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Russo-Ukraine War - 11 February 2023 - Day 353

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 on 09 February 2023, Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin stated that Wagner had halted its prisoner recruitment scheme.

Data from the Russian Federal Penal Service had already suggested a drop-off in the rate of prisoner recruitment since December 2022. News of the harsh realities of Wagner service in Ukraine has probably filtered through to inmates and reduced the number of volunteers. However, a key factor in the termination of the scheme is likely increasingly direct rivalry between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner.

In addition, the regular Russian military has likely now also deployed the vast majority of the reservists called up under 'partial mobilisation'. The Russian leadership faces the difficult choice of either continuing to deplete its forces, scale back objectives, or conduct a further form of mobilisation.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of February 11, Russia launched 7x missile and 23x air strikes. The Russian invaders launched more than 15x MLRS attacks. The threat of strikes by the Russian Federation on civilian targets across Ukraine remains high.

Despite significant losses, Russia has not abandoned its intentions to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The Russian invaders continue to focus their main efforts on offensive operations on Kup'yans'k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Novopavlivka axes. Russians are reinforcing their grouping of troops on Lyman and Bakhmut axes. Russian aircraft are active and striking at the positions of Ukrainian units.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes, no signs of the formation of offensive groups were found. The Russian units remain stationed in the areas bordering Ukraine, combat training activities are ongoing. Russia does not stop shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements near the line of contact. During the day of February 11, Russian forces shelled the vicinities of over 20x settlements. Among them are Sen'kivka (Chernihiv oblast), Novovasylivka, Porokhon', Studenok, Starykove, Volfyne (Sumy oblast), Vovchans'k, Fyholivka, and Dvorichna (Kharkiv oblast). The Russian occupiers also launched an air strikes near Vovchans'k.
Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russian forces fired mortars and artillery at the vicinities of more than 15x settlements. In particular, these are Vil'shana, Kyslivka, Kotlyarivka, Pishchane (Kharkiv oblast), Novoselivs'ke, Makiivka, Nevs'ke, Kreminna, Dibrova, and Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: Russian forces fired tanks, mortars, and artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Spirne, Berestove, Vasyukivka, Paraskoviivka, Chasiv Yar, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Predtechyne, Bila Hora, and Zalizne (Donetsk oblast). In total, more than 20x settlements were targeted.
Avdiivka and Novopavlivka axes: the vicinities of 17x settlements came under tank, mortar, and artillery fire, including Avdiivka, Vodyane, Pervomais'ke, Nevel's'ke, Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Mar'inka, Bohoyavlenka, and Vuhledar. Russian air strikes were reported near Vesele, Nevel's'ke and Mar'inka.
Zaporizhzhia axis: the vicinities of Vremivka, Novopil (Donetsk oblast), and Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Bilohir'ya, Orikhiv, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka, and Stepove (Zaporizhzhia oblast) were shelled. Russian forces also launched air strikes in the vicinity of Mala Tokmachka.
Kherson axis: the suburbs and the city of Kherson, as well as the vicinities of more than 20x settlements, including Zolota Balka, Mylove, Zmiivka, Vesele, Mykolaivka, Tyahynka, Tokarivka, Mykil's'ke, Antonivka, and Dniprovs'ke (Kherson oblast), were hit by Russian artillery fire.

Numerous cases of looting by Russian invaders were reported in Nova Kakhovka (temporarily occupied territory of Kherson oblast) between February 7 and 9. Newly arrived soldiers of the Russian occupation forces are actively loading looted property into military trucks.

In the city of Mariupol (Donetsk oblast), the Russian invaders organized the repair of their military equipment that was deliberately put out of commission by Russian servicemen in order not to avoid combat missions. The main reason for the malfunctions in the military equipment is the deliberate wrecking of engines.

Since early February, 2023, Russia has used about 1,200 people from the Russian private military company Wagner in order to compensate for its large-scale military losses. These recruits were taken in prisons from the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

During the day of February 11, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 16x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian personnel and military equipment, and 2x air strikes on the positions of anti-aircraft missile systems. Also, Ukrainian defenders shot down 1x Su-25 aircraft and 1x Orlan UAV. In the meantime, missile and artillery units hit 4x concentrations of manpower during the day of February 11.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that, over the past 24 hours, the Russian Armed Forces launched a massive strike using high-precision weapons on critical infrastructure that supports strategic systems in Ukraine. All planned targets were hit: the functioning of energy-intensive branches of the military-industrial complex was disrupted, and the transfer of military cargo across Ukrainian territory was disrupted.

In the Kherson direction, two Msta-B and D-30 howitzers were destroyed during counter-battery operations. The ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) was also hit in the city of Kherson. During the day, the RF Armed Forces covered the positions of 92 enemy artillery units, 116 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment.

In the village of Novy Bug, Mykolaiv region, the radar guidance station of the S-300 complex was destroyed, and in Shebelinka, the 35D6 air target detection station was eliminated. 19 drones and five rockets were shot down.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine fired on Shebekino and Murom in the Belgorod region, as well as Guevo in the Kursk region. Fixed hits in industrial enterprises. One person died, four were injured.

The situation in Donbass

The Western grouping of troops delivered massive strikes against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Novoselovsky, Novomlynsk, Gryanikovka and Krakhmalny. Up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, two vehicles and a D-30 howitzer, as well as an artillery ammunition depot near Volchansk, were eliminated.

Group of Forces "Center" used operational-tactical and army aviation, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems to defeat enemy units in the areas of Stelmahovka, Nevsky and Yampolovka, as well as Serebryansky forestry. As a result, up to 120 Ukrainian soldiers, an infantry fighting vehicle, four armored vehicles, a Grad rocket launcher and two D-20 howitzers were destroyed.

In the Donetsk direction, the southern group of forces successfully carried out offensive operations, eliminating more than 140 enemy soldiers, two infantry fighting vehicles, six vehicles, two M777 howitzers, a Krab self-propelled gun, Giacint-B and D-30 guns, an AN / TPQ- counter-battery radar 50. The ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in the areas of Berdichev, Avdiivka and Novopokrovsky.

The Vostok group destroyed more than 95 Ukrainian servicemen in the areas of Ugledar and Pavlovka, hit four tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, two cars, an M109 Paladin artillery system, three D-20 howitzers and one Hyacinth-B. In addition, three ammunition depots were liquidated in the areas of Elizavetovka, Bogoyavlenka and Novoukrainka.

Meanwhile, assault units of volunteers continued fighting in the Bakhmut direction. They are fighting near Ivanovsky, in the east of Krasnaya Gora, in the southeastern part of Paraskovievka and directly on the territory of the regional center.