Russia-Ukraine "logistics stranglehold" enters white-hot stage
2024-08-26
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[Global Times Special Correspondent Xie Zhao] The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which has lasted for more than two years, has already entered a brutal war of attrition. It is difficult for the warring parties to launch large-scale mobile assaults, and they have to weaken their opponents' sustained combat capabilities by strangling their key logistical supplies. In the recent Donetsk, Kursk and Crimea directions, this strategic intention of both Russia and Ukraine has been particularly evident.
Satellite photos of the Russian ferry after the attack (Source: US "Power" website)
Ukrainian army: Heavy damage to Crimea's fuel pipeline
A Russian railway ferry carrying 30 tank cars suddenly caught fire at the port of Caucasus in the Krasnodar Territory of Russia on the 22nd. Russia later admitted that the ship was attacked by Ukrainian missiles and has now sunk. The US website "Dynamics" said on the 23rd that "this will seriously affect Russia's ability to supply fuel and lubricants to troops in southern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula."
The report said that the Ukrainian Navy admitted responsibility for the incident. It is said that the Ukrainian army used a valuable Ukrainian-made "Neptune" anti-ship missile to sink the ferry. According to the Ukrainian newspaper Pravda, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk said: "We can confirm that the target has been destroyed by the Ukrainian Navy. The ferry is one of the most important links in the Russian military logistics chain, mainly providing fuel and lubricants for the occupying forces, and of course also transporting weapons. Therefore, it is a legitimate target."
The Krasnodar Territory Operations Command also confirmed that the "Caucasus" port was attacked by a Ukrainian missile on the 22nd local time, and a railway ferry carrying oil tankers was hit. The "Power" website mentioned that the latest satellite photos showed the extent of the damage to the "Caucasus" port. There were also several small boats near the sunken ship that may have been damaged in the explosion, and part of the railway line leading to the port was also destroyed.
What has attracted great attention from the outside world is that Ukraine is very persistent in destroying ships that transport fuel to the Crimean Peninsula. The railway ferry that was sunk this time was the last of three Russian ships of the same type that transported fuel to the Crimean Peninsula.
On May 30, the Ukrainian army launched drones, HIMARS rockets and Storm Shadow cruise missiles to attack Russian ships at the Kerch ferry. The Pioneer ferry was severely damaged and its starboard side was almost torn apart. The ship is still under repair and it is not known when it will be put back into service. On July 23, the Ukrainian army severely damaged the Slavyanin ferry in another attack, and it is currently waiting for repairs at the port of the Sea of Azov. The "Power" website mentioned that, including the third ferry sunk in the "Caucasus" port on August 22, "Russia's ability to use railway ferries to transport fuel through the Kerch Strait has been paralyzed indefinitely." The report said that since the completion of the Crimean Bridge, Russia has mainly used the bridge to deliver fuel and important supplies to Crimea. However, after the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency successfully launched an attack on the Crimean Bridge in October 2022, Russia gradually abandoned the practice of transporting military equipment and fuel by rail through the Crimean Bridge, mainly out of concern that the transportation of such materials through the bridge would be attacked by the Ukrainian army, which could trigger a chain explosion and lead to the collapse of the Crimean Bridge.
In order to ensure the supply of fuel and other materials to Crimea, Russia mainly completes the transportation task by sea. The railway ferry that can transport dozens of oil tankers at a time has therefore become the focus of the Ukrainian army's attack. Ukraine hopes to weaken the continuous combat capability of Russian troops in Crimea and southern Ukraine by destroying this sea fuel channel.
However, the US media also admitted that the Russian army is strengthening the construction of the land transportation line from Donetsk to the Crimean Peninsula. After the Ukrainian army failed in the counterattack last summer, its efforts to cut off this land transportation line have failed. Therefore, after the sea route for transporting fuel to Crimea was temporarily cut off, it is difficult to say that the Russian army in southern Ukraine will be "out of supply".
Russian Army: Targeting the Ukrainian Army's Logistics Transit Hub
Similar to the Ukrainian army's attempt to influence the front-line situation by destroying the Russian army's supply routes, the Russian army has also recently continued to attack or threaten the Ukrainian army's key logistics transit nodes.
Russian ferry fire scene (Source: American "Power" website)
In the Kursk direction, due to the uneven quality of the Russian troops temporarily dispatched to the front line and the lack of coordination, the Russian army used a large number of air strikes to block the Ukrainian offensive momentum. In the cross-border offensive on August 6, the first wave of Ukrainian troops was mainly light vehicles with fast movement speed. This advantage was very obvious when outflanking the rear of the Russian border guards who were hastily responding to the battle. However, the Ukrainian light vehicle protection capability is seriously insufficient, and it also lacks the ability to deal with reinforced targets and heavy armored vehicles. The infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks dispatched by the Russian army later often become difficulties that the Ukrainian vanguard troops cannot overcome. According to information from all parties, the follow-up troops deployed by the Ukrainian army in the Kursk direction include a large number of tanks and other heavy vehicles. For example, Polish President Andrzej Duda revealed on the 24th after meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky that "the PT-91 main battle tank transferred from Poland to Ukraine more than a year ago is now on the battlefield to defend Ukraine and fight in Kursk Oblast."
However, heavy equipment such as tanks have high requirements for logistical supply, including key fuel, ammunition and spare parts. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and other US media, the elite troops and a large number of weapons and equipment that the Ukrainian army launched a cross-border attack earlier were secretly transported to the Sumy Oblast of Ukraine, which borders Kursk. Today, it is still the main material and force assembly point for the Ukrainian army to launch an attack in the direction of Kursk. It is precisely because of the key role of Sumy Oblast in logistics that the Russian army frequently dispatched fighter jets to launch air strikes on the Ukrainian army transit stations in the area, and even used expensive "Iskander" tactical ballistic missiles. The Russian Satellite Network said on the 24th that the Russian army launched multiple rounds of strikes on Ukrainian military facilities and personnel in Sumy Oblast that day. A Ukrainian army that was heading to Kursk for reinforcement was attacked by two Russian air bombs, killing at least 20 people. The Russian army also launched an air strike on the Ukrainian army's equipment assembly point in the Mikhailovka area of Sumy Oblast. There are railways passing through the area, and the Ukrainian army received weapons and supplies through these railways.
In the Donetsk direction, the Russian army's main offensive direction also targets the main logistics hub of the Ukrainian army in the region. The town of New York, which the Russian army announced the occupation of a few days ago, is not only the core of the well-built strong fortress area in Ukraine, but also the Dzerzhinsk town group (called Toretsk in Ukraine), including the town of New York, is also known as the shield south of Konstantinovka. According to the Russian newspaper "Viewpoint", Konstantinovka is the main supply point, direct transportation point and assembly point for the entire Donetsk military cluster of the Ukrainian army from Chasov Yar to Red Army City (called Pokrovsk in Ukraine). The Red Army City-Konstantinovka-Artyomovsk Highway is now the supply route for the Ukrainian troops in Chasov Yar. This transport corridor supports the entire defense line of the Ukrainian army in this vast area. "After taking the town of New York, the Russian army has approached the Red Army City at the westernmost end, and Konstantinovka in the middle is also in danger."
Therefore, Russian media believe that the Russian army may not even need to occupy the Red Army City to threaten the lifeline of the Ukrainian army's key supply and troop mobilization in the Donetsk region. "When the Russian army approaches Konstantinovka and puts the road under fire control, the Ukrainian army will lose the opportunity to provide supplies to the Chasov Yar troops."
