[LB] The operation to capture Avdiyvka was long overdue: the Russians failed to storm head-on numerous long-standing positions at Promka, Vynogradniki (a private garden society), "Tsarsky polyuvanna" (a former elite entertainment complex); they carried out raids from Vodyanyi back in the summer. True, unsuccessful. But when did that stop the Kremlin crazies?
The 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Major-General Mark Bezruchka is fighting in the Avdiiv direction.
You remember, at that time, north of Vodyanyi, a column of naval infantry of the 36th Naval Infantry Brigade jumped on a support. Without artillery support. They marched without deploying into battle formations.
Our naval infantry unwound them with "Javelins" and mines - they killed five vehicles and a T-80BV.
The enemy's plans are quite obvious: our drones are circling over Donetsk, then large calibers will fly there - cutting the railway, warehouses and locations. Guided projectiles for communication nodes and kungs are also obtained. Mr. HIMARS also enters.
The question is no longer about reputation - it is about the stability of the front, since the Defense Forces are attacking both on the left bank of the Dnieper and near Robotyn - Verbov, and are pressing behind the Bakhmut railway.
It is necessary to deal with shelling of Donetsk, because it is a large logistics hub.
This time they decided to throw firewood from the north to the railway, and to attack directly near the "Tsar's Hunt" in order to tie up the reserves with a battle - so as not to help the troops at the neck of the ridge.
It is quite logical: what is the point of attacking a multi-year front if you can bypass it and take control of the supply lines?
The Russians, of course, trot out endless stories of concrete pillboxes and fortified areas in the sector to justify the 19-month failure. Unfortunately for them, if in Avdievka there was a VOP with pillboxes, then only in the second line, it is impossible to pull a mixer with a tap on a run or a garden society.
That's why there are no multi-story bunkers - at most the technical passages of the coke farm, shelters in Avdiyivka and strongholds along the line.
Naturally, minefields, dugouts, crevices, basements, and the elbow system of fire, when from the neighboring pillars create killboxes on the spot. That is why the battles for Promka and Vynogradniki were not crowned with success for the enemy during the months-long fighting of the ATO/OOS.
It is still extremely difficult to defeat a well-prepared defense that relies on artillery behind dense buildings, with counter-battery radars, eye drone flights and barrage ammunition.
But even from the north, it is not easy to bypass Avdievka - there is a coke-fired railway that goes through the Berdychi station. Near its embankment there are various concrete showers and shelters that are used by FPV drone teams, ATGM groups, and adjusters.
And the front itself relies on a system of slightly protruding eyes and secrets. Koksokhim, technical ponds and a 40-meter tericon create natural obstacles for an attack in this sector.
Moreover, the terrikon itself is not used as a support point - the rock and its flat top turn everything into a swamp in any rain. Plus there are no natural shelters: trees, bushes, only dead rock.
That is, it is realistic to be on the Avdiiv territory to launch a bird from your hand or deploy a camera, but not so much to place at least rack-mounted grenade launchers, ATGMs and supply them in this sticky mess.
The Russians decided that it was a good idea to saddle the dominant height: between technical ponds and dumps, along the shot road, let the column go, without even deploying in battle formations. Why not?
What can go wrong?
On October 10-13, the enemy struck after powerful artillery preparation and dozens of sorties by army aircraft.
At the same time, he tried to expand the bridgehead from Pisky to Pervomaiskyi and advanced from Vodyanyi in the southern section, bypassing Tonenkye and Severnyye.
In the northern direction, they tried to capture the tericon, break through the railway and bypass Berdychi, also covered by a chain of ponds, to squeeze between the station and Novokalinov.
The units of the DPR, well-acquainted with the sector, were widely used: "Sparta", "Kalmius", "Pyatnashka". Plus the strengthening of the Russians - the 114th and 9th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Altogether at least five brigades, including support, up to four battalions participated in direct assault operations.
When immediately (still behind the enemy's battle line) the enemy lost their equipment due to our artillery and drones, because the Russians persistently ignore even the Soviet instructions to go to the lines of deployment and attack, get lost in columns, then assault groups went forward in the style of Bakhmut.
For this, numerous units of reservists and TrO collaborators were used - motorized units from the forcibly mobilized.
It was very expensive: two battalions, in fact, ceased to exist, a combatant in one was killed, in the other he was wounded, only part of the command and rear survived - without injuries or contusions. Donetsk hospitals are full, the Russians are recruiting volunteer doctors from the Russian Federation.
Most of the equipment was hit at the advance stage: two tanks, four armored "Urals" were knocked out in a column under a terrikon, and a dozen and a half armored personnel carriers and BMPs were dismantled. The last "Tiger" was shot at the very foot of the tericon.
Assault groups of Russians jumped onto the flat, like a table top and came under heavy fire from mortars and 155 mm artillery. They were finished there after a flanking counterattack - partly above, partly in the neighboring plantation, they remained on the field for less than a day.
That's it, they experimentally found out why blunt dills have not made a fortification there since 2014. They expanded the gray zone around the territory, from where our advanced groups came out, but they could not take the territory under control.
Victory's fate has already been decided, it is ours. The question is when?
In the south, the situation is similar: the last destroyed Russian vehicles were in the direction of Tonkoya stream, when the enemy tried to cover the village; three tanks and numerous armored vehicles were killed just in the field. Objective control of mine explosions, defeats with anti-tank missiles and FPV drones.
Opposite the "Tsar's Hunt", the enemy captured a network of secrets and advanced observation posts, but our armored groups stopped it, treated it with cluster shells, "Grads". He also suffered considerable losses there.
Because it is extremely difficult to secure and bury oneself in the ground, bring water and evacuate the wounded under fire at the same time from the flanks and large calibers from the depth.
Of course, it was not an easy walk: we have people killed and wounded by artillery, killed in shooting battles and on the NP from tank fire.
The enemy's artillery worked for three days, and it was not possible to shut it up (because the barrel was based on numerous reserve positions behind dense buildings). Numerous aircraft sorties, winged bombs, attacks by attack helicopters are a classic joint military operation.
Perhaps with an eye on the result, as in Luhansk region - small successes here and there, flanks, and then gradual pushing, despite losses.
But the enemy has more than 150 dead tanks, armored personnel carriers, BMPs, armored vehicles, trucks, and kungs. It is impossible to ignore it.
With targets hit in depth - under 200 units of destroyed, damaged and abandoned equipment, finished off.
Terrible losses, no worse than Vugledar and the famous failed attempt to force the Donets near Bilogorivka.
Positional impasse in the palm of your hand: mechanized groups from the hot 80s of the last century cannot overcome the maneuvering defense of drones, high-precision self-propelled guns and barrage ammunition. So far they can't.
Tensions have eased, but fighting continues in the sector.
Obviously, the attacks will continue - there is a lot at stake, and Avdiyivka is a strategic position for us to control by fire the main city in the region, on which the enemy forces rely.