Day 807: 10 May
On 10 May, there are a lot of developments in the Avdiivka direction. Here, Ukrainians have halted the Russian offensive and have started counterattacking with newly arrived US military aid. After the Russian breakthrough to Ocheretyne, Russians attempted to outflank the Ukrainian defenses to the west to solidify their control over their territorial gains.
Ukrainians had established multiple lines of defense in front of their main headquarters in the area, Pokrovsk. However, as it quickly turned out, even outflanking these defenses would not allow Russians to accomplish their goals in the West.
While heavy fighting for Ocheretyne continued, Russians advanced toward the east into the settlements of Soloviove and Novobakhmutivka.
Russians had good reasons to prioritize securing this flank first to prevent a possible flanking counterattack from the Ukrainian 47th mechanized brigade. Geolocated footage shows Bradley infantry fighting vehicles of the 47th mechanized brigade working on Russian positions and assault groups in Novobakhmutivka.
Ukrainians also conducted constant artillery strikes, FPV kamikaze drone attacks and grenade drops on Russian infantry and positions in the area. A Ukrainian military blogger stated that while Russians eventually took control over Soloviove and Novobakhmutivka, the 47th brigade had significantly slowed the advance of the far more numerous Russian forces in the area.
Other Ukrainian military bloggers stated that the focus of Ukrainian forces in the area was to conduct a controlled withdrawal while preserving forces.
They noted that Ukrainian commanders closely monitored the area with reconnaissance drones and did not allow their soldiers to become encircled or overrun. Geolocated footage confirms this, as Ukrainians released many combat footage showcasing evacuations of frontline troops with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. These Bradleys are more heavily armored than regular transports and are able to provide covering fire while loading the infantry.
After withdrawing from critical or dangerous positions, Ukrainian forces unleashed a barrage on Russian forces in Soloviove and Novobakhmutivka.
Geolocated footage shows Ukrainian drone operators engaging Russian tanks, APCs, and numerous groups of infantry east of Novobakhmutivka with FPV kamikaze drones.
Ukrainians also conducted multiple FPV strikes on Russian armor and infantry in the settlements. Ukrainian drone operators started equipping their drones with heavier explosives to be able to target groups of Russian infantry hiding in the houses.
Ukrainians continued these attacks day and night, performing a series of attacks on Russian infantry and armored troop transports with grenade drops and FPV kamikaze drones.
Ukrainian artillery crews also targeted Russian reinforcements being dropped off with MT-LB amphibious personnel carriers. Ukrainians engaged these transports with artillery and finished off the infantry themselves with cluster munitions.
Russian forces even attempted to break out of the Ukrainian kill zone but were halted by anti-tank mines, instantly destroying the assault group.
A Ukrainian military blogger stated that Russian forces have been unable to break through Ukrainian defenses here, adding that Russian losses in this direction were the highest alongside the Russian salient.
As the Russian advance in this direction was completely halted, the Ukrainian 47th mechanized brigade slowly started pushing the Russians back. Geolocated footage shows how a Ukrainian Bradley infantry fighting vehicle engaged a Russian T80 tank with its TOW-guided anti-tank missile, destroying the Russian tank on impact. Other geolocated footage shows a Bradley engaging a Russian armored transport vehicle, dropping off new Russian reinforcements.
The Bradley’s powerful automatic cannon opened fire on the Russian vehicle, destroying it almost instantly. This left the Russian infantry stranded in the tree line, fully viewing the Bradley’s weapon systems. Interestingly enough, if we look at the paint scheme of the Ukrainian Bradley, we can see that it is equipped with a desert-style camouflage.
Western vehicles in Ukraine had previously been equipped with green camouflage, indicating that this Bradley has only just arrived and is part of the recent US aid package sent to Ukraine.
Due to the critical shortages in weapon systems and munitions Ukrainians had been suffering from, there was no time to reequip this Bradley with a new paint scheme, as it was urgently needed on the frontline.
Overall, Russian forces attempted to overpower Ukrainian defenses by outflanking them from the east but ended up in a kill zone. The Ukrainian 47th mechanized brigade had carefully withdrawn from the area under cover from Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
During their retreat, they had prepared kill zones and anti-tank mines, which proved critical in halting the advance of a far larger Russian force. After severely undermining Russian combat capabilities with drones, mines, and artillery in and around the two settlements, Ukrainian forces went on the offensive with newly arrived Western aid.
In the future, as Western military aid continues to be delivered, Ukrainians will be capable of further depleting Russian forces and performing more such counterattacks—this time, with the correct paint scheme.
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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