Ukraine War: The battle for Donbass cost Russia countless lives

Summary and key points: The Donbass region in eastern Ukraine remains a key battlefield and has strategic importance for both Ukraine and Russia. The Battle of Bakhmut, with over 100,000 Russian casualties, is an example of the fierce fighting. Ukraine’s heavy industry and raw materials are located in the Donbass, while Russia is looking for a land bridge to Crimea.

– Current fighting continues, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. British military intelligence reports heavy fighting in Vovchansk, Chasiv Yar and Krasnohorivka, with small Ukrainian counterattacks destabilising the Russian advance.

– The Avdiivka-Pokrovsk sector remains a flashpoint, and Russia is suffering heavy losses in its arduous advance.

Battle of Bakhmut: Over 100,000 Russian casualties in Donbass

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine has been an important battlefield.

The Battle of Bakhmut took place in this area, the largest battle of the war up to that point, in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives on the Russian side alone.

The area is of strategic importance for both countries. On the one hand, large parts of Ukraine’s heavy industry and raw materials are located in the region. On the other hand, control of the Donbass provides Russia with the much-needed land bridge to the occupied Crimean peninsula and connects it with Russia.

A tour of the battlefield

But there are also ongoing fighting in the east.

“In Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, fighting is reportedly concentrated at the aggregates plant, where Ukrainian forces are attempting to drive Russian forces away from this base in the southeast of the city,” the British military intelligence report said. rated in his latest assessment of the war. No one controls the city and it remains contested.

In Donbass, the situation around Chasiv Yar remains relatively unchanged. In recent days, Russian forces have made no progress.

“Fighting was reportedly heaviest in Ivanivske and Klishchiivka, south of the city. Ukrainian forces reportedly launched a counterattack in Klishchiivka and achieved tactical successes,” British military intelligence added.

Ukrainian forces are conducting small counterattacks to destabilize Russian offensive efforts in the region.

“Towards Kurakhov, west of the city of Donetsk, Russian forces have advanced further into the town of Krasnohorivka and now probably control most of the town, while Ukrainian forces are only present in the far north of the settlement,” British military intelligence said.

Fighting in Donbass has been going on since 2014, when pro-Russian insurgents began an insurgency with direct and indirect support from the Russian military. The area is rich in natural resources and much of Ukraine’s heavy industry is located here, so the strategic stakes for the Ukrainian armed forces to hold Donbass (and liberate what has been lost) are very high.

“The Adviivka-Pokrovsk sector remains likely to be Russia’s main deployment and continues to show the highest Russian operational tempo. Russian forces have made minor advances on a relatively broad front towards the villages of Niu-York, Pivnichne and Pivdenne,” British military intelligence estimated.

The Russian military has proven incapable of waging large-scale maneuver warfare, so it resorts to small-scale tactical actions that incur high casualties. Although this laborious approach is partially successful, it comes at a very high price. In fact, the Russian armed forces lose over 1,000 men a day through death, injury, or capture, as well as dozens of tactical vehicles and heavy weapons systems. In May alone, the Kremlin lost nearly 40,000 men in the fighting.

“Over the next week, the Avdiivka-Pokrovsk sector is likely to remain an area of ​​operational focus for Russian forces as they seek to maintain pressure on defending Ukrainian forces and make opportunistic territorial gains,” British military intelligence concluded.

About the author

Stavros Atlamazoglou is an experienced defense journalist specializing in Special Operations and a veteran of the Greek Army (military service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, SandboxxAnd SOFREP.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

From the safe

Russia has freaked out: Why the US Navy took the Iowa-class battleships out of service

Battleship vs Battlecruiser: Iowa-class vs Russian Kirov-class (Who Wins?)