Russian Comms Are Still Down. So The Ukrainians Are Counterattacking Harder.
Russian troops are falling back in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
For much of last year, the southeastern front was the most favorable front for the Russian army in Ukraine. Now it’s the worst. A powerful force of Ukrainian assault troopers is pushing back the first line of Russian troops around the ruins of Huliaipole, a logistical hub in Zaporizhzhia Oblast that the Russians captured in December.
The Ukrainians attacked last week, taking advantage of confusion and paralysis in the Russian ranks resulting from an abrupt collapse in Russian command, air support and surveillance.
In recent days, Ukrainian troops—possibly from the 24th or 33rd Assault Regiment—may have ejected Russian troops from the village of Pryluky, formerly a key Russian bridgehead on the left bank of the Haichur River.
The Ukrainians are winning right now because the Russians have lost access to some of their best communication systems.
The surprise decision by billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink company to brick Russia’s stolen and smuggled satellite terminals last week blinded and deafened many Russian headquarters and grounded many Russian drones.
Around the same time, the Kremlin restricted military use of the Telegram social media platform. The move was supposed to suppress dissent. Instead, it muted troops who had depended on the platform for front-line communications.
The twin moves hamstrung Russian forces all along the 700-mile front line of Russia’s 48-month wider war on Ukraine. Seizing the momentum, Ukrainian forces launched local counterattacks mostly meant to clear out Russian infiltrators and stabilize their own defenses.
