ISW: Ukrainian forces advance east of railway line near Bakhmut

On Sunday, October 29, Ukraine's armed forces advanced east of the railway line near Bakhmut.

Geolocation footage published on October 29 shows that Ukrainian troops have advanced beyond the railway line south of Andriiivka — 10 km southwest of Bakhmut, Rubryka reports, referring to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The General Staff of Ukraine reported that its troops continued their assault south of Bakhmut and continued their offensive toward Melitopol, west of the Zaporizhzhia region.

A well-known Russian military blogger stated that last week, Ukrainian forces established control over certain positions in the Zaporizhzhia front.  

A Kremlin-linked Russian military blogger claimed that last week, the Russian occupiers tried to regain lost positions near Klishchiivka and Andriivka and pushed back Ukrainian forces from positions near the Berkhiv Reservoir — about 2 km northwest of Bakhmut.

Another Russian military blogger linked to the Kremlin said that there were positional battles south of Bakhmut.

ISW Key Findings for October 29:

• Anti-Semitic demonstrations in the Republic of Dagestan and other regions of the North Caucasus highlight the escalation of inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions in Russia. The Kremlin entrusted the regional authorities with an official response to the demonstrations. It will likely be difficult for the Kremlin to reassure voters that the situation is under control and to convince Jewish audiences that Russia's Jewish minorities are safe.
• Russian ultranationalists have expressed concern that anti-Semitic demonstrations are spreading from Dagestan and the North Caucasus to other parts of Russia.
• The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, and the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, may be trying to take advantage of rising ethno-religious tensions in Russia to win back the favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Russian milbloggers claimed on October 29 that Airborne Forces (VDV) Commander Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky replaced Colonel General Oleg Makarevich as the commander of the Russian "Dnepr" Grouping of Forces operating in the Kherson direction.
• Ukrainian troops advanced in the Bakhmut area and the west of the Zaporizhzhia region on October 29.
• The New York Times (NYT) reported that US officials will send hybrid air defense systems to Ukraine in the fall of 2023.
• Discussions continue in the Russian information space regarding the future personnel composition of the Wagner group.
• Russian troops continued offensive operations on the Kupiansk-Svatove border, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, to the west and southwest of Donetsk, near the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in the west of Zaporizhzhia region and advanced west of Donetsk.
• Russian military bloggers have said that Russian forces have begun deploying a new electronic warfare (EW) system in Ukraine.
• Russian servicemen continue to commit brutal crimes in occupied Ukraine.

As reported at Avdiivka, the Russian army suffered some of the worst losses of 2023, and it is likely that the command's requests again diverge from the actual capabilities of the military.

As of the morning of Monday, October 30, the losses of the Russian army in the war in Ukraine amounted to 860 invaders; the total number of Russian losses since the beginning of the invasion is 299,940 soldiers. The Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Russian aircraft, 15 tanks, and 20 UAVs.