Offensive On Kherson: AFU Break Through Russian Defence Line Near Sukhanovo
- 21.10.2022, 9:50
The Ukrainian army has set a new front line in the south.
The Ukrainian defence forces have advanced in the northern part of the Kherson region, pursuing a campaign to liberate the territories. The occupants are now conducting ground operations in the Donetsk region, while Russian propagandists have refuted their own statements about "control over Bakhmut."
The enemy probably continues to falsify data on the offensive near that city to fake its "successes" in at least one sector amid significant casualties. This is stated in a summary of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The AFU have advanced in the Kherson region.
Ukrainian military officials have provided limited information about ongoing counteroffensives in the Kherson region. Operational Command South reports that AFU units are operating along the entire front line, while Russian forces are taking defensive measures, regrouping, engineering fortifications, and mining the areas of the anticipated Ukrainian offensive.
Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the Ukrainian General Staff, notes that Russia has concentrated up to 45 battalion and tactical groups (BTGr) in the Kherson direction for "protection." He also adds, without offering specifics, that our soldiers had improved their tactical positions near Blagodatne, about 40 kilometers north of Kherson.
Meanwhile, Russian sources report that the AFU have advanced in the northern part of the Kherson region. On October 20, the Russian Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukrainian forces broke through Russian defenses near Sukhanovo, but the invaders allegedly repelled the attack.
The aggressor country's ministry also notes that Russian troops have struck at Pyatikhatka, located 8 km northwest of Sukhanovo and 40 km north of Beryslav, which confirms that Ukrainian troops have taken control over the settlement.
In addition, on October 20, Ukrainian soldiers continued their ongoing campaign to intercept Russian military facilities and staging areas in the Kherson region. The previous AFU strikes destroyed two Russian ammunition depots near Beryslav.
Occupiers falsify statements about their offensive on Bakhmut
On October 20, Russian troops continued to carry out ground strikes in the Donetsk region. The AFU General Staff reports that Ukrainian soldiers repelled occupants' attacks near Bakhmut, Bakhmutsky, and Opytne.
A Russian blogger says that allegedly the Wagner PMC units advanced near the southern outskirts of Bakhmut, and the AFU launched a counterattack near Ivangrad to deter the Wagner PMC and to allow the Ukrainian strike groups to redeploy to the Bakhmut direction.
Another Russian blogger says Russian forces "achieved minimal successes" over the past five days in Soledar (12 km northeast of Bakhmut).
Analysts stress that they cannot verify these propagandists' statements. They point out that the Russian media published a map on October 20 showing Ukrainian control over a large part of Bakhmut, despite repeated statements by numerous Russian sources that invaders were operating in the town itself.
"It only confirms our assessment that Russian forces are likely falsifying claims of an offensive near Bakhmut in order to fake "success" in at least one sector amid losses in northeastern and southern Ukraine," the ISW stated.