https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukrainian-air...36767.html
These attacks are extraordinarily important because Melitopol is on the M-14 and a major chokepoint in the Russian "Land Corridor" to Crimea. Ukraine needs to break that connection somewhere between Mariupol and Melitopol. Obviously, taking back Melitopol would do that. Having Melitopol under HIMARS range is almost as good, as the strangulation of Kherson demonstrated. Russia's GLOC to Crimea is therefore already within the HIMARS attack envelope. If Ukraine can get it within the M777 envelope, they can close off the GLOC. Himars can make it costly and intermittent. M777s can close it. Russia doesn't appear to have the forces in place to counterattack this thrust. Their hold on Zaporizhia Oblast seems a bit tenuous at the moment. If Russia fails here, Crimea is in real trouble. The bridge and ferries can keep them going, but the civilian population won't much like it. A disruption of the SLOCs to Crimea coupled with cutting the GLOC would be another major Russian defeat. Let's hope it happens.
These attacks are extraordinarily important because Melitopol is on the M-14 and a major chokepoint in the Russian "Land Corridor" to Crimea. Ukraine needs to break that connection somewhere between Mariupol and Melitopol. Obviously, taking back Melitopol would do that. Having Melitopol under HIMARS range is almost as good, as the strangulation of Kherson demonstrated. Russia's GLOC to Crimea is therefore already within the HIMARS attack envelope. If Ukraine can get it within the M777 envelope, they can close off the GLOC. Himars can make it costly and intermittent. M777s can close it. Russia doesn't appear to have the forces in place to counterattack this thrust. Their hold on Zaporizhia Oblast seems a bit tenuous at the moment. If Russia fails here, Crimea is in real trouble. The bridge and ferries can keep them going, but the civilian population won't much like it. A disruption of the SLOCs to Crimea coupled with cutting the GLOC would be another major Russian defeat. Let's hope it happens.