Ukraine Counteroffensive: Ukraine Forces Drone Strikes Eliminate Russian Tank & Air Defense System

A senior US military official and a senior Western official said that Ukrainian forces have started preparing operations ahead of an eagerly anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces.

In order to prepare the battlefield for advancing forces, shaping involves attacking targets such as weapon depots, command posts, armour, and artillery systems. It’s a common strategy used before significant combined operations.

Similar airstrikes were used to prepare the battlefield before Ukraine initiated a counteroffensive early last summer in the southern and northern regions of the country.

According to a senior US military official, these shaping operations might go on for several days before the main part of any planned Ukrainian offensive.

Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, stated that his nation still needs a little more time before launching the counteroffensive in order to permit more of the promised Western military assistance to enter the nation.

Armoured vehicles, including tanks, are among the supplies that Ukraine is still awaiting, according to Zelensky, who claimed that they were coming in waves.

Operations for shaping can also be made to befuddle the adversary.

Kharkiv had very little time to soften up last summer; their offensive was swift.

By using long-range strikes on bridges, ammunition depots, and command centres, Kherson was primarily shaped. HIMARS handled the majority of these. There were a few fewer airstrikes.

A battle of attrition has been going on for months around the city, and at least two Russian military bloggers have reported a worsening situation for Russian forces.

On Thursday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces released a report detailing the fluid situation in the east, claiming that Kyiv’s forces are applying heavy pressure to Russian fighters and probing their lines for weaknesses.

The Russian military has reportedly carried out nearly 50 airstrikes in the last day, according to the Ukrainian military, as heavy fighting puts pressure on Russian positions to the west of the city.

On Thursday, the military’s General Staff reported that Russia had also launched six missile attacks.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has refuted claims that Ukrainian forces breached portions of the front line near the eastern city of Bakhmut in an unusual late-night post on its Telegram channel.

According to the Kyiv military, Russian forces are moving closer to Bakhmut and have conducted a number of airstrikes nearby. However, the General Staff reports that Ukrainian forces have taken advantage of openings in the Russian flanks to the south and west of the city to retake some ground.