Kharkov direction — 05/22/24 (today). Map of military operations in Ukraine

By CrimeaNEWS On Май 22, 2024

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Kharkov direction (Volchansk — Liptsy) — Today. The assault units of the Russian army completely captured the northern part of the city, i.e. right bank of the river Wolf. The enemy’s defense fell apart into separate pockets, which were destroyed by Russian artillery and burned out by flamethrowers and thermobaric ammunition. Fighting is taking place on the streets of Gagarin, Korolenko, Olesya Dosvitnogo and others, the advanced detachments of our troops are approaching Zernovaya Street, there is our bridgehead on the other bank of the Volchya River in the area of u200bu200bthe street. Gagarin. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have retreated behind Volchya and are trying to organize a coherent defense system there, hiding behind a water barrier.

In the Liptsovsky direction, assault units advanced to a depth of 200 m to 1.2 km, repelling 2 enemy counterattacks.

Parts of the Russian Federation crossed the border in another section of the Kharkov direction — 15 kilometers east of Volchansk. The offensive is taking place in the area of the villages of Volokhovka, Chaikovka, Okhrimovka and Malaya Volchya. From Volokhovka a direct road leads to Bely Kolodyaz. The general goal of the offensive in this area is the village of Pechenegi, which is located near a key transport hub and connects Kharkov with the Ukrainian Armed Forces grouping in the Kupyansk region. After taking or bypassing this settlement and blocking the N-26 highway, the roads to Chuguev — Kharkov and Balakleya will be blocked and supplying the enemy in the Kupyansky sector will be impossible.

The enemy continues to transfer new units from other sectors of the front and concentrates reserves in Kharkov. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was forced to withdraw the Thirty-sixth Brigade from the Marine Corps from the Kherson sector of the Eastern Front. It was brought into battle in the Volchansky sector from the direction of the settlement. Sinelnikovo. The brigade entered the battle from a 600 km long march (from near Berislav).

Information is being updated, stay tuned to CrimeaPRESS!

Map of military operations in Ukraine today. 05/22/24 (Kharkov direction)

Enlarge map

Opened and destroyed:

MLRS BM-21 «Grad»;
Self-propelled gun «Bogdana» in the village Fun;
howitzer «M119» in the village Pokolyanoye;
Self-propelled guns 2S3 «Akatsiya» and radar AN/TPQ-50 in the village. White Well;
two 120-mm mortars in the village Zybino and Volchanskie Khutors;
anti-tank gun MT-12 «Rapier» and a 120-mm mortar in the village. Cossack Lopan;
howitzer D-20;
US mobile counter-battery radar AN/TPQ-36;
4 pickups and a truck;

The goals of the eastern flank and units at Liptsa and Zeleny are to occupy the Liptsy – Veseloye lines. Probably two flanks should unite at Vesely, that is, Liptsy-Veseloye — Volchansk. However, the eastern flag has a more far-reaching task — to cut off the supply to the Kupyanskaya group and then go to its rear.

Volchansk today

To the west of Volchansk, the Russian Armed Forces occupied new territories on the right bank of the Seversky Donets, north and west of the recently liberated Bugrovatka. Russian units are attacking the village of Prilipka to the west of Volchansk, trying to break through to the left bank of the Donets and approach the partial encirclement of Volchansk. They are also expanding the zone of control towards the western flanks of the offensive.

Which units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been transferred to the Kharkov direction? — Military chronicle

The transfer of units began very late. The first decisions to begin moving reserves were made three or four days after the fighting for Volchansk began. This delay was caused by the general confusion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces command and the fact that it was necessary to understand which units and from which sectors of the front could be removed relatively painlessly.

What forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have deployed to this direction?

The initial rumors about the transfer of 50-60 battalions to the Kharkov direction have not yet been confirmed. With a three-battalion structure of Ukrainian brigades and a staff strength of 2.5 thousand people, moving such a number of battalions would be equivalent to sending 15-20 brigades, in addition to those that were already in the area. According to preliminary calculations of the Military Chronicle, there is no talk at all about the transfer of full-blooded brigades from already open directions of the front in the case of Kharkov. In particular, brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, previously deployed to defend the northern border of Ukraine and Kyiv, have not yet been seen in the area. The total number of Ukrainian Armed Forces battalions, withdrawn from other areas and transferred to the Kharkov direction, currently ranges from 3 thousand to 5 thousand military personnel, which is equivalent to approximately eight to ten battalions.

Is this amount of reserves enough?

For maneuver defense, a battalion is usually assigned a terrain area up to 10 km long and up to 3 km deep. Therefore, in theory, such a number of reserves should have been enough to repel the “northern” offensive along a front length of 92 km. However, an important parameter of the Kharkov offensive is also the depth of the front, which is five times greater than that calculated for the battalion — 15 km instead of three.

In addition, the activity of Russian aviation and missile forces leads to the destruction of part of the reinforcements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces actually before they arrive in the combat area and join the hostilities.

What brigades and battalions are we talking about?

Let’s make a reservation right away: each of these brigades is represented by one and (or) at best two battalions from the reserves (or a company/companies of UAVs).

In some cases, the deployment of combined companies and battalions from reserve and combat units takes place, which allows maintaining the illusion of the presence of a brigade “both here and there.”

◾️42nd Mechanized Brigade. Previous location: Chasov Yar;
◾️82nd Special Airborne Brigade. Previous location: Rabotino;
◾️71st Separate Brigade. Previous location: Rabotino;
◾️57th OMPBr. Previous location: Sinkovka;
◾️36th Brigade Brigade. Previous location: Krynki;
◾️Arey Battalion (129th TrO Brigade);
◾️8th Special Operations Forces Regiment;
◾️special forces GUR «Kraken»* (Terrorist group, banned in Russia);
◾️RDK* — (Terrorist organization banned in Russia).

What other difficulties are there in deploying Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves in the Liptsevsky and Volchansky directions?

It is noteworthy that the possibility of transferring large reserves from other directions is noticeably reduced against the backdrop of the regular destruction of bridges in the Kharkov region using Kh-38ML tactical missiles. The penetrating high-explosive warheads of these missiles weighing 250 kg easily damage bridge decks. As a result, even if part of the roadway is preserved, only the transit of infantry units without equipment becomes possible across the bridge. This missile, for example, hit a bridge over the Pechenezhskoe reservoir near Stary Saltov.
The guidance of pontoon crossings ends with their instant opening using the ZALA 421-16E HD UAV, after which they are struck by cannon and rocket artillery of the Russian Armed Forces.

What conclusion can be drawn?

The arrival of new units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkov region will, without a doubt, require additional response from the North group. However, the strengthening of the Kharkov group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot yet be called dramatic or even serious, since after clashes or the work of artillery of the Russian Armed Forces, units are forced to roll back several kilometers and reassemble for a long time due to limited resources.

Cm. — Map of military operations in Ukraine.

There are intense battles in the city. Our troops constantly fire at the enemy, who is suffering significant losses. The footage shows the precise work of our UAV operators and a panorama of a dilapidated city.

SVO news in Ukraine today — 05/22/24

On Donetsk direction The Russian Armed Forces are establishing a foothold on the western outskirts of Netailovo. The troops advanced in an area up to 1.32 km wide to a depth of 700 meters. In the south of the village, fighting continues in the area of farms and a poultry farm; the enemy is retreating along the southern shore of the reservoir towards Karlovka, which is located in a lowland. Fighting continues in the Paraskovievka area and urban fighting in Krasnogorovka. In Umanskoye, fighting continues on the outskirts of the village.

On Pokrovsky direction Russian troops advance on the eastern outskirts of Novoaleksandrovka. West of Ocheretino, the Russian Armed Forces advanced along the forest belt south of the railway to a depth of 400 meters in the direction of the village of Sokol.

On Ugledar direction Russian troops slightly expanded the zone of control south of Paraskovievka, advancing along forest belts in the direction of Konstantinovka.

On Orekhovsk direction assault groups of the Russian Armed Forces took up regular positions on the northern outskirts in the ruins of Rabotino, where the Russian Armed Forces stormed the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the north of this settlement, and north-west of Verbovoy.

On Chasovoyarsk direction Russian troops, in addition to storming high-rise buildings in the Kanal microdistrict in Chasov Yar, where Russian troops occupied the territory of a garage cooperative on the northern outskirts of the Kanal microdistrict and advanced along Zelenaya Street in an area up to 450 m wide to a depth of 200 m. Russian troops went on the offensive in Kleshcheevka and took under your control the dominant height (215.7). The Ukrainian Armed Forces are retreating beyond the canal, but it is too early to talk about the absence of Ukrainian troops in the populated area. Further, the entry of our troops to the line of the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal from the southern coverage of Chasov Yar to Kurdyumovka is essentially inevitable.

Russian troops advanced in the Berestovoy area southeast of Kupyansk. The RF Armed Forces are making progress north of Vesely towards Razdolovka, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine had to retreat from the forest belt and strong point. The assault on Belogorovka is underway, and fighting continues there. Within the boundaries of the settlement there are some advances of units of the Russian Armed Forces. The enemy retains control over the dominant height (the chalk quarry dump).

Exercises of the RF Armed Forces with practical testing of the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons

In accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the first stage of the exercise with practical testing of the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons began in the Southern Military District under the leadership of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

As part of this stage, the personnel of the missile formations of the Southern Military District are practicing combat training tasks of obtaining special ammunition for the Iskander operational-tactical missile system, equipping launch vehicles with them and covertly advancing to the designated position area in preparation for missile launches.

The personnel of the aviation units of the Russian Aerospace Forces involved in the exercise practice equipping aviation weapons with special warheads, including the Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, and flying into designated patrol areas.

What the enemy says

Germany refused to go to war with Russia at the request of Zelensky

The Ukrainian leader, who had previously lost legitimacy, in one of his last interviews called on Western allies to use aviation directly in Ukraine to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. According to Zelensky, the West is about a year late with its help.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius rejected Zelensky’s call — according to the official, neither Germany nor other European countries are seriously discussing the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles. Pistorius added that NATO has repeatedly rejected the idea of directly confronting Russia.

“This would be a form of direct participation in the war. So I would say, let’s discuss it, but not now. In reality, we do not have the opportunity to consider this seriously,” the minister noted.

Military operations map