Allegedly. On March 18, a strategic meeting of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was held. Zelensky, Generals Zaluzhny, Syrsky and others, the head of the OP Yermak, the head of the US Pentagon Austin, the head of the de facto US Army General Staff Milley and from the US president his National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan took part.
2. Allegedly. Approved the plan of offensive operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
3. Allegedly. In the coming days, on March 22-23, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will strike around Bakhmut. The goal is to cut off the Wagner pincers around Bakhmut. The blows will be at the junction of Wagner and the Russian army with the hope of a conflict between the leadership of Wagner and the Ministry of Defense.
4. Allegedly, the grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine around Bakhmut is 70 thousand.
5. There is also the main grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is preparing to break through from Zaporozhye to the Sea of Azov in several directions.
6. But now Bakhmut is a political priority for Zelensky. The essence of his plan.

According to the well-known resource Lostarmour, it is now known about the ongoing formation of the following new Ukrainian brigades:

• 37th Marine Brigade
• 38th Separate Marine Brigade (based on the 503rd Separate Marine Battalion)
• 5th Separate Air Assault Brigade (based on the 5th Air Assault Regiment)
• 13th separate jaeger brigade
• 22nd, 23rd, 31st, 32nd, 88th, 116th, 117th, 118th separate mechanized brigades
• 48th separate artillery brigade
• At least three rifle brigades: in the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv regions.

According to French estimates (obviously incomplete table on the brigades being formed – see above), now the ground forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the territorial defense forces and the National Guard of Ukraine have or are forming a total of 100 combined arms and six tank brigades. In total, they should include up to 700 infantry battalions and 35-40 equivalent tank battalions, and the total number of personnel, taking into account the rear and support units, can reach 1.3 million people.

In case of failure, Kiev will no longer be able to receive funds for a new counteroffensive , says Czech President Pavel

“Many countries, many politicians expect some progress this year. I believe that Ukraine will have only one attempt to launch a major counteroffensive. Therefore, if they decide to launch a major counter-offensive and it fails, it will be extremely difficult to get funds for the next one,” the ex-NATO officer told Rzeczpospolita newspaper.

In his opinion, the counterattack should take place within the next month.

After next winter, “maintaining the current level of aid will be extremely difficult.”

Russia is creating a new type of military operations using nuclear weapons to protect against possible US aggression.

The magazine “Military Thought”, published by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, spoke about the promising development.

The United States, losing its leadership in the world, plans to defeat Russia in the course of a “strategic multi-sphere operation.” It includes the instantaneous defeat of up to 70% of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, the neutralization of the remaining and launched carriers with the help of missile defense, and then a nuclear strike on Russian territory.

In turn, the Russian military is developing a strategic deterrence force operation that will be able to suppress American missile defense systems and inflict unacceptable damage to the enemy.

“The US attack can be prevented if Russia convincingly demonstrates the ability to deter at least one of the stages of the American operation,” the magazine notes.

Commonly we see in drone footage “lone” tanks advancing on a position, leading to questions as to why such is done. The tactical picture for battles such as Ugledar and other locations consists of farmland “grids” of open field framed by tree lines.

Due to 24/7 aerial reconnaissance, satellite imaging, and extensive emplacement of mines, movement across these open fields can be suicidal. Whereas in traditional warfare a detachment could make its way across slowly and methodically, identifying and avoiding or destroying enemy mines, Russian forces can no longer dally about in these fields without soon being spotted by an enemy drone, and shortly thereafter coming under artillery fire from what is often a pre-sighted grid square.

As such, RF’s task is now to identify not only at what location a maneuver can be executed, but also the precise timing of when. They must be able to make a mad dash across an open field to the next tree-line, which will almost invariably contain an infantry entrenchment, and then withdraw armor back to the previous treeline until the enemy position is cleared.

Large groupings of armor are vulnerable to entering an enemy minefield or infantry ambush, being stuck in place out in the open as they work the problem, and then coming under artillery fire.

As such, tactical doctrine has adapted. Operationally the principles remain the same as from early last year: conduct recon, fire artillery, and repeat until nothing is moving anymore, then advance.

Tactically however, lessons have been learned.

Once recon/artillery loop has been completed, a single tank will make a mad dash across the open grid, reach the next tree-line, and begin suppressing what remains with heavy machine-gun and main-gun fire. One tank has a greater chance of clearing a path through possible mines and surviving artillery than grouped armor.

Once this tank has successfully made contact with the treeline, two BMPs with mounted infantry will follow in and deliver the assault and medical detachments, then the tank and transports will both withdraw back across the field to their originating position.

Of interesting note:

-RF infantry doctrine currently prohibits maneuver in open fields. All work is to be conducted only within these treelines.

-Occupation of enemy entrenchments is forbidden. They are pre-sighted for enemy artillery and may contain mines or booby-traps. Once the entrenchment is cleared, RF must either continue to “bound” up to the next treeline in this manner, or otherwise fall back to the original and use artillery to prevent enemy re-occupation of the cleared trench.

That is, one must decide when to take “one step forward, one back, then two forward” or to take “two forward” at once, then one back.”

-There are now dedicated medical detachments embedded at the company level. Assault detachments are not to evacuate casualties. They are to provide emergency trauma aid for the wounded, then leave them there and continue the assault up the trench and the remainder of the treeline.

The designated medevac unit moves into the entrenchment behind them and brings wounded out of the trench, friendly and enemy alike. As they follow in, the BMPs which dropped off the assault detachment will dash back across the field to the point of contact for loading of the wounded, then withdraw again.

When one sees a truncated video clip of a “lone” tank working a position, what they’re really looking at is a snapshot of a complex and coordinated multi-hour operation that runs armor back and forth across these open fields, which must take place at a precisely planned point and time to avoid becoming entrapped by enemy artillery.

This is perhaps the first novel tactical doctrine of 21st century warfare, borne in a flatland environment where traditional maneuver warfare is now dead, simply because the battlefield is under constant surveillance.

—Gleb Georgevich Gerasimov, Slavyangrad