Day 803: 5 May
On 5 May, there are a lot of updates from the Bakhmut direction.
The most intense clashes occurred south of Ivanivske where Ukrainians conducted a series of counterattacks with the goal of disrupting the Russian offensive efforts and fixed their troops.
According to both Russian and Ukrainian sources, the attacks were successful and later the Ukrainian fighters of the 92nd assault Brigade published combat footage showing the actual operation.
To achieve this goal Ukrainians had to conduct extensive separation of Russian firing positions with FPV drones. As we know Ukrainians are experiencing an acute shortage of artillery shells which is why they complement their artillery firing missions with various kamikaze drone strikes. Due to the efficient work of the Ukrainian Signum and black raven drone units along the southern flank, Ukrainians managed to repel all Russian attacks.
The activity of FPV drones was so severe that all Russian troops were hiding in dugouts or basements in the settlements along the contact line. Any Russian troops or equipment exposed on the outside were quickly detected and destroyed before they even reached the contact line. In many videos of such disruptions of reinforcements, we could see the destruction of four supply trucks, a bmp2 infantry Fighting Vehicle, a bmd4, and many groups of infantry on foot.
Ukrainians realized the advantage of the extensive use of FPV drones to the fullest extent, which allowed them to retake the initiative and conduct the counterattack.
Ukrainians decided to concentrate Kamikadze drones on the Russian positions between Ivanivske and Klishchiivka. This way Russian reinforcements to the area were destroyed starving the Russian forces of ammo and supplies.
The combat footage shows a column of at least seven infantry fighting vehicles destroyed near this trench alone. In the same video we can see that after the Ukrainian drone operator successfully prevented Russian reinforcements from arriving at the contact line, a small group of two soldiers from the 92nd assault Brigade was sent ahead.
The two Ukrainian stormtroopers entered the trench and encountered virtually no organized resistance. Therefore they cleared the trench and secured new tactical positions. They checked the whole trench and finished off Russian soldiers hiding in their dugouts with small arms fire and grenades.
However, the provided combat footage shows only a fraction of a broader operation pushing Russians back by more than 500 meters. Ukrainians had previously detected that Russian defenses here were weaker than the rest of the Southern flank but still potent. This defense stretched along two tree lines on open fields near a dirt road that supplied Ivanivske.
In the first stage of the operation, Ukrainians had to assault much stronger Russian positions, which were softened up by concentrated drone strikes. Once the primary defense line was breached, chaos ensued among Russian forces which started to flee to the rear or hide from drones in dugouts.
By that time the main Ukrainian force was consolidating their positions and the bulk of the fighting was already over when the two Ukrainian stormtroopers conducted mop up operations. Newly gained positions also hold tactical value because they enable Ukrainians to set up a base of operation for artillery and drone teams.
This is good for the Ukrainians because now the bottleneck through which Russian forces have to pass to get to their bridgehead is much tighter. As you can see the nearby dirt roads were rendered unusable by the counterattack due to the proximity to the Ukrainian positions so all Russian movements were restricted to just a few streets that Ukrainians could easily monitor. This will endanger the Russian offensive efforts south of Chasiv Yar for which the village is a vital stage in the ground.
Furthermore, Ukrainians also managed to fix Russian forces in this front section to prevent further potential breakthroughs. Redeployment of additional troops to plug the gap near the tactical bridge head will in turn reduce the intensity of Russian assaults on Chasiv Yar.
Ukrainians also managed to deploy additional reinforcements to the town, which all contributed to further stabilizing this section of the front for the Ukrainians. Russian command likely understands that further operations on the northern flank are only possible by securing positions on the southern flank near Ivanivske and Klishchiivka, as we know the Russian goal is to envelop Chasiv Yar from two sides and this is only possible by expanding their zone of control to the south of the town.
Russians formed large Force concentrations in Bakhmut for further deployment to the southern flank. Elements of the 60 motorized rifle division, the 88 Motor Rifle Brigade, and the 83rd VDV Brigade prepare for assaults north of Klishchiivka toward the canal.
Russians did attempt to launch assaults in this direction but so far they bore no results as every Russian armored column deployed was destroyed by artillery and drones. Overall Ukrainians managed to exploit their accumulation of drones and concentrate them on suppressing Russian firing positions which set the ground for a successful counter-attack.
Increased Russian focus on their flank to the south of Ivanivske will further divert their attention from Chasiv Yar enabling Ukrainians to reinforce the local Garrison and strengthen their defense.
On top of that the equipment from the recently approved Aid package that includes much-needed artillery shells started reaching the contact line which will help stabilize the front even more.
In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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