Ukrainian attacks on Russian supply routes slowed down Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast – WP

Ukrainian attacks on Russian supply routes have forced the Russian units which invaded the north-eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast to look for food, water and ammunition and slowed down their advance deeper into Ukrainian territory.

Source: The Washington Post with reference to Ukrainian field commanders who shared the interceptions of Russian soldiers’ radio- and phone conversations, as well as the results of the interrogations of the Russian prisoners of war

Details: The article says that the interceptions and interviews with 10 Ukrainian commanders and soldiers paint a picture of a more and more desperate state of the Russian ground forces which are losing their personnel and experiencing a decrease in the dynamic of their advance.

In the transcript of one radio conversation, intercepted in June and shared with The Washington Post, a Russian soldier orders another to ensure incoming troops responsible for carrying supplies understand that there is a dire shortage of food and water.

The intercepted messages, handed over to WP, show that Russia is struggling to organise a sufficient quantity of supply routes to cover basic needs of its troops.

In one of the intercepts a Russian soldier is talking with his parents, telling them that he is near the Ukrainian village of Lyptsi where his unit has lost several people, and he has run out of food.

Another message says that Russian forces sometimes refuse to advance.

Colonel Maksym Holubok, the chief of staff of Ukraine’s 13th National Guard Brigade, stated that after Washington lifted the restriction on launching attacks on targets in the territory of Russia, it stopped concentrating large groupings of troops in the border area and moved some artillery systems away to protect them.

Dmytro, a Ukrainian soldier responsible for tracking Russian communications, revealed that Russian soldiers had been using motorcycles and buggies for supply runs. Now, Russian soldiers are moving mainly on foot after Ukraine used drones to mine roads and hit supply vehicles.

Dmytro states that due to constant Ukrainian surveillance, Russian troops are moving in short bursts, taking cover frequently, so an 8 km journey for food and water could take three days or longer.

"If we disrupt the routes they use for food and supplies, we won’t need to go on assault – they’ll just leave the positions," he said.

Andrii Shcherbyna, a soldier in Ukraine’s 57th Brigade, said that he understood from intercepted conversations that Russian troops are rationing water, drinking just 250 millilitres each. "Our main target is not let the Russians establish supply routes. If you cut water and food, they’re in a very bad condition."

The intercepted information is so valuable that Ukrainian troops risk their lives to collect it.

Andrii, an infantry soldier who spent several weeks on the most intense front lines, said he knew from such intelligence gathering that Russia "had a lot of injured and they had problems with food and water". "They asked for resupply, but vehicles could not reach them," Andrii said.

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