more forces into a hopeless position.
If the Ukrainian military had plans to relieve Bakhmut with a counterattack it now has to think of the additional problem that the encirclement of Avdiivka brings. Should it start there? Should it split the forces it had accumulated and planned to use for the counterattack in Bakhmut and start a parallel one in Avdiivka? Should it give up on one or both cities? Those are difficult decisions.
I find it likely that the Russian attacks on Bakhmut were halted after the Avdiivka development succeeded to give the Ukraine military enough time to make an error.
Time is on Russia's side while the Ukrainian military needs to show action and success to keep its 'western' support going.
A witness story that offers insight into the Russian soul, for whom no such thing as ‘pure coincidence’ exists.
https://www.nsk.kp.ru/daily/27479/4736784/
“Bro, stay close”: the guy in the NWO met the namesake of the deceased brother and saved his life
A Siberian met the namesake of his deceased brother in the NMD and saved his life
Two namesake volunteers – Dmitry Mayer and Andrey Mayer – met during a special operation. 44-year-old Dmitry considered this a sign, because a few years ago his younger brother Andrei Mayer died of oncology. And his full namesake, with whom Dmitry ended up in the same battalion, painfully resembled the “younger Andryukha”. We started talking, but it turned out that they have so much in common, even their wives have the same name – Nastya. Both Mayers were injured, both were in the hospital. About the fantastic coincidence and kinship of souls – in the material KP-Novosibirsk.
“BURNT FROM ONCOLOGY IN A YEAR”
Dmitry Mayer is 44 years old, was born in the small village of Redkaya Dubrava in the Altai Territory. At the age of 20, he began boxing and competed.
– When I grew up, I began to train guys, then I had my own small security company, prepared SOBR for competitions. I always wanted to connect my life with the army, but everything beat around the bush, – Dmitry Mayer shared with KP-Novosibirsk.
Dima had a brother Andrei, 6 years younger. The guys were friendly, always supported each other, and then trouble came to the family. It is still hard for Dmitry to remember that time:
– When my brother was 32 years old, he began to go to hospitals. I do not want to remember all these diagnoses. They will only say that at first he was treated for one, and then they realized that he had to grab onto another. Andrei’s cancer was already at a serious stage. They took me to Novosibirsk for chemotherapy. He didn’t look like himself after her. Burned out within a year. My brother passed away when he was 33 years old.
TWO MAYERS
Then, 6 years ago, Dmitry did not know that 300 kilometers from his village – in the city of Iskitim near Novosibirsk – lives his brother’s namesake – Andrey Mayer. Andrei’s family moved to Russia from Kazakhstan. The guy was 16 at the time. He decided to connect his life with “polite people” after completing military service.
– I served 8 years on a contract in intelligence in Tajikistan. He was also a mountain training instructor. I was trained on Elbrus, – 34-year-old Andrey Mayer told KP-Novosibirsk.
The two Mayers met on a sting operation. Dmitry and Andrei – each for their own reason – decided that they needed to go to the war zone as volunteers in May 2022.
– First I went to special training courses in Barnaul. He studied there for a month, and in May he flew to Grozny, to the Akhmat battalion. I think that it should be useful for society and the country at such a time. I am a man, I have to protect, – Dmitry is sure. – My relatives did not know until recently that I had gone there.
At the same time, Andrei also went to Chechnya. Also in Akhmat.
– All my friends are there. How could I be at home when WOO started? I went as a volunteer, I also didn’t tell my relatives where I was going, I didn’t worry about the details, – Andrey admitted to KP-Novosibirsk.
“WHO HERE IS MYER?”
Dmitry and Andrei clashed at a training center in Chechnya. There was a formation on the parade ground, the names of the fighters were called.
– It was an interesting situation. I heard my first and last name. And then Andrei leaned out and asked: “Who is Mayer here?” I responded, he says: “I am also Mayer,” Dmitry recalls. – It turned out that we are almost countrymen. I am from the Altai Territory, he is from the Novosibirsk Region.
After the formation, the Siberians talked, Dmitry told about his younger brother: “Wow, they called you like that.” We started to communicate.
– Already in the process it turned out that not only the same surname is the same: we are like brothers. For example, Dima, like me, loves fish. I also liked his shoes, and later it turned out that he liked mine too. We even have wives named the same – Nastya. Such non-random accidents, – Andrey Mayer argues.
Dmitry also felt that all this was not accidental:
– Usually fighting is taken away, but here they gave it away. CBO, you can say, returned my brother to me. I called Andrey to my department, to the special forces. So we became even closer, protected each other. I remember, we are going somewhere, Andrey says to me: “Bro, don’t go ahead. Be near”. This is such communication – like family.
11 PER 100 NAZIS
Andrei received his first wound a couple of weeks after he arrived in the NWO zone. His regiment was stationed in Rubezhnoye, and worked a little further, in Shchedrishchevo. On that ill-fated day, they worked in different groups.
– There were three groups of us. We went in on the right, we went in on the left, and my group was in the middle, – Andrei slowly describes the events of that day. – We entered the territory of the village, there was a private sector across the street. First they noticed a machine gunner, and then across the street – more than a hundred Nazis, and there were only 11 of us. I remember leaving the house, and immediately a mine flies to my feet. I was thrown back 3 meters. Just shrapnel slashed.
Dmitry immediately rushed to save his named brother. Together with another colleague, he carried the wounded man out from under the fire, dragged him to the other side, across the river.
– We constantly talked with him, did not let him lose consciousness. They brought Andrey to the car, sent him to the hospital, – says Dmitry. “And then I got hurt.”
“I GOT A BROTHER”
Once in different hospitals, Dmitry and Andrey wrote messages to each other, found out how things were going. There was no way to see each other.
– I was worried about Dima while he was in the hospital. We really became brothers. Yes, we all became like brothers there, ”Andrey believes. – Then we accidentally crossed paths in Mineralnye Vody at the train station. They didn’t even get to say anything to each other. They just hugged. He told his relatives about Dima, of course. Said I had a brother.
Dmitry also told his mother and father about this coincidence. Andrei met the relatives of the commander on the transfer of Andrei Malakhov. He came with flowers, Dima’s mother could not hold back her tears.
– Fate gave us another son. Even if not by blood, but still, – the woman rejoiced.
In the future, Andrey is going to visit the village of his named brother. He wants to come to visit his mother and be sure to visit the grave of his namesake in order to honor his memory.
Posted by: Oblomovka daydream | Mar 21 2023 19:26 utc | 63
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