Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of a special military operation (20.03.2023)
On the Kupyansk direction, air strikes and artillery fire of the "Western" group of troops hit AFU units in the areas of Dvurechnaya, Berestovoye of Kharkiv Region and Artemivka of Luhansk People's Republic.
Up to 55 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored fighting vehicle, two pickup trucks, and a D-20 howitzer were destroyed.
In the Krasno-Limansky direction, active actions of units of the Center group of troops, air strikes and artillery fire destroyed enemy manpower and equipment in the areas of Yampolovka and Terny settlements of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Over 100 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, three pickup trucks, a vehicle, and an Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in this area during the day.
In the Donetsk direction, during active operations of Southern Group of Forces units and artillery fire in the areas of Semenovka, Petrovske and Tonenke settlements, over 245 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three armored combat vehicles, three pickups, a Grad MLRS combat vehicle, as well as a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed.
On the South Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia directions, air strikes and artillery fire of the Vostok Group of Forces defeated AFU units in the areas of Ugledar and Novomikhailovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Total enemy losses in these areas during the day amounted to over 50 Ukrainian servicemen, three tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, two armored fighting vehicles, four vehicles and one D-20 howitzer.
In the Kherson direction, up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, three vehicles, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, a D-30 howitzer, and a US-made Paladin self-propelled artillery unit were destroyed during the firefighting.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery of groups of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the past 24 hours hit 82 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and equipment of the enemy in 112 areas .
Fighter aviation of the Russian Air Force shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter near the village of Kolesnikovka, Kharkiv Oblast.
The air defense forces intercepted five HIMARS MBRLS rockets, as well as one HARM anti-radar missile during the day.
In addition, seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the areas of Kreminna, Rubizhne, Ploshchanka, and Karmazinovka of the Luhansk People's Republic and Kirillovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation destroyed (losses over previous 24hrs(+?)):
402 aircraft, (Daily avg 1.1)
223(+1) helicopters, (Daily avg 0.6)
3,471(+7) unmanned aerial vehicles, (Daily avg 8.9)
414 surface-to-air missile systems, (Daily avg 1.1)
8,355(+17) tanks and other armored combat vehicles, (Daily avg 21.
1,070(+1) multiple rocket launchers, (Daily avg 2.
4,395(+7) field artillery and mortars, (Daily avg 11.4) and
9,027(+16) special military vehicles. (Daily avg 23.3)
Comment:
Sustained comparative reduced OP tempo over last 96hrs. Equivalent to average effort over Jan/Feb period. Current 96hr RF main effort concentrated & focused primarily vicinity of Bahkmut & Avdiivka, & lesser extent Kharkov & Zaporische regions.
Bahkmut & Chasov Yar highway MSR to the N is under severe pressure at five separate locs along MSR. RF outer ring continues to expand,inner ring contracts. AFU forces under sustained assaults from multiple axes as RF breaks-up & fragments pockets of resistance for destruction in detail. The remaining Bahkmut fragile barely traffic-able MSR, the Muddy Track of Death(MToD) continues to sustain ~30-40% casualties re manpower/materiel/vehicles re ingress & egress, via air attack & direct & indirect ranged Fires.
AFU Territorial(Conscript) formations supported by remnant Tank & Mech formations demonstrated combat ineffective re resisting RF attacks on MSR to N.
Latest AFU footage of the MToD at Intel Slava. 19s clip, TG Browse-able Open(Public).
Avdiivka double envelopment continues to develop, unconfirmed reports the road & rail MSR to NNW has been severed, minimally under imminent threat.
Early stages of two additional double envelopments developing in Kharkov region.
No demonstration of AFU ability to defend against or rollback RF double envelopments, hold or counter-attack flanks, of static fortified urban defense works.
AFU formations, other than weak remnant regular formations, continue to demonstrate negligible combat effectiveness & combat power when committed/engaged outside static defensive fortified entrenchments.
AFU forces continue to be fixed in place, pressed, & suffering disadvantageous attrition by air attack, direct & indirect ranged Fires & RF forces all along the FEBA(& immediate rear thereof to ~35km). AFU Air Defense Systems(ADS) essentially non-extant in Theater outside major, politically sensitive, urban city zones.
Note: The growing number & expansion of envelopments of AFU fortifications extends the total length of the Line of Contact & in & of itself further thins the density of AFU units defensive frontage thereby further weakening both combat power & straining already finite manpower/materiel reserves as losses continue to mount.