Reflecting on the disastrous 2023 summer season offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned, by means of an obvious excuse, that Russians additionally didn’t fare nicely, and ‘did not seize any settlements this 12 months’.
Like so many issues the ‘defender of democracy’ says, that is removed from true.
Whereas it’s certainly true that a lot of the 12 months was spent in positional battles, in a ‘conflict of attrition’ alongside the 600 mile lengthy frontline, Russian forces had successes in numerous locations and took fairly just a few settlements and cities – together with profitable the longest and bloodiest siege for the reason that Second World Struggle.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/soledar-600x338.png)
2023 started with elevated exercise within the Donetsk Oblast, most specifically within the frontline settlement of Soledar, which accurately means ‘a present of salt’ in Russian, reflecting its outstanding salt-mining business.
American Assume Tank ISW reported in its inimitable coping vogue:
“Russian forces’ seemingly seize of Soledar on January 11 isn’t an operationally important growth and is unlikely to presage an imminent Russian encirclement of Bakhmut.
Geolocated footage posted on January 11 and 12 signifies that Russian forces seemingly management most if not all of Soledar, and have seemingly pushed Ukrainian forces out of the western outskirts of the settlement.”
Each western supply will downplay the settlements that Russia conquer as ‘meaningless piles of rubble’, whereas treating the few villages Ukraine took like Rabotyno, as if it’s Paris.
Learn: A Soldier’s Death: Final Message in the Wall by Ambushed Russian Fighter Goes Viral
Russian army bloggers posted footage on January 12 of Wagner Group fighters freely strolling in Soledar alongside Russian forces. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov congratulated Russian forces for profitable offensive operations within the settlement.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/russian-victory-bakhmut-ukraine-1200x630-1-600x315.jpg)
Subsequent, the luminaries at ISW, that embrace former CIA Director Common David Petraeus, make their knowledgeable prediction:
“Russian data operations have overexaggerated the significance of Soledar, which is at finest a Russian Pyrrhic tactical victory. ISW continues to evaluate that the seize of Soledar—a settlement smaller than 5.5 sq. miles—is not going to allow Russian forces to exert management over crucial Ukrainian floor traces of communication (GLOCs) into Bakhmut nor higher place Russian forces to encircle the town within the quick time period.”
WRONG. That was precisely what occurred, as Russian forces geared for the bloodiest battle since ‘The Patriotic Struggle’ towards the Nazis.
In March, because the cauldron started to encircle the town, I wrote here on TGP:
“The Battle for Bakhmut/Artyomovsk has been broadly thought-about one of many hardest for the reason that Second World Struggle. So bloody has it been, that phrases like ‘meat grinder’ and ‘vortex’ are utilized to it day by day.
Artyomovsk (Russian identify) is a crucial metropolis within the Donbas, the Russian-speaking area comprised of the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts (states). The protection of the ethnic Russians on this area was one of many major aims of Putin in his Particular Navy Operation, so the seize of this key regional logistics and transport hub is essential to the Russian plans of liberating the areas of Donetsk Oblast nonetheless below Kiev’s management.
Whereas US and UK officers have, as of late, tried to downplay the strategic significance of Bakhmut (Ukrainian identify), deeming it to be merely ‘symbolic’, Ukrainian president Zelensky acknowledged {that a} loss in Bakhmut would imply an open highway for Russian pressured to assault different vital cities in Jap Ukraine.
As for the symbolic worth of Bakhmut, Zelensky referred to as it the ‘the fortress of our morale’, so it’s comprehensible that he and his Generals might have chosen to defend it to the top, reasonably than retreat their overwhelmed troops whereas they nonetheless may. However ‘the top’ seems to be nearing.”
In Could, lastly, Al Jazeera reported;
“Russia has claimed to have absolutely captured Ukraine’s Bakhmut, with President Vladimir Putin congratulating his troops and the mercenary Wagner Group for taking the largely levelled jap metropolis.
The Russian announcement on Saturday got here hours after Kyiv mentioned the battle was nonetheless persevering with whereas admitting the scenario was “crucial”.
Bakhmut, a salt-mining city that when had a inhabitants of 70,000 individuals, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia’s 15-month conflict in Ukraine.
[…] Vladimir Putin congratulated the assault models of Wagner in addition to all servicemen of models of the Russian armed forces who supplied them with the required assist and flank cowl, on the completion of the operation to liberate the town”, the TASS state information company quoted a Kremlin assertion as saying.”
Moscow’s victory was to not be adopted by an enormous offensive, however reasonably, Russians dug in and ready formidable defensive fortifications and minefields that Ukraine simply couldn’t overtake on its Summer time offensive, regardless of how a lot army support the West threw at it.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/Russian-scouts-600x338.jpg)
The Russian ‘Lively protection’ doctrine doesn’t preclude the troops from exploiting alternatives that current themselves, and so it surfaced in August a TASS report that “the territory of the Kharkiv area, managed by Russian forces, has grown by 5 settlements in every week – as much as 33 settlements. This was introduced by the top of the military-civilian administration of the Kharkiv area Vitaly Ganchev on the air of Soloviev.”
The Russians forces unfold by way of the Northern Ukrainian area and reached the outskirts of Kupyansk. The scenario turned so grave that widespread evacuation was applied.
Associated Press reported on August tenth:
“Ukrainian authorities ordered a compulsory evacuation Thursday of practically 12,000 civilians from 37 cities and villages within the jap Kharkiv area, the place Russian forces reportedly are making a concerted effort to punch by way of the entrance line.
The native army administration in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk district mentioned residents should adjust to the evacuation order or signal a doc saying they’d keep at their very own danger. Ukrainian Deputy Protection Minister Hanna Maliar had mentioned the day before today that “the depth of fight and enemy shelling is excessive” within the space.
Town of Kupiansk and the territories round it had been below Russian occupation till September 2022, when Ukrainian forces carried out a speedy offensive operation that dislodged the Kremlin’s forces from practically all the Kharkiv area.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Khoromov-600x338.jpg)
Come November, the Russian Ministry of Protection introduced the liberation of Artemovskoye (Khromove) within the Donetsk area.
Khromove is a small village on the outskirts of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s jap Donetsk area.
The Moscow Times reported:
“Troops, supported by aviation and artillery hearth, improved their positions alongside the entrance line and liberated the village of Artemovskoye,” Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned in a day by day briefing, referring to the village by a earlier model of its identify.”
Russia is probing weaknesses up and down the frontline in Donetsk area that Russia annexed final 12 months.
Moscow nonetheless doesn’t have full management over the area.
Learn: Russian Forces Take Heavily Fortified Town of Maryinka in Biggest Triumph Since Bakhmut
The 12 months is ending on an upbeat word for the Russian Federation troops which have simply conquered the closely fortified city of Maryinka, within the outskirts of Donetsk metropolis.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Russian-troops-in-Maryinka-600x337.png)
This can be a main growth, the largest since Moscow troops regained the initiative, and likewise the best achievement since they gained management of Avdiivka (Bakhmut) in Could.
By taking Maryinka, the Russians have considerably pushed again the Ukrainian artillery. For years, Kiev used Maryinka has a key launching pad for drone and artillery strikes towards civilians in Donetsk.
Reuters reported:
“Putin mentioned management of the city, which was as soon as dwelling to 10,000 individuals, will enable the Russian forces to maneuver enemy fight models away from Donetsk.
‘Our troops (now) have the chance to succeed in a wider operational space’, he mentioned in a video of the change between him and Shoigu posted on-line by a Kremlin journalist.”
President Putin as reported on Sputnik:
“I want to congratulate you. This can be a success. Go on the phrases of gratitude to all of the employees and fighters who took half at completely different instances and at completely different phases [of the liberation].”
Troops from the a hundred and fiftieth Motorized Rifle Division distinguished themselves within the settlement’s seize. That’s the identical legendary Division which famously captured the Reichstag constructing in Berlin in WW2.
2023 is ending, however the conflict is way from it.
Closely fortified and extremely strategic city of Avdiivka is semi-encircled by Russian forces, and overtly rebellious Ukrainian Common Valery Zaluzhny has acknowledged that it might fall in two months, except the worldwide support flows once more.
So, when Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russians haven’t conquered any settlements this 12 months, we respectfully beg to vary.
![](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/photo_2023-11-03_03-51-06-600x400.jpg)
The ‘conflict of attrition’ doctrine focuses not a lot in territorial conquest, as within the relentless degrading of the enemy capabilities, to the purpose the place it turns into so weakened as to propitiate unstoppable offensive actions.
On this sense, the good victory for Russia was its protection of the Ukrainian summer season offensive, the place wave after wave of NATO geared up and educated fighters had been slaughtered with out leading to any significant advances.
Now, as Kiev mobilizes the outdated, the infirm and even ladies, and the tremendous army support packages are prior to now, we might begin to see how the attrition warfare unfolds.
Learn extra:
Mainstream Media Bitterly Comes to Terms With Vladimir Putin’s Successes in the Ukraine War