UKRaine Bides its Time in its Counteroffensive, Trying to Stretch RUssian Forces Before Striking; UKR Eliminates 500 RU Troops, Destroys 40 Units of Enemy Equipment in Last 24 hrs; UKR Says fighting in East has Intensified; UKR Forces Advance Over 1k in Berdiansk Direction, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine bides its time in its counteroffensive, trying to stretch Russian forces before striking:

The first phase of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory began weeks ago without fanfare. Apart from claiming that its troops are edging forward, Kyiv has not offered much detail on how it’s going.

Taking place mostly out of sight of impartial observers, the fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine pits troops equipped with new Western-supplied weapons against Kremlin forces that spent months digging formidable defenses and honing tactics.

Here’s a look at what’s happening after more than 16 months of war:

WHAT ARE UKRAINE’S TACTICS?

Fighting has intensified at multiple points along the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line. Ukrainian forces are making steady progress along the northern and southern flanks of the wrecked city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces have been occupying since May.

Battles are also raging along the southern front in Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are making minimal gains and coming up against formidable Russian fortifications.

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy minister of defense, recently claimed that Kyiv’s forces had destroyed six Russian ammunition depots in the space of 24 hours, a remark that hinted at Ukrainian tactics.

“We inflict effective, painful and precise blows and bleed the occupier, for whom the lack of ammunition and fuel will sooner or later become fatal,” she said.

Britain’s top military officer says that is Ukraine’s first goal: starve Russian units of supplies and reinforcements by attacking logistic and command centers in the rear, including with U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. Ukraine is also trying to stretch Russia’s resources by simultaneously badgering multiple points along the front line, said Admiral Tony Radakin, chief of the U.K. defense staff, earlier this month.

Ukraine’s full-scale offensive will come, he said, when one point on the front line collapses. Kyiv’s reserve troops can then pour through the breach.

“I would describe it as a policy of starve, stretch and strike,’’ Radakin told a British parliamentary committee. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine eliminates 500 Russian troops, destroys 40 units of enemy equipment in last 24 hours – General Staff:

The Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated 500 Russian troops in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Russians killed in action in the ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine to 237,680, Ukraine’s military General Staff said on July 16.

Over 40 units of enemy equipment, including five main battle tanks, were destroyed in the past 24 hours.

These figures reveal the extent of the enemy’s losses throughout the 506 days of the full-scale war from Feb. 24, 2022, to July 16, 2023. The estimated breakdown is as follows: ––>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Ukraine says fighting in east has intensified+++++

+++++Military: Ukrainian forces advance over 1 kilometer in Berdiansk direction+++++

Ukraine’s east is seeing escalation – Ukraine’s Defense Ministry



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