AFU achieving success in Sumy region by using Russians’ own tactics against them, - NYT
Ukraine's defence forces are counterattacking in the north-east of the country and are making progress that could refute the occupiers' claims that the Russian offensive cannot be stopped and that Kyiv should agree to a deal that provides for the abandonment of territories.
This is stated in an article by The New York Times, Censor.NET reports.
The publication notes that, according to the DeepState project, since May, Russia has been seizing 170 to 215 square miles of territory every month. However, Russia's offensive in Sumy region has stalled so much that it is redeploying troops from this area of the frontline to other areas. In particular, to the Donetsk region, where the occupiers are trying to surround several key cities.
It is noted that the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Sumy region is based on such tactics as constant UAV strikes and attacks by small infantry groups.
The NYT notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' achievements in this area of the frontline are of additional importance as they could weaken Russia's position in potential negotiations. The publication recalls that Moscow offered to exchange the land occupied in Sumy region for the territories it is trying to conquer in Donetsk region as part of a peace agreement.
The article quotes Senior Lieutenant Anvar, a battalion commander of the 225th Regiment fighting in Sumy region. He said that his unit used the same tactics that the enemy had used to drive Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. At first, it was continuous UAV attacks on roads and transport to cut off supply routes. At the moment when the enemy was exhausted and left without food, the infantry attacked.
According to him, large-scale mechanised attacks are a thing of the past - they have become impossible due to the active work of drones.
Battalion commander of the 80th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ihor, told reporters that the soldiers now attack in pairs. According to him, the soldiers "cautiously and quietly" advance a few dozen metres, dig a small dugout, open fire on the enemy and then move again. Food and water are dropped from drones.
"The enemy sees everything, every move we make, and reacts instantly with strikes," the soldier said.
The Ukrainian defenders also said that survival on the battlefield, where every movement is tracked by UAVs, comes down to digging a trench and hiding.
The deeper you dig, the safer," a sergeant with the call sign Palma told the NYT.
