Today there are a lot of interesting updates from the Velyka Novosilka direction, Donetsk Oblast.
Here, a massive Russian offensive was set into motion, aiming to consolidate control over the town and break through the Ukrainian defenses. However, the unfolding fight would soon take an unexpected turn, as Ukrainian forces, positioned strategically on higher ground, hunted down the Russian assaults from their positions on the high ground with deadly precision.
The goal of the Ukrainian forces in this area is to target and eliminate Russian forces trying to enter and consolidate control of Velyka Novosilka. The Russians are trying to exploit their control over the town’s large infrastructure to achieve numerical superiority by accumulating large forces for an offensive effort to the north.
Consolidating their control of the town would also allow them to establish stable logistics by using the infrastructure to set up ammo depots, tank repair workshops, and field hospitals for wounded soldiers, further supporting their offensive.
To prevent this, Ukrainian fighters are conducting constant aerial drone reconnaissance and utilize their positions north of the town to target large Russian columns that are trying to enter Velyka Novosilka.
The main advantage of the Ukrainian forces is the location of their positions to the north of the town. If we look at the topographic map, we can see that the Ukrainian positions are located at a higher elevation than the Russian-held Velyka Novosilka. This allows the Ukrainian forces to observe Russian movements and target them with precision using anti-tank-guided missiles, artillery, and drones.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian defenses are further reinforced by the Mokri Yaly River and its tributaries, which prevent the Russian forces from directly approaching Ukrainian positions without any form of preestablished crossing points.
Russians have inherited the disadvantageous positions in the lowlands that allowed them to take the town in the first place. Furthermore, the rivers further complicate Russian logistics because they flow through the town, where all the bridges were destroyed during the fighting.
This forced the Russian forces to restrict their movement along predictable ground lines of communication towards the northern part of the town, which isn’t blocked by any river crossing. This is further reinforced by the fact that the withdrawn Ukrainian forces knew which specific buildings in the town provided the best tactical advantages and protection for the Russian forces, so they zeroed in on their artillery, drones, and anti-tank systems to meet the Russian advance.
Combat footage from the area reveals how a Russian column of eight armored vehicles that were carrying stormtroopers entered the northern part of Velyka Novosilka, where they were immediately targeted by already zeroed-in Ukrainian artillery fire. Subsequently, the lead vehicle struck a landmine, forcing the rest of the column to stop.
Several Russian stormtroopers dismounted from the damaged lead vehicle, trying to establish positions in the high-rise buildings in front of them. However, as the intense shelling continued, the panicking crews of Russian armored vehicles started shooting at the high-rise building, where their soldiers took up positions, thinking that Ukrainian fighters are there instead.
Subsequently, additional footage reveals that after the column was finished off by Ukrainian artillery fire, a few Russian infantry squads scattered within the town. However, the Ukrainian drone operators effectively hunted down the Russian fighters that tried to hide in houses and basements, only for the Ukrainian FPV drone operators to demolish their positions and eliminate them, leaving no survivors.
Overall, the lack of any tactical advantages and poor planning led to a predictable Russian mechanized assault that was effectively countered and eliminated by the Ukrainians. The scale and intensity of Ukrainian precision fire led to tremendous losses among the Russian units, including the elimination of the commander of the third mechanized battalion that participated in the assaults.
Such tremendous losses among both foot soldiers and skilled officer cadre will force the Russian command to pause their operations in the Velyka Novosilka area, giving the Ukrainian defenders ample time to adjust and predict their alternative assaults in the future.
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.
