MOSCOW, February 18 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Hundreds of dead and wounded, dozens of burnt armored vehicles, tons of ammunition handed over without a fight, and a reputation that has collapsed "below the plinth". Exactly three years ago, on February 18, 2015, the armed forces of the Donetsk People's Republic completed the defeat of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, squeezed into a ring near the city of Debaltseve. The DPR troops managed to completely capture the bridgehead, which Kyiv planned to use to develop an offensive deep into the enemy’s territory. If the Armed Forces of Ukraine had succeeded, the communication between Luhansk and Donetsk would have been almost completely cut off. More importantly, the DPR fighters were able to once again prove that they could not be defeated with a swoop - after the February defeat, government troops no longer carried out major offensive operations. About how the Debaltsevo cauldron was brewed - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Everything in the "pocket"
Parts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard captured Debaltseve by July 28, 2014. This city, 74 kilometers from Donetsk, is one of the largest railway junctions in Ukraine. Control over it allowed Kyiv to quickly transfer reinforcements and develop an offensive both towards the border with Russia and towards the capital of the DPR from the northeast. However, having pushed through the front line in one relatively narrow section between Gorlovka and Alchevsk, the Armed Forces of Ukraine could not achieve success in neighboring directions. As a result, a well-defined "pocket" was formed on the tactical maps of both sides, squeezed from three sides by the territories controlled by the militias. It was obvious that this ledge was not eternal: either parts of the DPR would cut it off, or they would try to expand the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, since the beginning of September 2014 (immediately after the Ilovaisky defeat of the Ukrainian troops), a relative calm has reigned on the fronts.
The status quo was broken in January 2015, with the start of intense fighting for the Donetsk airport. DPR units managed to take control of both terminals and most of the surrounding territories. On January 22, Kyiv officially admitted that it had completely lost control of the airport. On the same day, a sabotage group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired a mortar at a bus stop public transport"Donetskgormash" in the Leninsky district of Donetsk, resulting in the death of 15 people. The rise in tension here provoked intense fighting and in other areas. In particular, the artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Debaltseve resumed shelling the surrounding settlements. In order to eliminate the threat, the armed forces of the DPR and LPR in the 20th of January went on the offensive against the enemy bridgehead.
The grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Debaltseve, according to various sources, numbered from three to seven thousand people with armored vehicles, heavy weapons, artillery, including large-caliber ones. In addition to several territorial defense battalions, battalion tactical groups of the 25th airborne and 128th mountain infantry brigades, as well as a company tactical group of the 17th tank brigade, were based here. The LPR and DPR sent from six to ten thousand fighters and several dozen armored vehicles to defeat the group. The howitzers of the "Kalmius" brigade provided fire support to the advancing units.
The "lid" closes
The offensive of the rebels on the Debaltseve ledge began on January 22, 2015 with a powerful artillery preparation. The settlements that formed the outer line of defense of the besieged city fell under attack - Olkhovatka, Redkodub, Popasnaya, Sanzharovka, Troitskoye and Chernukhino. By February 5, the DPR forces occupied Uglegorsk, west of Debaltsev, and on February 9, they took control of the village of Logvinovo, through which the ATO forces were supplied. The Debaltsevo grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was completely surrounded: the "pocket" finally turned into a cauldron. The DPR militias began methodically suppressing resistance centers with tanks and artillery, confidently frustrating any enemy attempts to counterattack.
© Ruptly
Of course, official Kyiv tried to hide the fact of encirclement of its troops. Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on February 11 that the units stationed in Debaltseve are receiving weapons and ammunition, and there is communication and interaction with the command. In the same way, six months ago, his predecessor Valery Geletei lied, claiming that there was no Ilovaisk cauldron. The situation in August-September 2014 was mirrored: units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, having been surrounded, completely lost their combat capability, and their senior officers abandoned their troops to their fate. The story of the commander of the "Donbass" battalion, Semyon Semenchenko, is indicative, who fled from the front to Artemovsk, pretending to be wounded, and wrote "combat" reports from the hospital that did not correspond to reality.
However, the surrounded units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were given a chance to leave alive and unharmed. As a result of the new Minsk agreements on February 11-12, it was decided that both sides should completely cease fire and withdraw heavy weapons from the line of contact by midnight on February 15. In turn, the heads of the LPR and DPR announced their readiness to provide Ukrainian troops with corridors to exit the boiler if they leave their weapons and equipment. However, some commanders decided to go for a breakthrough. Some of the encircled were able to get out through the fields and country roads north of Logvinovo, leaving up to 300 units of various equipment in a cauldron.
And on February 17, the DPR forces entered Debaltseve and occupied the central, northern and eastern parts of the city, including the district police department and the railway station. The next day, the press secretary of the DPR Ministry of Defense announced that the city had been taken under full control. On the same day, President Petro Poroshenko announced an "organized withdrawal" from Debaltseve of 2,500 soldiers, 15 tanks and 50 infantry fighting vehicles. According to him, the 40th Kryvbas Battalion and the 127th Mountain Infantry Brigade left the city. This information in the DPR was criticized to smithereens. According to the official representative of the republic, Denis Pushilin, the units and subunits mentioned by Poroshenko were almost completely destroyed.
Army Exam
The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard in the Debaltsevo cauldron, according to various estimates, range from 250 to 3 thousand soldiers and officers. In the battles for the city, 100-150 militias were killed. It is difficult to say exactly, since the parties to the war tend to exaggerate the losses of the enemy and downplay their own. But it is known that the LPR and DPR got rich trophies - several dozen tanks, more than thirty infantry fighting vehicles, as well as tons of ammunition of various calibers. This made it possible to partially compensate for the losses in materiel that the militias suffered during the month of fighting. More importantly, the LNR and the DNR took control of a major transportation hub that allowed a direct rail link between Luhansk and Donetsk.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that the Debaltsevo offensive exhausted the forces of the self-proclaimed republics, therefore, after the February battles, they no longer carried out large-scale offensives. However, the ATO forces also did not use the opportunity to launch counterattacks in adjacent directions, in particular in the Gorlovka area. Nevertheless, the winter of 2014-2015 clearly remained with the DNR and LNR. The militia has finally proved that it has become a full-fledged army, which is able to successfully carry out offensive operations not only tactical, but also strategic level.
Today it was possible to obtain more accurate information on the Debaltsevo cauldron from the persons involved in the creation and liquidation of the cauldron.
1. In total, there were about 4.5 thousand people in the pocket south of Logvinovo out of the initial group of 8-9 thousand people. The group was essentially cut in half. The key success was a surprise attack on Uglegorsk, after which events turned in our favor after an unsuccessful offensive in the Svetlodarsk area. Slips in the offensive were formed as a result of problems in the combat interaction of various formations, a lack of ammunition and heavy equipment in some parts of the LPR army, as well as due to the stubborn resistance of a number of parts of the junta, which turned out to be higher than expected.
2. After the Olkhon group occupied Logvinovo, units of the special forces of the GRU DNR were transferred there, which, in stubborn battles, repelled the offensive of the deblocking group, destroying 18 armored vehicles. At the same time, the special forces suffered serious losses in the battles - 5 people were killed, more than 30 were injured (the losses were mainly from heavy artillery fire). In fact, the actions of the Olkhon group (which captured Logvinovo) and the special forces of the GRU DPR (which repelled counterattacks on Logvinovo) predetermined the success of the entire Debaltsevo operation, which stalled for some time in the Mironovka area. At the same time, it is worth noting that the defenders of Krasny Pakhar, with their defense, retained an important position for the NAF, which can be used to encircle the Svetlodar enemy grouping.
3. So, upon leaving the encirclement, part of the junta’s forces left the ring, leaving heavy weapons there as agreed (that is, a situation like Starobeshevo was repeated, when, in order to get out of the Ilovaisky pocket, the junta’s breaking group handed over all the tanks and part of the infantry fighting vehicles to the militias), part of the forces tried break through without agreement (as near Ilovaisk) and they were crushed - again some idiots decided that the agreements (exit in exchange for the delivery of equipment) did not concern them. Up to 500 people were taken prisoner, about the same number seeped through the fields and country roads north of the M-103 highway, partly on foot. Most of the heavy weapons were simply abandoned in the cauldron (either by agreement or simply when escaping from the cauldron, so there are really a lot of trophies). In total, a combined hodgepodge of units for 1-1.5 battalions came out of the encirclement. Almost all of the artillery, most of the armored vehicles and significant stocks of ammunition were thrown into the cauldron. All stories about an organized exit are propaganda bullshit.
4. As for the losses of the junta, the figure of 1200-1500 killed in the battles for the Debaltsevo ledge is closer to reality, our losses were not specifically announced to me, but they were also very significant in terms of people (the main burden of losses came at the end of January) and in technology (in technology, however, trophies will more than cover the damage incurred). Throughout the operation, the main damaging factor, as before, was artillery fire and MLRS. Our gunners to some extent "shot" the junta near Debaltseve.
In general, the Debaltseve epic is coming to an end successfully, the junta group has suffered a complete defeat, and in the next few days it will be possible to talk about the end of the battle for Debaltseve and, at the same time, the winter campaign of 2015. I will sum up the results of the offensive and the battle for Debaltseve in the coming days.
Plus an excellent video from near Chernukhino.
Saved
Today it was possible to obtain more accurate information on the Debaltsevo cauldron from the persons involved in the creation and liquidation of the cauldron. 1. In total, there were about 4.5 thousand people in the pocket south of Logvinovo out of the initial group of 8-9 thousand people. The group was essentially cut in half. Key...
"/>Today it was possible to obtain more accurate information on the Debaltsevo cauldron from the persons involved in the creation and liquidation of the cauldron.
1. In total, there were about 4.5 thousand people in the pocket south of Logvinovo out of the initial group of 8-9 thousand people. The group was essentially cut in half. The key success was a surprise attack on Uglegorsk, after which events turned in our favor after an unsuccessful offensive in the Svetlodarsk area. Slips in the offensive were formed as a result of problems in the combat interaction of various formations, a lack of ammunition and heavy equipment in some parts of the LPR army, as well as due to the stubborn resistance of a number of parts of the junta, which turned out to be higher than expected.
2. After the Olkhon group occupied Logvinovo, units of the special forces of the GRU DNR were transferred there, which, in stubborn battles, repelled the offensive of the deblocking group, destroying 18 armored vehicles. At the same time, the special forces suffered serious losses in the battles - 5 people were killed, more than 30 were injured (the losses were mainly from heavy artillery fire). In fact, the actions of the Olkhon group (which captured Logvinovo) and the special forces of the GRU DPR (which repelled counterattacks on Logvinovo) predetermined the success of the entire Debaltsevo operation, which stalled for some time in the Mironovka area. At the same time, it is worth noting that the defenders of Krasny Pakhar, with their defense, retained an important position for the NAF, which can be used to encircle the Svetlodar enemy grouping.
3. So, upon leaving the encirclement, part of the junta’s forces left the ring, leaving heavy weapons there as agreed (that is, a situation like Starobeshevo was repeated, when, in order to get out of the Ilovaisky pocket, the junta’s breaking group handed over all the tanks and part of the infantry fighting vehicles to the militias), part of the forces tried break through without agreement (as near Ilovaisk) and they were crushed - again some idiots decided that the agreements (exit in exchange for the delivery of equipment) did not concern them. Up to 500 people were taken prisoner, about the same number seeped through the fields and country roads north of the M-103 highway, partly on foot. Most of the heavy weapons were simply abandoned in the cauldron (either by agreement or simply when escaping from the cauldron, so there are really a lot of trophies). In total, a combined hodgepodge of units for 1-1.5 battalions came out of the encirclement. Almost all of the artillery, most of the armored vehicles and significant stocks of ammunition were thrown into the cauldron. All stories about an organized exit are propaganda bullshit.
4. As for the losses of the junta, the figure of 1200-1500 killed in the battles for the Debaltsevo ledge is closer to reality, our losses were not specifically announced to me, but they were also very significant in terms of people (the main burden of losses came at the end of January) and in technology (in technology, however, trophies will more than cover the damage incurred). Throughout the operation, the main damaging factor, as before, was artillery fire and MLRS. Our gunners to some extent "shot" the junta near Debaltseve.
In general, the Debaltseve epic is coming to an end successfully, the junta group has suffered a complete defeat, and in the next few days it will be possible to talk about the end of the battle for Debaltseve and, at the same time, the winter campaign of 2015. I will sum up the results of the offensive and the battle for Debaltseve in the coming days.
Plus an excellent video from near Chernukhino.
In July 2014, the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic under the command of Igor Strelkov, they cut off a ledge in the area of the city of Torez, using sabotage and reconnaissance and armored groups, and thereby completed a multi-day joint operation with the LPR to encircle a group of Ukrainian army troops in the southeast Donetsk region in the space from the village of Marinovka in the east of the Donetsk region (border with Russia) to the Izvarino checkpoint in the east of the Luhansk region.
Parts of the following units were surrounded: 79th Separate Airmobile Brigade, 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 28th Guards Mechanized Brigade, 51st Mechanized Brigade, 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, 3rd Special Purpose Regiment, Consolidated Detachment of Border Guards, Territorial Battalion "Shakhtyorsk" , part of the Azov Battalion.
According to various sources, the size of the encircled group was from 4,500 fighters (VSU version) to 8,000 (militia data). The formations were cut off from supplies (which required the involvement of military transport aviation for this; this led to the loss of several vehicles), communications, fire support, were constantly subjected to artillery and mortar fire, and suffered huge losses.
An example of such shelling is a rocket attack near Zelenopolye on July 11, which, according to various sources, killed from 19 to several hundred Ukrainian servicemen. In the encircled formations, desertion and the transition of fighters to the territory of Russia were observed. The Saur-Mogila height, around which battles repeatedly unfolded, played a key role in the encirclement of the Ukrainian army grouping.
By August 6, as a result of the liquidation of the boiler, the zone of control of the militia forces over the border had doubled.
On August 7, A.V. Zakharchenko, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the DPR, said that “the security forces surrounded in the ‘southern cauldron’ have almost surrendered. There are 800 people left.
On August 8, the militia announced that they had seized 67 pieces of equipment of various degrees of usefulness from Ukrainian troops (serviceable equipment without ammunition and fuels and lubricants, with malfunctions, damaged in battle and completely unusable), including 18 missile systems volley fire "Grad", anti-aircraft missile systems "Osa", 15 tanks and armored personnel carriers, howitzers, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, infantry fighting vehicles, airborne combat vehicles.
As a result of the liquidation of the boiler, the punishers lost more than 4,000 killed, wounded and captured, 438 fighters fled to the territory of Russia, up to 240 went over to the side of the militias.
2. Ilovaisky cauldron (up to 5000 punishers)
On August 19, bloody street battles unfolded for the city of Ilovaisk. By the end of the day, the militias covered the positions of the Ukrainian security forces with a volley of Grad systems. Ukrainian media confirmed the fact of losses in the Donbass battalion. However, on the morning of August 20, the situation in the city was uncertain. The Ukrainian media reported on the strengthening of the militia troops around the city at the expense of the Vostok and Oplot battalions.
On August 26, as a result of the offensive of the DPR armed formations in Ilovaisk, the battalions "Donbass", "Dnepr-1", the battalions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Kherson", "Svityaz" and "Peacemaker", as well as the combined company of the 93rd and 17th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were surrounded .
As of on the morning of August 27, 2014 representatives of the DPR reported that they completely took Ilovaisk under their control. Organized resistance in the city ceased, the remnants of Ukrainian units left Ilovaisk.
However, according to the ATO headquarters, the fighting continued, the Ukrainian security forces tried to regain control over the city.
On August 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the militias to open a humanitarian corridor for the encircled Ukrainian military to enable them to leave the battle area, receiving medical care etc. The President also called on the government of Ukraine to stop hostilities and enter into negotiations with representatives of the militias. The militias accepted this proposal, but clarified that the Ukrainian military should leave the “cauldron” without weapons. Despite this, the punishers tried to break out of the encirclement by military means.
The forces of the militia entered into combat operations against the Ukrainian units that attempted to break through. As a result, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops led to colossal losses.
According to the commander of the Ukrainian battalion "Donbass" S. Semenchenko (09/26/2014), near Ilovaisk, Ukrainian losses exceed 1 thousand people . According to the statement of the head of the Interim Investigation Commission of the Parliament of Ukraine A. Senchenko (October 20, 2014): “The total number of deaths, including those who died from wounds in all episodes of the Ilovai tragedy, is about a thousand people.” As the commander of the Azov regiment A. Biletsky noted in December 2014: “In Ilovaisk they lost up to a hundred people killed, and then, during the execution of the column, more than a thousand.”
3. Boiler in Donetsk Airport (in different time up to 1500 punishers)
In the summer of 2014, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were blocked on the territory of the airport by the DPR detachments, which repeatedly tried to take the airport by storm. Only at the end of July, as a result of the successful deblocking actions of the Ukrainian army and the retreat of the DPR forces to the city limits, the security forces managed to break through the “corridor” and deliver heavy weapons to the airport.
In late August, the rebels resumed their assault on the airport. To suppress ground strongholds and firing points, MLRS installations and heavy artillery were used. The shelling led to a strong fire in the main building of the airport. After the artillery preparation, according to the rebels, between 20 and 50 Ukrainian servicemen left the airport and surrendered.
On September 2, according to the rebels, part of the airfield and part of the ground structures came under their control.
The Minsk Agreement, signed on September 5, 2014, left the territory on which the airport is located to the militias.
On the night of 12 to 13 September part of the airport, which is under the control of the Ukrainian military, was again subjected to heavy artillery fire and an assault with the participation of tanks. The attack was repelled. Attempts to storm the building of the old terminal, which continued to be held by Ukrainian forces, were reported on 28 September, 2 and 3 October. On October 6, the rebels declared that the entire territory of the airport, including hangars, buildings and underground utilities, was completely under their control].
within two days ( from November 30 to December 1) there were fierce battles for the airport.
On December 8, according to the Ukrainian side, the airport was under their control. According to representatives of the DPR, the old terminal is under their control, the new one is under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As of to the middle of December the Ukrainian security forces retained control over the new terminal, the rebels over the old one. After reaching agreements on a ceasefire, on December 12, the DPR forces provided a humanitarian corridor to the Ukrainian security forces for a rotation of personnel, during which, under the camera of the Russian TV channel Lifenews, a militia commander with the call sign "Motorola" and etc. O. the commander of the battalion of the 93rd Motorized Brigade with the call sign "Dome" shook hands.
Subsequently, 2 more rotations of the Ukrainian military were carried out through Donetsk controlled by the DPR - December 22 and January 6.
On January 13, 2015, after two days of shelling of Donetsk by Ukrainian troops, the DPR forces went on the offensive, starting battles for a new terminal. On the same day, the airport control tower was destroyed.
On January 14, the official representative of the DPR, Pushilin, announced the retreat of the Ukrainian military from the airport, but soon the ATO headquarters denied the information that the ATO units left the Donetsk airport.
On January 15, the head of the DPR A. Zakharchenko announced the establishment of control over the Donetsk airport. The headquarters of the anti-terrorist operation denied the statement of the militias about the capture of the Donetsk airport. However, the Ukrainian military reported receiving an order to retreat from the village of Peski, which covered the airport, while they reported that when they tried to occupy the airport, the militias fired tear gas.
On January 16, fierce fighting for the airport ("new terminal") continued. The Ukrainian forces were led by the brigade commander of the 93rd brigade Mikats. According to the militia, 10 Ukrainian security forces were killed during the battle, in addition, six charred bodies were found in the building itself. The militias estimated their losses at one dead and eight wounded. On the same day, the “Sparta” and “Somalia” battalions, according to them, suppressed the pockets of resistance of the Ukrainian army and repulsed the counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the village of Peski. According to the Minister of Defense of the DPR, Ukrainian troops used phosphorus ammunition during the shelling of the airport
On January 17, the DPR Ministry of Defense announced that Ukrainian security forces, supported by 10 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, and a company of motorized infantry launched a counteroffensive on Donetsk airport; according to them, during the attack, the Ukrainian army lost 4 tanks, 1 infantry fighting vehicle and 15 soldiers.
On January 22, the Ukrainian side admitted that it had completely lost control over the Donetsk airport.
4. Debaltsevo cauldron (up to 8000 punishers)
The offensive of the militias in the Debaltseve ledge began on January 22, 2015. The clashes that began turned into a front-line operation using tanks, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.
The main goal of the militias was the elimination of the bridgehead of the Ukrainian military, which is deeply wedged into the territory of the militias in the Debaltseve area. During the fighting, the leaders of the republics announced the formation of a new pocket, which was supposed to slam shut along with thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, whose positions were shot through by the artillery of the militias.
On February 5, the DPR forces announced the establishment of full control over Uglegorsk. On February 9, the DPR army cut the M103 Artyomovsk-Debaltsevo highway, which connected the AFU grouping in Debaltsevo with the main forces: the settlement of Logvinovo, located on this highway, was taken.
According to the statements of the DPR army, on February 10 they blocked the highway leading from Debaltseve to Artemovsk, thereby ensuring the complete encirclement of the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On February 12, in the morning, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Logvinovo from the cauldron, and from the outside from Uglegorsk, but the NAF were repulsed, Eduard Basurin said.
As a result of the new Minsk agreements, on February 11-12, 2015, the troops of both sides must withdraw heavy weapons from the point of contact from 00:00 Eastern European Time on February 15. The heads of the DPR and LPR announced their readiness to provide the exit of Ukrainian troops from the “cauldron” formed, in their opinion.
On February 17, the DPR forces entered Debaltseve and occupied the central, northern and eastern parts of the city, including the regional police department and the railway station.
On the same day, representatives of the DPR reported that most of Debaltsevo had been captured and several groups of Ukrainian military personnel, numbering 120 people, had been taken prisoner. Later, a column of several dozen prisoners of war was shown on the air of Channel One.
On the same day, during the fighting in the city of Debaltseve, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Zakharchenko was wounded in the leg.
On February 18, the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the DPR reported that Debaltsevo had been taken under full control by militia forces.
On February 19, DPR plenipotentiary Denis Pushilin stated that for the entire time of the fighting in the Debaltsevo area about 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers died
5. Amvrosievsky cauldron (6000 punishers)
In August 2014, the troops of Novorossiya launched an assault on Amvrosievka, which turned out to be a distraction. At the same time, the Ukrainian command lost control over the punitive battalions located in the area.,
As a result, the militias passed through Novoivanovka like a knife through butter - but at first not towards the Sea of Azov, but towards the units of the DPR advancing along the Mospino-Ekaterinovka line - and closed the encirclement around the "Amvrosievskaya" group, which numbers about 5-6 thousand people and consists not only of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also of volunteer battalions of punishers "Aidar", "Donbass" and "Miner".
6. Elenovsky cauldron (2000 punishers)
At 4 o'clock in the morning on August 24, the militia attacked Yelenovka. During the fighting, the militias captured the northeastern part of Yelenovka, destroying up to eight tanks, up to 19 armored combat vehicles and a mortar battery. The Yelenovsky "cauldron", the third one formed in August 2014, included units of the National Guard "Azov" and "Dnepr".
At least 2,000 punishers were surrounded here. The boiler was practically closed from the west and south. The Yelenovsky cauldron turned out to be west of Amvrosievsky, but these two Ukrainian army groups could not connect. Between them, the troops of the Novorossiya army, wedged in from the north, were firmly entrenched, which could no longer be knocked out of Starobeshevo and Novy Svet (successfully covered by a horseshoe lake). Thanks to this strategic advantage, the possibility of connecting large encircled enemy groupings turned out to be impossible. This doomed 5000 punishers in the Amvrosievsky cauldron and severely limited the ability of the 2000th group to escape from the Yelenovsky cauldron.
Soon, an operation to eliminate the boiler began, as representatives of the militia reported:
“A wild flurry of fire fell on the “cauldron”, ours hit from whatever they can. If the Nazis do not surrender after that, then nothing will help them,” said one of the DPR soldiers. By the end of the summer, the group was defeated, the militias received a large number of prisoners and captured equipment.
7. Encirclement of Ukrainian troops at the Lugansk airport (2000 punishers)
On June 9, 2014, fighters of the armed forces of the Luhansk People's Republic blocked the airport and, according to various estimates, from 500 to 2,000 military personnel of the ground forces and the National Guard of Ukraine with weapons and armored vehicles located on its territory.
On June 14, 2014, unidentified militias shot down an Il-76 military transport aircraft of the 25th transport air brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force on approach to the airport. All 40 paratroopers and nine crew members on board were killed. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko declared June 15 a day of mourning for those killed in the crash of an Il-76 military transport aircraft at Lugansk airport.
In the period from June to August, the LPR Army blocked the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard at the airport. Ukrainian security forces fought in the areas of the Luhansk region adjacent to the airport to establish uninterrupted supply corridors to the north-west of the airport, towards the main group besieging Luhansk. During this period, the Ukrainian troops stationed at the airport spent part of their time surrounded.
Mid August 2014 of the year armed forces The LPR, having increased its strength, went on the offensive and finally surrounded the Ukrainian group in the area of the airport and Lutugino, then proceeded to cut it into pieces. Under the current conditions, the parts of the 80th separate airmobile unit holding the airport landing brigade and the 24th battalion of the territorial defense of the Lugansk region "Aidar" on September 1 were driven out of the territory.
During the battles with the use of artillery, the airport's infrastructure was significantly damaged, most of it was beyond repair. In particular, the airport terminal was completely destroyed.
Debaltseve. How it was
Confessions of a scout
Igor Lukyanov (callsign MacLeod) saw Debaltseve differently - almost peaceful, on the brink of disaster and beyond. In the first rotation with the 25th Territorial Defense Battalion, he spent five months there and left before the New Year. When he returned back two weeks later, the city was surrounded by separatists, and he had to break through into the ring in order to get out of it later with battles and losses. Of the column of 100 people, 14 survived. This was the day before the president reported on TV about the "planned and organized withdrawal of units" from Debaltseve.
Help Macleod
Igor Lukyanov returned to the front lines in the ATO zone in May 2015. TSN.ua decided to help MacLeod and his colleagues buy uniforms, communications equipment, tablets, generators, radio air scanners, batteries for thermal imagers.
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But Macleod talks about this and the war as a whole as calmly as about his peaceful life. He does not talk about the atrocities of the separatists, but only assesses the level of their military training. About the dead and wounded - also dry: only numbers and dates. The only thing that causes weak emotions is the mistakes of the Ukrainian command.
In the second part, Lukyanov spoke about how the “cauldron” began, why he did not believe that the separatists could take the city, and what actually happened in Debaltseve when the militants entered there.
Our Debaltseve
I came to Debaltseve by accident. At the military registration and enlistment office they asked me: "Are you going to 25?" I say, of course I will. I fought with them. I called the guys at 25-ke, said to meet. And they brought me to the Desna (town in Chernihiv region). Already there I realized that the confusion turned out with the names: 25th Territorial Defense Battalion " Kievan Rus"and 25 airmobile brigade.
At that time, in the battalion, where there were about 700 people, no more than seven had combat experience. The rest are newbies. It took a long time to grind. They are couch troops: they know everything from rumors and trench opinions of comrades who were already there.
In the fall of 2014, a large grouping of Ukrainian troops was pulled into Debaltseve
We left for Debaltseve on July 24 last year. First, they occupied Chernukhino (on the road it is 20 km, and directly - 5 km to Debaltseve). There stood K2 (Kyiv-2 - ed). They gave me 2 mortar crews that provided cover, and they said - command. I had 8 people - four each on a mortar. It quickly became clear that sitting in the pit and shooting blindly, the maximum visibility was one and a half kilometers, it makes no sense, so I started crawling through the bushes.
When K2 left, we also filmed and moved to Debaltseve itself. More active hostilities had already begun there, and it became clear that it was necessary to organize interaction with artillery. Our task was to prevent the enemy from approaching the artillery: as long as the artillery existed, this ledge existed until then. No capital fortifications we did not have.
They did everything on their own - ordinary dugouts covered with ordinary logs. There was time to dig in, but this did not solve the problem: we dug in with shovels, and the enemy with tractors. If our ceilings were wooden, then they had reinforced concrete pillboxes cast. At most, one of ours agreed and brought concrete slabs. All this was done at the level of the middle and lower command levels.
There was time to dig in, but this did not solve the problem: we dug in with shovels, and the enemy with tractors. If we had wooden floors, then they cast reinforced concrete pillboxes
Then no one expected that the separatists could go on the offensive. When we got there, there was a rather large group of us - six divisions. This is about 2.5 thousand people. And there was not much enemy there, up to one thousand. They occupied the isthmus and strongholds. And in the rear there was artillery. They had the classic tactics of Slavyansk: "wandering" mortars and DRGs (sabotage and reconnaissance groups).
A group of separatists in Uglegorsk near Debaltseve
My sector of the front then was the northeast: Chernukhino, Debaltsevo and up to Sanzharovka. The terrain provided only three dangerous directions where tanks could pass, and we controlled them all. Most importantly, we had a predominant force of artillery. We crushed any enemy fire. We had howitzers, cannons, rocket fire systems, self-propelled guns. The terrorists were afraid to shoot. Three batteries were broken before my eyes. And these were not militias, but trained specialists from Russia.
In the first rotation, we stayed there for 4 months. During this time, they did what the Sector was supposed to do: they organized a network of NPs (observation posts), organized the KMP - our artillery headquarters, and began interaction with the infantry. We are behind enemy lines almost to last day there was an observation point on the waste heap, where a platoon sat, which gave coordinates where to hit.
As for the technical equipment and uniforms, they personally gave me a machine gun and equipment. Everything else was bought with their own money or volunteers helped.
In the fall of 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine completely suppressed the artillery of militants near Debaltseve
The cars were ours. We brought them with us, in trains. The GAZ-66 that they gave us quickly died. Everyone was driven in jeeps. In a war, usually, the vehicles that the MoD gives out are used to transport supplies, because you can’t put all this in a jeep. But it is impossible to drive in the Urals through the fields and perform some tasks. I drove my Mitsubishi Pajero. True, we were refueled, but also by personal agreement. After all, in order to refuel a car, it must be put on the balance sheet of the Moscow Region. That is, to actually give.
We left right before New Years. As a result, then five pieces of equipment remained - one GAZ-66 and our own transport. Interestingly, the NP network we deployed was not part of the regular positions, I could just get up, turn around and leave. They were not even mapped, and thank God, because they would have been bombed due to information leakage. But since the positions were advantageous, radio communications were established, so there was a reluctance to leave. We spoke with the 128th brigade and they put their people there.
Ours are sitting in the trenches, it is not clear where the artillery is firing from, no one has seen the separatists in the eye, but on the right and on the left there are combat losses. This is what war has been reduced to for the past two centuries: artillery is the main damaging factor
There were two companies of us at the time of departure - 200-300 people. It's not a loss. Some could not stand it, fell ill, were commissioned. It is difficult for people from the Maidan to fight, as well as to lead them. Panic was the biggest problem. For example, I did not tell my people for a long time that Debaltseve was surrounded. Say it, there would be a panic.
Then everyone went to war with a clear image, which I also had last spring: now they will put separatists in front of me, give me a saber and say “cut”. In fact, everything is different: ours are sitting in the trenches, artillery is firing at them from nowhere, no one has seen the separatists in the eyes, but on the right and on the left there are combat losses. This is what war has been reduced to for the past two centuries: artillery is the main damaging factor.
Just before the departure, the separatists were rotated and instead of the Cossacks, who also sat in the trenches and reluctantly climbed into an open confrontation, the marines of the armed forces of the Russian Federation arrived. We learned about it from patches and radio intercepts. And they are so fearless, without the experience of military operations, they decided to go on the offensive. Openly. We were honestly dumbfounded by such impudence.
Firing position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Debaltseve
And they stood up to their full height across the field and went. As a result, we plowed their battalion. Then they went on vehicles for 200s and 300s and we plowed the vehicles. As a result, they had to rotate again: a unit that loses more than 10% of its personnel in the first battle is not combat-ready. In general, this is the mistake of the Russians - they played with the special forces, made a bet on them, and artillery was and is the god of war.
We left Debaltseve calmly. The roads were not bombarded. There was a truce, which, however, had a very bad effect on the personnel. Because when they stop shooting, vodka starts.
alien city
We stayed at home for two weeks. For the second time, few people wanted to go - everyone fell ill. About 40% decided to return. The biggest mistake was that the necessary recovery period for combat capability had not passed. Neither equipment nor property was recovered. From the equipment in my unit there were three cars, and the fighters traveled by ordinary buses. In fact, the unprepared battalion was sent in an unknown direction. We thought that we were going to the Donetsk airport, only later it turned out that we were going back to Debaltseve.
Upon arrival, we entered the operational reserve of the 128th brigade and we were immediately told: "Guys, there is no longer a road to Debaltseve." We did not understand how this could happen in two weeks. They laughed, but it turned out that it was. The road was shot. We decided to take the old positions and establish cooperation with the infantry.
When we arrived at the ILC in Debaltseve, it was not clear whether it was ours or not. Because when they left the city, there were a lot of military and civilians walking around. We arrive here, something flies overhead all the time and there are no locals, no military. Nobody was in control. The picture was depressing.
An old woman feeds pigeons in Debaltseve during a lull
At that time, we had almost no artillery, and there was already superiority on the other side. Our intelligence missed the redeployment of large enemy forces. They collected what they had from all over the front and brought reinforcements.
By the time we arrived, our artillery had been completely suppressed. When the Gradov division is standing on the other side and firing as shells are brought, it is difficult to answer. In the second rotation, everything fired at us: Grads, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, planes and helicopters.
Aviation was used regularly. This can be confirmed by the 40th battalion, 128th brigade, National Guard. Once or twice a day, an airplane flew by at a low altitude and fired back. They were afraid to fly a lot, because there was air defense.
In total, the terrorists tried to take Debaltseve five times. Four is unsuccessful. The first time there was an attack on Nikishino - they fought back with all their might. I lost two mortars and half of my mortar personnel, not killed but wounded. Then they tried to attack Novogrigorovka twice - they plowed up their battalion there and set up a tank cemetery: 40 knocked out about five and we three. I don't count armored personnel carriers.
For the fourth time the offensive was thwarted when there were urban battles. Ours captured the map of the commander of the assault unit of the terrorists, which marked the area of their concentration in front of Debaltseve. Our artillery plowed it. But from the fifth time they took the city.
The sector gave the order to occupy the city defenses, but, not knowing the real state of affairs, they said to occupy positions that were already occupied by the separatists
In the end, there was no connection at all in the city, except for the one that was established by us - our network of NP-nis. There was no defense back then either. The sector gave the command to occupy urban defense, but, not knowing the real state of affairs, they said to take positions that were already occupied by the separatists.
And we, together with the chief of staff of the 128th, drew a map of the defense. Sami, because the Sector no longer understood what was happening. Because of this chaos, before my eyes, two units fell into a local environment and no one understood what to do, because the command was sitting in the basement behind a large map.
Residents of Debaltseve in a panic trying to leave the city after the start of active hostilities
Debaltseve could be kept. I would have stayed and kept. In urban battles, the militants would lay down their entire army. But in order to stay, it was necessary to know that from the other side they would break through to us. And stupid "sitting" was pointless: we were running out of supplies, the number of wounded was increasing, the number of dead too, and the unit was demoralized. Some crumbs were brought for artillery, which were fired in half an hour.
And I knew for sure that from the other side they were not coming to our aid, the ring was rapidly narrowing, and the enemy’s forces were increasing. It would be difficult to break through them.
We did not have an order to retreat and could not have - there was no connection. And there was no longer any sense for us to stay - we could not carry out combat missions - reconnaissance and adjustment. We no longer had anything to shoot with and there was nothing to reconnoiter - urban battles were going on under our noses. I decided to withdraw my unit in two parts. Then I had 18 men, plus six mortarmen and two bassooners. We had one irreplaceable.
While we saw that a unit of 40s was standing in front, we stood in our positions. Because if we had retreated, they would have been surrounded. They weren't ordered to leave. But they turned out to be smart guys - they retreated to my positions, and I - further. Then he tried to withdraw the unit on foot - it did not work, we were divided into two groups. In Debaltseve, it was not like in films about the Great Patriotic War - the separatists did not march as a united front - they infiltrated in small groups and dispersed. Everyone ran around the city randomly.
There were about 100 of us in the column, 14 came out and one prisoner
One part of our unit returned to the 40th, the second - to the 128th. I put the second group on transport, in a convoy that took away the wounded. They were ambushed, lost one car, but escaped. I remained in the positions of the 128th, helped to coordinate actions with the 40th - I remained in contact with them. When the second part of my unit approached, I began to go out with them. We then had 2 armored personnel carriers, 2 KamAZ trucks, one Ural and a fuel truck. There were about 100 of us in the column, 14 came out and one prisoner.
The leader of the column did not know the way, we were fired upon. Then get ambushed. All equipment was blown up. One armored personnel carrier was torn to pieces with people, and ours was still jumping on its belly. One wounded survived. He later told on TV how he lay frozen in the fields. He was taken prisoner and then returned.
We escaped from the first ambush and fell into the second. Then they went to the 30th battalion. We walked carefully, because our people did not know what kind of men with machine guns were walking through the fields.
I can't understand why everyone says that we surrendered Debaltseve? Guys, we passed at least 9 settlements around it. This is a piece of Ukrainian territory. Pro-Ukrainian people remained there. We left them, although we promised that we would not leave. What's wrong with them now? How do they live?
For now, I will restore the combat capability of the unit - it is necessary to replace some of the people, find new equipment. Now this is the main thing, because the people who were in the cauldron for the first time are very demoralized - they saw how it happened and now they don’t want to fight.
As for equipment, my car is now being repaired by volunteers. The engine costs $1,000. They collect crumbs. Here's another example, in my body armor a plate costs 300 bucks. I don’t see an opportunity to fight without it, but I have it broken by a bullet. The plate needs to be changed. And we also need radio stations, tablets, batteries.
There is, of course, the question of what to do with the people who support Russia in the occupied territories after their return. This problem should be solved by the authorities - to carry out Ukrainization. It's a very long story. Someone, of course, will never fall in love with Ukraine, but then these people will simply leave. I see it in Kramatorsk. Those who were for the DPR and LPR are now walking with dull eyes. It's hard for them, they leave. It will be the same in Donetsk. After the victory.
