The Siverskyi Donets Battle
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Battle of the Donets (other uses) (disambiguation).
The conflict along the Donets in May 2022 is the subject of this essay. See Battle of Izium for interactions along the river in April 2022. (2022). See the Battle of Lysychansk for battles in July 2022.
The Siverskyi Donets Battle
Part of the conflict of Donbas (2022) and the 2022 2022: Invasion of Ukraine by Russia Ukrainian invasion by Russia River Siverskdonets.png
On May 13, the Donets were highlighted in purple on the front line.
Dated May 5–13, 2022 (8 days)
Location
In Dronivka, Serebryanka, and Bilohorivka on the Donets River
Combatants Ukraine Ukrainian Ground Forces and Russian Units:
daily 17th tank brigade insignia.
svg 17th Tank Brigade 30 ОМБp.svg 30th Mechanized Brigade \s80 ОДШБр к.svg 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade[1]
Russian Ground Forces:
Combined Arms Army 41st
Brigade 74th Motorized Rifle
Strength Unknown According to the NYT: 550 soldiers
[2]
Two battalion tactical groupings, according to Ukraine (1,600 men)
[3]
[4]
Unknown according to the NYT and ISW:[2]
[5]
480 fatalities
Ukrainian claim: 1,000–1,500 dead in 80 vehicles[1]
[6]
VTE 2022: 100 vehicles wrecked Ukrainian invasion by Russia
The Lyman-Sievierodonetsk front of the Battle of Donbass saw a number of combat encounters in May 2022, most notably from May 5 to May 13. These encounters are collectively known as the Battle of the Siverskyi Donets. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was a component of a larger attack in eastern Ukraine.
The 30th Mechanized Brigade and the 17th Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces defeated Russian forces from the 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the 41st Combined Arms Army[2] as they made several attempts to cross the Donets river close to the villages of Dronivka, Bilohorivka, and Serebryanka.
Earlier attempts by Russian soldiers to cross the river had been successfully repelled by Ukrainian forces.
[7] However, the 10 May battle that saw the Russian army lose an entire battalion tactical group was referred to as "the deadliest combat of the conflict" to that point. [2]
Contents
1 Setting, 2 Conflict, and 3 Casualties and Losses
4 Comments and Analysis
5 Aftermath
View also
7 References
Background
casecasecasecasecasecasecase procedcasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecase Being the longest river in the area, controlling the Donets also meant having control over the water supply to important cities like Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Kharkiv, and others, as well as the freedom to move military equipment north and south along the river's course. [8]
Russian forces moved forward from the line of contact in 2014 towards the city of Lyman during the Battle of Donbas as part of a larger effort to encircle a salient with more than 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
[9] The Donets river was the main natural obstacle standing in front of the Russian invasion. Russian attempts to cross the river at other sites, some of which were successful, involved the placement of pontoon bridges to aid the passage of troops and equipment across the river. [10]
Battle
The Russian army attempted to cross the river at Dronivka during the early hours of May 5 after being bombarded by artillery, but they were halted by Ukrainian soldiers and tanks. Two Ukrainian tanks of the 30th Mechanized Brigade engaged at least four Russian BMPs, two boats and two infantry squads at a distance of 1,200 metres (3,900 feet),[11] slowing the advance.
Russian bridge and vehicles destroyed close to Bilohorivka
At Bilohorivka, Russian forces began building a pontoon bridge over the Donets on May 8. As part of their larger assault westward towards Lyman, thousands of soldiers, tanks, and other military vehicles prepared to cross to the west bank of the river. [12]
In order to monitor Russian advancement in the region, the Ukrainian 17th Tank Brigade dispatched a reconnaissance detachment to the west side of the river on the same day. There was poor sight because Russian troops had lobbed smoke grenades in the vicinity. Drones were used by the Ukrainian forces to counter this, and they were successful in locating the pontoon bridge early in the morning. The Ukrainian Air Force and artillery detachments stationed throughout the region received this information, and they bombarded the bridge with both artillery and aerial fire. [13] By May 10, it had been determined that the bridge had been destroyed. [14] At this crossing, Ukrainian forces reported 70 vehicles altogether, including 30 destroyed and 40 disabled by artillery fire. Four different bridges were destroyed by Ukrainian forces at the Bilohorivka location alone. [15]
Around 12 May, the last bridge between Bilohorivka and Serebryanka was built, and it was also destroyed [16]. On May 13, the last Russian troops began to withdraw to their side of the river.
[Reference needed]
losses and casualties
Out of the about 550 Russian soldiers that participated in the attempted crossing near Bilohorivka, 485 were killed or wounded, and more than 80 pieces of Russian equipment were destroyed, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
[2] While Newsweek claimed Ukrainian reports of up to 1,500 soldiers dead during the battle, The Times estimated that over 1,000 soldiers died during the battle at the Donets. [1] [17] [18]
A total of four bridges were built, along with three bridgeheads, one each at Dronivka, Bilohorivka, and Serebryanka.
[19] The Ukrainian army completely destroyed all bridges and bridgeheads during the eight-day struggle (5 May to 13 May). Two Russian BTGs were reportedly destroyed and routed in total. [3]
The conflict saw Ukrainians destroy Russian tanks, armored vehicles, bridging equipment, helicopters, and speed boats, according to Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk Oblast.
[2] According to Haidai, Ukrainian forces killed two BTGs, or about 1,000 Russian soldiers. [6]
At least six tanks, fourteen infantry BMP armored vehicles, seven amphibious MT-LB vehicles, five additional armored vehicles, and a tugboat were listed as Russian losses by another source. According to calculations using drone imagery, Russia lost 73 vehicles and pieces of equipment. [20]
Colonel Denis Kozlov, commander of the 12th Engineer Brigade, was assassinated on May 11, 2022. He was the 42nd Russian colonel lost during the open invasion phase of the war, and the second commander of this brigade to die in battle in less than two months.
[21]
Comments and analysis
The river crossing was brutal and expensive, and the conflict received a lot of media coverage. Surprisingly, well-known pro-Russian milbloggers criticized the Russian Armed Forces after the conflict. Yuri Podolyaka, one of these bloggers, stated online: "The last straw that overwhelmed my patience was the events around Bilohorivka, where at least one battalion tactical group was torched, possibly two, due to idiocy — I emphasize, due to the incompetence of the Russian command." In addition, Podolyaka claimed that the Russian Army lacked the tools it needed to combat and chastised Russian military authorities for making the same mistakes repeatedly throughout the invasion. Another notable blogger named Starshe Eddy described the conduct of the officers "not foolishness, but direct sabotage". By writing: "Until we have the last name of the military genius who lay down a B.T.G. by the river and he answers for it publicly, we won't have had any military reforms," a third blogger by the name of Vladlen Tatarski was likewise extremely critical of the Russian commanders and their methods. [2] [22] These direct criticisms from pro-Russian bloggers, according to the ISW, may be significant in that they could erode Russians' confidence in their military commanders and the war. [5]
The lack of tactical awareness displayed in the attempted river crossing allegedly astounded military analysts. According to these assessments, the Russian leadership may have hurried the operation in an effort to make any kind of military progress at all. They also stated the clash revealed the disorganization within the Russian ranks. [2]
Aftermath
The Russian assault in Luhansk Oblast and their march into northern Donetsk Oblast were slowed down by the battle's casualties.
The Donets River was not crossed by Russian forces until the 28–30th of June, after Sievierodonetsk fell and during the encirclement of Lysychansk. Chechen Kadyrovites and LPR rebel soldiers then crossed the river and took the town of Pryvillia. According to a UK defense ministry intelligence report, Lysychansk's encirclement from the south (the Popasna direction) eliminated the necessity for the Russians in the area to cross a significant river.
Later, during the Battle of Lysychansk, Russia took Bilohorivka, but on July 17, Ukraine launched an assault to retake it. Russia disputed the offensive, and it was assumed that it would not succeed. [23] [24][25] However, on September 19, Ukraine retook Bilohorivka.