A carefully planned defensive operation by Ukraine‘s 10th Mountain Assault Brigade showed how modern military technology combined with tactical patience can neutralize large-scale armored attacks while saving defenders’ lives.
Today, we have some important news to share from the direction of Siversk.
The Ukrainian Edelweiss Brigade displayed exceptional tactical precision and a brilliantly-structured defensive operation that effectively countered even large-scale Russian mechanized attacks. Their coordinated defense not just crushed the attacking force, but also established a new standard in modern defensive fortification designs and implementation.
The Russians are aiming to capture Siversk. This is a vital Ukrainian logistics hub which serves as a barrier that protects Lyman and Sloviansk.
Serebryanskyi Forest, located to the northeast of the city, has been a key defense against Russian attacks. Several hill ridges in the southeast offer additional protection. One near Ivano-Darivka is a key Ukrainian stronghold.
The village is located in a lowland but the surrounding terrain, a small water reservoir and elevated terrain create a formidable barrier. This section of frontline is defended the battle-tested Ukrainian 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss.”
The Russians launched a multi-staged attack to increase their chances of success. They began by launching precision Iskander missiles on suspected Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of Sloviansk. They then intensified their bombardment on the hill ridge near Ivano-Darivka using thermobaric artillery for maximum impact.
After completing artillery preparations, Russian forces launched a massive assault with 22 armored vehicle (7 tanks, 13 BMPs and 2 MT LBs), supported approximately 120 soldiers. Berestove was used as a staging area to control the hill ridge on the other side. They planned to advance quickly from Berestove to Ivano-Darivka in order to capture the strategic hilltop fortress from the southeast. They avoided the fields because of extensive mining.
The Ukrainian defenders were prepared despite hours of intense shelling. They detected the Russian columns early, but strategically delayed engagement. This allowed the column to drive perpendicularly to their stronghold and expose the entire assault group. Once all Russian forces had been brought into view, Ukrainians used kamikaze drones to disable the leading vehicle. As Russian soldiers evacuated a disabled infantry fighting vehicle from Ukrainian forces, additional drones dropped grenades to neutralize them.
While other Russian vehicles tried to advance closer to the Ukrainian base, Ukrainian anti-tank missile operators strategically positioned high on the ground used Stugna-P systems produced in Ukraine to engage the advancing armor. Geolocated images reveal multiple Ukrainian ATGM crews destroying Russian vehicles on the left flank while surviving Russian soldiers fled in panic.
After stopping the Russian column about one kilometer away from Ivano-Darivka with FPV drones they continued to target remaining vehicles, preventing the Russians from reaching or establishing foothold in the village. According to geolocated footage taken by the 10th Ukrainian Brigade they did not suffer any casualties, but destroyed 6 of 7 Russian tanks and 9 of 13 BMPs. They also killed or wounded half of the assault force.
The Ukrainian fighters in this area have built a defense structure that is exemplary, exploiting the high ground advantages to force Russian assault units into exposing their flanks when they attack. Their tactical patience and confidence in their defensive configuration allowed them to maximize damage. They destroyed 75% of the enemy armor and eliminated 50% of its manpower within minutes. This operation is a new model for defensive operations, and can be used by other Ukrainian brigades.
In our regular frontline reports, we team up with the military blog Reporting from Ukraine in order to keep you updated on what’s happening on the battlefield during the Russo Ukrainian war.
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