Ukraine counteroffensive, Edition 1. Date 6-5-23
Hello, my friends!
It appears as though Ukraine’s much-awaited counteroffensive has begun.
I waited as long as I could to send out today’s edition because the news has been VERY vague and the fog of war VERY thick up to this point.
But I wanted to share what we know.
I will likely send out additional updates this week — maybe even daily. Maybe even twice a day if there’s major break throughs or big news.
I will make all of these FREE, so please feel free to share.
Thanks!
REMINDER: If you missed Thursday’s podcast, make sure you listen to that here: 6-1-23; I talk quite a bit about the coming offensive beginning at Timestamp: 11:32.
It’s FREE to listen to it!
Russia and Ukraine news:
As a prelude to understanding the news, let’s begin with this:
Now that you understand the historical nature of past Ukrainian offensives against Russia, let’s share what we know at least so far:
Ukrainian forces claim advances along front line; Russia says it repelled attack in Donetsk
Ukrainian troops carried out “offensive actions” in multiple locations on the eastern front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram, despite “stiff resistance and the enemy’s attempts to hold the occupied lines and positions.”
Ukraine’s forces advanced between 200 and 1,600 meters in the Donetsk region, near the town of Orikhovo-Vasylivka. Troops also advanced the same distance in Paraskoviivka, north of Bakhmut, and pushed between 100 and 700 meters in Ivanivske, also near Bakhmut, Maliar said.
Earlier Monday, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said that Russia had thwarted a Ukrainian attack Sunday in the eastern Donetsk region. The attack targeted Russian positions along five sections of the front line in southern Donetsk, Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a video published by Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency. His claims could not be verified, and it was unclear whether the attack was related to Ukraine’s expected counteroffensive. Ukraine reported clashes in Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk on Monday but denied Russia’s claim that Ukraine’s attack had been deterred.
The AP had very similar reporting:
Ukraine trying to end battlefield stalemate in what may be start of counteroffensive
Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday, in what may herald the start of a long-anticipated counteroffensive after 15 months of war.
Russian officials seemed to be trying to portray the Ukrainian attacks as the start of the counteroffensive, saying that Moscow’s forces foiled at least one assault. While not explicitly confirming such a large-scale effort, Kyiv authorities said their forces were indeed increasing offensive operations and making gains, but suggested some of the Russian announcements were misinformation.
Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine’s partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk province on Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.
CNN, however, said that as of 6:10 p.m. eastern, some gains were being made around Bakhmut.
Ukrainian officials claimed that units had retaken territory on the northern and southern flanks of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut. Ukraine's defense minister said units are "carrying out offensive actions" around the city.
…
Fighting in Bakhmut: Ukrainian troops are making advances on the eastern front around the city of Bakhmut, Maliar said. The founder of the Russian private military company Wagner also said Ukrainian Armed Forces have taken back some land north of the city of Bakhmut. In recent weeks, Ukraine has launched successful counteroffensives in the north and south of the city with some success.
As a reminder, I said almost two weeks ago that I thought there was a good chance that Ukraine would encircle Bakhmut and trap inside it thousands of Russian troops.
Timestamp: 18:01. Could Bakhmut be Russia’s Stalingrad?
I will try to have an additional update soon once it’s clear where the breakthroughs are versus merely the probes.
If you have additional information, add it below in the comments. Or you can email me the information at AuthorStanRMitchell@yahoo.com. (It should go without saying, but if you are current military or government employee, do NOT send me classified or secret information. Only open-source information.)
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.
P.P.S. Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.