Ukrainian tactics devastate Russian forces near Orliwka with artillery precision
Russians managed to push the front line to the vicinity of the village Orliwka, but at a huge cost. Here is how the Ukrainians are annihilating the Russians.
Russian soldiers, including those from the 98th Infantry Regiment under the 1st Army Corps, describe their situation where they were mistakenly sent to attack the town of Semeniwka instead of Orliwka, as initially intended. Moreover, they were left without artillery support while the Ukrainians conducted intense shelling with machine guns, mortars, and artillery systems.
After suffering losses, the Russians were withdrawn to the ruins of a coke plant in Avdiivka only to prepare for another assault. 15 surviving Russian soldiers from the failed assault refused to participate in the next one and are being harassed for not wanting to participate in suicidal charges.
Here is how the Ukrainians are annihilating the Russians
After withdrawing from Avdiivka, Ukrainians try to fortify the area located near water obstacles around, among others, the village of Orliwka. From such positions, similar to those in the Avdiivka or Robotyne region, defense is conducted mainly using artillery adjusted by drones. Alternatively, armored vehicles or tanks come into action.
The key here is the use of artillery, e.g., 155 mm caliber which can provide cover from over 20 km (about 12 miles) in the worst-case scenario. In an open field, the explosion of a shell containing 6.6 - 10 kg (14.5 - 22 lbs) of TNT is characterized by a striking range exceeding 100 meters (about 330 feet), so even at an accuracy within the range of a football pitch for the cheapest shells M107 or DM121, a few shells are capable of eliminating an entire assault group.
It is also possible to use electric-pyrotechnic fuses, which, thanks to the use of radio frequency signals, "know" how far they are from the ground and can detonate the projectile in the air, drastically increasing the effective striking area.
Another measure frequently used is M863A1 or M864 shells with a cluster warhead containing dozens of small bomblets weighing about 300 grams (about 10.6 ounces) each. These are usually mixed, and some have a shaped charge capable of penetrating the top armour of armoured vehicles, while others are fragmentation variants with a striking range of a few meters.
Similarly, the situation is with mortars, which work very similarly only at shorter distances. In the case of 120 mm calibre, it is 7 - 12 km (4.3 - 7.5 miles) depending on the shells used containing 2 - 4 kg (4.4 - 8.8 lbs) of TNT with a striking range of about 100 meters (about 330 feet).
Below are mortars of cal. 81/82 mm and lightweight constructions cal. 60 mm. In the last case, it is worth mentioning the Polish mortars LMP 2017, which were used during the defence of Avdiivka. These are constructions weighing below 8 kg (about 17.6 lbs) capable of shelling targets at a distance of up to 1.3 km (about 0.8 miles). Russians are very afraid of them because the falling projectiles do not emit a characteristic whistle, giving time to hide. They also have a very large striking range of up to 40 meters (about 131 feet) because they explode in the air.
All these means of destruction, if only there is enough ammunition, allow for the elimination of Russian assault groups long before the Ukrainian defensive positions.
