Marzhinka and Kyivstar also fell – Russians attack Avzhievka and in cyberspace, Ukraine in pincers

A few weeks ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the army to advance five hundred meters daily. At the time, many of us thought that statement was exaggerated, but only because we ignored a crucial detail: the Ukrainian president did not dictate the direction his soldiers should take, and at this moment it looks as if it could be reversed. Russian forces launched attacks along the entire front and closed the servers of the Kyivstar company, which provides communications services to the Ukrainian army and state institutions.

Let’s start with cyberspace, and the Russians are starting out there too. Kyivstar is the largest telecommunications provider in Ukraine. The writer of these lines never liked it, because when you call a number like that from abroad, the line always starts echoing somehow, and you get the creepy feeling that someone else is on the line. Ukrainian state bodies are less bothered by this, since state institutions and even the military use this service provider for everything, from the Internet to phones, but the little blue star is likely even present on their key rings.

However, since Tuesday night, roaming charges may have increased in Kyiv, as the Solncepjok hacker group launched a general attack on Kyivstar. During the campaign, more than ten thousand computers and the entire server fleet of the service provider were destroyed. Like Killnet, Szolncepjok also denies having anything to do with the Russian military. Of course, they only blew up the servers out of a sense of patriotic duty, but it is perhaps no coincidence that the incident occurred just as the military was tightening the noose around Avcijievka.

If Bahamut is so good, why not Bahamut 2.0?

Well, there is. As we discussed in a previous article (more here), the Siege of Avcijievka follows the Bahamut scenario almost exactly. The only difference is that they might be a little more patient. The fortified city is much more important than its predecessor, because it is the strongest Ukrainian outpost in Donetsk Oblast (or in the People’s Republic, or perhaps in a Russian region, undesirable omission).

Avgyijivka is under constant fire. The defense of the city from the east is ensured by the 68th Assault Brigade stationed at the coke factory, and from this direction they mostly face only probing attacks, constantly ready and exhausted. The real Russian attack line launched towards the villages of Stepov, located to the northwest of the settlement, and Marginka, located to the southwest. The capture of the two villages would also block the supply routes to Avcijievka. Stepov remains in Ukrainian hands at the moment, however, the railway line next to it is already fully under Russian control, in fact, according to the signs, they are so sure of their work that they have also placed artillery batteries along it and thus placed the guns on A distance of 11 kilometers closer to the front line. Let’s savor eleven kilometers – almost three times the depth recovered during the three months of the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

The situation is even bleaker in the south. Marginka fell on Tuesday. However, not only is the complete cutting off of Avzhijivka approaching, but now only less than 15 kilometers of open, empty, and therefore indefensible, steppe separates Russian forces from Kurahovo, which serves as a rallying point for Ukrainian forces.

Meanwhile, the warring parties are also interested in nostalgia, as dangerous battles are also taking place near Bahamut 1.0. Russian forces are currently using the city, which has been destroyed by bullets, as an advanced position and base (a collapsed house would be more convenient than trenches). From here they set out to surround Bohdanivka in the past few days. like him:

The scenario is the same for Bahamut and Avcievka, only the city is smaller

However, the photo above is a bit old, as it was a Tuesday evening. At the time of writing, the 119th Parachute Division had already occupied the southern ridge, and to the north several infantry units had reached the forest marked by a semicircle.

Ukraine in pincers

However, we can notice something interesting if we project the above-mentioned military operations on the entire front. As in the case of the settlements detailed above, we can also see how the Russians are conducting encirclement maneuvers against the entire Ukrainian front line. With the fall of Bohdanievka and Avzhievka, the entire Ukrainian defense line may be in a trap.

On the other hand, breakthroughs to the north and south could also ensure that four of the five districts that Moscow considers its own would fall under Russian control, and if the Ukrainian front lines collapsed completely, Kherson would no longer be possible to hold. It is no longer under Kiev’s authority, no matter how important its propaganda value, and that there are also some Ukrainian positions on the left bank of the Dnieper.

Photo: Telegram (worn inscription “Donbass Ukraine”, somewhere near the front)