On 21 March, the Ukrainian Air Force conducted a high-precision bombing strike in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, targeting Russian forces from the 1st Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade’s 103rd Regiment sheltering in a building and its basement, according to the Ukrainian Army’s General Staff.
The General Staff shared a video of the strike on Facebook, saying:
“The enemy forces’ location was completely destroyed. As a result of the strike, enemy personnel were eliminated, including assault groups and UAV operators.”
Such air strikes are significant because mine facilities are often used as safe points for accumulating infantry forces for subsequent assault operations, Militarnyi wrote.
OSINT analysis by the WarArchive project geolocated the aviation struck to the Dzerzhynska enrichment factory building on the territory of the Central mine in Toretsk.
The “exact numbers [of Russian casualties] are still being clarified but the destruction of their shelter and personnel greatly diminishes the ability of the Russian military to operate effectively in the Toretsk axis,” the General Staff added.
Battle for Toretsk city
Fighting for Toretsk proper has been ongoing since late August 2024. Since then, the Russians have managed to capture a significant part of the city, but battles continue in the urban areas. Ukrainian forces constantly counterattack, targeting Russian troops during rotations, making the situation in the city very dynamic.
Militarnyi notes that it is known that recently Russian forces redeployed their 150th Motorized Rifle Brigade from the Kurakhove direction to reinforce this sector.
Russia forms infantry units from nuclear forces, deploys them to Toretsk
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian forces include the Ukrainian National Guard’s Azov Brigade south of the city, the Army’s 28th and 93rd Brigades operating to the north. Meanwhile, inside the city, the 100th Mechanized Brigade operates alongside National Guard units.
Related:
- ISW: Ukrainians advance in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, Russians in Donetsk
- Russia forms infantry units from nuclear forces, deploys them to Toretsk
- Frontline report: Ukrainian elite units break through southern Toretsk as Russian defenses crumble after 9-month battle
- Forbes: New Ukrainian Seth drones wipe out Russian vehicles in “lazy circles” over Toretsk
- Ukrainian forces counterattack near Pokrovsk and Toretsk
- Frontline Report: Ukrainian raids unravel months of Russian gains in Toretsk