Today, there are a lot of important updates from the Bakhmut direction in Donetsk Oblast.

Here, with fresh reinforcements and newly supplied French armored vehicles, Ukrainian forces pushed the Russians back in the town of Chasiv Yar. As Russian positions were weakened under relentless drone strikes and artillery fire, Ukrainians were able to create fire superiority over the Russians, pushing them back. The goal of the Ukrainian forces in this area is to maintain control of Chasiv Yar for as long as possible. Chasiv Yar is located on a strategic elevation that overlooks the major Ukrainian stronghold town of Kostyantynivka. This makes Chasiv Yar the most essential part of the Ukrainian defense, as holding the line here would deny Russians a launching point and fire control for their assaults on Kostyantynivka.

To accomplish this, the Ukrainians are draining Russian resources as effectively as possible, creating weak spots in the Russian lines and even setting the conditions for localized counter pushes. Ukrainian forces in Chasiv Yar are supported by several asphalt roads linking them to Kostyantynivka. In contrast, Russian forces lack direct fire control over these roads, ensuring stable and strong logistical support for Ukrainian defensive positions. Additionally, the clear weather allows Ukrainians to launch drone swarms to strike Russian forces in their rear and coordinate artillery strikes to do so as well.

Ukrainians outfox Russian anti-drone defenses

However, Russians have devised a low-tech solution to this glaring problem, placing anti-drone nets around the road from Bakhmut to Chasiv Yar. These nets are supposed to protect Russian logistics against Ukrainian FPV kamikaze drone strikes as they travel along the main road and into the town, as Russians were trying to move overwhelming numbers into the town to continue their frontal assaults.

Unfortunately for Russians, the Ukrainians fighting in Chasiv Yar decided to make their own weaknesses. As Ukrainian artillery crews would shell certain parts of the road, ripping holes in the netting, this allowed Ukrainian drone operators to move through these gaps and enter the so-called protective tunnel, striking Russian vehicles and soldiers who were driving along the road with a now false sense of security.

Geolocated combat footage from the area reveals how the Ukrainian drone operators successfully targeted and eliminated groups of Russian infantrymen moving to the front. Additionally, armored vehicles essential for Russian fire support on the platoon level, including BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, were knocked out by the kamikaze drones as well. Even Russian artillery guns like the Nona-S were swiftly detected and destroyed by Ukrainian drone operators.

French VEB armor boosts Ukraine’s mobility

The result was significant losses in artillery, infantry, and armor essential for Russians to maintain the pressure in Chasiv Yar. Adding to their difficulties, the recent delivery of French VEB armored personnel carriers to the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade significantly boosted Ukrainian capabilities. The VEBs offer superior road mobility, being twice as fast as standard Ukrainian BMPs and BTRs while maintaining the same level of armored protection. Additionally, each VEB can carry 10 fully equipped soldiers compared to just seven in most other Ukrainian armored vehicles. This enables rapid transfers of soldiers and equipment from Kostyantynivka to Chasiv Yar whenever and wherever they are needed most.

The new batch of VEB armored personnel carriers allowed Ukrainians to double their troop flow in Chasiv Yar. On the other hand, Russian forces struggle to counter due to constant Ukrainian rear strikes and gaps in their drone defense. This led to Ukrainians establishing fire superiority in the northern part of the town. Russian sources reported being pushed back several streets at a time and urgently needing new reinforcements.

While Russians focused on strengthening their logistics, Ukrainians created and exploited their vulnerabilities in Russian defenses. The delivery of French armored troop carriers further enhanced Ukrainian capabilities, enabling them to transfer more men and material into the town, enforce localized fire superiority, and launch counterattacks, pushing Russian forces back several streets—territory that had initially taken Russians over two months to capture.

The expanded Ukrainian foothold in the northern part of Chasiv Yar now allows them to apply further pressure on Russian soldiers here, preventing them from solidifying control and breaking out of the town.

In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.