Suspicious artillery duel
Is Kiev preparing to launch a new offensive in the south?
12/13/2022 5:58 AM
The city of Melitopol, located in the south of Ukraine, plays an important role in the sub-network of Russia. Is Kiev really preparing to restore the transport hub? Forbes magazine sees the first indication of this.
According to a media report, the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be preparing a counter-attack in the Zaporizhia region. like the american magazineForbesIt reported, Russian and Ukrainian gunfire fired at each other last Friday in the area of Holyipol and Polohi. The two towns are just over 100 kilometers from the strategically important transportation hub of Melitopol.
Artillery duels are not uncommon in the area. The magazine wrote that the cause of the battle was unusual. Because according to Russian sources Kiev is said to have gathered motorized units around Holgagpol. Then the Russian artillery opened fire.
The skirmishes began when “Russian intelligence detected the movement of a large motorized force of Ukrainian forces near the front lines,” wrote prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin. on Telegram. Girkin said the information led to “massive artillery attacks on enemy positions and nearby rear areas in the Holgagpol area”. In contrast, Ukrainian artillery targeted Polohy.
HIMARS attack on Melitopol
If the Russian information is correct, it could be a sign that Ukraine’s fourth counter-offensive is imminent despite the onset of winter, according to Forbes. The Ukrainian offensive is likely to aim at liberating large parts of southern Ukraine coming from the north and advancing towards Crimea.
According to Forbes, it is unclear what Ukrainian units may have moved to Holgagpol. According to this, the 65th mechanized brigade is also nearby, as is the 1st armored brigade. Since the spring, only brigade-sized units have been stationed on either side along the Huljajpole-Polohy axis. However, a serious push into Melitopol would require more than a few brigades. The magazine wrote that at least six heavy brigades took part in each of Ukraine’s previous counterattacks near Kiev and in the Kharkiv and Chersonese regions.
According to Moscow, Ukrainian HIMARS missiles hit Melitopol on Sunday. Oleksiy Aristovich, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the city is key to the south’s defences. “All logistics linking the Russian forces in the eastern part of the Kherson region up to the Russian border near Mariupol are being handled,” Aristovich said in an online video. “If Melitopol falls, the entire defense line up to Kherson will collapse. Ukrainian forces will be given a direct road to Crimea.”
