Yes, for the moment, the media is all over the fact that Ukraine has lost some Western military equipment – however small the losses.
And yet, Putin keeps losing scores of military assets and ammo.
To make matters worse: Russia will have to watch those losses stack up on social media.
Ammo Dump Goes Boom in Ukraine War
The Kremlin has one fewer supply dump in the Donetsk Oblast.
Videos shared on social media on Sunday showed a supply depot near the village of Olhynka, located about 10 km (6.2 miles) from the current frontlines, as it came under indirect artillery fire.
A sizeable facility was struck by the Ukrainians, and the entire complex was seen going up in flames.
It is unclear how much ordnance was stored at the supply depot, or how many Russian soldiers may have been present when the strike took place.
Though it was “indirect fire” – likely from a U.S.-supplied M142 HIMARS – the Ukrainian forces were aided by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), likely including the one that recorded the initial footage. The HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) has been used to great effect in the fighting and has been credited with destroying a number of high-value Russian targets.
Ukraine on the Move in the Donetsk Oblast
The assault on the Russian supply depot also came as Kyiv announced that it had recently liberated four villages in the region.
Officials on Monday claimed that “the national flag is once again waving” over Storozhove, the BBC reported. Similar scenes reportedly played out in the neighboring settlements of Blahodatne and Neskuchne over this past weekend. Though all of these settlements are relatively small, these are still the first to be liberated in the highly anticipated counter-offensive since it was officially confirmed.
Kyiv’s forces are believed to be pushing back against Russia in at least four areas.
Moscow Downplays the Progress
Moscow has yet to confirm that any retreat had occurred, and the Kremlin has continued to maintain that Ukrainian assaults in the region have been repelled.
Even as both sides continue to take heavy losses, Moscow has attempted to suggest that it has blunted the Ukrainian counteroffensive with few losses.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced via its latest intelligence update that over the last week, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has attempted to maintain a high public profile, “likely with the aim of presenting himself as in control of strategic issues while Ukraine accelerates offensive operations.”
The MoD added, “Shoigu has provided at least two comments on Russia’s defensive operations, including making almost certainly seriously exaggerated claims about Ukrainian losses. This contrasts with other key periods in the war when he had disappeared from public appearances.”
It will be interesting to see how Moscow responds to the losses of the villages, as well as the destruction of yet another supply depot.
“Shoigu has also urged Russia’s defence industry to redouble its efforts, and castigated Western Military District officers for not dispatching reserve armoured vehicles to the front quickly enough,” the British MoD stated. This was before the destruction of the supply depot was announced.
Ukraine has continued to target such facilities, and this is likely far from the last that will be destroyed in such a spectacular fashion.
Ukrainian forces hit a Russian supply dump in Ol’hynka, Donetsk Oblast with indirect fire. pic.twitter.com/zSfRCzYTWm
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 12, 2023
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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