Russo-Ukraine War - 13 February 2023 - Day 355
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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 as of 07 February 2023, open source imagery indicated Russia had likely further bolstered defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southern Ukraine, particularly near the town of Tarasivka. As of 08 January 2023, Russia had established defensive fortifications between the towns of Vasilyvka and Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, Russia remains concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended front line. This is demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk oblasts and deployments of personnel. Russia's front line in Ukraine amounts to approximately 1,288 km with the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast frontline at 192 km.
A major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia would seriously challenge the viability of Russia's 'land bridge' linking Russia's Rostov region and Crimea; Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia's professed war aim of 'liberating' the Donbas. Deciding which of these threats to prioritise countering is likely one of the central dilemmas for Russian operational planners.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of February 13, Russian forces launched 2x missile and 16x air strikes. Russian forces launched more than 15x MLRS attacks. The threat of Russian Federation's further strikes all across Ukraine remains high.
Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no signs of the formation of offensive groups were found. Certain units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus and the armed forces of the Russian Federation continue their missions in the areas bordering Ukraine. Troops of the Russian Federation continue their combat training at the training grounds of the Republic of Belarus. At the same time, Russia does not stop mortar and artillery shelling of the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements near the line of contact. During the day of February 13, the vicinities of settlements of Volfyne, Basivka (Sumy oblast), Veterynarne, and Dvorichans'ke (Kharkiv oblast) were shelled by Russian forces.
Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russian forces fired tanks, mortars, and artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Dvorichna, Syn'kivka, Kup'yans'k, Stepova, Kyslivka, Krokhmal'ne, Berestove, Pishchane, Vyshneve, Cherneshchyna (Kharkiv oblast), Stel'makhivka, Makiivka, Ploshchanka, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Ivanivka, Spirne, and Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: the vicinities of settlements of Bilohorivka, Zaliznyans'ke, Bakhmut, Oleksandro-Shul'tyne, Ozaryanivka, Dyliivka, and Maiors'k came under mortar and artillery fire.
Avdiivka and Novopavlivka axes: Russian forces fired tanks, mortars, and artillery at the vicinities of 18x settlements. Among them are Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, Nevel's'ke, Krasnohorivka, Mar'inka, Pobjeda, Bohoyavlenka, Novoukrainka, Prechystivka, and Zolota Nyva (Donetsk oblast).
Zaporizhzhia axis: Vremivka, Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Ol'hivs'ke, Hulyaipole, Staroukrainka, Charivne, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka, Stepove, Kam'yans'ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast), and Illinka
(Dnipropetrovsk oblast) were shelled.
Kherson axis: the city of Kherson came under mortar and artillery fire again.
There is an increase in the number of cases where the mobilized serving in units attached to the 1st Army Corps of the Southern Military District refuse to attack. Because of this, the men mobilized from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk oblast are removed from the second and third lines and sent to training grounds. There, they undergo two-weeks training and man the assault units for offensive operations on Avdiivka axis.
Due to the significant number of medical losses among Russian forces, a maternity hospital in the temporarily occupied Luhansk is used to treat wounded soldiers of the Russian occupation forces. In addition, the premises of children's hospital No. 3 have also been re-arranged as a military hospital.
During the day of February 12, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 14x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian occupants' personnel and military equipment. In the meantime, Ukrainian missile and artillery units hit 3x concentrations of Russian manpower and 1x electronic warfare station.
Statements of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
During the briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that positions and places of accumulation of equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansky, Limansky, Donetsk, and South-Donetsk directions were hit during the day. Ukrainian troops lost about 320 servicemen and a large amount of equipment. In the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a repair point for military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was hit.
In the Kherson direction, in the course of a counter-battery fight, 2 combat vehicles of the Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and 2 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers were eliminated.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 82 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 126 districts.
Air defense systems shot down 6 HIMARS MLRS shells, destroyed 9 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
Zaporozhye region
Ukrainian troops shelled the city of Pologi from MLRS HIMARS during the day, the local administration reported. The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 4 rockets at the settlement. As a result of the attacks, residential buildings were seriously damaged, damage was caused to city communications, the central water supply system and high-voltage power lines.
Kherson region
The Ukrainian media reported about the explosions that were heard in Kherson during the day, while the air raid alert was not announced.
There were reports of the arrival of English-speaking military instructors from the United States or Great Britain to the village of Sadovoe in the vicinity of Kherson. According to local residents, they settled in houses whose owners were evacuated.
DNR
During the day, Ukrainian troops opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Makeevka, Golmovsky, Nikolskoye, Mineralnoe and Yakovlevka. As a result of the strikes, residential buildings in Donetsk were damaged, Golmovsky was partially de-energized.
Kyiv opened criminal cases against the mayor of Mariupol and 10 DPR police officers due to suspicions of "collaborationism" and "treason", the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine said. The Ukrainian authorities accuse them of working in the region after the liberation of the city by Russian units and the inclusion of the DPR into the Russian Federation.
Acting head of the republic Denis Pushilin said that there are no arrears in the payment of pensions in the republic. According to him, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the DPR pays 14 types of benefits in the prescribed period from the 10th to the 25th day of each month.
Ukrainian troops are using new highly dangerous ammunition near Vuhledar, allegedly supplied by NATO countries. This is reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the testimony of the commander of the Mobile Medical Group of the Special Forces Medical Detachment of the RF Armed Forces with the call sign Coach. According to him, spherical elements of the correct shape and the same size, which have a high penetrating ability, are detected in the wounded entering hospitals in this direction.
LC
In the evening, Ukrainian formations opened fire from the HIMARS MLRS on Stakhanov, firing 2 missiles.
At the former positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Zholobok, Slavyanoserbsky district, 60 mines and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition were seized. In addition, law enforcement agencies of the republic reported that there were several grenades and shots for grenade launchers in the cache.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel of the People's Militia of the LPR Andrei Marochko said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are using civilians in Makeevka as a human shield, forbidding them to leave the settlement. To prevent the departure of the population, the Ukrainian formations mined the roads leading north, east and south of Makiivka.
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