war in Ukraine
Debacle in Russian counterattack – Putin loses tank column in artillery fire
Screenshot from Ukrainian Armed Forces video.
© 101st Brigade / Twitter
Russia tries to disrupt the Ukrainian advance with its own offensives. One of their destinations is the small town of Avdiivka. A column of Russian tanks was crushed while attempting to storm a summerhouse in front of the town.
The Ukrainian summer offensive has shown that the advance with large mechanized columns of main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles often fails to achieve the goal. These formations cannot use their massive firepower because they are attacked by mines, drones and artillery as they approach. heaviness Losses without results are the result.
And although the Russian invaders know the dilemma, they are working to the same recipe (Putin’s storm in the north – this fear is crippling Kiev’s offensive). While the Ukraine is attacking at Bakhmut and to the south of the front, the Russians have also begun to take the offensive themselves. One of their destinations is the small town of Avdiivka. About 30,000 people lived there before the war, it is a real city and not a settlement of a few houses. Avdiivka is only a few kilometers from Donetsk and is therefore a strategic target for the Russians.
Spotted early by drones
The armored column came from the area between Krasnohorivka and Novoselivka Druha, but was spotted early by drones from the Ukrainian 101st Mechanized Brigade. Allegedly, Ukraine uses the Starlink system for their drones, so the remote control cannot be blocked by the Russians. The video recordings of the drones show the course of the battle. The Russian vehicles approached the town across the fields. Their goal was apparently a dacha settlement that lies outside the city proper. However, already in the line of trees in front of the settlement, they were surprised by Ukrainian artillery, after a few losses they had to turn away, still under Ukrainian fire. In total, the Russians lost nine to eleven vehicles, including two T-80 main battle tanks. Then there are the dead soldiers.
No alternative to armored vehicles
Why do both sides keep trying these advances, even though the dangers are well known? The answer: It’s a gamble. A large group of infantrymen cannot cross the area unnoticed because of the long approach time. Small groups of a handful of marksmen keep trying to sneak up along the rows of trees unnoticed. But they can only overwhelm a small outpost and not a larger position (Hedge warfare – how the Ukrainians storm the Russian trenches). To do this, the group must be larger and they must carry equipment for a battle lasting several hours. It must also be able to protect the captured positions from a counterattack after a heavy battle. And so it comes to the columns of 10 to 15 vehicles, which can carry about a company with them. If they are discovered and the enemy can keep their drones in the air and then has artillery at their disposal, the advance ends like the Russian attempt at Avdiivka.
On the other hand, there have certainly been successes. If the enemy lacks drones and artillery, the armored vehicles drive close to the trenches. Their automatic weapons push the enemy into the trenches, which are then stormed by the infantry. Without the firepower of the armored personnel carriers, the soldiers would not be able to reach the trench.