"Russian assault east of Siversk" Topic

Brutal video from K2 battalion of 54th Bde in the Verkhn'okam'yans'ke area shows danger close artillery, point blank impacts and intense fighting. via @DefMon3, Mar 25, 2023.

"Two enemy assault groups, totaling more than 30 people, attacked one of our battalion's positions. The position is called "T-pattern". There, two forest strips converge and seem to form an imaginary letter "T".

Eight of our comrades in this position accepted an unequal battle that lasted the whole day. And then the next day. And seven more days of continuous battles of the battalion for a small piece of land."
Video posted 2 days ago. 2nd video shows counterattack by 2 tanks.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Amazingly clear footage.

Good intel !! Thanks !

There is a second movie which shows the Russian assault group that outflanks them, (the Russians in the trees). The get extremely close and assault the position with handgrenades. My guesstimate is that the Ukrainians defending the position dies. Then a Ukrainian tank and possibly APC shows up and drives the Russians away.

Yes, you need to watch the second video to see what happens in the end. Basically, the Russians lose most of a platoon to take and hold a small position for just a few minutes. My guess is the trench position was covering the track through that area and maybe denying quick access across the fields(?), but it's hard to say.

Seems to me the Russian standard is heavy losses for few gains. Regardless both sides take losses.

Fairly poor IMT by the Russian troops, and not a lot of situational awareness displayed by the Ukrainians on the ground; the drone gave the Ukrainians an edge they would not otherwise have had. The fighting position also seems to have very poor fields of fire to allow the Russians to get so close. I assume it is some LP/OP as there does not seem to be any supporting positions close by?

A side note: can anyone identify that square field work in the upper left of the video? It looks like a Roman legion marching camp. Is it a modern fieldwork, say an abandoned CP of some sort, or a agricultural work?

Google maps marks this earthwork and another to the east as water. So these may be farm dams.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

I had thought I had seen a clip of the tank bursting through the tree-line before – here it is, from the 5th of March.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

"Heavy fighting on the Siversk-Soledar line. At the center of the hostilities was a small "T-shaped" position. … After repelling several enemy attacks, our unit was forced to retreat and control over this position was lost."

Two Ukrainian T-72s and a BMP-2 counterattack, К-2 54 ОМБ, 1 April 2023. 11 minute video, drone and tank POVs.

1 T-72 goes around the farm dam to attack a support position while the lead T-72 attacks the 'T' from the flank.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Part 2 of the above video, К-2 54 ОМБ, 3 Apr 2023.

Operation 'T-shaped': how it was. Analysis of the battle., К-2 54 ОМБ, 6 Apr 2023.

The Ukrainian counter-attack above, with English subtitles, plus video of the tank driving over the trench and the Ukrainian infantry arriving, and a Russian POW dug up the next day.

Or view Part 1 and Part 2 on twitter.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Here is the Analysis video with English subtitles on twitter.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

I wouldn't think that a lone tank assaulting an infantry trench would be a good idea, but then it seems the Russians had nothing to stop it with. (They fired one anti-tank missile, which missed wildly.)

Was the Ukrainian tank using its machinegun at all?

Why on earth did the Ukrainian tanks split up? The BMP could have been useful if it had advanced.

Did the Russians completely lack any support?

They don't appear to have used the co-axial machinegun.

They said the BMP was distracted by ATGM fire (or wished to avoid?). It went the long way round.

Support for the Russians would require effective communication.

…

After the fight. PART ONE. 'Evacuation'. A group of servicemen of the K2 battalion makes the first sortie to the scene of hostilities to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades. К-2 54 ОМБ, 9 Apr 2023.
Or on twitter

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

"After the fight. PART TWO. In this video, you can see the weapons left by the enemy after they have been knocked out of position: from conventional small arms to anti-tank weapons." or on twitter

There are English subtitles, but the translation is not so good, "shops" is probably magazines (as in French).

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

"At the same time as the events on the "T-shaped position" in the neighboring part of the front, no less complex battles were taking place. "Cyclops" is one of the most remote and difficult positions of the 2nd K-2 battalion (54 SMBr). And we start a new series of videos about the battles for her."
Battle for Cyclops. Part 1. Ditch of death. 21 Apr 2023.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

So, will this be another Bakhmut ?

"Ditch. Dugout. Bunker. This is "Cyclops". the most off-lying and difficult to hold positions of the 2nd K-2 battalion. We continue our story about this battle.

Despite the destruction of the enemy reinforcements in the ditch, there were about 15 Russian invaders who had to be eliminated.

But before our group enters the trenches and engages in battle, the mortars and drone pilots of the battalion must deal a fatal blow to the enemy."
Battle for Cyclops. Part 2. Assault. 24 Apr 2023.

Or view Part 1 and Part 2 on twitter.

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

Battle for Cyclops. Part 3. Battle in the trenches or on twitter

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

The Russians are traying to do as much damage as they can to the Ukrainian Force. Before they go on the "Spring" offensive. But in trying to do so, the Russians are taking heavy losses for little gains. However, as we know, the Russia population clearly out numbers the Ukrainian's. And Putin, et al don't care how many they have to push into a meatgrinder. To hold on to the little terrain they occupy.

Battle for Cyclops. Part 4. Capture the position or on twitter

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers