Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 11. Januar 2023

Im andauernden russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine soll nun der russische Generalstabschef selbst die Operation leiten. Der Sammler am 11. Januar 2023:

• Die russische Staatsspitze, also höchstwahrscheinlich Präsident Wladimir Putin selbst, hat erneut das militärische Kommando über den Krieg gegen die Ukraine ausgewechselt und direkt dem Stabschef der Streitkräfte, Walerij Gerassimow, übertragen. Der erst vor wenigen Monaten neu ernannte Oberbefehlshaber Sergej Surowikin wurde einer seiner drei Stellvertreter. Die Mitteilung des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums am (heutigen) Mittwoch:

On 11 September 2023, Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu assigns new leadership of special military operation
Chief of General Staff General of the Army Valery Gerasimov has been assigned the commander of the Joint Group of Forces.
The deputy commanders are: the Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces General of the Army Sergei Surovikin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army General of the Army Oleg Salyukov, as well as the Deputy Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Aleksey Kim.
The increase in the level of leadership of the special military operation is related to the amplified range of tasks, the necessity of closer cooperation between services and branches of the Armed Forces, as well as of improving the quality of all types of maintenance and efficiency of commanding the groups of forces.

Der Wechsel schien dem britischen Verteidigungsministerium so bedeutsam, dass es, abweichend von der üblichen Praxis, am Mittwochabend kurzfristig ein zusätzliches Intelligence Update zu diesem Vorgang veröffentlichte:

On 11 January 2022, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the head of the Russian military, Chief of the General Staff (CGS) Valery Gerasimov is to take over as commander of the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Gerasimov is to have three deputies in the role, including the previous incumbent, General Sergei Surovikin.
This is a significant development in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach to managing the war.
The deployment of the CGS as theatre commander is an indicator of the increasing seriousness of the situation Russia is facing, and a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russia’s strategic goals.
The move is likely to be greeted with extreme displeasure by much of the Russian ultra-nationalist and military blogger community, who have increasingly blamed Gerasimov for the poor execution of the war.
In contrast, Surovikin has been widely praised by this community for his championing of a more realistic approach. As a now deputy commander, his authority and influence is almost certainly hugely reduced.

• Im Zusammenhang mit den Gefechten am Boden bleibt die Stadt Soledar weiter heftig umkämpft – und es scheint derzeit unklar, wer Kontrolle darüber hat. Aus der Zusammenfassung der New York Times:

Intense fighting continued in the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar on Wednesday, despite a claim by the founder of a mercenary force leading Russia’s offensive there that his troops had seized control of the town.
A Wednesday morning update from Ukraine’s General Staff of the Army gave no indication that the battle for the salt-mining town of Soledar had ended. And Russia’s defense ministry and the Kremlin did not confirm the claim by the mercenaries, the Wagner Group, that Soledar had fallen, saying that the town was only blocked for now.
In the ministry’s daily briefing on Wednesday, it said that its paratroopers “had blocked Soledar from the north and south” and that its assault units were “fighting in the city.” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, urged reporters to wait for official announcements about whether the city had been captured, adding that “tactical successes are certainly very important as they come at a rather expensive price.”

(s. dazu auch die Angaben in den jeweiligen Briefings unten)

• Das (reguläre) britische Intel Update:

On 08 January 2023, the Belarussian Ministry of Defence announced a joint Russian-Belarussian tactical flight exercise to be held in the country from 16 January to 01 February 2023.
As of 08 January 2023, amateur aircraft spotters noted the arrival of total of 12 Mi-8 support helicopters and Mi-24 and Ka-52 attack helicopters. With some appearing with ‘Z’ markings, the aircraft landed at Machulishchy Air Base near Minsk.
The new deployment of Russian aircraft to Belarus is likely a genuine exercise, rather than a preparation for any additional offensive operations against Ukraine.
Although Russia maintains a large number of forces in Belarus, they are mostly involved in training. They are unlikely to constitute a credible offensive force.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Situation update of General Staff of UAF as of 6.00 a.m., 11th January 2023
Day 322 of the russian military aggression has begun.
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled attacks in the vicinities of Hryanykivka (Kherson oblast); Stelmakhivka (Luhansk oblast); Spirne, Rozdolivka, Vesele, Bakhmut, Klischiivka, Mayorsk, Vodyane, Nevels’ke, Krasnohorivka, Marrinka, and Prechystivka (Donetsk oblast).
At the same time russian occupiers launched 6x missile and 16x air strikes; and conducted more than 50x MLRS attacks, that targeted mostly civilian infrastructure of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson oblasts.
The threat of enemy air and missile strikes remains high across Ukraine. Do not ignore air warning signals.
Sivershchyna axis: the vicinities of Senkivka (Chernihiv oblast); and Kucherivka, Oleksandrivka, Pokrovka (Sumy oblast) suffered mortar and artillery attacks.
Slobozhanshchyna axes: russian occupiers shelled the vicinities of 19x settlements, including Sosnivka, Zelene, Vovchansk, Khatne, Krasne, Lopan’, Krasne Pershe, and Dvorichna (Kharkiv oblast).
Kup’yans’k axis: the vicinities of Vilshana, Orlyanka and Kislivka (Kharkiv oblast); Novoselyvsk and Stelmakhivka (Luhansk oblast) suffered enemy shelling.
Lyman axis: Makiivka, Nevs’ke and Chervonopivka (Luhansk oblast); Terny and Serebryanka (Donetsk oblast) came under enemy fire.
Bakhmut axis: shelling occurred in the vicinities of Yakovlivka, Bilohorivka, Soledar, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Bila Hora, Spirne, Druzhba, and Paraskoviivka (Donetsk oblast).
Avdiivka axis: Avdiivka, Vesele, Nevels’ke, Heorgiivka, Maryinka, and Pervomais’ke (Donetsk oblast) were shelled by russian invaders.
Novopavlivka axis: Vremivka, Velyka Novosilka, and Vuhledar (Donetsk oblast) came under enemy fire again.
Zaporizhzhia axis: the enemy shelled the vicinities of 22x settlements, including Vilne Pole and Novopil (Donetsk oblast); Olhivs’ke, Zaliznychne, Mala Tokmachka, Hulyaipole, Stepove, Shcherbaki, and Biloghirya (Zaporizhzhia oblast).
Kherson axis: russian artillery shelling caused casualties among civilian population and damage to the civilian infrastructure in 12x settlements along the contact line, including Antonivka, Vesele, Respublikanets, Dniprovs’ke, Dudchany, Mylove, Zolota Balka, and Kherson.
Russian occupation forces exert moral and physical pressure on the population of temporarily occupied and occupied territories. Almost 1,500 employees of Zaporizhzhia NPP, who refused to obtain russian passports and sign a contract with Rosatom, are denied access to the enterprise. The invaders make efforts to recruit new employees in various regions of the russian federation; prepare housing fund for future workers through the so-called „nationalization“ of the apartments of local residents who have left.
During the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Air Force launched 14x strikes on enemy concentration areas, as well as 4x strikes on russian anti-aircraft missile systems.
Ukrainian missile and artillery troops attacked 3x command posts, 2x positions of enemy artillery, and 8x concentrations of enemy troops.

• Das Briefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (11 January 2023)
The Russian Federation Armed Forces continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, artillery and army aviation have engaged the concentrations of manpower of the 92nd Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade close to Sinkovka and Kislovka (Kharkov region), as well as Novoselovskoye (Lugansk People’s Republic) neutralising over 30 Ukrainian servicemen and two motor vehicles.
In Krasny Liman direction, artillery fire, assault and army aviation strikes defeated the assault groups of the 95th, 80th airborne assault and 25th airborne brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Torskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic), Chervonaya Dibrova, Makeyevka, and Chervonopopovka (Lugansk People’s Republic). Moreover, four sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been eliminated close to Kuzmino (Lugansk People’s Republic) and Serebryansky forestry.
The AFU have suffered up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, as well as two armoured combat vehicles, and three vehicles eliminated during the day.
In Donetsk direction, Russian troops have liberated Podgorodnoye (Donetsk People’s Republic) during a successful offensive.
Airborne Troops blockaded Soledar from the northern and southern parts of the city. The Russian Aerospace Forces strike at enemy strongholds. Assault squads are fighting in the city.
Up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles were destroyed as a result of the shelling of units of the 61st AFU Mechanised and 17th Tank Brigades.
In South Donetsk direction, up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, and two motor vehicles have been annihilated by a complex fire attack near Nikolskoye, Prechistovka, and Novoselka (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Operational-Tactical and Army Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery have neutralised a command and observation post of a battalion of the 57th AFU Motorised Infantry Brigade close to Artemovsk (Donetsk People’s Republic). Besides, during the day, 74 AFU artillery units, manpower and military hardware have been hit in 113 areas.
Counterbattery warfare operations resulted in destruction of:
▪️1 Ukrainian Uragan MLRS near Kotovka (Kharkov region);
▪️1 U.S.-made M777 artillery system near Belogorovka (Donetsk People’s Republic);
▪️2 Ukrainian 2S7 Pion self-propelled guns near Raigorodok (Donetsk People’s Republic), a towed D-20 howitzer near Kolodesi (Donetsk People’s Republic);
▪️2 D-30 howitzers near Berestovoye (Kharkov region), and Pobeda (Donetsk People’s Republic), and a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer near Pavlovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).
In addition, U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 and AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar stations near Artemovsk and Dzerzhinsk (Donetsk People’s Republic) have been neutralised.
Fighter aviation of Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down one Su-27 aircraft of Ukrainian Air Force near Popov Yar (Donetsk People’s Republic).
2 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles close to Pavlovka (Donetsk People’s Republic) and Kremennaya (Lugansk People’s Republic) have been shot down by air defence forces overnight.
5 rounds of HIMARS and Olkha multiple-launch rocket systems were intercepted near Debaltsevo and Yenakiyevo (Donetsk People’s Republic), and Kartamyshevo (Lugansk People’s Republic). 1 U.S. HARM anti-radiation missile has been intercepted close to Bryanka (Lugansk People’s Republic).
In total, 371 airplanes and 200 helicopters, 2,868 unmanned aerial vehicles, 400 air defence missile systems, 7,473 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 976 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,809 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,006 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Situation update as of 6 p.m., January 11, 2023
Day 322 of the russian full-scale invasion continues.
During the day of January 11, 2023, the enemy launched 2x missile and 22x air strikes. The invaders launched 18x MLRS attacks, including at civilian infrastructure.
The threat of air and missile attacks on critical infrastructure across Ukraine remains high.
The adversary focuses its main efforts on attempts to completely capture Donetsk oblast, continues offensive operations on Bakhmut axis. The invaders are trying to take control of the city of Soledar and supply routes of Ukrainian units, suffer heavy losses. The fighting continues.
The occupant forces also conduct unsuccessful offensive operations on Avdiivka axis. On Kup’yans’k and Novopavlivka axes, the enemy attempts to improve its tactical position, and defends on Lyman, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson axes.
Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes. The republic of belarus continues to support the russian aggression, providing its infrastructure to restore the combat readiness of the adversary units. No signs of the formation of offensive groups of the enemy were found.
At the same time, russian occupants do not stop shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian targets all along the line of contact.
Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: the vicinities of Novovasylivka, Vovkivka (Sumy oblast), Hur’iv Kozachok, Strilecha, Ohirtseve, Vovchans’k, and Novomlyns’k (Kharkiv oblast) came under fire.
Kup’yans’k axis: the enemy shelled the vicinities of Dvorichna, Kup’yans’k, Kyslivka, Krokhmal’ne, Berestove, Vyshneve, Pershotravneve, Ivanivka (Kharkiv oblast), and Stel’makhivka (Luhansk oblast).
Lyman axis: Terny (Kharkiv oblast), Makiivka, Nevs’ke, Chervonopopivka, and Dibrova (Luhansk oblast) were shelled.
Bakhmut axis: Spirne, Vyimka, Bilohorivka, Rozdolivka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivs’ke, Klishchiivka, Bila Hora, and Druzhba (Donetsk oblast) were shelled by the occupant forces.
Avdiivka axis: Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Pervomais’ke, Mar’inka, and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk oblast) came under fire.
Novopavlivka axis: shelling reported in Vuhledar and Velyka Novosilka (Donetsk oblast).
Zaporizhzhia axis: the vicinities of Vil’ne Pole (Donetsk oblast), Zelenyi Hai, Hulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Charivne, Bilohir’ya, Kam’yans’ke, and Plavni (Zaporizhzhia oblast) were hit.
Kherson axis: the adversary does not stop terrorizing the residents in settlements along the right bank of the Dnipro river. Dudchany, Stepanivka, and Kherson came under MLRS and artillery fire.
Russian invaders are intensifying security measures, checking and searching the local residents in the settlements of the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson oblast. Particular attention is paid to mobile phones.
It is increasingly more often that medical institutions in the temporarily occupied settlements are packed by the wounded russian invaders. Thus, 100x additional beds were deployed in the local hospital of Markivka (Luhansk oblast) alone as of January 9.
According to the available information, the border guard service of the federal security service of the russian federation enacted an order on January 9, 2023, to enforce restrictions on travel abroad for citizens eligible for military service.
During the day of January 11, 2023, Ukrainian Air Force launched 13x air strikes on the concentrations of occupant forces and 3x air strikes on russian anti-aircraft missile systems.
In addition, Ukrainian defenders shot down 1x russian Ka-52 attack helicopter and 2x reconnaissance UAVs (type is being finalized).
Ukrainian missile and artillery troops attacked 1x enemy command post, 4x concentrations of russian troops and military equipment, and 3x ammunition depots.