Ukrainian forces scramble to defend Toretsk after risky brigade swap
The 24th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for defending Toretsk, was suddenly transferred to Chasiv Yar in May. Shortly after that, the Russians started their offensive. Soldiers warned the command that this decision would lead to disaster, but no one listened. Capturing the city would open the way for the Russians to the logistical fortress.
Ukrainian troops are engaged in a fierce battle for the city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, which Russia is trying to destroy.
The road to the logistical fortress
As "The New York Times" reports, despite Russia's successes on the front, military analysts and American officials state that "a major breakthrough remains unlikely." However, if Russian forces manage to capture the old defensive bastions in the Toretsk area, they can approach Kostyantynivka - the logistical fortress of Ukrainian troops in the east.
Furthermore, if Russia advances a few kilometres more, it will expose cities in the Donetsk region to even more terrifying bombings. Hundreds of thousands of civilians will be forced to flee, complicating the logistics of Ukrainian defence in the east. This makes the defence of Toretsk and Chasiv Yar extremely important, the daily notes.
A wrong decision by the general staff
According to the military, the Toretsk agglomeration suffered greatly in the first weeks of the war, but its defence never waned.
"The trenches were deep, the dugouts were well organized, the control posts were good and everything was working. We understood the enemy and understood their movements and how to react," says Petro Liakhovych, senior sergeant of the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Mechanized Brigade, which directs the defence in this direction.
However, in May, the 24th Brigade was informed that it was being transferred to Chasiv Yar to halt the Russian offensive in that direction. They would be replaced by the 41st Mechanized Brigade.
"Soldiers from the 24th said they were already seeing signs of an imminent attack on Toretsk and warned senior commanders against the rotation at such a critical time," writes NYT.
Such unit rotation can be extremely dangerous as new units need time to acclimate to the new terrain.
"It was a big mistake that we were taken from there"
The rotation lasted several weeks, and in early June, the 41st Brigade was transferred from Chasiv Yar and assumed command in the Toretsk area. And two days after the rotation ended - according to soldiers - the Russians attacked.
"It was a big mistake that we were taken from there," says a soldier of the 24th Brigade.
As reported by "NYT," it quickly became clear that the 41st Brigade was not ready to defend Toretsk as they did not know the terrain. The brigade commander was also criticized for issuing unclear orders and lacking a quick response to changing threats.
According to Heorhiy Tuka, former Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons and a former soldier of the 206th Regiment, too few Ukrainian soldiers were sent to the Toretsk area. The 41st Regiment issued offensive orders to light infantry units that exceeded their capabilities, leading to heavy losses.
"The 41st no longer has command in the Toretsk area. Ukraine has dispatched some of its best brigades to try and stabilize the situation, but they are stretched thin. And the fierce fighting, soldiers said, could complicate any hope Kyiv has of seizing the initiative and going back on the offensive," writes NYT.
In response to "NYT's" request, the General Staff of Ukraine refused to discuss operational details. Still, it stated that the military command "always takes into account a reasonable initiative and suggestions of field commanders."
Meanwhile, soldiers from various brigades currently fighting in the area stated that they would leave it to others to judge what went wrong and focus on stopping the advancing Russians.
Analysts from the DeepState project reported that the enemy was only 91 metres from the outskirts of Toretsk.
