A major Russian assault operation in eastern Ukraine has ended in disaster, Forbes reports. The attack, which targeted areas west of Russian-occupied Andriivka and north of Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, was thwarted when two Russian platoons were caught in a well-prepared Ukrainian ambush.
“Presumably, the invaders did not have enough vehicles with minesweepers and could not move through the mined fields, so they moved as a group along one asphalt road,” reports Militarnyi.
The assault group, consisting of approximately two platoons with a full complement of armored vehicles, appears to have lacked critical mine-clearing equipment such as rollers, plows, and explosive line charges. This deficiency proved fatal as the Russians attempted to navigate around suspected minefields by following a predictable route along an asphalt road.
“Ukraine has surpassed Afghanistan and Syria to become the most heavily mined country on Earth,” Richard Garcia and Colin Colley wrote in their November article for a US Army Training and Doctrine Command newsletter.
The Russian formation became an easy target for Ukrainian forces, who deployed drones and cluster munitions against the column. After the lead vehicle was disabled, blocking the road, Ukrainian drones observed Russian infantry abandoning their trapped vehicles.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine crushed the occupiers who attempted an assault near Andriivka in Donetsk region.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) April 3, 2025
Losses: 12 units, seven of which were completely destroyed; 18 Putin's army terrorists were eliminated, and another seven were wounded. pic.twitter.com/oZz8C9yqdl
Russian losses mount as Ukrainian defenses hold strong
According to the Ukrainian general staff in Kyiv, at least one platoon was destroyed entirely. The initial casualty assessment documented seven destroyed Russian vehicles, five damaged ones, 18 Russian soldiers killed, and seven wounded.
The Ukrainian general staff reported, “The tally of the enemy’s losses continues!” This suggests that the final count may rise.
This failed assault highlights the ongoing challenges Russian forces face in Ukraine.
“It’s increasingly rare for Russian regiments to muster a full assault group with at least a dozen armored vehicles and scores of infantry,” Forbes war correspondent David Axe notes as the war enters its 38th month with deepening losses on both sides.
Military analysts Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds, in a study for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, explain that “Ukrainian forces… seek to anticipate the routes to be used for attacks each day and lay anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and prepare fires to engage Russian troops before they engage [Ukrainian] positions.”
The defeat of this assault group may impact Russia’s efforts to disrupt recent Ukrainian counterattacks around Toretsk, where Ukrainian forces have reportedly been making advances.
Read more:
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