Russia is trying to take advantage of Ukraine’s moment of weakness: it is resorting to the strangest tactics

On Sunday, plumes of black smoke rose near Ocheretynya, another village occupied by the Russians.

Since the capture of the strategically important city of Avdijivka in February, better-armed and larger Russian forces have been steadily pushing westward. The attack intensified in mid-April.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced on Sunday that it had registered 125 Russian attacks along the 700 km long front line during the day.

More than half of these attacks were in the districts of Ocheretnya and Ukrainian-controlled, but actively attacked, Chasiv Yar.

This compares to a single day in March, when Ukraine reported 53 attacks, including 21 in the two districts.

“Defense Failed”

Although there were no major breakthroughs, the Russian offensive was unexpected and provoked criticism in Ukraine.

DeepState, a Telegram channel close to the Ukrainian military, blamed the command of the brigade stationed in Ocheretyne for “the collapse of the defense in this area, which led to significant losses.”

The brigade wrote on the social network Facebook that its soldiers did not flee, but were under daily fire from Russian positions 10-15 times stronger than the Ukrainians.

Ukraine has been warning for months that it is running out of ammunition due to delivery delays and indecision on the part of its allies.

Washington finally approved $61 billion last month. USD 57.3 billion in aid to Ukraine, but observers warn it will take time for that support to materialize on the battlefield.

“The enemy understands that […] in two months, the ammunition will start appearing,” said Yuri Fedorenka, commander of the 92nd brigade drone battalion “Achilles” operating on the eastern front.

“These two months of war are going to be very, very, very tense. The enemy will try to take as much as possible,” he said.

If the current pace continues, Russian forces may soon begin to threaten the strategic road T0504, now more than 10 km from the front.

Civilian workers were digging trenches and anti-tank ditches along this road north of Očreretyna.

“They started two weeks ago,” said one resident of the nearby village of Novoolenivka.

The road leads from Pokrovsk in the west to Kostiantynivka, a Ukrainian logistics hub, and on to Russian-controlled Bakhmut.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said earlier that the Russians wanted to capture Chasiv Yar by Thursday, when Russia marks the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Although it doesn’t look like Chasiv Yar will be taken anytime soon, Russian troops around the city are fully prepared to attack.

The capture of Chasiv Yar would help Russia attack Kramatorsk, the main city in the Kyiv-controlled part of the region and an important rail and logistics hub for the Ukrainians.

Off-road motorcycle attacks

“If the enemy captures Chasiv Yar, he can take control of Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk with long-range firepower,” Fedorenka said. “It would be a very good base to continue the attack.”

A brigade commander told AFP earlier this month that Russian forces were using unusual tactics, including off-road motorcycles, to attack.

These vehicles helped Russian forces break through Ukrainian positions in one attack, the military said, adding that the speed and maneuverability of the motorcycles served the Russians well.

Ukraine has so far managed to repel Russian attacks east and north of Chasiv Yar, but Russian troops have been approaching from the south in recent days.

However, to capture the city, they need to cross a dry channel 6 m deep and 30 m wide.

The aforementioned brigadier said that Russian tactics have not changed: aerial bombardment, then intense artillery fire and, finally, an attack with armored vehicles and infantry despite heavy losses.