The past week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been marked by hostilities at multiple locations along the front line, with the Russian military reporting new advances in Donbass. Russian forces have also continued to hunt for high value assets in Ukraine’s rear, striking troops and hardware in redeployment.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Urozhaynoye, a large village located in the southwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
The village has seen active combat over the past few months, with the location becoming one of the few settlements seized by Kiev during its long-hyped but ultimately disastrous counteroffensive of last summer. The village has sustained extensive damage over the months of fighting, drone footage showing Russian troops hoisting the country’s flag at local administrative building indicates.
On Friday, the Defense Ministry said Russian troops seized control of Yuryevka, a small village located to the west of the town of Gorlovka, DPR. The development apparently signals the country’s forces are expanding their zone of control after breaking through Ukrainian defenses in the area last week, when the troops reportedly entered the village of New York (also known as Novgorodskoye) to the northeast of Yuryevka.
The country’s military also continues its westward push near Ovheretino, once a key logistics and railway hub for Kiev’s forces, which was liberated by Russia in April. On Friday, Russian military journalist Marat Khairullin reported that the troops made a swift advance on the village of Progress, located 7km further to the west along the railway line, and took control of part of it. The reporter shared drone footage from the location, purporting to show Russian storm troops in the village.
The village of Progress is one of the few locations in the ‘Poroshenko line’ which still remains under Ukrainian control. The defensive line was built in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donbass in 2015-17 under then-President Pyotr Poroshenko and included a vast network of concrete bunkers, tunnels, and other fortifications.
Logistics strikes continue
The Russian military has continued a concentrated effort to strike Kiev’s military logistics including units and hardware in redeployment.
Last Saturday, The Russian Defense Ministry said it conducted a strike on a train station located in the village of Budy, Kharkov Region. The military used two Iskander tactical ballistic missiles to strike a train that was carrying multiple pieces of military hardware. According to Moscow’s estimates, 20 pieces of hardware, including three German-supplied Marder infantry fighting vehicles, were destroyed in the strike, while up to 120 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded.
Another Iskander strike was reported on Tuesday, when a missile packed with a cluster warhead struck Ukrainian training grounds near the village of Peresechnoye in the same region.
A surveillance drone detected the movement of a Ukrainian unit, tracking it to the training grounds. The unit was riding several civilian buses, with at least two appearing to be commuter vehicles and at least one bright yellow school bus, footage shared online shows.
The strike was conducted when the unit exited the buses, with up to 160 servicemen reported killed or injured.
Heavier winged bombs unveiled
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry for the first time officially acknowledged the use of massive high explosive FAB-3000 aerial bombs, fitted with the Universal Correction and Guidance Module (UMPK) winged upgrade kit.
The military released a video showing a FAB-3000 being fitted onto a Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft. Like some of its smaller cousins, the FAB-3000 is fitted with a custom nosecone to make the bomb more aerodynamic and extend its flight, footage suggests.
The Su-34 jet is seen carrying only a single bomb on its central pylon. The munition extends its wings shortly after separating from the aircraft, turns over, and proceeds to glide onto its target, the video shows.
Another video featuring a winged FAB-3000 gives a glimpse of the altitudes at which they are deployed. Rare footage taken from a Su-34 in clear weather suggests the aircraft apparently released the massive bomb at around 10,000 meters (over 32,800 feet) above the ground.
The first-ever use of a FAB-3000 fitted with a UMPK kit was reported late last month. Prior to this, only smaller bombs, such as the high-explosive FAB-250, FAB-500, and FAB-1500, as well as specialized cluster and thermobaric munitions equipped with the guidance systems, have seen action during the hostilities.
Lancet strikes
Over the past week, new videos showing the Russian Lancet kamikaze drone in action have surfaced online. The family of the loitering munitions has seen increasing use amid the conflict, becoming one of the key medium-reach tools of the Russian military, primarily used to counter Ukrainian towed and self-propelled artillery, as well as certain high-value assets, such as short-range anti-aircraft systems or artillery radars
On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry showcased a Lancet strike on a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, hit by a Lancet drone at its firing position in formerly-Ukrainian Kherson Region. Surveillance drone footage shows the howitzer firing from a poorly-concealed position in a wooded area. The vehicle was hit by the Lancet through its mask netting, catching fire and ultimately being destroyed by a massive explosion in its ammo stock.
Another new Lancet video shared online shows a strike on a Plastun electronic warfare support station. The sensor is seen deployed in a wooded area, with the loitering munition striking at its base, apparently destroying its control module and toppling the antenna.
A rare Soviet-era 2K22 Tunguska close-range anti-aircraft vehicle has also fallen victim to a Lancet strike, another video shows. The system, designed to provide cover from various low-flying aircraft, was tracked by a surveillance drone and hit by the kamikaze drone at its hiding place in the woods.
While the view of it was obstructed by thick shrubbery, the strike sparked a massive fire at the location, suggesting the vehicle sustained a direct hit.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry also reported the liberation of Urozhaynoye, a large village located in the southwest of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which has seen active combat over the past few months.
Russian forces also continue to strike Ukrainian logistics hubs and military hardware en route to the front line.
Last weekend, two Iskander tactical ballistic missiles destroyed a train that was carrying 20 pieces of hardware, including three German-supplied Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.