Without injuries 6 out of 50 people: the Armed Forces in Avdiivka speak of the most difficult battles since the beginning of the war - NYT
The drum drones fell on infantrymen who came out of the BMP. About it reports The New York Times with reference to the testimony of Ukrainian soldiers, commanders, Russian guidance bloggers and independent military analysts. According to the Institute of War Study, Russian troops have lost hundreds of military and more than 100 units of armored vehicles, including tanks. According to Ukrainian sources, the losses were twice as much. Defense forces also suffer severe losses.
According to one of the soldiers, only six of his brothers out of 50 were not injured. According to Ukrainian officials and analysts, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation suffered even more losses under Avdiivka than in last year's battles and under the coledar in March this year. From the very beginning for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation near Avdiivka, everything went out of plan. The initial loss of armored vehicles significantly limited Russian maneuvers.
Current losses of the occupation group will also limit the operational capabilities, predict analysts from the Washington "Institute of War Study". Avdiivka was the purpose of the Russians since the Russian proxy seized the city in 2014 and then lost control over it. "At best, we have a south of silence. But this offensive was the most ardent from the beginning of the war," said the former Ukrainian legislator, which now serves in the ranks of the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade.
The unit is stationed near its hometown. For safety reasons, like most servicemen, he called only his call sign - the deputy. Despite the fact that the defense forces have lost their surrounding area, not to allow the Russians to the main road and the railway line along the advanced. According to the commander of the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the city with the call sign February, out of 36 thousand pre -war the population remained no more than a thousand.
He complains that the remaining civilians attribute to the danger of both themselves and servicemen. Ukrainian intelligence groups noted that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation had increased forces near Avdiivka a few weeks before October 10. Balu - the commander of the UAV unit said this. "Military transport and armored vehicles were accumulating. There were many civilian cars, it seemed like a command came to them," said the Ukrainian military, which was estimated at about three brigades.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation acted predictably, explained the soldiers of the Armed Forces. Initially, there were artillery shelling and bombardment from the air, then the columns of armored vehicles went. They were quite prepared because there was a mine technique in front to clean the path. Behind them are groups of armored vehicles with infantry. But thanks to the Armed Forces, they noticed the approaching enemy and began shelling on the approach.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation tried to take Avdiivka in the tick, since last year the forces gradually accumulated. During the recent offensive, they tried to cut off the Ukrainian group of troops. They attacked from the southwest, other forces came to the village of North, from which a small road leads to Avdiivka. Then the Ukrainian positions in the northwest broke through and approached Terkic.
On the first day, the fights were so intense that the 110th separate mechanized brigade ended the drones, the 109th brigade helped. Drone operators - Boumer and Greek - attacked the troops of the Russians sitting in the bunker at the edge of the front. Another fighter attached the explosive and launched drones into the air. "We rejected them, but they sent new soldiers for the night. They killed so much that they got out of the account," the UAV unit asked the volunteers to send drones.
On the third day of the offensive, October 12, Ukrainian defenders began to notice that the Russians were retreating. After three days of fierce fighting collisions there was a lull. The drone operators were cleaned. On October 19, the offensive began again. The Russians are trying to storm the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces, which, in turn, correspond to counterattacks. But a large part of the battle for Avdiivka occurs remotely from bins and hidden positions.
In the fortified underground bunker, the commanders of the soldiers of the 59th motor infantry brigade monitor what is happening on the screens. Even though operations are considered successful, the Armed Forces fighters do not underestimate the force of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The battalion commander from the 59th Brigade showed a video of the Russian launcher with thermobaric ammunition on the approach to the village on October 19.
Ukrainians destroyed weapons that could cause significant damage to defense and moral spirit. The commander of the intelligence unit with the call sign affects that under the large -scale pressure of the Russians, Ukraine may lose Avdiivka, as it was with Bakhmut. "This is possible if we do not have personnel and ammunition," he said. The words of his commander with the call sign Condor were more spiritual. He explained that the Russians had some success in huge losses.