Ukrainian Missile Attack Destroys Russia's Donbas Ammunition Stockpile

Russian media are reporting that a Ukrainian attack by either Tochka missiles or Su-25 jets has destroyed the primary ammunition depot supporting the Russian attack on Severodonetsk.

The battle for what is being called the Luhansk Cauldron (potential encirclement) has been largely fought by artillery, in supplies of which Russia has more than Ukraine. The Russian media, as reported below, appear irate at what they perceive as Russian incompetence because they believe this will make it even more difficult for the Russian army to surround and defeat Ukraine there. JL

War Translated reports:

Stockpiles of the artillery brigade of the 2nd army corps of LPR People’s Militia, based in Luch, supply 152mm shells and MLRS rockets "on which the survival of our infantry depends." (The Ukrainians) struck Krasnyi Luch with “Tochka-U” missiles although some witnesses reported it was a couple of Ukrainian Su-25 which beat our air defence or whether it was sabotage synchronised with a Tochka-U or something else.

According to Readovka, the weapons depot is on fire. Local residents report of explosions of ammunition.

As the correspondent of “RIA Novosti” reports, the explosion occurred at the radio electronics factory. Due to the fire that had begun at the enterprise, shells started to explode, and fragments began to scatter throughout the small town. Windows were smashed in some places and cars were damaged.

Fires also broke out in buildings adjacent to the plant: garages, several apartments in high-rise buildings and a sewing workshop are burning. The locals preferred to hide in the cellars.

Russian blogger Murz says this attack will halt Russian offensive on Lysychansk cauldron:

 

As it has been said numerous times in this blog since the start of the war, which many for some reason believe started in February 2022 rather than 2014, our enemy is stubborn, cunning, thinks well on their own without the help of advisers, and with the help – even better.

 

The previous “hint” which struck Krasnyi Luch in the form of a Ukrainian “Tochka-U”, likely, no one has appreciated or properly reflected on. The official version says it was Tochka-U, although some witnesses of the event reported it was a couple of Ukrainian Su-25 which beat our air defence in hide and seek in the same way their helicopters did in Mariupol. But this will be for the relevant authorities to find out, likewise whether if it was a sabotage synchronised with an arrival of Tochka-U or something else.

 

Actually, exactly how our amazing military leaders screwed up this is secondary. The question is what exactly they screwed up. Since our media are carefully saying “factory stockpiles are burning and detonating”, but what exactly is detonating they are not saying.

 

For your understanding, burning and detonating is our offensive towards the neck of the Lysychansk “cauldron”. Burning and detonating are stockpiles of artillery brigade of the 2nd army corps of LPR People’s Militia, which during Minsk agreements was based in Luch and from some of the stockpiles the supply of our units was coming. Which the enemy was well informed about. Supplies of the same 152mm shells and MLRS rockets on which the survival of our more or less experienced infantry depends, and whether they’ll be capable of closing the cauldron, or will they grind themselves down over this neck and then Ukrainians, by pulling up reserves, will start knocking out our reservists and returning the former shape to this neck.

 

Ukrainians could not do anything with the fact that we pulled up all combat-ready artillery of LPR in the area of the cauldron’s neck. Ours decided not to withdraw the artillery. The opposite, the area of the frontline with decisive fights was relatively compact, we started catching Ukrainians more often with our counter-battery artillery. And with concentrated fire started paving the way for our infantry.

 

Ukrainians started thinking what to do with our artillery, and they came up with this. Didn’t work the first time, worked the second. At least it will slow down the offensive. Looks like our artillery is in for some time on a scarce shell ration.