Russia's failed assault in Kurakhove sector, its further actions in Vuhledar. Serhiy Zgurets' column

Vuhledar withdrawal

Ukrainian troops withdrew to new defense lines. There are a number of expert and military opinions that the Ukrainian Armed Forces command was late in issuing the order to withdraw from the city. However, we should not jump to conclusions. The Russians had a significant advantage in manpower and artillery. The military who held this section of the front compared the situation to 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022 and 2023, when the Russian forces were advancing, they had a significant amount of artillery, and they could destroy the Russians without sparing ammunition. In 2024, the situation deteriorated, and when flanking attacks took place, the Russian manpower advantage increased.

Some commanders also said that the number of soldiers in the brigade had decreased significantly due to casualties. In one of the battalions, only 30 out of 350 soldiers remained, which significantly affected the brigade's capabilities. This was probably one of the factors that forced the AFU to withdraw. On October 2, the Khortytsia Operational and strategic grouping of troops stated that given the Russian flanking actions, its superiority and actions that exhausted the defense of Ukrainian units, there was a threat of encirclement of the city, so it was decided to withdraw.

According to reports, the occupiers are talking about possible further offensive actions in the direction of Kurakhove. But there is likely to be some regrouping of the Russian forces, an accumulation of forces. Perhaps the Russians will move west, in particular from Prechystivka to Velyka Novosilka. This is also a significant settlement, an important element of Ukrainian defense. But all of these are assumptions, and we will see how the dynamics develop further.

Now we need to pay tribute to the courage of the soldiers of the 72nd Brigade, who have been defending the town for a long time and have withdrawn from this area to new frontiers where they will continue to hold the line. In addition to this area, the Kurakhove direction is no less difficult. Today, the General Staff has identified this area as one of the hottest, given the number of Russian attacks. 

Kurakhove direction

Nazar Voitenkov, acting press officer of the 33rd Brigade operating in the Kurakhove direction, told what happened in the brigade's area of responsibility this week.

“This week we were able to destroy at least a hundred occupants in our area. There was a massive five-hour attack on our brigade's position. Even according to some of my comrades, namely the commanders of mechanized battalions, sometimes you lose the line between where the assault begins and where it ends. Usually, the Russians send two, three, four armored vehicles to Ukrainian positions with troops, which we successfully destroy. The equipment either retreats timidly, or burns in the field, or gets stuck in craters caused by incoming shells. Sometimes we hit them with our artillery shells and successfully loosen their tracks, which also stops them and then finishes them off with our airdrops,” he said.

Also, recently, during another assault in the Kurakhove direction, the Russians surrendered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“The Russian troops are trying to hide in the landings that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already shot at. There was an assault this week, the Russians, after a long threshing with our shelling, could not withstand the pressure and decided to surrender. Seven occupants came out of the landing. We started to take them out with a drone, but the Russians could not forgive us for such a local victory and decided to cover them with artillery,” said Voitenkov.

The soldier also told how, according to the prisoner, the Russian army recruits foreigners.

“One of the prisoners, who is an Egyptian citizen and studied in Russia, said that Big Brother came to him with contracts and told him that he was going to the "special military operation". When he came to us, he admitted that the Russians had started to cover them, and they could not forgive us for such captivity, because we receive a lot of information from prisoners, including their concentration in the rear and where they are coming from. Then we pass this information on to the authorized representatives who destroy such places of accumulation,” he said.

Destruction of the invaders on battlefield

Ukrainian artillerymen are destroying the Russians on the outskirts. Their task is to stop the Russians at least with their equipment. As a result of successful hits from Ukrainian artillery, the occupiers reach their positions wounded or even dead.

"If a vehicle was carrying 12 occupiers, only seven made it. Five reach the positions, and these five are finished off either in firefights or with grenade drops. The Russians use a lot of armor on their vehicles, so sometimes even a direct hit doesn't completely destroy the Russian armor, but at least it stops it or scares the enemy. I've often seen on live broadcasts how the Russians are stunned by the heavy fire, lost on the battlefield, and one tank with a mine roller might be driving back and forth, left and right, just trying to find its own, but it doesn't stop because it knows that an FPV drone or a grenade drop will arrive any moment. We need a lot of these because a direct and first hit doesn't always fully destroy the vehicle. Artillery is working, and we are especially using remote mining. As one of my comrades said, it's a “game changer,” because they clear stationary minefields with rollers, paving routes for their advance. But when you hit them with remote shells, they don't know about them, and they explode beautifully, catching fire. We also drop anti-tank mines at night, trying to block their advance routes ahead of time, where they also blow up, and that's how we stop Russian landings," Voitenkov explained.

Anti-tank operators use both foreign and Ukrainian weaponry. Voytenkov discussed the effectiveness of Ukrainian developments produced by the Luch Design Bureau.

Stugna is a weapon. You press the button once, guide with the joystick, and that's it - the Russian equipment is gone. I don’t want to devalue the Milan, which we also use, but it’s worth noting that the Stugna has a larger caliber, making it more effective. But the Milan operators also perform at 100%. Yes, they use a few more rockets, but they still manage to stop the equipment. It's important to point out that Stugna is a modern development, whereas Milan belongs to the previous century," he added.

Ground-based robotic platforms usage

According to the acting press officer of the 33rd Brigade, the brigade uses ground drones, but more are needed.

"We have a wheeled drone that we usually use to mine areas of the front where the Russians are approaching closer, and we've seen how effective this can be. But we need more of them, and it would be great to use tracked ones, which could help with tasks like evacuation from the battlefield, as well as mining. Ground drones with turrets are something to dream about. With them, we could move closer to Russian positions, for example, at night, and just shoot at them with heavy machine guns, sweeping through the woods and scaring the occupiers once again. I'll also mention their fears. We have the capability to listen in on what they're saying, and in one interception, we heard that Baba Yaga is something they truly fear. I'll even quote one of the occupiers: “You still have to move because if Baba Yaga hits, you're all screwed.” It's a terrifying force - it flies, bombs, and destroys the occupiers," Voitenkov shared.

Replenishment of personnel

The 33rd Brigade usually recruits most of its recruits from training centers. These are mobilized people who have not found a job in the army.

“We train them here. In addition to the basic training, they also undergo about a week-long intensive training within our team with professionally trained instructors. We have a recruitment system. For example, people who want to join the army write to the brigade's page. Recently, I received a message from a woman who has two children, she is on maternity leave and asks if she can sign a contract with you. In fact, we provide such people with a letter of recommendation, they choose a position and begin their enlistment. They undergo basic training, if the position requires it, they undergo professional training, and then we take them away and they take up combat or rear positions,” Voitenkov said.