Front breakthrough in Ocheretino. Consequences for Ukraine

The breakthrough of Russian units in the village of Ocheretino, northwest of Avdeevka in the Donetsk region, continues to complicate the situation in this sector of the front.

The Russians entered the village of Ocheretino, northwest of Avdeevka in the Donetsk region, and continued to increase the pressure on this section of the front. As Nazar Voloshin, a representative of the Khortitsa troop group, said on April 24, the Russian command brought the 55th motorized brigade into battle on the Novobakhmutovka-Ocheretino reserve line. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also taking reserves – units of the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which previously held the defense in Ocheretino, returned to their positions, and the 100th Mechanized Brigade was ordered to counterattack.

Serious threat

The problem of the loss of Ocheretino for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is mainly related to the threat of the collapse of the entire defense line in the direction of Pokrovsky, the creation of which the Ukrainian command was forced to start after leaving Avdeevka.

It was assumed that in the event of a further advance of Russian troops in the western direction, they would run into new defense lines in the area of ​​the Karlovsky Reservoir and the Volchya River, which would be difficult to force.

But in the area of ​​Ocheretino there are no water barriers, moreover, the T0511 road passes through the village, leading directly to Pokrovsk. This is the city designated by the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, as the direction of the main attack of Russian troops in the spring and summer of this year. And Pokrovsk actually borders Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk regions.

The importance of Ocheretiny

The co-founder and analyst of the DeepState platform, Roman Pogorely, said that

Ocheretino, north of Avdeevka, is a very important settlement, “because there is a very important height there, which makes it possible to keep the surrounding settlements under visual and fire control, which endangers the presence of our fighters there , especially, are at risk of flank attacks on our military positions.”

“With the loss of Ocheretino and the heights in general, it will be very difficult to remain on the defensive along the Durnaya, Berdich, Semyonovka, and Umanskaya rivers. Since this is a flank, a lowland, the enemy, with the advantage of height, can cause fire damage and hunt for logistics,” stressed Pogorely.

Who is to blame for the breakthrough?

According to Pogorelov, it is necessary to find out who is to blame for allowing the breakthrough in the Ocheretinoye area. “The earlier brigades (47th) held these positions, prepared them for themselves, they lined up. They knew their places, defeated the enemy, did not let him in, and held these positions. Then the 115th brigade entered and began some incomprehensible maneuvers on the part of the enemy and the front collapsed. All networks are now flooded with posts about a group of missing or dead soldiers who were part of the 115th brigade. Now the relatives of the servicemen, who are also from the 115th Brigade, have started writing about what happened. And from this analysis it appears that this is a very difficult situation, which raises many questions,” the analyst said.

What will happen next?

While the Russians are unable to expand the breakthrough zone at Ocheretino, the narrow corridor along the railway is resilient, military observer Konstantin Mashovets said.

“The delivery of any logistical supply to the enemy’s advanced units, which are now operating in the Ocheretino area, becomes a deadly task for the enemy… Especially for the people involved in it,” he said.

However, the Russian group of troops Center still has large reserves, including tank reserves, and will certainly try to build on its unexpected success at Ocheretino. Moreover, in other directions near Avdeevka he currently has no tangible achievements.