Iran Press/ Europe: The fighting in and around the strategic Ukrainian city continues unabated. The Russian forces had reclaimed several city blocks after suffering some setbacks earlier in the week when the Ukrainian troops counterattacked.
Farther in the northwest, the Russian advance around Izium has stalled as the Ukrainian military is playing excellent defense. Should the Russian forces manage to break through, they will be risking the entire encirclement of Severodonetsk from the rear.
Russia's progress on the Izium axis had remained stalled since April after Ukrainian forces made good use of the terrain to slow Russia's advance. Russia has likely attempted reconstitution after suffering hefty casualties in the failed advance on Kyiv.
"Russia likely seeks to regain momentum in this area to put further pressure on Sieverodonetsk and to give it the option of advancing more profoundly into the Donetsk Oblast.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Wednesday, Ukrainian forces have killed approximately 31,700 Russian troops (and wounded approximately thrice that number), destroyed 212 fighter, attack, and transport jets, 178 attack and transport helicopters, 1,398 tanks, 711 artillery pieces, 3,438 armored personnel carriers, 213 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 13 boats and cutters, 2,421 vehicles and fuel tanks, 96 anti-aircraft batteries, 562 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 53 unique equipment platforms, such as bridging vehicles, and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems, and 125 cruise missiles shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses.
Meanwhile, shipments of long-range fire systems continue. This week, Norway announced that it would be sending Ukraine 22 M109 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzers.
One of the significant problems the Ukrainian military is facing right now is a severe disadvantage in long-range fire capabilities. Despite the West's essential shipments of artillery pieces and Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) to the Ukrainian military on the frontlines, the Russian forces are still outgunning the Ukrainian troops, sometimes even by 20 to 1 in artillery and 40 to 1 in ammunition.
One reason is that the weapon systems that the U.S. military and NATO are sending to their Ukrainian counterparts require training to be used effectively.
But to be more effective, the Ukrainian military was requesting more. It varied Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, a complete replacement of its Soviet-era calibers to achieve interoperability with the NATO weapon systems it has received, "hundreds of heavily armored vehicle",” fighter jets, and anti-aircraft systems.
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