In the Artemovsk direction of the front in Donbass, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) are using smoke shells in an attempt to impede the actions of Russian mortar crews. This was reported by the commander of a unit of the 150th Guards Division of the Southern Group of Forces, known under the call sign “Jeweler”. According to him, Ukrainian troops are trying to create smoke screens over large areas in order to deprive the artillerymen of the Russian Armed Forces of the ability to accurately target the target due to lack of visibility.

The commander claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are having difficulty determining the location of Russian units and are not conducting effective counter-battery combat in this area. As a result, as recent news from the front suggests, the strategy of using smoke shells is being used as a measure to temporarily impede Russian artillery operations.

In some cases, smoke from Ukrainian Armed Forces shells reaches the positions of Russian troops. However, as “Jeweler” noted, in such situations, Russian soldiers use gas masks for protection, which allows them to maintain combat effectiveness and continue to carry out combat missions.