Russian forces wage offensive battle on Mykolaiv front – General Staff report

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO – SATURDAY, 20 AUGUST 2022, 18:35

Russian forces are attempting to improve their tactical positions on the Mykolaiv front and are waging an offensive battle on the Vasylky – Blahodatne axis to this end. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed forces have repelled Russian offensive operations on the Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka fronts.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 20 August

Details: On the Pivdennyi Buh front, Russian forces are focusing their main efforts on maintaining control over the occupied territories and on pinning down the Ukrainian Defence Forces. They are attempting to improve their tactical positions on the Mykolaiv front.

In addition, the Russians used tanks and various types of artillery to fire on areas near Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Oleksandrivka and another 15 towns and villages and carried out an airstrike near Olhyne. They are waging an offensive battle on the Vasylky – Blahodatne axis.

The Russian fleet in the waters of the Black and Azov seas includes two naval missile carriers armed with Kalibr cruise missiles, at the ready to launch missiles on the territory of Ukraine.

On the Kharkiv front, Russian troops' efforts are focused on maintaining their positions. They used tubed and rocket artillery to fire on areas in and around Karasivka, Velyki Prokhody, Cherniaky, Pishchane and Pechenihy.

Russian aircraft conducted airstrikes near Prudianka and Verkhnii Saltiv. The Russians also used UAVs to conduct aerial reconnaissance near Ruski Tyshky and Zolochiv.

On the Sloviansk front, Russian forces are focusing their efforts on resuming an offensive. They used tubed and rocket artillery to fire on areas in and around Asiivka, Husarivka, Chepil, Protopopivka and Dovhenke and carried out an airstrike near Zalyman.

Russian occupying forces also conducted offensive operations on the following axes: Brazhkivka – Novodmytrivka, Sulyhivka – Novodmytrivka, Brazhkivka – Virnopillia and Dovhenke – Kurulka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces inflicted losses on the Russians and forced them to retreat on each of those axes.

Russian forces are continuing to mount an offensive on the Donetsk front, in particular focusing their efforts on the Bakhmut front.

On the Kramatorsk front, they fired on areas in and around Kramatorsk, Rozdolivka, Spirne, Zvanivka and Raihorodok using tubed and rocket artillery and conducted an airstrike near Ivano-Dar’ivka.

The Russians also attempted to conduct offensive operations on the Spirne – Ivano-Dar’ivka and Mykolaivka – Vyimka axes, but were not successful.

On the Bakhmut front, Russian occupying forces used tank guns, as well as tubed and rocket artillery, to fire on areas in the vicinity of Maiorsk, Vesela Dolyna, Bakhmut, Kodema and Bilohorivka and deployed aircraft to conduct airstrikes on the latter three cities.

In an attempt to improve their tactical position, the Russians conducted offensive and assault operations on the following axes: Striapivka – Soledar, Pokrovske – Bakhmutske, Pokrovske – Bakhmut, Vershyna – Zaitseve, Vershyna – Kodema, Travneve – Zaitseve, Travneve – Kodema, Semyhiria – Zaitseve, Hladosove – Kodema. They were not successful on any of these axes and were decisively repelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On the Avdiivka front, Russian forces used tank guns and various types of artillery to fire on areas in the vicinity of Avdiivka, Kurakhove, Krasnohorivka, Sukha Balka and Nevelske. Russian aircraft conducted airstrikes near Vodiane and Mar'inka.

Russian offensive operations on the Horlivka – Maiorsk, Spartak – Opytne, Donetsk – Pisky and Staromykhailivka – Pervomaiske axes were unsuccessful.

On the Novopavlivka front, Russian forces fired on areas in and around Pavlivka, Yelyzavetivka, Novosilka, Vuhledar and Novomykhailivka and conducted an offensive operation on the Blahodatne – Zolota Nyva axis. They made no gains and were forced to retreat.

Russian troops are attempting to prevent the Ukrainian Defence Forces from advancing on the Zaporizhzhia front. They used tank guns, tubed artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) to fire on areas in and around Velykomykhailivka, Shevchenko, Huliaipilske, Shevchenkivske, Novoandriivka, Novopil, Olhivske, Shcherbaky, Burlatske and Stepove. Russian aircraft attacked areas in and around Bilohirʼia, Zaliznychne, Mali Shcherbaky and Mala Tokmachka.

There is no evidence that the Belarusian or the Russian Armed Forces are forming an assault group near the Ukrainian border on the Volyn and Polissia fronts.

However, there is still a threat of missile and air strikes on the territory of Ukraine from the territory and airspace of Belarus.

Russia continues to deploy separate units from the Western Military District of the Russian Federation in Bryansk and Kursk oblasts, near the Russian-Ukrainian border on the Sivershchyna front. Its aim is to pin down units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces there [and prevent them from being transferred to other fronts - ed.].

Russian occupying forces used mortars to fire on units of Ukrainian troops in the part of Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts near the Ukrainian-Russian border.

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