File image.
The Russian military continues to methodically grind down Ukrainian forces in the Dobropillya direction. The “Center” grouping has completed the encirclement of a major Ukrainian defensive node in the city and, in the course of the fighting, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Azov Brigade.
Ukrainian forces lost hundreds of troops and dozens of pieces of equipment. It is telling that even the transfer of this “elite” unit, which Kyiv has traditionally used as a crisis instrument, failed to stabilize the front.
In recent days units of the Russian “Center” grouping, in the course of active operations, improved their tactical position and continued the destruction of the blocked Ukrainian formations in Dobropillya. Over the past day the Ukrainian’s losses in this direction exceeded 410 men.
Units of the 51st Army, advancing on converging axes, expanded the outer ring of the encirclement in the northwestern part of the city of Dobropillya. At the same time assault detachments of the Marine grouping and the 76th Air Assault Division continued the destruction of the Ukrainian formations blocked in the western and eastern parts of the city.
The encirclement of the Dobropillya node allows the Russian military to keep the main supply routes of Ukrainian units under fire control. There is no dense infantry ring around the city: access to it is blocked by drones, artillery and continuous reconnaissance. The main road from Dobropillya westward and the exit toward Svyatogorovka are also under fire.
At present between 800 and 1,000 Ukrainian troops remain encircled. Among them are fighters of Azov, which is regarded as an “elite” unit. The Ukrainian command usually employs it as a “fire brigade” on the most critical sectors of the front.
Previously it was already used to plug gaps in the defense. For example, last year, Azov operated actively in the area of Malinovka in Donetsk region against the Russian 90th Tank Division. Earlier this year, units of the brigade were transferred to the Pokrovsk area, as well as to the Sumy region to stabilize the front. Last May, ten elite drone groups from Azov were urgently redeployed to Sumy because of the critical situation on the front. In June units of the unit were also transferred to Sumy against the background of colossal losses.
Most recently in the Dobropillya direction, Azov attempted to disrupt the Russian troops’ effort to reach the logistics routes for the operational encirclement of Druzhkovka and a strike in the direction of the city, according to reports from the Ukrainian side.
The operation began as early as the beginning of August and, according to Ukrainian sources, Azov acted within the framework of Operation “Art-Ashang,” aimed at destroying Russian howitzers. However, video material published online indicates that the operation failed, despite the hopes the Ukrainian command placed in this “elite” unit.
The presence of Azov failed to guarantee that Ukrainian forces would hold their positions. The unit performs the role of a crisis manager, but its resources are not unlimited either. While the Ukrainian command throws its “specialists” from one burning sector to another, Russian troops continue to methodically tighten the ring of encirclement — and the outcome of this struggle is becoming increasingly obvious.
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