Today, there are a lot of updates from the Kurakhove direction, Donetsk Oblast.
Recently, the Russian forces have launched a series of probing attacks around Kostiantynivka, each attempt failing to breach the resilient Ukrainian defenses.
However, one of the most significant and intense mechanized assaults of the war took place recently, featuring a massive flank attack from the north of Kostiantynivka that promised to change the dynamics on the battlefield dramatically.
Russian plan to advance
North of Kostiantynivka lies the small village of Pobieda, which fell into Russian hands a month ago. Exploiting its proximity to Marinka, Russian forces have determined that advancing beyond Pobieda should become their primary objective.
This move aims to boost their northern advance and cripple Ukrainian supply routes in the area.
If successful, this audacious strategy would place Ukrainian forces in Kostiantynivka under pressure from the north, east, and south while also allowing the Russians to preserve personnel and equipment by avoiding costly frontal assaults from Novomykhailivka.
Central to this offensive operation is the utilization of the local road from Marinka to Kostiantynivka, providing the Russians with a crucial tactical advantage for rapid mechanized assaults.
The most significant obstacles to their advance are the fortified Ukrainian defensive positions within the tree lines and the vineyard located next to the road.
Military bloggers reported that to undermine them, apart from using regular artillery, Russian forces engaged Ukrainian tanks located around the vineyard. The defenders used them not only to suppress any enemy advancement attempts with their powerful cannons but also to conduct counterattacks.
Geolocated footage released by Russian sources shows how a Ukrainian Leopard tank is attacked with an FPV drone in a tree line, which leads to fire and detonation of the vehicle. After conducting various such preparations, the Russians started launching mechanized assaults through the village of Pobieda.
Two critical steps of Russian offensive plan
The Russian plan consisted of two critical steps.
First, they aimed to overwhelm the local defense with a sufficiently strong assault group, swiftly taking control of the vineyard and the nearby fortifications. This initial phase was crucial for securing a foothold in the area.
Second, they intended to capitalize on this momentum to gain more territory southwest of Pobieda. This move aimed to fortify their positions against potential Ukrainian counterattacks, which would likely be launched to prevent the Russians from entrenching themselves further south of the village.
By executing these steps, the Russians hoped to create a stable front line and reduce the risk of losing newly acquired ground.
How Ukrainians fight back
Ukrainian forces responsible for the defense of this section of the frontline released a video showing how they reacted to the first step in the Russian plan, namely the frontal storm operation using various armored vehicles on the highway from Marinka.
Once again, the video gives a good overview of not only the large force that the Russians used in this operation but also how prepared the Ukrainian defense was.
Even with weakened support due to the Russian preparation attacks against defensive assets just before the assault, Ukrainian artillery and drone operator units unleashed all their firepower against the enemy armored column.
Several Russian infantry fighting vehicles can be seen getting damaged by mines, artillery shells, and kamikaze drones even before being able to pass through Pobieda. Others were destroyed just before the vineyard and the disembarked surviving Russian troops were quickly engaged by the Ukrainians with grenades dropped by drones.
Despite the fierce Ukrainian resistance and the failure of the first step of the Russian plan, which aimed to gain control over the vineyard, Russian forces managed to partially achieve the secondary objective.
They executed a successful westward assault from Pobieda, advancing by a few hundred meters into the field. This maneuver allowed them to slightly increase a buffer zone, thereby protecting themselves against potential Ukrainian flank maneuvers.
Overall, the unsuccessful Russian flank attack from the north of Kostiantynivka, underscores a critical miscalculation in their planning. Despite their formidable force and extensive preparations the Russian troops were unable to penetrate the robust Ukrainian defenses and a multi-layer defensive tactic, which led to the gradual elimination of the Russian forces on the move leaving only a handful of soldiers by the time they reached the vineyards.
This failure not only thwarted their immediate tactical objectives but also further restrained their resources, especially after the previous massive mechanized assault. The repulsion of this attack reaffirms Ukraine’s defensive positions north of Kostiantynivka buying crucial time to fortify their positions further.
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.
