Day 358: February 16Today a lot of news is coming from the south. Here, the Ukrainians launched a series of precision strikes that successfully exploited the movement of Russian forces away from the close proximity to the front. The Ukrainians took out several Russian air defense systems and then hit three Russian bases in this unprotected area, and also a huge column with dozens of pieces of equipment and soldiers.Last time we talked about this region, I told you that the Ukrainians had concentrated their fire on the bases that are closer to the front line. In this first phase of heavy fire, the Ukrainians destroyed Russian equipment and concentrations of manpower in the vicinity of Kahovka, Nova Kahovka, Oleshky, Radensk, and Skadovsk. I also told you that as a result of this fire, the Russians started moving and relocating their forces closer to Crimea and Melitopol and that this would be the next logical target for the Ukrainians. And this is exactly what happened today. The first target of the Ukrainian precision strike became Kalanchak. Here the Ukrainians have reportedly struck a number of Russian air defense systems – either S-300 or S-400. The successful destruction of Russian air defense systems gave more flexibility in the sky, which is when the Ukrainians launched the second wave of rocket attacks.The second target became a Russian base in Skadovsk. Here the Russians have the main headquarters for launching Iranian drones in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian Intelligence reported that these facilities are used both for training as well as participating in the massive missile and drone strikes on Ukraine. Today’s strike indicates that these facilities have been damaged. The third target became a Russian base in Chaplynka. Chaplynka has a famous airfield that the Russians used to conduct rapid airstrikes on Ukrainian attack units during the Battle for Kherson. Over the last several months, this airfield was used for conducting airstrikes on the Ukrainian positions along the river, in particular, hitting Zolota Balka and Dudchany. So far, there are no details as to what exactly was targeted on this airfield, but judging by the previous reports and satellite footage, the Russians kept there a few helicopters. The next strike targeted a Russian base in Armiansk, which is already Crimea. Armiansk is the town that basically connects Kherson and Crimea, so it is an important logistical hub where the Russians had a pretty big base, especially with ammunition. At first, the occupation authorities reported that the explosions were caused by air defense, but when photos emerged of a huge cloud of smoke, Russian sources corrected themselves and said that Russian soldiers were undergoing training. Ukrainian sources reported that it was a successful hit on an ammunition depot. The last strike happened in the Zaporizhzhia region. Here the Ukrainians caught a huge Russian column that was moving from Vasylivka toward Melitopol. Some sources speculate that the final destination of this column was Vuhledar because the Russians incurred extensive losses in that region over the last several weeks and were in dire need of reinforcement. Unfortunately for the Russians, their old practices of using columns continue costing them manpower and equipment, as this column never reached its destination. Overall, the Ukrainian Air Force had a very productive day and, according to the yet unconfirmed reports, destroyed drone facilities in Skadovsk, air defense systems in Kalanchak, helicopters in Chaplynka, an ammunition depot in Armiansk, and a column near Vasylivka, which resulted in losses of armor as well as manpower.