Russia’s war on Ukraine. 08.04.2024

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) “Khortytsia” on the Lyman direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 2 Russian attacks in the area of Terny, where the enemy tried to breach Ukrainian defenses. On the Bakhmut direction, they repelled 31 Russian attacks in the areas of Bilohorivka, Chasiv Yar, Spirne, Vyimka, Fedorivka, Rozdolivka, Vesele, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, and Andriivka.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone on the Avdiivka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 8 enemy attacks in the areas of Pervomaiske, Nevelske, and Netaylove, where the enemy attempted to dislodge the Defense Forces units from their positions. On the Novopavlivka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continued to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Pobieda, and Novomykhailivka, where the adversary, supported by aviation, attempted to breach the defense 22 times. On the Orikhiv direction, the enemy attacked Ukrainian positions 5 times in the areas of Staromayorske and Robotyne.

In the operational zone of the “Odesa” OSG on the Kherson direction, the enemy remains determined to dislodge the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro River and conducted 8 unsuccessful attacks on their positions.

General conclusion: 

• The enemy is resorting to “double strike” tactics, attacking the same target twice with some interval, attempting to also harm the rescue services arriving at the scene.
• The enemy is conducting regular air-to-ground missile strikes in the area of Novooleksandrivka – Halytsynivka – Pokrovsk, which is an important logistical hub for the Defense Forces located 40 km behind the front line.
• The enemy’s Aerospace Forces have significantly increased the number of airstrikes with precision-guided munitions (PGMs) in the Kharkiv Oblast, expending 100 PGMs in this area on April 5 alone, compared to 900 PGMs in the entire previous month.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

• There were 76 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Lyman direction, the Defense Forces repelled attacks by the 20th Army near Terny, extensively utilizing FPV drones.
• On the Bakhmut direction, the enemy is increasing efforts. Units of the 98th Airborne Division have taken positions on Zelena Street in Chasiv Yar.
• The Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully combine explosive barriers and fire from the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade. Enemy attacks near Spirne, Vyimka, Rozdolivka, Fedorivka, and Vesele on the Siversk direction were also repelled.
• Combat engagements continue in Bohdanivka, where the Defense Forces hold positions on the western outskirts of the village.
• Positional battles were ongoing in the areas of Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, and Andriivka.
• On the Avdiivka direction, the enemy’s “Center” Operational grouping, encountering robust countermeasures from the Defense Forces’ electronic warfare systems, is unable to organize assault operations with units larger than a reinforced company. The enemy is establishing a foothold on the western bank of the Durna River south of Semenivka.
• The 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully repelled 2 enemy assaults on Berdychi.
• Russian forces have advanced to the northwest of Pervomaiske and control up to 80% of the village’s territory. Positional battles were ongoing in the areas of Novokalynove, Novobakhmutivka, Tonenke, Semenivka, Nevelske, and Vodyane.
• On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces have advanced into the center of Novomykhailivka. Positional battles were ongoing in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Pobeda, and Novomykhailivka.
• On the Berdyansk direction, positional battles were ongoing near Robotyne and northwest of Verbove.
• On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attempted to attack the positions of the Defense Forces on the eastern bank of the Kherson Oblast with a larger number of small assault groups from various directions but did not succeed.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consisted of:
  • Mediterranean Sea: 4 ships, including 3 cruise missile carriers, with a total salvo of 20 cruise missiles.

Changes in the enemy disposition:

• On the Berdyansk direction, combat operations are conducted by the 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Army.Top of Form

Escalation indicators:

• The redeployment of the 47th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army from the Lyman direction to the Kupyansk direction.

Possible operation situation developments:

• The likely operational-strategic objectives of the Russian troop grouping in the theater of military operations could include the seizure of the Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts within their administrative borders.
• In the near future, the enemy will resume active offensive operations on the Kupyansk direction, particularly in the area of Synkivka and along the Kupyansk-Svatove road.
• The command of the enemy’s “Center” operational grouping will endeavor to cut off the Nevske-Torske road along the left bank of the Chornyi Zherebets River from north to south in the area of Terny and will attempt to eliminate the southern part of the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ foothold on the Chornyi Zherebets River.
• The forces of the 20th and 25th Army are unable to complete the forming operation on the Lyman direction and will not be able to secure an advantageous starting position for the offensive on Lyman and the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration before the onset of summer.
• The command of the enemy’s “Yug (South)” Operational Grouping, 2nd Army Corps, and 106th Airborne Division will make efforts to eliminate the Siversk salient and set conditions for the encirclement of the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration from the southeast.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 08.04.24  

Personnel – almost 448,400 (+890); 

Tanks – 7,087 (+13); 

Armored combat vehicles – 13,575 (+24); 

Artillery systems – 11,356 (+40);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,039 (+3);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 751 (+2);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 15,110 (+39);

Aircraft – 347 (0);

Helicopters – 325 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 8,996 (+40);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,065 (+1);

Boats/ships – 27 (0)

Humanitarian+general:

• According to information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian forces shelled 11 regions of Ukraine over the past day. A total of 105 towns and villages and 123 infrastructure objects were attacked with various types of weapons. The number of casualties is being updated/clarified.
• During the night of April 8, air defense forces in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr Oblasts destroyed 17 out of 24 enemy drones launched by the Russian forces across Ukraine. Debris from the downed drones caused damage in Odesa and Mykolaiv Oblasts. Additionally, a Kh-59 guided aviation missile was shot down by Ukrainian Defense Forces in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
• Overnight on April 8, kamikaze drones launched by Russian forces targeted a critical infrastructure site in Zhytomyr Oblast, raising concerns about air contamination in the Zvyahelska community, as reported by Vitaliy Bunechko, the head of the Zhytomyr Oblast Military Administration.
• On April 8th, a Russian attack targeted Beryslav in Kherson Oblast, injuring a 63-year-old local resident due to an explosive device dropped from a drone.
• On April 8th, the Russian army shelled the city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with artillery fire, resulting in injuries to a 21-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man. The occupiers also destroyed a two-story residential building.
• On the 8th of April, Russian troops launched an attack on an industrial site in Zaporizhzhia during daylight hours. The missile strike caused injuries to 6 individuals and inflicted damage on infrastructure facilities, 7 residential buildings, and a medical facility.
• Around 15:15, the Russian forces launched an airstrike on a civilian infrastructure object in Sumy, resulting in three civilians being injured. Additionally, at 15:30, the enemy conducted three airstrikes with aviation bombs on the central part of Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast. This assault resulted in the death of a woman and injuries to two others.
• Since the beginning of the year, journalists from the “Crime.Realities” project have identified 160 Russian military personnel from the temporarily occupied Crimea who have died in the war with Ukraine.
• Since the onset of the full-scale conflict, Russian occupation authorities have completely destroyed over 60,000 hectares of forests within the territories under their control, with an estimated value of at least 14 billion hryvnias. NGL.media publication was able to establish this using satellite imagery.
• The DTEK Group has assessed the cost of repairing the damaged thermal power plants following two large-scale attacks by Russia in March at $230 million. This exceeds the $126 million spent on repair campaigns after the previous winter.

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