Victory Chronicles-DAY 673

Yesterday, Russian invaders launched attacks from 7 different directions along the frontline in Ukraine, resulting in a total of 56 combat engagements. 

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the enemy launched 1 missile and 77 air strikes, as well as firing 51 times from multiple launch rocket systems. Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled enemy attacks in various sectors, including Khortytsia, Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Maryinka, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. 

Ukrainian troops held their positions and inflicted significant losses on the Russian invaders. Ukrainian aviation targeted 10 areas of concentration for personnel, weapons, and military equipment, as well as 2 enemy anti-aircraft missile systems. Rocket troops also struck 5 areas of concentration, 2 command posts, 6 ammunition depots, and 2 enemy artillery pieces. 

In spite of the efforts to remove Ukrainian forces from their position, Russians encountered robust resistance and were compelled to withdraw.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 277 people, including 14 children, have been killed by Russian landmines and other explosive devices, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. Another 608 people, including 74 children, have been injured in explosions caused by landmines. The State Emergency Service also revealed that military deminers had defused 464,000 explosive devices, including 3,145 unexploded aircraft bombs, across Ukraine. However, snow and low temperatures have been hindering recent demining efforts. 

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has certified the first bulletproof vest specifically designed for female servicewomen. Developed by the Ukrainian Armor company, the vest features a curved armor plate, narrowed shoulders, and a wider bottom to accommodate the structure of the female body. The design modifications were made after field tests revealed that the standard “male” version of the vest was uncomfortable for women to handle weapons. The new vest, which weighs 10.5 kilograms, is otherwise similar to the previously approved all-military vest. 

According to the Security Service of Ukraine, since the beginning of 2023, their officers have destroyed more than 500 Russian tanks that attacked and tried to break through the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Special Service systematically destroys enemy armored vehicles on the eastern and southern fronts. Among the destroyed tanks are the latest T-90 and T-90M models, each costing about $5 million. The occupiers primarily used these tanks to storm Avdiivka and Bakhmut and hinder counter-offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions. The success in destroying Russian tanks was achieved through complex operational and combat operations conducted jointly by the SBU and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) dam on June 6, 2023, reportedly postponed a Ukrainian crossing of the Dnipro River that was likely intended to support Ukrainian counteroffensive operations. 

The Associated Press published an interview with Ukrainian Special Operations Forces personnel on December 26 wherein Ukrainian personnel stated that they were prepared to conduct a crossing of the Dnipro River to the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast in late May 2023 but that the destruction of the KHPP dam and subsequent flooding postponed these plans. The Ukrainian personnel reportedly conducted limited crossing attempts in July, August, and September 2023, but Ukrainian forces did not launch a larger crossing aimed at establishing a bridgehead on the east bank until mid-October 2023.

Ukrainian operations in the east bank of Kherson Oblast in October 2023 drew Russian forces from other sectors of the front and would have likely had a similar or even more pronounced effect in June 2023 at the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Russian forces also transferred elements of the 7th Airborne (VDV) Division from Kherson Oblast following the destruction of the KHPP dam and proceeded to rely on them as critical elements of the Russian defense in western Zaporizhia Oblast and the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area.

It is unlikely that the Russian command would have transferred these elements away from Kherson in the event of a Ukrainian crossing in June 2023. Significant Ukrainian ground operations in the left bank of Kherson Oblast coordinated with Ukrainian counteroffensive operations throughout southern Ukraine and near Bakhmut would have placed greater pressure on Russian forces and would likely have limited the Russian military’s ability to balance manpower and materiel requirements for defensive operations in four directions. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam thus likely played a role in the outcome of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Senior Sergeant Dmytro Havrilov, with the call sign Havriusha [diminutive from his last name – ed.], died on September 14, 2023, in a battle with the occupiers near the village of Robotyno, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The defender’s life was cut short by an enemy mortar attack. The warrior would have turned 25 in November.

Dmytro was born in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast. After completing his secondary education in 2018, he enlisted for military service. He signed a contract with the National Guard of Ukraine the following year. He served in the 14th Operational Brigade “Chervona Kalyna”. In 2020-2021, he performed combat missions in the Joint Forces Operation. Outside of service, he was interested in barbering.

The man faced the full-scale invasion with his fellow fighters on the front lines. At the time, he was a platoon sergeant. As part of his unit, he liberated the Kyiv Oblast from the invaders. He later took part in the defense of the Azov plant, the city of Sievierodonetsk and the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk Oblast. As a sergeant, he always made decisions in favor of the personnel had great authority and respect from his superiors. Later, he defended the Bakhmut direction of Donetsk Oblast and then went to Zaporizhzhia Oblast. There, he participated in the assault on enemy positions near the villages of Verbove, Novoprokopivka, and Robotyne.

“My husband spent his entire adult life at war. He was strong in character and spirit, he never gave up under any circumstances. Dmytro was well versed in tactical medicine, so he repeatedly provided first aid to his wounded comrades, saving their lives. He was one of the best trained sergeants in the company. For his unit, this is a very heavy and significant loss,” said Nadia, the deceased’s wife. The fighter was buried in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Dmytro is survived by his wife, family, and fighters-in-arms.

*Dmytro’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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