Ukrainian forces conducted HIMARS strikes on five Russian camps located on the Dzharylhach island in front of Skadovsk. Apparently, the recent drone strike on Crimea revealed a weakness in Russian airspace, allowing Ukrainians to operate freely in the deep rear sky.
A Ukrainian reconnaissance drone operator flew along the southern shore of the Kherson region and identified a relatively large Russian base on the Dzharylhach island.
The operator discovered that Russian forces felt comfortable and relaxed in this distant base, more than 85 km from the contact line on the opposite side of the Kherson region. Despite digging trenches along the shore, nobody expected a large-scale amphibious operation in this area, leading Russian soldiers to accumulate trucks and equipment in plain sight.
However, their biggest mistake was assembling everyone outside every morning due to the base’s distance from the front line. Ukrainian drone operators observed this pattern and marked precise areas where all 5 Russian detachments assembled in lines.
Exploiting this information, Ukrainians waited until all Russian detachments were outside and eliminated them simultaneously. As a result, up to 200 Russian soldiers were lost, and Russian sources blamed their commanders for neglecting operational security.
In another incident, Russian forces continued to lose troops and equipment by using large columns near the front line. Two weeks ago, Ukrainians spotted a Russian column near Ocheretuvate, only 15 km away from the hottest part of the front line.
Ukrainians swiftly conducted a strike, completely destroying the entire column. Footage confirmed the extent of the damage, with seven trucks loaded with ammunition and possibly personnel lost. This lack of adjustment to the realities of war has caused repeated losses for Russian forces every two weeks. Some said that if 17 months of war and dozens of such cases did not teach Russians anything, then they are unlikely to adjust their practices in the future.
On the maritime front, Ukrainians conducted another drone strike on Russian warships blocking access to Ukrainian harbors and preventing the export of grain. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainians attacked the ships with three drones, but Russians successfully destroyed them with machine guns. Russian soldiers on the ship claimed that catching drones was difficult, and one drone was shot down only 200 meters from the ship. To counter this threat, drones are now launched at night.
Furthermore, another explosion occurred in Sevastopol today. If the previous explosion a few days ago was caused by saboteurs setting explosives on a Russian ammunition depot, today’s explosion was the result of a successful drone strike. Russian military and media tried to restrict access to the area, claiming that all drones were shot down. Unfortunately for Russians, the mushroom of smoke from the explosion could be seen miles away.
The head of Sevastopol denied the extent of the damage, stating that the drone was intercepted and that all facilities are intact, attributing the smoke to burning grass. However, Ukrainian sources reported that, based on the footage, Russia lost another ammunition depot.
In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.