Thread by @Playfra0

All along the front, the #Ukrainians 🇺🇦 are fighting the #Russians 🇷🇺 for the initiative and are conducting small tactical counterattacks, buying crucial time to reinforce defensive positions in the rear that #Russia 🇷🇺 can't afford to give #Ukraine 🇺🇦.
Stay with me in this thread while I analyze which new defensive lines were built and which reinforced, from #ChasivYar to #Zaporizhzhia.

🧵Thread🧵1/⬇️

2/🧵

Lately, #Ukraine 🇺🇦 has been launching many small counteroffensives all along the front and has been successfully repelling #Russia 🇷🇺's attacks, with February being the month of least #Russian territorial gains since summer 2024.
It is though important to correctly interpret the objectives of these small counterattacks and debunk common beliefs of an incoming big counteroffensive. The objectives are:
1. Buying time
2. Tactical position improvement
3. Questioning Russian initiative

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As said, the crucial time bought by these localized counterattacks is being put to use by reinforcing defensive positions in the rear. Let's start analyzing this process more in-depth with #ChasivYar.

Trenches:
- No visible changes.

Anti-tank ditches:
- New line north-east of Kostyantynivka.
- Extended the two already existing lines east of the city.
- New line between the city and Ivanopillya.
- New line south-west of Kostyantynivka.

Dragon's teeth:

- New line crossing the railway at the northern exit of Chasiv Yar.
- 3 new lines at the eastern entrance of Kostyantynivka.
- Extended line at Bila Hora.
- New lines and extensions south of Kostyantynivka and Ivanopillya in correlation with the worsening of the situation in Toretsk at the start of February.

Barbed wire:

- Extended line east of Kostyantynivka.
- New lines east of Ivanopillya.

4/🧵

Moving on to the one everyone was waiting for, #Pokrovsk.

Trenches:

- New (likely Slovyanka-style) trench systems belonging to the new Prosiana line.
- Some more systems belonging to the Mezhova - Slovyanka line were dug.
- 3 new trench systems at the north-eastern entrance to Novopavlivka.
- Many new trenches along the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road and behind the Hryshynka river.

Anti-tank ditches:

- New ditches dug around Havrylivka belonging to the Prosiana line.
- Extended ditch south of Novopavlivka.
- New ditch at the north-eastern entrance of Novopavlivka.
- Slightly extended ditch west of Muravka.
- Significantly extended ditch north of Slovyanka.
- New ditch south-east of Andronivka.
- 3 new ditches dug along the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.
- Extended existing ditches along the same road.
- New ditches behind the Hryshynka river belonging to the homonymous line.
- New ditches south of Shevchenko.
- New ditches west of Shevchenko just south of the Vodyana river.
- New small ditch north of Rodynske.
- Extended ditch east of the railway east of Rodynske.
- Extended ditch north of Myrnohrad.
- Slightly extended ditch north-east of Dobropillia.
- Significantly extended ditch south of the Bychok river.
- 2 new long ditches dug west of Kostyantynivka north of the same river.
- New ditch north-west of Kostyantynivka.
- New ditch south-west of Kostyantynivka.

Dragon's teeth:

- New very long line around Prosiana and east of Havrylivka belonging to the Prosiana line.
- New line north-east of Novopavlivka.
- New lines west and east of Muravka.
- Many new lines between Novopidhorodne and Serhiivka.
- New line north-west of Serhiivka near the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.
- New lines east of Myrnohrad.
- 2 new lines north-east of Dobropillia.
- 3 new lines north of the Pokrovsk - Kostyantynivka road.

Barbed wire:

- New very long line around Prosiana belonging to the Prosiana line.
- Komar - Bahatyr line in process of completion.
- New line south of Sribne.
- New lines all around Troiitske.
- New lines west of Nadiivka/Nadezhdynka.
- New line south-east of Muravka.
- New significant line guarding the western entrance to Pokrovsk.
- New lines defending the tips of the treelines north of the Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad road.

5/🧵

And now for the Zaporizhzhia direction, which is getting more significant by the day because of the worsening situation at Velyka Novosilka.

Trenches:

- New trench system south-east of Zaporizhzhia city.
- New trench systems (likely Slovyanka-style) north-east of Uspenivka.

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In conclusion, #Ukraine 🇺🇦's increased use of barbed wire all along the front is noticeable, with time spent without #Russian 🇷🇺 attacks often translated into reinforcement of existing frontline positions. It was also possible to observe a general speeding up of the fortification placement process, and I think the pace will continue to increase in the coming weeks and months.

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The most active direction was by far #Pokrovsk, where #Ukrainian 🇺🇦 forces, as said, are using to the maximum extend their "free time" to reinforce positions in the rear.
As always, I really want to re-iterate that fortifications are not the only thing one should analyze when drawing one's own conclusions. Above all, command reforms are needed, and in some specific directions manpower issues are still very well present. Fortifications are complementary to a military that functions efficiently.

7/🧵

Thanks for reading this thread! I would've really liked to make it longer, but as you've seen from my posting frequency, I'm under bad time constraints because of my studies.
Still, if you liked it, please consider following me, reposting this thread to help my channel grow, joining my Telegram channel here: t.me/PlayfraOSINT and checking out my Ukraine control map here: google.com/maps/d/u/1/vie…
Have a great rest of the day/night! 🫡

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(eng) Dear viewers, if you are currently fighting or are near the front line, it would be great if you could write to me personally and express your opinion on the situation and relevant topics. Your opinion is extremely important to me!
Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra

(ру) Дорогие зрители, если вы сейчас воюете или находитесь недалеко от линии фронта, было бы здорово, если бы вы могли написать мне лично и высказать свое мнение о ситуации и соответствующих темах. Ваше мнение крайне важно для меня! Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra

(укр) Дорогі глядачі, якщо ви зараз воюєте або знаходитесь недалеко від лінії фронту, було б чудово, якби ви могли написати мені особисто і висловити свою думку про ситуацію та відповідні теми. Ваша думка вкрай важлива для мене!
Telegram: @Playfra
Discord: playfra