On 18 July 2024, Russian forces began an offensive with the goal of capturing the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.[1][2][3] Pokrovsk serves as an important supply route and as a transportation hub for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.[4] Ukrainian soldiers on this part of the front are mostly made of poorly trained conscripts who reportedly had little to no training.[5] Many Ukrainian conscripts had been reported to have deserted over the course of the offensive.[6][7]
Russian forces
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Russian Ground Forces
Central Military District - Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev[8]
2nd Guards Combined Arms Army - Major General Vyacheslav Gurov[9]
15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade - Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Sergeevich Marushkin[10]
- "Black Hussars" detachment[11]
27th Guards Motor Rifle Division - Colonel Dmitri Zavyalov
30th Motor Rifle Brigade[12][13]
385th Guards Artillery Brigade[14]
41st Guards Combined Arms Army - Lieutenant General Sergey Ryzhkov
35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade - Oleg Vladimirovich Kurygin[15]
- 3rd "Atlant" Motorized Rifle Battalion[15]
55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade - Colonel Denis Barilo[13][16]
74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade[14]
90th Guards Tank Division - Colonel Ramil Rakhmatulovich Ibatullin[17]
228th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment[18]
239th Guards Tank Regiment- 438th Motorized Rifle Regiment[19]
- 30th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion[20]
- 75th Motorized Rifle Brigade[21]
119th Missile Brigade[14]
120th Artillery Brigade[14]
Southern Military District - Colonel General Gennady Anashkin
8th Guards Combined Arms Army[22]
51st Guards Combined Arms Army - Lieutenant General Sergei Milchakov
1st Slavyansk Brigade
Vostok Brigade - Alexander Khodakovsky[24]
Pyatnashka Brigade - Akhra Avidzba[a]
Oplot Brigade[26]
9th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade[24]
110th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade[19][14]
132nd Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade[14]
Somalia Battalion - Timur Kurilkin[27]
87th Rifle Regiment[28]
- Unknown military district
GRU
Spetsnaz GRU
3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade - Guards Col. Albert Ibragimovich Omarov[37]
24th Separate Guards Special Forces Brigade[38]
Russian Air Force[39]
Russian Navy
Russian Naval Infantry - Lt. Gen. Viktor Astapov
810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade - Colonel Aleksey Borisovich Berngard[b]
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- BARS-14 "Sarmat"[40]
Ukrainian forces
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Ukrainian Ground Forces
43rd Artillery Brigade - Oleh Shevchuk[41][42]
9th Army Corps - Maj. Gen. Eduard Moskalyov
47th Mechanised Brigade - Col. Yan Yatsishen[43]
10th Army Corps
33rd Mechanized Brigade - Col. Ivan Voitenko[44]
100th Mechanized Brigade - Col. Ruslan Tkachuk[45]
115th Mechanized Brigade - Ihor Ivanov [c]
Operational Command North - Brigadier General Dmytro Krasylnykov
Operational Command South - Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov
57th Motorized Brigade - Denys Yaroslavsky[45]
59th Motorized Brigade - Vadym Sukharevsky[51][52]
Operational Command East - Oleh Mikats
53rd Mechanized Brigade[55]
54th Mechanized Brigade - Oleksiy Maistrenko[45]
55th Artillery Brigade - Roman Kachur[56][57]
93rd Mechanized Brigade - Col. Pavlo Palisa[58][59]
151st Mechanized Brigade - V. Samoilenko
Operational Command West - Brigadier General Volodymyr Shvediuk
68th Jaeger Brigade - Oleksiy Shum[60]
Ukrainian Marine Corps
35th Marine Brigade - Yuriy Andriyenko[61]
Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
25th Airborne Brigade - Col. Yevhen Kurash[62][63]
46th Airmobile Brigade - Col. Valeriy Skred[64][65]
79th Air Assault Brigade - Col. Oleksandr Lutsenko[66]
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_patch.svg){kind=small}
National Police of Ukraine[67]
National Guard of Ukraine
Offensive Guard
Azov Brigade - Denys Prokopenko[68]
14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade[69]
Kara-Dag Brigade - Colonel Ivan Bondarenko[70]
Shkval Battalion - "Oleksandr"[71][72]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Zakharchenko, Kateryna (August 13, 2024). "All Eyes on Kursk, But Donetsk in Trouble – Special Forces Source Says". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Murray, Warren (July 15, 2024). "Ukraine war briefing: 'Hottest situation' around Pokrovsk, says Ukrainian military". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (August 15, 2024). "Russia says its forces advance towards key city in eastern Ukraine". Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Russian forces press forward to strategic Ukrainian city that serves as important supply route". NBC News. July 29, 2024. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/02/ukraine-training-soldiers-mobilization-war/
- ^ "Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say". AP News. August 22, 2024.
- ^ Gak, Ivana Kottasová, Kostya (September 8, 2024). "Outgunned and outnumbered, Ukraine's military is struggling with low morale and desertion". CNN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2024-08-18. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ "Russians plan offensive in Pokrovsk and Kurakhove directions". global.espreso.tv. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
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- ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 31.07.2024 № 645 ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов". Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ a b "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b c d e f "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War.
- ^ a b "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ Reporter, Brendan Cole Senior News (September 24, 2024). "Russian salients threaten Ukrainian forces with encirclement near Pokrovsk". Newsweek.
- ^ Axe, David. "Fighting To Save Pokrovsk And Hundreds Of Vulnerable Ukrainian Troops, A Ukrainian Tank Blasted a Russian Vehicle From A Few Feet Away". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ a b "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, AUGUST 16, 2024". ISW Press. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 05.08.2024 № 663 ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов". August 5, 2024. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 05.08.2024 № 664 ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов". August 5, 2024. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b "Russia's offensive on Pokrovsk: is it possible to stop the invaders in this area?". ТСН.ua. August 12, 2024. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ Axe, David. "A Day After Getting Surrounded Near Prohres, Two Ukrainian Battalions Overruled Their Commander—And Fought Their Way To Safety". Forbes.
- ^ "Russians form a mechanized battalion from the crew of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War.
- ^ Віталій, Скринський (August 16, 2024). "One-third of all enemy attacks target Pokrovsk area - Ukraine's General Staff update". Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ "Undistracted by Kursk offensive, Russia cuts deeper toward Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast". The Kyiv Independent. 2024-09-02. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ "Deadly shelling in Ukraine's Pokrovsk as Russia gains ground". France 24. September 15, 2024.
- ^ "Russia, adapting tactics, advances in Donetsk and takes more Ukrainian land - the Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ "Ukraine war: Troops fear encirclement in Pokrovsk as Russians near". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b c "Ukraine Is Proving that it Really Knows How to Restore Justice – Address by the President". szru.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ "Kursk direction: Krupets was liberated, 340 militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 19 armored vehicles were destroyed". EADaily. August 15, 2024. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine claims control of 82 settlements in Kursk region, including town of Sudzha". August 15, 2024. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via Le Monde.
- ^ "Risk of encirclement near Prohres: Ukrainian forces say Russians are under their fire". Ukrainska Pravda. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ Pennel, Félix (July 24, 2024). "Guerre en Ukraine : « situation critique » près de Pokrovsk, la Russie encercle la 31e brigade ukrainienne". La Voix du Nord. Archived from the original on 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ Axe, David. "Hundreds Of Ukrainian Troops Are About To Get Surrounded South Of Pokrovsk". Forbes.
- ^ "Russia's bloody summer offensive is hurting Ukraine". The Economist. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-reports-heavy-fighting-eastern-front-after-russia-incursion-2024-08-15/
- ^ "✙DeepState✙🇺🇦". Telegram. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ Ukraine, Reporting from (2024-09-05). "Frontline report: Russians make significant advances toward Pokrovsk amid heavy fighting". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ Axe, David. "Reinforced By The National Guard, the Ukrainian Army Is Counterattacking—And Just Liberated Part Of A Town Called New York". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
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- ^ Axe, David. "Hundreds Of Ukrainian Troops Are About To Get Surrounded South Of Pokrovsk". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ ""She fought to the end" — Marine Oksana, who fought in Krynky". Archived from the original on 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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- ^ "Ukrainian paratroopers stop major Russian mechanized assault in the Kurakhove sector". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ Axe, David. "98 Russian Vehicles Barreled Toward Kurakhove in Back-To-Back Record Assaults. Fire-Spewing Ukrainian Thermite Drones Were Waiting". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Ukraine - Geoconfirmed". Archived from the original on 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ Méheut, Constant (August 16, 2024). "Russia Closes In on Key Eastern Ukrainian City Despite Kursk Incursion". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Axe, David. "Ukrainian Reinforcements Are Counterattacking Outside Pokrovsk". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Soldiers of the 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade defeated Russian positions in the Pokrovsk sector". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
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- ^ "Ukraine's Armed Forces show how former prisoners cleared Russian position in Donetsk Oblast – video". Ukrainska Pravda.
- ^ "Bradley-Supported "Shkval" Unit Prevents Russian Foothold in Novoselivka Persha".