A destroyed commander’s squad and a severed line of supply brought an end to Russia’s attempt at outflanking Chasiv Yar in the south.
Day 957
On 7 October there were many updates coming from Bakhmut. In a daring move, Russian forces launched a canal crossing operation in order to establish a crucial bridgehead and threaten to penetrate the southern flanks of Chasiv Yar.
In an unexpected turn of events, Ukrainian forces located and successfully targeted the commander of the strike unit and his unit. This crippled the Russian operation, and set the stage for a decisive offensive. Russian assaults on the residential area of Chasiv Yar had failed to yield significant results.
In response, Russian forces focused their attention on the southern flank, which is less elevated and more open.
They wanted to cross the canal and go south, using the forest as cover. They also wanted to establish positions to capture the town of Ivanivske. Securing Ivanivske allowed the Russians expand their bridgehead, and gather a large assault force to attack Chasiv Yar in the south. This would bypass costly frontal attacks across the canal directly before the town.
This was done because the highway connecting Bakhmut and Ivanivske to the road leading to the canal, which runs through open fields, allows Russian mechanized assault squads to move quickly. This reduces the risk of being attacked by FPV drones.
Bakhmut, and the surrounding areas including Ivanivske are protected by an extensive network of Russian electronic warfare system, which offers a relatively safer route for the assault.
The short distance between Bakhmut and Ivanivske, along with the paved roads, allowed Russian armored vehicles the freedom to move quickly. This allowed Russian stormtroopers to deploy their assault unit to Ivanivske intermittently within minutes, avoiding drone attacks. After arriving, Russian stormtroopers dismounted, dispersed and used the urban environment of Ivanivske as cover. They then moved to the forest south of the city, where they regrouped.
The Russians, once gathered in the forest, decided to cross the Canal via a ground crossing as the two bridges nearby had been destroyed by fighting over a decade ago. The entire area was covered in forest, so Russian forces crossed the Canal at night undetected, establishing positions to the Ukrainian side. The dense forest cover made the Ukrainians unable to see the Russians who were effectively hiding themselves.
The Russians released a video shortly after showing their stormtroopers raising their battle flags at the Stypochky Bridgehead to mark their presence.
The Ukrainians organized a swift counterattack after realizing the Russians were pushing towards Stypochky. The Ukrainians used FPV drones to take control of this section of canal, as the Russians had crossed it at night in order to enter the forest.
This move, with all Russian troops in the forest, cut the connection to the Russian attack detachment near Stupochky. It also severed their supply lines for ammunition and food.
Second, the Ukrainians were able to steadily build their forces by holding positions on the other side of the canal as the Russians concentrated their efforts on advancing across. The Ukrainians patiently gathered a decisive force that allowed them to launch a successful counterattack from the South, cutting off the Russian retreat route through the underground crossing of the canal.
The Ukrainian forces were able to destroy the Russian detachment, and reclaim the bridgehead. During the operation, it was reported that the commander of the Russian assault units was killed, causing a major disruption in the organization and commanding of the Russian forces. This effectively decapitated the assault.
The Ukrainian command, aware of Russian plans, strengthened its positions on the Ukrainian side of the canal by using the forest cover. It fortified the region to ensure that future Russian assaults will be very expensive. To prevent future Russian attacks, the Ukrainian Air Force used JDAM-guided Bombs to strike a Russian ammunition storage depot in Bakhmut. This added additional pressure on Russian logistic.
The Russian forces will be affected by a short-term shortage of ammunition. This could take several days or even weeks to replenish.
Russians tried to take advantage the complex Ukrainian defense south from Chasiv Yar but their entire assault group was destroyed after crossing the Canal. By maintaining and strengthening their defenses near the canal, the Ukrainians prevented the Russians from having a second chance to cross the canal. This issue will force Russia to resort to costly assaults on central Chasiv Yar which will continue to take their manpower resources to further assaults.
In our daily 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.
Please read:
Frontline report: Outnumbered Ukrainian elite brigade repels Russian attack through superior tactics
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