Today, the biggest news comes from the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Here, the Russians are trying to build up a bridgehead across the Vovcha River to advance further. However, Ukrainian forces attacked them at the right moment and conducted a daring maneuver not only to push the enemy back but also to endanger their flank.
Ukraine's goal in this sector is to neutralize the Russians in Ivanivka before they can dig in and outflank Novopavlivka.
Clearing the enemy and recapturing Ivanivka would not only eliminate them from this side of the river, but once secured, these positions can also be used for exerting pressure on the flank and isolating other Russian units, further diminishing their offensive capability.
Tanks, drones, and the element of surprise
The Ukrainian plan involved an element of surprise to catch the Russians off guard, deploy tanks to soften up their resistance inside Ivanivka by pinning them down with their firepower.
Including the use of FPV drones in the preparation stage would allow the Ukrainian infantry to systematically sweep through the settlement and neutralize the remaining disorganized Russians, bringing it back under Ukrainian control.
Fog, high ground, and a river cutting off Russian reinforcements
The main Ukrainian tactical advantage is the location of Ivanivka, as it is separated from the main Russian forces by the Vovcha River. Because of the weather and the proximity to the river, the Ukrainians can also benefit from the dense fog, preventing the Russians from using drones, while allowing the Ukrainians to use tanks, which can provide stronger fire support.
Also, if we take a look at the topographic map, we can see that there are Ukrainian positions located on the hills north of Ivanivka looking down on the village. This provides a significant advantage, as the Ukrainians maintain full fire-control over the settlement and the river crossing, while possessing superior observation points, and benefiting from improved signal coverage for drones.
To keep Russian troops in Ivanivka supplied, everything has to be brought in across the river, which makes their logistics much more complicated.
Furthermore, the Russian positions inside the village are too weak and too close to the frontline to permit secure crossings of armored vehicles over the river, which means the Russians are unable to deploy such or even bring in significant forces with ease.
As a result, the Russian assault groups found themselves overextended and without enough support to compensate for the unfavorable conditions, making them an easy target for the Ukrainians.
Leopard tank and fiber-optic drones soften Russian positions
Ukrainian forces launched their operation at a well-chosen moment, before Russian troops could establish themselves, attacking under thickening fog, which temporarily reduced the threat from Russian drones and exploiting conditions that made it possible to use tanks in an environment where they are otherwise rarely employed.
Geolocated footage shows how a Ukrainian Leopard 1A5 tank conducts preliminary strikes and fires its 105-millimeter cannon from a concealed position, targeting concentrations of enemy infantry.
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The tank hit the Russian positions in the village spot on, killing two Russian soldiers and wounding others. To supplement this, Ukrainian operators launched their FPV drones with fiber optics to hunt the remaining soldiers one by one.
Marines descend from hills, clear village in close-quarter combat
After the Russian positions were softened up, marines of the 37th brigade descended from the hills and started clearing the enemy dugouts in close-quarter combat using small arms fire and explosives, while drones circled above and dropped grenades on the remaining Russian infantry.
As a result, Ukrainian forces advanced 1.5 kilometers in a 5-kilometer-wide area, clearing Ivanivka completely, and pushed back the Russians behind the Vovcha river. 53 Russian soldiers were killed during the operation, and the remaining 19, recognizing that withdrawal was impossible and that the main Russian contingent was incapable of mounting a rescue, chose to surrender.
Russians now face a stronger defense if they try again
Overall, Russian forces advanced into Ivanivka, hoping to establish a bridgehead over the river, only to land in a kill zone in the lowlands. Ukrainian marines capitalized on the bad weather and used tanks to destroy the enemy contingent, left without an option to retreat.
When the Russian high command decides to assault in this sector again, they will meet an even bigger obstacle, as they would now have to cross the river again, facing an improved Ukrainian defense on high alert.
At the same time, after capturing Ivanivka, the Ukrainians will be able to conduct raids on the flank and put the Russian salient to the east under constant pressure.
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.
