July 28. Today, there are a lot of developments in the direction of Svatove.
Russians built up a large strike force to launch a new offensive in the East but were completely undermined by the famous Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade.
The main Russian goal in this direction is to retake control over the Luhansk region, one of the primary initial goals of the Russian invasion. To achieve this, Russians tried to launch an offensive last year to take the Ukrainian town of Borova and reach the Oskil River. The wide river forms an impenetrable natural obstacle which would help Russians solidify their control over the Luhansk region.
During their offensive last year, Russians were able to cross the smaller Zherebets River and create a narrow bridgehead. Ukrainians were initially able to hold the Russian advance and slightly push Russians back due to reinforcements quickly arriving in the area but were unable to fully eliminate the bridgehead. The main reason for this was a shortage in equipment and artillery ammunition, as US military aid was being held up in Congress.
Russian Preparations for a New Offensive
Now, Russians are trying to use what remains of their bridgehead as a platform to launch a second attempt to take Borova. Ukrainian military analysts reported that Russians were building up a large force of approximately 10,000 personnel and 450 pieces of military equipment, including 250 various artillery systems. Russians also moved several mercenary groups in this direction to reinforce their offensive potential. The analyst noted that the presence of these mercenary groups, mainly used for assault rather than defensive actions, indicated the Russian intent to try a second attempt at taking Borova.
Russians also launched a strategic attack on Ukrainian logistics, targeting a Ukrainian hydroelectric dam with an Iskander missile. This dam also functioned as a bridge over the Oskil River that Ukrainians used to supply their forces to the east, meaning the strike effectively weakened Ukrainian logistics. However, as the dam was built to withstand large quantities of water, it was structurally sound and despite being heavily damaged by this strike, it was not beyond repair, as Ukrainians soon demonstrated.
Ukrainian Response
In general, it was clear that Russians were planning a massive offensive, and Ukrainians could not passively sit and wait for Russians to build up their strength. Because of this, the Ukrainian High Command moved in the well-known Third Assault Brigade to reinforce the region and take up an active posture to undermine Russian preparations and the offensive before it even started.
The Third Assault Brigade, after arriving in the region, immediately launched constant FPV drone strikes as Russians were gathering their forces. Their drone operators targeted Russian positions, vehicles, infantry, stockpiles, and warehouses with FPV kamikaze drones and drone-dropped grenades. It’s important to note that the Brigade shared new video compilations of these strikes nearly every day, as every video showed the destruction of dozens of Russian soldiers and equipment. It’s impossible to understate the effectiveness of the Ukrainian strikes and the immense damage they did to Russian preparations.
Russian Counteractions and Ukrainian Defense
To compensate for their heavy losses to Ukrainian drone strikes, Russians were forced to move extra forces to the area. Simultaneously, Russians started launching probing attacks on Ukrainian positions along the bridgehead. Alexander Borodin, spokesperson of the Third Assault Brigade, stated that Russians were conducting near-constant small infantry assaults in their direction and occasionally even using teargas on Ukrainian trenches. The Zherebets River also complicates reinforcing these probing attacks with armored support, causing the Russian infantry to mainly keep to the tree lines during their assaults.
The Third Assault Brigade also shared a multitude of footage of them repelling these assaults, fighting off and destroying the Russian infantry with drones, small arms fire, and grenades. Several intense combat situations were described, showcasing the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers in defending their positions.
One video shows how a Ukrainian soldier repelled a Russian attack but got wounded by an explosion in the process. The footage then switches to another Ukrainian soldier as she bravely makes her way to the wounded man through the tree line under Russian small arms fire and with Russian kamikaze-drones constantly flying above her head.
Another video shows how Russians had entered a Ukrainian trench cornering a Ukrainian fighter in his dugout before throwing a grenade. The video continues to show the Ukrainian soldier shrugging off his injuries throwing a grenade of his own and incapacitating the Russian soldiers. The Russian soldiers try to fire back at him but the Ukrainian fighter finishes them off with his rifle and pulls back to safety to be treated for his wounds.
As well as the Russian attacks slowly increased in size eventually numbering platoon-sized assault groups, some were able to enter Ukrainian trenches. Unfortunately for the Russians, the Third Assault Brigade maintained an active defense and promptly met the Russian soldiers in the field. They shared many videos of them clearing Russians from the Ukrainian trenches cutting off Russian advancements and even proactively attacking weakened Russian positions along the bridge head with great success.
Conclusion
Overall, Russians have built up a significant force in preparation for a renewed offensive toward Borova. Because maintaining strong control over this region is important, Ukrainians tasked the Third Assault Brigade with the active defense of the region. The Brigade immediately went to work undermining Russian preparations and skillfully counterattacking any Russian advancements.
Ukrainian military analysts noted that the Russian probing attacks were unsuccessful, mainly because of the presence of such a strong Brigade. They urged Ukrainian military command to preemptively prevent a Russian breakthrough because, as of now, two Ukrainian brigades are holding the line against two Russian divisions.
In our regular 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.
