During the days of the referendum in the Donetsk and Luhansk republics – September 23-27 – Ukrainian formations did not stop shelling the cities. But, despite attempts, Kyiv failed to destabilize the situation. The experts explain the relatively low intensity of actions on the part of the VFU by the fact that they ran out of steam during the fierce battles in the previous months. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the powerful strikes on Ukrainian military facilities inflicted over the weekend, repulsing the attack on Berestovoe in the DPR and destroying the HIMARS MLRS launcher in the Nikolaev region.
To the sound of shots
During the days of the referendum, Ukrainian artillery did not stop shelling the territory of Donbass. On September 25, the headquarters of the territorial defense of the Donetsk Republic reported that over the past 24 hours, one person had died as a result of shelling, at least ten were injured. According to the representative office of the DPR in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC), Ukrainian formations opened fire about 60 times. As a result, 42 housing constructions and 11 civil infrastructure facilities were damaged.
At the same time, the Ministry of State Security (MGB) of the Luhansk People’s Republic stated that Ukrainian special services were planning a terrorist attack. According to the department, they wanted to poison a high-ranking LNR official, to destabilize the situation and disorganize the work of the authorities.
On the first day of voting, the head of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik, said that the authorities had done everything possible to ensure the safety of the referendum, all law enforcement agencies were involved.
Elena Kravchenko, head of the LPR CEC, said on Sunday that Ukrainian provocateurs publish addresses of precinct referendum commissions in the republic on social networks and urge to open fire on them. The republic reported that on its territory at the weekend Ukrainian formations fired 16 missiles from the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.
The JCCC of the LPR stated that As a result of the shelling of Alchevsk from the HIMARS MLRS, a mother and child center and four apartment buildings were damaged.
Nonetheless, neither a radical increase in shelling, nor new attempts at a large-scale offensive by Ukrainian troops happened during the referendummilitary expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.
– To some extent by the time of the referendum, they, of course, ran out of steam, because it is almost impossible to attack in large groups for almost a month and a half in a row, he noted. – Reserves, equipment resources, fuel, ammunition are running out. Massively shove them definitely does not work. But locally they try to strike, attack, and depict activity. Plus, they continue to fire quite actively. I think that everything will start when Russia makes a decision on the results of the referendum. That’s when they can already try to arrange something there. In the meantime, they are unable to destabilize the situation.
Reflected offensive
Over the weekend, Russian troops continued heavy strikes against Ukraine’s military infrastructure.
– Rocket strike up to 100 militants were liquidated at the point of temporary deployment of foreign mercenaries near the city of Zaporozhye and 15 units of military equipment,” said Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.
As a result of an unsuccessful attack The 10th mountain assault brigade of the VFU in the direction of the village of Berestovoye in the DPR liquidated 48 servicemen, including seven officers, and four armored vehicles.
High-precision strikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on positions The 28th mechanized, 59th motorized infantry brigade of the VFU, as well as the 61st infantry jaeger brigade, more than 200 nationalists were killed, three tanks and 16 armored fighting vehicles. Also, the Russian Aerospace Forces attacked the point of repair and restoration equipment of the 72nd mechanized brigade of the VFU, eliminating up to 50 militants and 28 units of military equipment.
Russian artillery strikes the attempts of the offensive of the 79th airborne assault brigade of the VFU in the direction of the settlement of Marinka in the DPR were thwarted. The losses of the enemy amounted to over 50 militants. As a result of high-precision strikes on points of constant up to 30 militants and five units of military equipment were destroyed at the deployment and communication center of the 46th airmobile and 60th infantry brigades of the VFU. In just one day, in the Nikolaev-Krivoy Rog direction, the enemy’s losses amounted to over 110 people killed and wounded, as well as 13 pieces of military equipment. As a result of the strikes, the losses of the 14th, 92nd and 66th mechanized brigades of the VFU amounted to more than 140 servicemen killed and wounded, as well as 19 units of military equipment, the Russian military department said.
Operational-tactical, army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit five command posts, three warehouses of ammunition and missile and artillery weapons, 95 artillery units, a radar station of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, and a Norwegian radar station of counter-battery combat “ARTUR” in two days , the command post of the battalion of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade of the VFU, the points of temporary deployment of foreign mercenaries and the 10th mountain assault brigade, the 331st troop concentration area and the HIMARS MLRS launcher at the firing position.
In air battles, the fighter aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces was Three MiG-29s of the Ukrainian Air Force were shot down, converted for the use of American HARM anti-radar missiles. One was shot down over the territory of the settlement of Sergeevka, Dnepropetrovsk region. Two others in areas of settlements Novoukrainka and Bashtanka of the Nikolaev area.
Over the weekend, Russian air defense shot down 19 unmanned aerial vehicles, 63 multiple rocket launchers, including HIMARS and Vilkha in the areas of the settlements of Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region, Valeryanovka, Guselskoye and Neskuchnoye in the DPR, as well as six HARM anti-radar missiles in the area of Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region and and Svatovo in the LPR. In addition, two Tochka-U tactical missiles were intercepted over the settlements of Matrosovka and Korsunka in the Kherson region. An unmanned aerial vehicle “Bayraktar” TB-2 was shot down over the Kakhovka reservoir, flying from the Nikopol region in the direction of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
During the counter-battery fight, seven artillery platoons were hit at the firing positions of the 57th motorized infantry, 10th mountain assault, 24th mechanized brigades of the VFU, 102nd brigade of the territorial defense, as well as the launcher of the Osa-AKM anti-aircraft missile system, two ammunition depot, air defense radar. Besides, in the area of the port of Ochakov, an armored boat of the Gyurza type of the Ukrainian naval forces was sunk.
– In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed: 301 aircraft, 155 helicopters, 2074 unmanned aerial vehicles, 377 anti-aircraft missile systems, 5111 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 845 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems, 3413 field artillery guns and mortars, and also 5874 units of special military vehicles,” Igor Konashenkov listed.
Rescuing comrades
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation spoke about the military personnel who showed courage and selflessness.
Fragments from a Tochka-U tactical missile damaged a satellite communications station. Senior warrant officer Vyacheslav Yusupov carried the wounded comrades to a safe place, where they received medical assistance. After that, under heavy enemy fire, he promptly repaired the station satellite communications.
The department of senior sergeant Alexander Khalturin defended a strategically important object. During the battle, Khalturin hit an enemy truck and killed up to six militants.
“The competent actions of senior sergeant Alexander Khalturin, as well as the skillful leadership of his subordinates, made it possible to prevent a breakthrough of the nationalists in this area,” the military department noted.
Ukrainian formations attacked the area where Russian units were located. During the battle, several soldiers were injured. Private Anton Kovalenko transferred and loaded the wounded colleagues into a car, after which, maneuvering, he took them out of the shelling and delivered them to the special medical detachment. Thanks to his skillful actions, courage and determination, the lives of seven wounded soldiers were saved, told the Ministry of Defense.
Private Andrey Laktionov, as part of the crew of an airborne combat vehicle, conducted reconnaissance of the area near a settlement controlled by Ukrainian formations.
At this time he discovered a camouflaged mortar crew that was preparing to attack. Assessing the situation, Andrey took an advantageous position on the landing combat vehicle and destroyed the crew with fire from a cannon. With his bold and decisive actions, he thwarted an attempt by militants to strike at Russian positions.
The division of private Alexei Gazdovich held their positions. During the Ukrainian attempt to break through the defense, the private personally destroyed three units of enemy armored vehicles. With dense fire from a large-caliber machine gun, he also repelled the attack of the militant infantry, as a result of which the nationalists retreated.
Using a temporary cessation of attacks, Aleksey Gazdovich’s unit changed positions and withdrew personnel and military equipment to a safe area. There were no casualties among military personnel.
A group under the command of Major Pudkov defended the positions of the command post. Armed formations of Ukrainian nationalists made an attempt to recapture a strategic object and attacked Russian servicemen. The subordinates of Major Alexander Pudkov, occupying a strategically advantageous position, repelled two attacks by a significantly outnumbered enemy. Two enemy tanks, three enemy infantry fighting vehicles and up to 20 nationalists were destroyedwhich prevented them from capturing the command post.
Sergeant Alexander Vinogradov acted as part of a group tasked with defending the positions of Russian troops.
The nationalists, trying to regain their lost positions, over and over again made attempts to break through the defensive lines. Having settled down in battle formations organized in one of the areas of defense, Sergeant Vinogradov, repelling the attacks of the radicals, destroyed the erupting militants with fire from a grenade launcher.
During the fight risking his own life, Alexander personally pulled a seriously wounded colleague from the battlefield to a safe place, independently provided first aid, which saved his life.
During the day, the group, which included Sergeant Vinogradov, repelled several enemy attacks, inflicting significant damage to him in manpower and weapons. The enemy was forced to retreat. Using a temporary ceasefire, the sergeant’s unit changed positions to a safe area, which made it possible to avoid casualties among our military personnel.
Ukrainian nationalists attempted to break through the fortified area of the Russian Armed Forces. The positions of our landing units, which included Sergeant Alexei Bogatyrev, were subjected to intense shelling. Competently building a defense, they took the fight with many times superior enemy forces.
Showing courage and heroism, the squad led by Sergeant Bogatyrev, under the incessant firepower of the nationalists, rapidly advanced in the direction of the enemy in order to cause fire on themselves and thereby enable their troops to take out the wounded from the battlefield.
Covering the actions of their troops, Sergeant Bogatyrev, together with his subordinates, destroyed 12 nationalists, and also disabled the militants’ armored personnel carrier. Taking advantage of the temporary ceasefire, the sergeant promptly changed positions and withdrew the personnel and military equipment without loss to a safe area.
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