T-72B3 is on the destroyed bridge near Kalinovka village. Click to see the full-size image
On March 3, on the 8th day of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) managed to achieve several tactical but significant victories over the advancing Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces recaptured the settlement of Bucha north of Irpen on the northwestern outskirts of Kiev. A Ukrainian flag is hoisted over the city council building. Earlier this town had been occupied with heavy fighting by Russian units. Retaking control of Bucha is primarily an important ideological victory for Kiev.
Near Irpen, a column of Russian paratroopers had earlier been defeated. Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky was killed. Sukhovetsky had previously commanded the 7th Airborne Division, and was most recently deputy commander of the 41st Army.
Major General Andrey Sukhovetsky
Units of the AFU had some success in repulsing attacks by Russian forces in the direction of Mykolaiv. A convoy of Russian military vehicles was destroyed on the outskirts of the city. Bridges across the Southern Bug River, including a railway bridge, were blown up. One of the road bridges on the approach to the village of Kalinovka was blown up as Russian military vehicles passed over it.
The AFU also seized several Russian BMP-3s and a Tiger off-road vehicle near Nikolaev.
The advance of Russian troops on this section of the front was halted.
After the heavy fighting near Vasilievka and the blowing up of bridges there by the AFU, there is no information about the advance of Russian troops in the direction of Zaporizhzhya and beyond.
There are fierce battles for Mariupol. Also there are still pockets of Ukrainian armed forces resistance in Volnovakha.
Around Kharkov, so far the Russians have not been able to neutralize mobile groups of Ukrainian nationalist battalions. These mobile groups carry out raids against Russian supply columns and destroy civilian vehicles thatseek to withdraw from the combat area towards the Russian border.
The overall slowdown of the Russian Armed Forces’ offensive amid tiredness from eight days of fighting, the local successes of the AFU, the mass arrival of weapons from NATO countries and mercenaries, mistakes of the tactical command in certain parts of the front raise difficult questions for the strategic command of the Russian Armed Forces.
If Moscow fails to reverse the situation in the next 72 hours, the war in Ukraine will inevitably develop into a long-term, bloody conflict. In this case, NATO forces will sooner or later become direct participants of the conflict, while Russia will be mobilized.
Kiev troops reportedly captured a Tigr (Tiger) vehicle and several BMP-3 vehicles:
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