LAST GASPS. Russians Lose 120 MEN, 13 TANKS & AFVs in Insane Assaults. | War in Ukraine

Here, Russians have reinforced this direction with additional forces and are preparing for their new spring-summer offensive. The ultimate Russian goal is to cross the Zherebets River and reach the Ukrainian city of Lyman, a key railway and logistics hub known as ‘The Gates of Donbas.

Historically, to achieve this, Russians have carried out direct frontal assaults from the east, which the Ukrainians have repelled by flanking from the forest to the south, forcing the Russians back. Recently, Russians have reorganized and reinforced their units in the area and are again attempting to breach Ukrainian defenses.

Right now, there are two important battles being fought: one in the forest and the other in the direction of Yampolivka. In the long term, if the Russians want to take Lyman, they must advance both from the forest and the river. 

However, before they can cross the river and push on to Lyman, Russians need to establish control over three Ukrainian settlements: Terny, Yampolivka, and Torske. During these attacks, the Russian flanks are vulnerable to Ukrainian counterattacks from the south. Therefore, it is critical for Russians to establish control over the outer area of the forest. Nonetheless, Ukrainians hold steady defenses and have been able to hold off Russian attacks on the forest while simultaneously projecting fire control over the road to Torske and forcing the Russians to divert into the fields. 

In distancing themselves from the forest, Russians have made Yampolivka and Terny their primary targets. If we look at the topographic map, we can see that the settlements along the reservoirs are situated in the lowlands and are under Ukrainian control, while the hills to the east overlooking the settlements are partially under Russian control. Russians have used this advantage to carry out direct frontal assaults on Ukrainian positions downhill. However, Ukrainians have been able to deal with these direct attacks by maintaining well-organized supply lines and quick reaction forces to counterattack if the situation becomes dire.

To launch assaults on the settlements themselves, Russians must first expand control over the forests to the east. Here, Russians have increased the pressure on Ukrainian defenders by utilizing large mechanized assaults in order to overwhelm Ukrainian defenders. However, in most cases, the assaulted positions are so heavily damaged that they are of little use to the Russian forces. Ukrainians then use their quick reaction forces to counterattack and retake the lost positions, forcing heavy casualties on the depleted Russian assault groups. 

At the end of their previous assault waves and achieving small territorial gains in Febuary, Russians were forced to decrease their activity in the region and take time to recuperate and recover their losses. Ukrainian Khortytsia Group of Forces spokesperson Ilya Yevlash stated that Russian forces are reinforcing their assault groups with Sorm-Z convict recruits and are transferring additional forces to the area. Russian aviation also conducted air strikes with FAB-500 glide bombs against Ukrainian positions in the area, in preparation for their attacks.

Shortly thereafter, Russians completed their reorganization and launched a new wave of attacks towards Yampolivka. The first attack took place during the night, where seven Russian armored vehicles attempted to reach Ukrainian defenses and catch them by surprise. However, Ukrainian drone operators were monitoring the area and spotted the Russian assault group well in advance. One by one, they were then completely destroyed by mines and Ukrainian artillery. Later, during the day, Russians launched two more attacks in an attempt to reach the settlement. The first attack consisted of one T-90M tank in the lead and one BMP infantry fighting vehicle following it. They are seen to be driving around the remnants of the night attack. They decide to take a different route, however, and Ukrainian artillery crews almost instantly open fire on the assault group, which manages to drive about a kilometer further before the tank drives over a mine and gets disabled on impact. The tank crew and the assault group then manage to dismount and run into the tree line, with the BMP providing fire support. Ukrainian artillery crews, however, opened fire on the infantry with cluster munitions. With no more infantry to support, the BMP then decides to retreat but is quickly taken out by a kamikaze drone.

The third assault that day was carried out by a small group of soldiers on Chinese-made all-terrain vehicles. These so-called ‘golf carts’ are very agile and allow for quick maneuvers along the frontline. Unfortunately for Russians, however, these carts also provide zero protection against enemy fire, artillery, or mines and were subsequently destroyed by Ukrainian cluster munitions. 

Overall, Ukrainian forces managed to successfully defeat a huge wave of Russian assaults and hold their positions in front of the settlements. Nonetheless, a Ukrainian soldier active in the area stated that the attacks will not stop here, as Russians have increased their presence in the area and are using a large amount of infantry, armor, artillery, and aviation in their attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses. On the other hand, a prominent Russian military blogger also stated that while Russians hold the initiative in this direction, they have been unable to translate small tactical gains into serious operational successes. If Ukrainians can manage to hold off the new wave of Russian assaults, this will likely be the last before the seasonal mud takes over and makes any armored assault impossible, at least until the summer.