SCORCHED & DISLODGED. Russians Suffer MAJOR SETBACK

Here, the Ukrainians successfully destroyed once-powerful Russian defensive positions by extensively using improvised explosives by demolition squads. This significantly destabilized Russian positions in this part of the front, giving the Ukrainians an opportunity for the second wave of counterattacks.

Earlier, Russian operations in Toretsk's central high-rise area stalled as their forces faced constant raids by Ukrainian stormtrooper squads, coordinated with drone strikes. Over time, Ukrainian drone attacks intensified, with combat footage showing Russian soldiers attempting to play dead in a desperate effort to evade drones, only to be detected and eliminated.

Unlike in many other areas of the front, Ukrainian drone operators in Toretsk were able to more easily locate Russian drone positions. Combat footage from one operation showed a Ukrainian drone identifying Russian drone operators three kilometers behind the frontline and destroying their base. Such strikes significantly suppressed Russian drone activity in Toretsk, enabling Ukrainian soldiers to assault Russian positions with reduced risk of drone strikes. 

With Russian drone activity suppressed, Ukrainian soldiers seized the opportunity to approach Russian defensive positions in central high-rises and demolish them with heavy explosives. A video shared by Ukrainian fighters reveals their preparation of explosives for demolition squads, mostly improvising with available resources. They repurposed 17 TM-62 anti-tank mines and C-4 charges, bundling them into large packages and attaching cables for detonation. These explosive devices are powerful enough to destroy large high-rise buildings where many Russian fighters are stationed.

Combat footage from the high-rise area shows the detonation of these explosives, completely destroying a nine-story building used by Russian forces to amass troops, operate drones, and establish command points. Another video captures the demolition of a second high-rise with similar improvised explosives. These high-rises offered strategic firing positions for Russian soldiers, who used them to set up machine guns, anti-tank missile posts, and drone launch sites. With the destruction of these buildings, Russian defenses in the high-rise area were significantly weakened, as most of the structures were reduced to ruins.

The destruction of key Russian firing positions and drone bases set the stage for a coordinated Ukrainian counterattack on Toretsk's central high-rises. The Ukrainians initially targeted two high-rises facing the northern part of the city, creating a gap in Russian defenses that allowed Ukrainian stormtroopers to advance behind the remaining high-rises. Buildings facing westward were ineffective in repelling Ukrainian assaults, as their narrow, windowless sides left them with blind spots. With their main defensive positions compromised, Russian forces were pushed from the compromized high-rises. The Ukrainian counterattack successfully recaptured a third of the high-rise district and surrounding areas in central Toretsk, with ongoing efforts to push Russian forces out of the remaining high-rise positions.

Overall, the Ukrainians successfully suppressed the Russian firing positions, demolished them with explosives, and gradually started retaking lost positions from crumbling Russian defenses. Ukrainian Luhansk Group of Forces Spokesperson Major Anastasiya Bobovnikova reported that Russian forces have decreased their attacks in Toretsk but have not decreased their artillery and air strikes. Intense artillery and air strikes have however switched their purpose, as Russians are desperately trying to suppress advancing Ukrainians in all-out defense, which often led to accidentally bombing their troops in brutal friendly-fire incidents, which help to amplify Ukrainian operations even more.

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