Ukrainian counter-offensive hampered by Russian minefields

2023-07-12T20:17:26.869Z

Highlights: Ukrainian army continues its slow advance in the east and south of the country. But everywhere, in the theater of operations, the Ukrainians are slowed down by the fierce defense of the Russians. The Russians have established a veritable wall of trenches protected by minefields. The strategy of the Ukrainians is therefore to strike at the rear of the Russian lines to weaken the enemy device, says RFI's correspondent in Ukraine, Stéphane Siohan. The counter-offensive will not show tangible results until early autumn, he says.

The Ukrainian army continues its slow advance in the east and south of the country, with, it seems, substantial gains in the outskirts of Bakhmut, in the Donbass. But everywhere, in the theatre...

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Ukrainian counter-offensive hampered by Russian minefields

The Ukrainian army continues its slow advance in the east and south of the country, with, it seems, substantial gains in the outskirts of Bakhmut, in the Donbass. But everywhere, in the theater of operations, the Ukrainians are slowed down by the fierce defense of the Russians who have established a veritable wall of trenches protected by minefields.

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Ukraine, September 12, 2022: Ukrainian tank column of the counteroffensive in the east of the country, in the Kharkiv region. VIA REUTERS - UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES

Text by: RFI Follow

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With our correspondent in Ukraine, Stéphane Siohan

South of Zaporizhzhia, a group of National Guard soldiers face this problem on a daily basis. One of them, whose nom de guerre is "the accountant", is a veterinarian by profession. From now on, its function is to clear enemy trenches with weapons in hand. But for that, it is still necessary to succeed in approaching it. "Since the beginning of our counter-offensive, our most serious challenge is the mines laid by the enemy, anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, there are a lot of all types and it slows down our march enormously," says the accountant.

Recently, he and his men found a Russian officer's notebook in a trench, revealing that before the next position, they had to cross a field dotted with 5,000 anti-tank mines. As a result, the Ukrainians could not engage columns of armor. "We have units of sappers and engineers leading the way for infantry. Meter by meter, they comb the ground with metal detectors, but the price to pay is very heavy, we have losses among the engineers and infantrymen who are at the front. But we have no other solution," says the soldier.

A Ukrainian soldier in a trench in eastern Ukraine. AFP - ANATOLII STEPANOV

The strategy of the Ukrainians is therefore to strike at the rear of the Russian lines to weaken the enemy device. "Right now, our artillery is firing more and more accurately than the Russians'. But to engage our tanks more effectively, we need to close the skies and protect our ground soldiers from aerial bombardment, but right now that's just not possible," he said.

In this context, the Ukrainians are advancing, but the counter-offensive will not show tangible results until early autumn.

Ukrainian counter-offensive hampered by Russian minefields

Ukrainian counter-offensive hampered by Russian minefields

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