KIEV ATTACKS RUSSIAN REAR, BUT RETREATS ALONG THE FRONT

On the night of January 19, Ukrainian forces launched new attempts to attack Russian rear area facilities. One of them was quite successful. The target was an oil depot in the Bryansk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense declared that the Ukrainian UAV was intercepted by electronic warfare means; but the drone managed to drop its ammunition on a fuel tank. As a result, a large fire broke out in the depot. Another Ukrainian UAV targeted one of the largest Russian gunpowder factories in the Tambov region. The plant produces powder for all types of weapons and artillery systems. It is also the main supplier of armor-piercing sub-caliber rounds for Russian tanks. The UAV failed to reach the facility and fell nearby. The Russian military did not comment on the incident, which supposes that the UAV was not intercepted and could have fallen as a result of some malfunction. The Ukrainian drone strikes continue amid Russian offensives on the frontlines. On January 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the Russians took control of the village of Veseloe. The settlement is located south-east of Seversk, which in its turn serves as an important stronghold of the Ukrainian army in the Donbass. The victory in Veseloe allowed the Russian military to straighten the frontline and cross a local river. As a result, the Ukrainian troops were forced to retreat to the north and establish new lines of defense. At the same time, Russian forces launched an assault on the village of Belogorovka located to the north-east of Seversk. The control of this settlement will pave the way for a Russian offensive on the town of Seversk itself. Meanwhile, Russian forces resumed offensive operations in all directions in and around Avdeevka. They recently took control of several residential quarters, surrounding the Coke and Chemical plant from the north-east. After the Russian military sent reinforcements to Kamenka, their offensive advanced and approached the eastern streets of Avdeevka. They also do not stop assaults in the south-eastern part of Avdeevka, where the Russians are already advancing in the residential areas. In the south, there is an assault on the Himik district. On the western outskirts of Donetsk, Russian forces advanced in Pervomaiskoe and took control of a lake in the eastern part of the town. After Russians took control of Mariinka, they partially encircled Novomikhailovka to the south. The Ukrainian military built a line of defense in the villages and in the settlements nearby, but it was caught by surprise. The Russians do not launch assaults on the village but rather bypass it from the south and approach the road to Ugledar on a wide front. As a result, the large Ukrainian grouping in Ugledar may soon be encircled from the north.