Click to see full-size image
On May 20, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially confirmed the full Russian control of the village of Belogorovka in the Luhansk People’s Republic.
The settlement was captured by the fighters of the South group of forces of the Russian army as a result of heavy prolonged battles. Fighting has been ongoing there for months. Both Russian and Ukrainian unofficial military sources have confirmed Russian advance in Belogorovka in the recent days.
Russian assault in Belogorovka was complicated by the local landscape and Ukrainian fortifications. The great victory was achieved after Russian forces took control of the large industrial facility, the local chalk plant located on the southeastern outskirts of the village. LINK Retreating Ukrainian forces took defense on the territory of the large chalk dump located near the plant on the southwestern outskirts of Belogorovka. At the same time, Russian troops were storming Ukrainian military positions deployed on the streets of the village. The Russian military advanced from the eastern direction.
Taking advantage of the terrain, the Armed Forces of Ukraine equipped heavily fortified underground passages and bunkers in Belogorovka and around the village many years ago during the so-called anti-terrorist operation against the population of the Donbass. The military positions of Ukrainian forces were fortified using Turkish mining equipment.
Finally, the prolonged bloody battle for Belogorovka ended with Russian victory. Russian servicemen grinded Ukrainian defense with the support of Russian aviation, including with massive strikes of heavy bombs. Operators of Russian reconnaissance UAVs and small FPV drones uncovered the large network of Ukrainian passages, underground facilities and trenches in the area of the dominant height. This helped to coordinate the operations of assault units and aim the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the identified targets.
The victory in Belogorovka is an important tactical victory of the Russian military in the region. The control of the village paves the way for further Russian assault on Seversk and then on the last Ukrainian fortresses in the Donbass, the cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Amid the ongoing offensive in the Kharkiv region, the Russian military does not stop assault operations on the frontlines in other directions, successfully repelling the AFU from one stronghold after another. Russian forces also launch sudden attacks in the areas previously inflamed by prolonged positional battles, like Belogorovka in the Slavyansk region.
- According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, other Russian gains over the past day included:
- Four ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
- The Dnepr group of troops destroyed a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the island of Pereyaslavsky.
- Aviation, UAVs, missile forces and artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the German-made IRIS-T air defense system radar, as well as the S-125 air defense missile launcher.
- Russian strikes hit location of the meeting of the commanders of the 92nd and 95th assault brigades of the AFU, the area of accumulation of manpower and military equipment of the AFU in 138 districts.
- The Ukrainian army lost a total of 1,260 troops in all directions during the day.
