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Russo-Ukraine War - 24 February 2023 - Day 366

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 since 2014 Russia's strategic goal in Ukraine has highly likely been consistent: to control its neighbour. Over 2014-2021, it pursued this objective through subversion, by fomenting an undeclared war in the Donbas, and by annexing Crimea.

On 24 February 2022, Russia pivoted to a new approach and launched a full-scale invasion which attempted to seize the whole country and depose its government. By April 2022, Russia realised this had failed, and focused on expanding and formalising its rule over the Donbas and the south. It has made slow and extremely costly progress.

In recent weeks, Russia has likely changed its approach again. Its campaign now likely primarily seeks to degrade the Ukrainian military, rather than being focused on seizing substantial new territory. The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation focuses its main efforts on the offensive operations on Kup'yans'k, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtars'ke axes. The number of Russianpersonnel is increasing.

During the day of February 24, Russia launched 18x air strikes, 4x of them with Lancet loitering munitions. The Russian invaders launched more than 30x MLRS attacks.

The threat of Russianmissile attacks across Ukraine remains high.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes. No signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were found.
Russian forces fired mortars and artillery at the settlements of Sen'kivka, Yeline, Leonivka (Chernihiv oblast), Iskryskivshchyna, Volfyne, Zapsillya, Miropillya (Sumy oblast), as well shelled the vicinities of 18x settlements in Kharkiv oblast. Among them are Lemishchyne, Oleksandrivka, Starytsya, Vovchans'k, and Bolohivka.
Kup'yans'k and Lyman axes: Russian forces conducted several unsuccessful offensives. In particular, the Russian invaders attacked the vicinities of Serebryans'ke forestry and the settlements of Verkhn'yokam'yans'ke and Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces fired artillery at the vicinities of 14x settlements. These included Hryanykivka, Kup'yans'k, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast), Dibrova, and Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast).
Bakhmut axis: Russia continues to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops, launching several unsuccessful attacks near the settlements of Dubovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, and Zaliznyans'ke. Russia is active in aerial reconnaissance to spot for artillery fire. 15x settlements came under fire, including Spirne, Vesele, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bakhmut, and Ozaryanivka (Donetsk oblast).
Avdiivka and Shakhtars'ke axes: Russia was on the offensive in the vicinities of settlements of Pervomais'ke, Nevel's'ke, and Mar'inka, to no success. Artillery attacks were reported near 16x settlements. In particular, these are Avdiivka, Vodyane, Zolota Nyva, Mar'inka, Vuhledar, and Velyka Novosilka (Donetsk oblast).
Zaporizhzhia axis: Russian forces shelled the vicinities of 17x settlements. Among them are Vremivka, Novopil' (Donetsk oblast), Ol'hivs'ke, Hulyaipole, Orikhiv, and Bilohir'ya (Zaporizhzhia oblast).
Kherson axis: Russian occupation forces fired artillery targeting 27x settlements of Kherson oblast located on the right bank of the Dnipro River, including Dudchany, Beryslav, Vesele, Tyahynka, Antonivka, and Kherson.

In Chaplynka (Kherson oblast), the Russian occupiers imposed a round-the-clock curfew from February 23 to February 25, 2023. The reason may be the transfer of military equipment from the temporarily occupied part of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to reinforce the defense line.

In the town of Nova Kakhovka (Kherson oblast), the Russian adversary is conducting door-to-door rounds of the local residents' homes. The Russian invaders are checking the registration and documents confirming ownership for the housing. Whenever these are not found, the residents are evicted within a week, with the russian occupation troops moving in and quartered instead.

During the day of February 24, Ukrainian Air Force launched 14x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian personnel and military equipment. The Ukrainian Defense Forces also destroyed 1x Mi-24 attack helicopter and 1x Lancet UAV.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reportedt that in the Kupyansk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost more than 60 servicemen, 2 armored combat vehicles, 4 cars, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer and a D-20 gun during the day.

Meanwhile, more than 40 enemy soldiers, the Grad installation, the Msta-B howitzer and 3 D-30 howitzers were liquidated by artillery strikes in the Kherson region. In addition, an ammunition depot of the 104th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was hit in the village of Verkhnetarasovka, Dnepropetrovsk region.

In total, over the past day, strikes were made on 102 artillery positions of the Ukrainian army, 142 areas of accumulation of manpower and equipment. The command post of the 127th Terodefense Brigade in Peremoga, Kharkiv region, was liquidated, four HIMARS missiles and six drones were shot down.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine once again fired at the border town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region. One of the shells fell on the playground and did not explode. During the evening, the arrived sappers cleared the area.

The situation in the Donbass

As a result of the actions of the "Center" group of forces in the Liman direction, up to 140 Ukrainian servicemen, 3 armored combat vehicles, 3 cars, a Grad installation, Msta-B, D-20 and D-30 howitzers were destroyed.

In the Donetsk direction, up to 240 enemy soldiers, 2 tanks, 7 armored combat vehicles, 6 cars, D-20 and D-30 howitzers, a D-44 anti-tank gun, and one M777 were liquidated during the day. The command post and ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Avdiivka area were destroyed.

In the meantime, to the south, in the areas of Vodyanoye, Ugledar and Prechistovka, more than 80 Ukrainian servicemen, a tank, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, 3 pickup trucks, 4 Uragan installations, a D-20, M777 howitzer, a Krab self-propelled gun, and an AN counter-battery radar station were liquidated /TPQ-36. In addition, four ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were blown up in the areas of the settlements of Razdolnoe, Bogatyr and Malinovka.

Russian attack aircraft continued to attack the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Bakhmut direction during the day today. The liberation of Berkhovka, where the Ukrainian army suffered heavy losses, made it possible to increase pressure on the regional center. Meanwhile, battles continue in Yagodnoye.