The Supplies For Russia’s Southern Armies Run Through Dzhankoy. The Ukrainians Know It.

Prior to September, when Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive that ultimately liberated much of Russian-occupied southernUkraine, the rail and road hub of Dzhankoy was a critical point in Russia's supply network.

As Russian field armies move on the left bank of the Dnipro River, just south of the newly-liberated port city of Kherson, it is more important than ever. The south front is being reorganized by the Kremlin. There is a new network.

planners from Ukranian know this It should come as no surprise that Dzhankoy is one of the top targets of the counterlogistics campaign.

Dzhankoy has a population of just 39,000 before the war. It is astride the main rail line from southern Russia across the bridge over the Kerch Strait and into northern and southern Kherson Oblasts. The E105 and E97 roads are in the same area.

There is a canal that carries water from the Dnipro into the town. There is an airfield in the area.

The base of operations for many of the Russian battalions that arrived in the peninsula for the attack on southern Ukraine was located in the town of Dzinkoy. Much of southern Ukraine was captured by the Russians in a short period of time.

In May, Ukrainian forces started bombarding Russian supply lines with U.S.-made High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and the latest European howitzers. The counterlogistics campaign peaked in October when a truck bomb was triggered.

Before the bridge had two high-capacity rail lines, it had just one line. Repairs won't be finished until well into the future. In order to make up for it, the Russians have been transporting more supplies by ship.

The supplies are still transported by rail and road after they arrive in the peninsula. The airfield in Dzhankoy was hit by Ukrainian forces as the counterlogistics campaign intensified in the summer. On Nov. 16, the Ukrainians struck again.

The strikes didn't change the Kremlin's dependence. As Russian forces retreated from southern Ukraine north of the Dnipro starting in September, more and more critical support functions moved to the northern town. Russian battalions can give their draftees a bit of training before shoving them toward the front, according to the Ukrainian general staff.

The strikes on Dzhankoy are necessary for a possible future counteroffensive by the Ukrainians to liberate the peninsula from its occupation. The Russians prepared for the attack by fortifying the area around Dzhankoy.

In order for the Ukrainians to launch a ground attack on the peninsula, they would have to erode the Russians' logistical infrastructure on the peninsula. By the time Ukrainian brigades run into defensive earthworks around Dzhankoy, it's probably already been ruined.