During the assault on Ugledar in the Donetsk region, the Russian army could lose the entire composition of the elite 155th Marine Brigade.
This was reported on February 12 by the American publication Politico, citing Alexei Dmitrashkovsky, a representative of the Tauride Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The 155th brigade had to be understaffed three times already. The first time after Irpin and Bucha. The second time they were defeated near Donetsk, they recovered again. And now almost the entire brigade has been destroyed near Ugledar,” Dmitrashkovsky said.
Marines from Primorye said they suffered heavy losses as a result of an unsuccessful offensive in the Donetsk region
According to Dmitrashkovsky, 150-300 marines per day were killed in the Ugledar area. In total, the brigade, according to the representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, included about five thousand people.
One of the marines of the 155th brigade told the Russian publication 7×7 that the military had been storming Ugledar since January 23. The brigade consisted of 80-90% of the mobilized. According to him, because of the heavy losses, “new ones were brought in all the time.”
After the next assault, the Marine claims, there are no more than eight people left from the third company of the air assault brigade. Many soldiers were taken prisoner.
Those who survived were said to be deserters. It would have been better if I had been captured and never returned. Attitude [імовірно, йдеться про ставлення російського командування до бійців
бригади, що вижили] the worst possible. Already put people 500, maybe more. The brigade commander said that only 200 of us would go home. [загиблими] or 300 [пораненими]- quotes the marine “7 × 7”.
Information about the prisoners is confirmed by data from the telegram channel “Do not wait for me from Ukraine”, which publishes information about the dead and captured Russians. As 7×7 writes, the names of 13 marines of the 155th brigade who have been captured since February 3 are known.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the defeat of the 155th brigade and the losses among the marines.
The marines are doing well right now. Fights heroically. And the Pacific Fleet, and the Northern Fleet, – said Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 9 after a meeting of the supervisory board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.
A fragment with this quote was shown on February 12 in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” on TV channel “Russia 1”.
Meanwhile, CNN writes that the defeat of the armored columns of the Russian army near Ugledar casts doubt on the possibility of the Russians advancing. But their attacks lead to a shortage of ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Military historian Tom Cooper believes that the Russians concentrated a massive force around Vuhledar, “a total of about 20,000 troops, 90 main battle tanks, perhaps twice as many IFVs, and about 100 artillery pieces.”
The publication reports that “at least two dozen Russian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles were disabled or destroyed in a matter of days.”
The setbacks around Vuhledar do not portend a broader Russian offensive. According to the ISW (Institute for the Study of War), they “probably further weakened the belief of the Russian ultra-nationalist community that Russian forces are capable of launching a decisive offensive operation.”
However, some Ukrainian units are short of ammunition due to the increased pace of Russian operations, the publication says.
Analysts say the challenge for the Ukrainians is to resupply forward units with shells and anti-tank missiles fairly quickly.
Russian forces still have a clear firepower advantage. On Saturday, they fired thermobaric missiles at Ugledar, CNN summarizes.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.