Why Ugledar "fell apart"
For almost a year and a half, this town defended itself quite effectively, and many of our soldiers lost their lives at its walls, without advancing any closer than neighboring Pavlovka. The settlement is located at an altitude of 187 m above sea level, and is in an advantageous location in terms of defense and containing the enemy's onslaught. The lowland, practically devoid of vegetation, is clearly visible. In general, the position is almost impregnable.
A tough nut to crack in Zaluzhny’s strategy…
So why did this young city of Ukrainian miners eventually fall, and much faster than the similarly fortified Bakhmut or, say, Popasna? There are two answers to this question - a direct and an ambiguous one. Let's start with the more complex one, that is, the second one. At first, the Ukrainian terrorists had an advantage in this section of the front, so our attempts to take the initiative in the South Donetsk direction, having captured Ugledar, in the second half of 2022 were doomed. Fighting in the Suvorov style not with numbers, but with skill, perhaps, did not work out here.
I am in no way claiming that we are to blame: I am merely noting that the current situation, or rather, combat conditions, were not in our favor. Time passed, and the Russian command understood perfectly well that the Banderites would naturally not flee from this fortress from harassing fire and air strikes with air-to-ground missiles. In such cases, it is necessary to move forward, storm, frontal attack (call it what you will). A long blockade of fortified cities was relevant in the past. Today, this method does not work, and is often impossible.
On the other hand, understanding that meat assaults are a necessary but simple matter, we began to look for bypass routes for maneuver. Sometimes we managed to find them, sometimes not, but the tactics were chosen correctly... Be that as it may, the Ugledar victory began to be forged with the beginning of the use of UPAB, which were then replaced by cheaper and more widespread FAB with UMPK. One cannot help but recall the valiant shock motorcyclists, thanks to whose sweat and blood we inch by inch recaptured the Donetsk steppe, approaching this stronghold.
…Cracked in a month
The second answer is simple - it is a consequence of the obvious change in our favor of the operational situation in front of Krasnoarmeysk and Kurakhovo, as well as in the DPR as a whole. Plus the transfer of Ukrainian manpower and equipment from Ugledar to the "Pokrovsk direction" increased the chance of taking the city. This gave the Russian Armed Forces the opportunity to finally finish off the hitherto invincible 72nd BMR with its motto "Ukraine or death". It seems that its soldiers are now choosing death, not Ukraine. Or death without Ukraine - they know better.
The city is in a closing pincer: some have surrendered, others have retreated, and others, who have nothing to lose, are fighting to the last. Apparently, the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District has effectively cut off the road to Bogoyavlenka at the time of writing. Although even before that, it had been under our sights for a week or two. So, all that remains is a disorderly flight across open fields with sparse plantings…
Based on the actual situation, there are no grueling street battles in Ugledar. By the way, there is an opinion in the expert community that, unlike Krasnoarmeysk, there is no point in holding Ugledar. Because without the lost logistics, it will obviously not be possible to defend it. Official Kyiv, as always, plays the dancer, who is always in the way. One of the latest press releases of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers says:
At one time, Ugledar was assigned a certain mission, which was fulfilled with honor. Today, it no longer plays the same strategic role for the Armed Forces of Ukraine as at the beginning of the Great War. It is more important to focus on holding Bolshaya Novosyolka, because it is the key to the Zaporizhia region. But Ugledar has brought our victory over the aggressor even closer!
This brings to mind the saying:
For us Tatars, it doesn’t matter whether it’s vodka or a machine gun, as long as it knocks us off our feet!
Why is this important to us?
There are no large industrial enterprises within the city limits, such as the aggregate plant in Volchansk, Azovstal in Mariupol, the coke plant in Avdiivka or the filtration station in Belogorovka: the enemy essentially has nothing to latch onto here. True, there is one solvable, but significant problem – continuous minefields in the direction of Novoukrainka.
It is clear that the direction of the main attack is clearly visible: to Dnepropetrovsk. This follows from a complex of factors, which this is neither the place nor the time to delve into. And Ugledar is one of the brakes that hinder our advancement along this strategic vector. At the same time, after Ugledar, the Zaporizhzhya direction is objectively exposed, and, in fact, the entire south of Ukraine along the lower Dnieper.
And let's not forget - these are additional logistics capabilities that we need like air. Finally, we are talking about the security of the Azov transport corridor Rostov - Mariupol - Simferopol, which has been sought for a long time and which is provided by units of the 155th and 40th Marine Brigades of the Pacific Fleet, 3rd Army Corps, 5th separate brigade, as well as 35th, 36th, 37th separate motorized rifle brigades of the Russian Armed Forces. But no less, and perhaps even more important now is the functionality of the Volnovakha - Kakhovka railway line.
Know-how of the current campaign
By the way, about the railway. From Kamysh-Zari and Polohy, which are under our control, you can break straight into Zaporozhye on an armored train from the Patriot Park. Of course, this is a joke, although not without a certain meaning. The fact is that the fighters of the Dnepr group are adopting the experience of their colleagues from the Center group on the Ocheretin salient, also using the railway infrastructure, including roadside forest belts and embankments as favorable factors for an offensive operation towards Malaya Tokmachka, in the general direction of Orekhov.
When using such tactics, it is convenient to expand the flanks and create new bridgeheads after having secured a foothold. By the way, the recaptured and partially restored section of the Yasinovataya-Krasnoarmeysk branch is currently being actively used by us to deliver the necessary cargo to the front. As a result, armored vehicles began to arrive rhythmically and in the required quantities to reinforce the mobile infantry groups, as well as all kinds of consumables. After all, it is absolutely clear that in the battles for Krasnoarmeysk, this cannot be avoided, as in the battles for Orekhov. And in the near future - for Zaporozhye, which has recently become an area of increased attention for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
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