The ongoing battles at Toretsk have highlighted the importance of FPV drones (First Person View) in urban combat. Ukrainian operators are using these agile drones to strike Russian soldiers at unprecedented precision even as they try to hide inside buildings.
There are many updates today from the Toretsk Oblast.
Here, the Ukrainians launched powerful counterattacks, preventing the Russians from accumulating their forces in the high rise district of the city. This set the stage for the cancellation of Russian assaults on the central part Toretsk.
The main Russian offensive to cut in half the Ukrainian defense of the town was stopped, and the Ukrainians used the opportunity to turn the central part of Kiev into a killing zone.
After securing southern part of high-rise district, Russian stormtroopers captured the northern section of residential area. The Russians would be able to control the entire town if they were able to control all the high-rises in Toretsk. This would allow the Russians to launch an offensive along Toretsk’s Central Street and effectively split the Ukrainian defense into two pockets.
The Ukrainians are aware of this plan and launch raids and counterattacks against Russian positions in high-rise buildings, to prevent their forces from assembling for an attack.
They aim to eliminate concentrations Russian fighters using the Lyut Special Purpose Assault Brigade – one of Ukraine’s elite units. These attacks are designed to overwhelm inexperienced Russian Stormtroopers who become trapped within the high-rises due to Ukrainian FPV drones. The constant raids also disrupt Russian efforts to establish firing positions, as the Lyut Brigade relentlessly attacks them.
In the first phase of Ukrainian operations, drones are used to observe and target Russian forces in the vicinity of the buildings. Two Russian soldiers are seen in combat footage from the area trying to enter a building by its windows so as to minimize their exposure to Ukrainian drones.
One of the soldiers was stuck in the window as he tried to get through. This made him an easy target for a quick Ukrainian FPV drone attack. Drone activity has become so intense that Ukrainian drone operators are able to spot and target Russian soldiers as soon as they peek through the window.
In order to avoid becoming another drone strike victim, Russian soldiers try to hide and stay inside high-rise buildings as long as they can. This prevented them from enforcing the fire control or observing their surroundings, which allowed the Ukrainian stormtroopers approach and enter the building.
The intensity of the Ukrainian raids on high-rise buildings is evident in the combat footage. Ukrainian stormtroopers move quickly on foot towards the entrances in order to avoid being detected by nearby Russian forces. Each soldier will cover specific corners or hallways where Russian troops may be stationed.
After clearing the halls and ensuring there is no Russian presence in the building, the fighters of the Lyut Assault Brigade move up to the upper floors. After cutting off the Russian troops, they proceeded to eliminate them as they were trapped in firing positions within the apartments. After a successful raid the Ukrainian stormtroopers leave the building.
Another group of Ukrainian Stormtroopers approached an armored building controlled by the Russians in a vehicle. The vehicle’s machine-gunner suppressed Russian troops to prevent them returning fire while the Ukrainian stormtroopers cautiously walked into the building.
Instead of engaging in a brutal, close-quarters fight with high casualties, they planted heavy explosives on key support walls. After leaving, they detonated explosives, causing the building to collapse and killing dozens Russian soldiers trapped within.
The Ukrainians were able to use high drone activity to trap the Russian fighters in the high-rise building of Toretsk, and then attack the isolated Russian forces within. They also destroyed their firing positions.
Continued Ukrainian drone attacks and raids may make the Russian positions within the high-rise area in central Toretsk unaffordable. The Ukrainian demolition squads would be able to destroy the Russian positions in the buildings and, by doing so, render any Russian fire control operations in the area useless.
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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