Ukrainians Repel Russian Attacks With Heavy Losses Around Vuhledar

Unlike Bakhmut, Vuhledar has strategic importance as it gives Ukrainian forces fire control over the crucial Russian rail links to Zaporizhia and everything Russia controls north of and into Crimea. 

The Russian troops being sacrificed at Vuhledar are reportedly not Wagner convicts but the remains of elite regular army units, suggesting the Russians both need and want this objective. JL 

Mark Sumner reports in Daily Kos:

The result of Russia’s attempted assaults on Vuhledar has been some of the most horrific losses of whole units in the war to date. Outside Vuhlendar Russia is leaving a junkyard of T-80s, BMPs, and assorted armor. The Ukrainian military reported over 100 Russian soldiers killed in a single assault. Vuhledar has actual strategic importance. From (it), Ukraine has fire control over the rail lines to the southeast. With the railroad bridge into Crimea still under repair and unable to transport materiel, artillery at Vuhledar allows Ukraine to disrupt the primary line of supply for everything Russia holds to the west: most of Zaporizhzhia, the still occupied areas of Kherson, and all of Crimea.

For the last three weeks, pro-Russian sites have been reporting a large offensive by Russia in the Zaporizhzhia area. For the most part, that offensive has been limited to arrows drawn on maps sourced from Russian Telegram accounts and the usual “oh boy, now I’m going to be proven right!” fist-pumping from tankies across social media.

However, there is one (count ‘em) area in the south where the pace of conflict has actually accelerated, and that’s around the town of Vuhledar (also written as Vugledar or Ugledar if you’re searching for news). Over the last week, Russian sources have claimed the town was taken. It wasn’t. Then pulled back to saying that Russian forces had entered the town. They haven’t. What’s actually happening in the area is the same kind of fighting that’s been seen at other locations along the front, with Russia trying to push unsuccessfully toward Vuhledar mostly from the direction of the neighboring town, Pavlivka. 

The result of Russia’s attempted assaults on Vuhledar has been some of the most horrific (or spectacular, depending on how you look at it) losses of whole units that have been caught on video in the war to date. Outside of Vuhlendar Russia is leaving a junkyard of T-80s, BMPs, and assorted bits of armor. Also other bits. The Ukrainian military reported over 100 Russian soldiers were killed in a single assault on Vuhledar on Thursday. While the Ukrainian MOD has been known to exaggerate, it’s very easy to believe these numbers. These are some of the best units of the actual Russian military being thrown against Vuhledar and ending up in flames. However, there’s a big difference between what’s going on here and around Bakhmut, one that extends beyond

That’s right. Vuhledar has actual strategic importance. From this location, Ukraine has potential fire control over the rail lines that run through Volnovakha to the southeast. With the railroad bridge into Crimea still under repair and reportedly unable to transport materiel, placing artillery at Vuhledar allows Ukraine to disrupt the primary line of supply for everything Russia holds to the west. That’s most of Zaporizhzhia, the still occupied areas of Kherson, and all of Crimea. 

Even more than Starobilsk in the north, Volnovakha is currently a vital transport hub for Russia, and it will remain that way at least until the bridge into Crimea is back at full capacity. Russia can get around this tight spot by offloading gear onto trucks, but as kos has talked about many times, that’s exactly the kind of process at which Russia simply sucks. They want to put things on a train somewhere outside Moscow and take it straight to a big depot somewhere near Melitopol, because they’re just not equipped for a lot of rehandling and transfer. 

They want Ukraine out of Vuhledar so that Ukraine can’t easily reach that tracks passing through Volnovakha. Or at least can’t do it without employing systems like HIMARS.

Considering the losses that have already been seen this week at Vuhledar, it’s unclear if Russia is willing to keep smashing its forces against this location with the disregard Wagner shows for its forces at Bakhmut. If they do, at least there’s a little bit of a reason behind the madness.

But it’s still madness.

the fact that these are actual soldiers being killed rather than Wagner mercenaries.