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Mar 3, 2025 9 tweets 7 min read Read on X
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/⬇️Image
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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 initiativeImage
3/🧵

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.Image
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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.Image
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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.Image
6/🧵

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.
7/🧵

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! 🫡
8/🧵

(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

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More from @Playfra0

Mar 14
🧵The defense of Fortress Orikhiv 🇺🇦: everything you need to know about the city's future.

Analyzing natural obstacles and topography, fortifications, weak and strong spots, logistics, and urbanistics.

1/🧵Image
2/🧵

Orikhiv is a town in southeastern Ukraine with 14,000 pre-war inhabitants that covers about 10 km² (about 1/4 of Pokrovsk and 1/7 of Bakhmut).
This city has been no more than 7 km from the contact line since 2022 and has seen constant fighting ever since. Image
3/🧵

Together with Kamyanske, Huljajpole, and Velyka Novosilka, Orikhiv is part of the town line where the Ukrainians were able to stop the Russian advance in the first days of the war.
That same year it stood against a Russian encirclement attempt.
Then, it served as the main logistical, accumulation, and command hub of the Ukrainian 2023 southern counteroffensive, and after its failure, it continued to serve those purposes, significantly holding back Russian attempts to reactivate the Zaporizhzhia direction.Image
Image
Read 17 tweets
Mar 11
🧵 Southeastern front: Ukrainian 🇺🇦 and Russian 🇷🇺 forces continue clashing and fighting for the initiative, while Ukrainian engineers exploit this time to significantly enhance their fortifications.

🧵Thread 🧵1/⬇️ Image
2/🧵
In this thread, I will focus on:

- Describing the tactical-strategical situation in all directions of the southeastern front

- Describing the progress with Ukrainian fortifications

- Commenting on my opinions about each situation and giving my point of view on the general situation.

Fortifications legend:
- Yellow: ditches
- Gray: barbed wire
- Blue: dragon's teeth

We will start from the west.
3/🧵

Stepnohirsk direction. In general, the situation remains stable and without significant changes.

In Prymorske and Stepnohirsk, Russian forces continue to infiltrate all over the settlements but are struck and often destroyed by tight control of Ukrainian FPVs.
Ukrainian forces continue to be present in both villages and sometimes conduct physical clearings.

Just east, Russians infiltrate along the indicated route to the solar farm and then attempt to reach Lukianivske, but they're struck by FPVs along the way, and the few who sometimes end up in the settlement are immediately cleared.

In my opinion, the main Russian objectives in this direction (photo #4) are:
- Getting as close as possible to Zaporizhzhia for it to eventually be in drone and artillery range.
- Pushing Ukrainian forces behind the Konka River.
- Pushing towards Orikhiv from the west, consolidating well their positions on the dominant heights, and placing drone teams there to critically endanger Ukrainian supplies into Orikhiv.

Photos #2 and #3 show the situation with the fortifications and topographic overlays.Image
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Read 14 tweets
Mar 2
1/🧵

Some personal considerations about the Ukrainian 🇺🇦 "counteroffensive" in the Oleksandrivka direction. Image
2/🧵

1. First of all, I disagree with figures citing massive Ukrainian gains of up to 400 (!) km².
According to my information, the total recaptured territory by the Ukrainians is around 20 km², and it is all concentrated at the Russian bridgehead over the Haichur River in the Ternuvate direction, which was almost completely liquidated except for Pryluky.
Here, a methodical clearing was conducted (not always without losses and with good organization and coordination), positions were taken and consolidated, and Russian forces do not have anymore the possibility to infiltrate like they did some weeks ago at all.Image
3/🧵

The bulk of the territory that goes in the incorrect 400 km² count is south of Verbove, in the Oleksandrivka direction. Here, first of all, the Ukrainians cleared remainders of old Russian infiltration attempts into Novooleksandrivka, Oleksiivka, and treelines south (the Russians never consolidated those positions, and the Russians had long given up on attempts to capture these settlements, almost totally focusing on Huljajpole: t.me/PlayfraOSINT/3…).Image
Read 8 tweets
Feb 6
1/ 🧵 Berdyansk sector: the most complete mapping ever made of Russian defenses (41,000 structures).
⚒️🇷🇺

Legend:
⬜️ Trenches
🟨 Ditches
🟦 Dragon's teeth

🗺️Interactive map:

Thread 1/⬇️ google.com/maps/d/u/1/vie…Image
2/🧵

After weeks of tedious mapping of every single trench, foxhole, emplacement, ditch, blockpost, dragon's teeth, and barbed wire line, I've finally finished the Berdyansk sector, one of the most heavily fortified pieces of territory in the whole of Ukraine.

The total count is as follows:
- 40,000 trenches, foxholes, emplacements, firing positions
- 450 separate anti-tank ditches
- 600 separate dragon's teeth lines
- 220 separate barbed wire lines

Let's look at the most interesting things I found along the way.
3/🧵

The area of the Ukrainian 2023 Velyka Novosilka counteroffensive.
De-facto, Russia's line "0.5". It was designed to absorb the first blow of Ukraine's counteroffensive and soften the Ukrainians for the first line of defense. Image
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Read 15 tweets
Jan 30
1/🧵 The situation in and around fortress Kostyantynivka: is it in danger, what are the main problems, and what's next. Image
2/🧵

Kostyantynivka is a quite sizeable city in northern Donetsk Oblast, with a population of 67,000 as of 2022, and is part of Ukraine's formidable Kostyantynivka - Druzhkivka - Kramatorsk - Slovyansk defensive node, where Kostyantynivka is the southernmost city of the four.
These four cities are factually the last of their size still in Ukrainian-controlled Donbas.Image
3/🧵

Ever since 2023, up to this day, Kostyantynivka has served, and continues to serve, critically important purposes for Ukrainian forces in some of the hottest areas of eastern Ukraine, like the Bakhmut, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Rusyn Yar sectors, being used, for example, as an accumulation hub, logistical base, and (probably) command point.Image
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Read 14 tweets
Jan 2
1/🧵

Pokrovsk - Dobropillia general update (26/12 - 01/01) Image
2/🧵

Pokrovsk industrial area. Russian soldiers move in waves of groups of 1-3 soldiers along the highway.
In the orange square, very frequent and large traffic of infantry is recorded.
From there, they cross the railway into the industrial zone along the indicated routes. Russian forces seem to still be unable to consolidate their positions there.Image
3/🧵

Just east of this area, Russian forces tend to move as shown in the picture, mostly following the urbanized area but also attempting infiltrations in the treelines just north of Pokrovsk. Image
Read 11 tweets

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