Ukrainian forces began fleeing the key Donbass town of Avdeevka in disarray a day before actually receiving an order to do so from Kiev’s freshly-appointed top general, Aleksandr Syrsky, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Sunday.
The Russian military released drone footage on Sunday, purporting to show a chaotic rout of Ukrainian forces, which it claims was taken before Kiev gave the order to retreat. The footage features large groups of soldiers trying to escape the town on foot and leaving behind heavy equipment to boost their chances of survival.
Retreating troops were subjected to artillery shelling, and, apparently, air strikes, footage released by the Russian military shows. Multiple destroyed and damaged Ukrainian military vehicles can be seen in the videos released by the defense ministry.
Those trying to flee Avdeevka in armor were also targeted by Russian strikes. Footage released by the military shows a Ukrainian BMP-family infantry fighting vehicle struck by a suicide drone while slowly crawling away from the town off-road.
Russian forces liberated the key town of Avdeevka on Saturday, inflicting heavy casualties on Ukrainian troops, reportedly reaching up to 1,500 in a single day. The Ukrainian command, however, has insisted the rout was actually an organized retreat on the order of Syrsky. Moscow has disputed the claim, stating that Ukrainian forces began fleeing the town a day before the order was actually issued.
Avdeevka, located several kilometres to the north of Donetsk, has been a major stronghold for Ukrainian troops in Donbass, as well as one of the key staging points for repeated artillery and missile strikes on the Russian city. The town has seen intense combat in recent months, with Russian forces concentrating their effort at dislodging the Ukrainian forces from their positions, which have been turned into heavily reinforced fortresses over years of conflict, since Kiev’s troops occupied the city in 2014.
Battle for Avdeyevka: The View From Donetsk
“I feel the liberation of Avdeyevka not only in my bones, but in my soul.
|
Russel Bentley
All Materials |
Not only have I lived in Donetsk under shelling from the Nazi strongpoint of Avdeyevka for almost ten years, but my first military position, back in December 2014, was in Yasinovataya, just across the Donetsk - Gorlovka Highway from Avdeyevka.
In 2016, I was in Avdeyevka, when DPR forces pushed back a Ukrainian advance into what was then the ‘Grey Zone’ residential area of Avdeyevka, on the north side of the highway. Shortly after my visit, the entire residential area of Avdeyevka was razed to the ground by Ukrainian artillery, and until recently, everything north of the highway has been under control of Banderastan. In the summer of 2017, I served on the very front line of the Avdeyevka front. One side of the highway was ours (DPR), the other side belonged to the Ukrainians. I could look through a periscope and see Ukrainian flags flying a few hundred meters away.
Most of the shelling of Donetsk civilian areas over the last ten years have come from Avdeyevka, including the recent mass murder of 27 civilians at the Tekstilshchik Market, in my neighborhood, less than a month ago. Avdeyevka was known as an ‘impregnable fortress’ of Nazi power, and yet I have lived to see it begin to fall. Many of my friends, both civilian and military, did not. But those of us who lived, swore a solemn oath on their blood that we would see it fall, or die like they did, trying. That's why I say I feel this victory in my soul, because I know my friends feel it in theirs today, even from another world. And today, we kept that promise.
And I feel it in my bones today, too, because today, instead of the steady rumble of Avdeyevka artillery, there was silence. There hasn't been any shelling of Donetsk today, at all. Today, the Nazis who have bombed us for almost a decade from Avdeyevka are too busy running for their lives to target civilians or anyone else. My wife even commented today, ‘It's been really quiet today.’ So far, from experience, we know that every time we have a significant military victory, the Nazis take it out on our civilians. The Nazis have HIMARS, CAESAR and TOCHKA-U, that can target Donetsk from far behind Avdeyevka, and we know what kind of atrocities to expect in the coming days. But we are not going anywhere, we are ready to face whatever comes. We know there will be retribution by the Nazis against civilians soon. But we stand fast, civilians and soldiers, ready to move forward, for the future of humanity.”
Watch Russian Su-25 Attack Aircraft Hit Ukrainian Camouflaged Equipment and Manpower
The Su-25, also known as the "Frogfoot," is a twin-engine, single-seat attack aircraft designed primarily for close air support of ground forces. It is equipped with a 30 mm cannon and can carry various types of air-to-ground missiles, bombs, and rockets.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing Su-25 attack aircraft striking Ukrainian camouflaged equipment and manpower in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). According to the ministry, the targets were successfully hit.
Russia’s Su-25 is specifically designed to engage ground targets and provide close air support for ground forces. The aircraft's armor protection and ability to withstand damage make it a resilient platform for close combat operations.
Ukraine Adopts Tactic Used by German Nazis in WWII - Report
As the Kiev regime is forced into a defensive footing, observers note the similarities between the current conflict and Russia’s Great Patriotic War.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” claimed American author Mark Twain, riffing on an observation made by Marx, Hegel, and others. The statement seems apt in recent weeks as the besieged Ukrainian military increasingly adopts defensive strategies pioneered by its Nazi forebears as its position in the Donbass becomes increasingly untenable.
A story in US media Saturday, unique in its willingness to observe the similarities between the Kiev regime and German Nazis, noted Ukraine's armed forces are “shifting to a defensive strategy that failed Nazi Germany'' in World War II. In an instance of striking historical rhyme, Kiev’s strategy is likely to fail for much the same reason the Nazis’ did.
“Active defense was understood to be generally applicable to divisions, corps and field armies,” said retired US Army colonel Douglas Nash, describing a military tactic pioneered by Nazi Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. Von Manstein developed the tactic late in World War II, when the Soviet Red Army went on the offensive after repelling German troops in Stalingrad. Outnumbered by the Soviets, the Nazis were forced to devise new tactical maneuvers accounting for shortages in soldiers and equipment.
But although the ranks of the German army were rapidly diminishing, the Nazis were still able to gather enough men to execute von Manstein’s complex counterattacks. Nash claims the Ukrainian “squads, platoons, companies and battalions” amassed for the regime’s “mobile defense” operations have been far too small to succeed.
New technology has further undermined Ukraine’s desperate strategy. Russian drones have made battlefield maneuvers difficult for Ukrainian forces which has been under constant surveillance and relentless attacks from the sky by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Guided missiles are also able to strike troops from dozens of miles away. These realities have forced Ukraine to adopt a more static trench warfare strategy.
Politics have also limited the set of tactics Ukrainian commanders are willing to use. The Nazis’ active mobile defense strategy required a willingness to cede ground – at least temporarily – to set a trap for advancing Soviet troops. That’s an unappealing prospect for Ukrainian leaders as the country’s military has lost thousands of soldiers in attempts to capture and hold significant cities.
Like the Nazis driven back towards Berlin after 1943, the Ukrainian military is increasingly forced to defend a large area of land with a small number of troops. Once again Russia’s thoughtful strategy is playing a key role in its favor, with Moscow’s troops able to outperform their opponent even after two years of fighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment