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Russo-Ukraine War - 04 February 2023 - Day 346

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that the Russian military has formally integrated occupied areas of Ukraine into its Southern Military District. On 03 February 2023, Russia state news agency TASS reported that the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are being placed under the three-star command which is headquartered in Rostov-on-Don.

This follows Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's January announcement that military expansion would include the establishment of 'self-sufficient force groupings' in Ukraine.

The move highlights that the Russian military likely aspires to integrate newly occupied territory into a long-term strategic posture. However, it is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the campaign: Russia currently deploys forces from across all of Russia's military districts, commanded by an ad hoc deployed headquarters.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russia is regrouping on certain axes, focusing its main efforts on offensive operations on Kup'yans'k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka axes. During the day of February 4, Russian forces launched 9x MLRS attacks.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no changes, Russia continues to maintain military presence in the areas bordering Ukraine, but no Russian offensive groups were found. At the same time, the vicinities of settlements of Sen'kivka (Chernihiv oblast), Hlyboke, Zelene, Neskuchne, Starytsya, Vovchans'k, Chuhunivka, and Velykyi Burluk (Kharkiv oblast) came under fire.

Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces shelled the vicinities of settlements of Dvorichna, Hryanikivka, Kup'yans'k, Pishchane, Kyslivka, Krokhmal'ne (Kharkiv oblast), Novoselivs'ke, and Stel'makhivka (Luhansk oblast).
Lyman axis: Terny (Donetsk oblast), Makiivka, Ploshchanka, and Dibrova (Luhansk oblast) came under fire.
Bakhmut axis: Spirne, Berestove, Vesele, Bilohorivka, Rozdolivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivs'ke, Klishchiivka, Bila Hora, Druzhba, Maiors'k, and New York came under fire.
Avdiivka axis: Russian forces shelled Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, Heorhiivka, Mar'inka, Pobjeda, and Novomykhailivka.
Novopavlivka axis: Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Neskuchne, Vremivka, and Velyka Novosilka (Donetsk oblast) came under tank, mortar, and artillery fire.
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the vicinities of settlements of Hulyaipole, Charivne, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka, Orikhiv, Shcherbaky (Zaporizhzhia oblast), Antonivka, and Kherson came under mortar, artillery and missile systems' fire.

To replenish its casualties, Russia is trying to involve convicted women in the fighting. During the week, the Russian occupant forces recruited about 50x people from the women's correctional colony in Snizhne (temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk oblast). They are also reported to be sent to the territory of the Russian Federation for training.

During the day of February 4, Ukrainian Air Force launched 3x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian forces' manpower and military equipment. In the meantime, missile and artillery units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit 1x command posts, 2x concentrations of Russian manpower, 1x anti-aircraft missile system, and 1x fuel and lubricant depot.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the grouping of Russian troops in the Kupyansk direction, through offensive operations, ousted the enemy from the western outskirts of Dvurechnoye in the Kharkov region. Air and artillery strikes caused damage to the 92nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the areas of Krakhmalnoe and Berestovoe, as a result of which more than 30 people, two armored vehicles and three cars were killed.

During the counter-battery fight in the Kherson direction, Russian units destroyed the BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) in the vicinity of Novokaira and an ammunition depot near Tokarevka. Operational-tactical aviation, missile troops and artillery of the RF Armed Forces defeated 92 artillery batteries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and also covered enemy troop concentrations in 108 settlements.

Air defense systems shot down 13 unmanned aerial vehicles, four shells from the Alder and HIMARS MLRS, one Tochka-U tactical missile.

In the afternoon, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at the border village of Krasnoe in the Belgorod region. A residential building, a utility building and a power line were damaged. Civilians were not hurt.

The situation in the Donbass

The RF Armed Forces continued offensive operations in the Liman direction. In the areas of Chervona Dibrovka (LPR), Serebryanka and Grigorovka (DPR), the 80th and 95th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered losses from artillery fire. More than 100 Ukrainian soldiers, six armored vehicles, BM-21 Grad MLRS and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed.

In the Donetsk direction, Russian units moved forward and took up new positions. During the day, up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers, three armored vehicles, four cars, an MSTA-B howitzer, an Akatsiya self-propelled gun and a Grad MLRS were destroyed.

In addition, two depots of ammunition and artillery weapons of the enemy were liquidated in the regions of Kramatorsk and Vugledar. Counter-battery radar stations AN/TPQ-36, AN/TPQ-37 and AN/TPQ-50 were hit in the areas of Markovo, Tikhonovka and Novomikhailovka.

To the south, attacks were made on targets in Prechistovka and Ilyinka, which led to the elimination of more than 35 Ukrainian soldiers, a tank, two armored personnel carriers and two MSTA-B howitzers.

FAN war correspondent Alexander Yaremchuk captured on video the liberated streets on the southern outskirts of Bakhmut. Russian volunteer units are currently covering the city from the south, north and east.